How foodies are changing restaurant culture
By Jordan Knox
January 10, 2012 | | |
In communities around the world, food culture is making a massive change. Gone are the days of the bourgeoisie, and coming into the forefront is the more accepting all inclusive culture of the foodie. The basis of this change is the push in the food service industry towards education and inclusion. We are coming to a time where food service outlets need customers to understand the difference between varying differences in food quality and that there is a difference between food that is “organic, free range, first press, etc.” The reason that customers need to know the terminology and ultimately the difference is because these products typically cost more, and without proper marketing, there would be no future for these products. With the changes in customer perception of what is considered high-end food, the industry is shifting from an emphasis of quantity to an emphasis of quality. Documentaries like Supersize Me and The Future of Food are excellent examples of how the public had been brainwashed, and also how standards of what is considered food have deteriorated over time. | |
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| Finally we are seeing a push back from restaurants and customers alike. The new focus on food has meant an increased importance of local products and farms that are ethical and responsible. The focus on grassroots products and communication between distributor and supplier has filtered down to the restaurant customer level. Now high-end restaurants are more bistro style environments, where chefs are not afraid to run out of products if it means that the product that they do put out is fresh and of the highest quality. While the foodie culture continues to experiment with new ways of delivering food to customers, it is the attention to the quality of products that we need to continue cultivating to ensure that we do not slip back into the old culture that has dominated the industry for the past 50 years. |
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About the author:
Jordan Knox works at Northland Properties and is a General Manager in training at Moxie’s in Vancouver, B.C. With over 18 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Jordan has worked throughout North America and the Caribbean with industry-leading companies. He received his diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management from SAIT Polytechnic in 2000 and is a lifelong student of the food and beverage industry, always looking for what new trends are emerging.
