Latest / Restaurant Business with Fexingo: Food Service, Hospitality, and Independent Operators
How Restaurants Are Reviving the Chef Counter Experience
Lucas and Luna explore the return of the chef counter—a seating arrangement that puts diners directly in front of the line cooks. They trace its roots from classic omakase bars to a new wave of independent restaurants using it as a strategic tool. At the center of this episode is a specific case: the 14-seat chef counter at Marrow in Portland, which opened in early 2025 and turned over 3.2 seatings per night by June 2026, generating 22 percent higher average check than the main dining room. Lucas breaks down the math: how the counter reduces front-of-house labor, increases wine sales, and…
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