The theatre of space-saving on the table
Few things are more off-putting to a customer than an overcrowded restaurant and this happens despite the best intentions of the operator. Restaurateurs in pursuit of maximizing the amount of customers they can squeeze in, use elaborate table plans, continually shift tables and experiment with arrangements. All well and good I say. However, one of my pet peeves was that with all these table layout strategies, why is there no proper ‘table - top’ management? Particularly in the case of restaurants that serve Asian cuisine – Chinese, Indian, Thai, Sri Lankan food to name a few.
Service in these types of restaurants is usually done by the waiter who goes round dishing out the food on to each diners plate in a particular sequence. However, no sooner the restaurant is full; the level of service can sink to a ‘drop-everything-on-the-table and go activity. They say globalization has made the world ever smaller. Not far behind this altruism is that dining tables are getting smaller too!
So, here we are, the four of us seated at a tiny square table in a busy restaurant with dishes of food literally covering the entire table and no room to place an elbow. I guess I now understand why it is considered bad mannered to put your elbows on the table when eating in China.
After COVID-19, the need for social distancing in the ‘theatre of disengagement’ means that no longer will a waiter breathe close to your face to dish food on to your plate. It will all be ‘food on the table’ and each diner for himself or herself. So, the concept of many dishes placed on to the table, (which I admit may enhance the dining experience a bit), will continue to present a problem for the diner fighting for space at the table.
With table space now going at a premium, as with real estate in Colombo, cannot the busy Asian restaurant of the future go up in the space? Yes, it can, and, the answer to that is to shift to using Towers – popularly referred to as Tapas Towers. These towers are simple but effective, taking upto five dishes and utilizing the space of one.
Available with a choice of 3 sizes (3-dish, 4-dish or 5-dish) and made of stainless steel balti dishes or traditional terracotta, one can serve not only Asian dishes but also Spanish, Italian, Greek or even British food. Go on, give your dining table a lift with tableware that’s very functional as well.
Ilzaf Keefahs – a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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