Letting go of the idea that fine dining belongs to the happy few may well be the most interesting step towards the next generation of fine dining restaurants. Fine dining has reinvented itself before, but never around accessibility. The refinement doesn't lie in costly interiors and tableware, it lies in translating the chef's knowledge and skill for a new generation of consumers.
That guest wants more high-quality experiences, and wants them more often. The "thousand-layer" croissant, the 24-hour proved sourdough, the hand-whisked matcha. The refinement lies in the elasticity of the dough, the origin of the matcha, the fat content of the butter and the layering that gets enough air between the sheets of croissant dough.
All of it as accessible as possible, without compromising on quality.
Music with real presence from proper speakers, collabs with the DJs of the moment, a team full of energy, staff styled with a local designer, interiors that are stylish without being stiff.
The catch: guests can only spend their money once.
In my own restaurants, we found that accessibility in informal service, loud music, a young, energetic team and raw techniques. What stayed intact was the quality of the menu: precisely chosen wines, carefully sourced produce and dishes genuinely made in-house. That's where the refinement was.
At Vanderveen, pricing was where it went wrong. A restaurant at that level can't survive without an entry point or a second revenue stream, such as catering or a bar. A bar that guests walk into more easily, where they get to know your quality, and from where they move on to a reservation in the restaurant: volume at the bar, margin in the restaurant.
You can only afford that two-stage rocket if the numbers add up. Make things yourself, limit animal protein, buy seasonally through short supply chains, prevent waste. It won't bring your staff costs down, but it makes a serious difference to food cost. You then need that margin to price accessibly. You don't pay for your scallops with an inflated margin on snacks, you pay for them with precision.
Fine dining is about the refinement of the chefs, the sommelier, the pâtissier, the maître d'. Their knowledge, their craft, their technique. There's nothing wrong with taking that back to basics.
People are getting better at cooking at home and at bringing high-quality speciality products into their kitchens. That is exactly what makes the restaurant chef more relevant. You'll have to really cook again.
