Virality in the restaurant space and the emergent parallel economy of dining: Why everything is either luxury McDonalds or Brown Butter Yuzu Caramel Matcha Pasta

Trends in dining are nothing new. Ma Cuisine by Auguste Escoffier was the Kitchen Confidential of the first half of the twentieth century - generally responsible for the staying power of French haute cuisine as a marker for elite taste. Similarly, it is regrettable that without Anthony Bourdain, Southeast Asian flavours would not have the credibility they deserve. 

Bourdain and his visible tattoos, cigarettes and ‘cool guy’ persona are certainly responsible for a generation of performative NYC line cook types as well: the people within the industry are just as affected by trend as the food itself. 

What can be seen today, however, is a marked divergence in the industry, driven by two ends of a culinary industrial complex. Formerly, dining primarily occurred for the average Brit in informal pub settings, not generally open seven days a week and with operating hours driven by the lifestyle of the landlord on an individualised basis. Now the British economy has no corners hidden from total marketisation, a transition beginning in the 80s, which saw a sweeping shift towards 24/7 dining. Every venue sought to compete with the accessibility of fast food. 

This is all familiar ground for us I’m sure - we’ve all grown up with Waggas or Nandos or Maccies ad infinitum around the corner as quick options or slightly upscale versions of this same business model. This shaped customer expectations before our generation was even old enough to foot the bill, and before the internet even materialised in its antimaterial state diners became acquainted with this expectation. 

The appeal of McDonalds and co included the uniformity of its menu: no matter which city you got sloshed in you could get a double cheeseburger and fries at 2am, it would taste the same, and it would be cheap. 

The enabling factor here was McDonald's sheer economy of scale; purchasing power and delivery fleets to enable a uniformity of slop that met the exact price point necessary for an existing and now reliant market gap. The franchises that adopted this same model also rose with the tide, even chain ‘luxury’ hotels offering the same food, cooked the same way nationwide, equally open seven days a week and presented as five star adjacent.

The issue now arrives in how the market has changed: inflation, rising staff costs, energy costs, the cost of living etc etc etc. We’ve all noticed the dent that a night out now leaves. A McDonald’s now is a luxury, one many students can’t afford, and one better served often - by a ‘sweet treat’. One of many Gen Z habits that priorities enjoyment over affordability. 

In a market where McDonalds is a luxury, and where many ‘luxury’ positioned venues continually rely on ultra-processed food to fill the need to provide for any customer over such stretched hours, Gen Z is choosing to enjoy its time out and to be out less.

This is all the more pronounced in York. 

Skosh opens from Wed - Sat.

Fish and Forest does the same.

Partisan closes at 3.

Kiosk begins its close before 4. 

In a market where a black coffee at Caffe Nero costs a fiver, it befits most of us to say fuck it, go elsewhere, spend £15 and also get a tonka bean cookie on the side with a vanilla custard dip; we’re all working to study anyway.

The emphasis of these venues on seasonality and craft enables the rapid adoption of popular online flavours or buzzwords, the hype drives customers in and the limited opening hours create a Patrick Bateman-style cultural-capital warfare around getting a reservation. This may seem elitist, but the limited opening hours gamble requires these places to be busy - they’re economically inactive half the week. The upside is that these businesses don’t have to position themselves as competitors to the increasingly expensive slop, they don’t have to pay staff or heat buildings for slow, monotonous hours of empty drudgery. 

As much as Pierre Bourdieu would cackle at the newfound battles over a hot rez, I encourage all of us to consider the upsides of this new manifesto of dining. Enjoying that sweet treat is much more attractive than fighting over a McDonalds ‘secret’ menu…