Latest / Chef's PSA Podcast / Feeding the Senses: How Chefs Impact the Dining Experience Ep. 94

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Feeding the Senses: How Chefs Impact the Dining Experience Ep. 94 · Chef's PSA Podcast

• 0:00
  Hello Chefs, This is Chefs PSA Podcast.
• 0:02
  I'm your host Andre Natera. On today's episode, we're going
• 0:04
  to get into the psychology of eating and how chefs can
• 0:08
  influence the dining experience. Stay tuned.
• 0:22
  Now before we get into it, if you're watching on YouTube, make
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  Go get one. I was at a food festival the
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  other day and everyone kept commenting how much they liked
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  to. That's what I did.
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  But we digress. Let's get into it.
• 1:38
  I'm going to share a story with you.
• 1:40
  When I was at a restaurant, A3 Michelin Star Restaurant, and I
• 1:43
  went to go eat, there was a golden tree in the center of the
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  dining room. And as I walked by this golden
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  tree, as I was on my way to sit down to eat, I noticed that
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  there was little what looked to be like perfume samples clipped
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  all over the tree. And I thought that was odd.
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  I was wondering what was going on.
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  And now I did think that the restaurant smelled really good
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  when I walked in there. And for those of you that don't
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  know, I'm I'm a little bit of a a super smeller.
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  I like smells. I think.
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  I think that's what's helped me become a successful chef is I
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  really have a heightened sense of smell, strong olfactory
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  senses. I like a lot of Cologne
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  sometimes. Some people say I wear too much.
• 2:18
  Anyway, what's the best Cologne in case you're asking Tom Ford.
• 2:20
  Tobacco vanilla or Ude mineral, which is actually really good.
• 2:23
  Or tobacco Ude. That's what I like.
• 2:25
  Ude wood is another good one. Anyway, we digress.
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  We can talk about Cologne on a different podcast.
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  As I'm walking by this golden tree, I thought it was pretty
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  odd. I was like, why is there little
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  perfume samples clipped to this tree?
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  Anyway, the courses of food would come out, and every now
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  and again I noticed that I would smell this fragrance.
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  After service, I spoke to the chef there and I asked the
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  question. I said what's up with the
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  fragrance on the tree? Mind you, I was sitting very
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  close to the tree and the chef told me that as courses come
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  out, they spray the fragrance and then after a while they will
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  just spray the fragrance in anticipation of the next course.
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  So that way you anchor the delicious food with the smell.
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  And I thought that was super interesting.
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  So if you know the experiment of Pavlov's dog, it's a famous
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  experiment in NLP, Neuro Linguistic programming.
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  He would give the dog a treat and he would ring the bell and
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  then he would the dog a treat and he would ring the bell.
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  And then after a while, all he had to do was ring the bell and
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  the dog would start salivating for the treat.
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  And it's this conditioning experiment.
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  And so this three Michelin star restaurant was also doing the
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  same conditioning experiment with the people that were eating
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  in the dining room. Now, I thought that was super
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  interesting. And the reason I bring that
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  story up is because that's what today's podcast is all about, is
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  how can you affect the experience that the diner has
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  through their senses and through other means of simple
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  adjustments that aren't necessarily just the food Food.
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  So let's get into it. Now, let's assume that there's a
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  baseline of delicious food that we're talking about.
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  Your food is cooked well, you've thought it through, The menu is
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  well written. One of the biggest effects that
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  you could do is the presentation of the food.
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  And the presentation of the food goes a long way.
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  People will say food tastes better when it's beautifully
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  presented. Now, I've done a podcast where
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  I've explained that taste is superior to plating because
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  plating wears off after a couple of minutes.
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  But that's only if I had to choose.
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  Which one would I rather have taste or presentation?
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  But let's assume taste is there. Then presentation is a definite
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  must. Food that is aesthetically
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  pleasing and beautiful tastes different.
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  It sets the stage as a chef when I would go out and eat and I see
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  something that's beautiful, maybe in a presentation that
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  I've never seen before. I want to take a photo of it.
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  I want to deconstruct it in my mind.
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  I'm stealing little nuance on how they did things.
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  What is this herb? Where'd they pick that from?
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  What is this bud? What is this flower that they're
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  using? How did they make that sauce
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  shine like that? What is this fluid gel on the
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  plate right? You start to dissect everything
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  on the plate and you start to get impressed with it.
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  Now that's from a chefs perspective.
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  Think about it from a diners perspective, a non chef, a
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  civilian. They're going in, they're
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  looking at the beautiful food and they're stunned.
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  They're experiencing something what people might call visual
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  food art for the first time. If the food is already delicious
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  and it's visually beautiful and stunning, it completely
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  transforms the experience for the guests.
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  And you could do little touches pouring the sauce tableside,
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  finishing with some truffles, putting a spoonful of a
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  finishing ingredient on top. Maybe it's cream, maybe it's
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  caviar. If it's a dessert, maybe you're
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  pouring the on glaze, Maybe you're putting the ice cream
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  inside the souffle, or you're pouring on glaze inside a
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  souffle. Maybe you're blowtorching the
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  creme brulee at the table. All these little things start to
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  change the experience in the diner's mind.
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  And using the example of the creme brulee, if you start
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  burning sugar at the table, not only do they get the visual, but
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  they also get the scent. They're starting to smell the
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  sugar, start to caramelize, and it starts to build the
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  anticipation that it's going to be more delicious.
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  In general, people will say the food tastes better if it's
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  beautiful. You could present to the same
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  dish two different ways, one way beautiful, the other way Sloppy.
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  Have people taste it. And that one that is presented
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  more beautifully, people will say, tastes better than the
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  other one, exact same food. Then there's the auditory
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  experience. Now for those of you that know
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  me, you know, I like hip hop music.
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  And I could say one of my biggest pet peeves in
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  restaurants is they play bad music and I've worked at places
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  that play bad music. I'm not in control of the
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  playlist, but there's nothing worse when the music doesn't
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  match Beyond Beyond. Music sets the stages.
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  Sometimes you want it so people could enjoy it, and sometimes
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  you want it in the background so people could enjoy the
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  conversation and focus on the food.
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  So depending on the type of restaurant that you have, it's
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  going to make an impact. Think about it, when you walk in
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  somewhere and they're playing your favorite song, you're going
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  to like that restaurant a little bit more.
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  However, if they're playing terrible music that just doesn't
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  fit, it's going to slightly ruin the experience for you.
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  Maybe not a lot, but just a slight, A slight notch down.
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  Music could play a big impact. There's restaurants out there
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  that will change change the volume and the tone of the music
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  as dinner progresses. So if you were in a tasting menu
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  style restaurant, the music starts out really low and slow
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  in the beginning and towards the end it builds up and gets more
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  energetic towards the end of the meal.
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  All that has a factor in how you enjoy your dinner, as does the
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  acoustics, right? Is there sound panels?
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  Are there rugs on the floor? A lot of restaurants that want
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  to be loud and buzzy want to have wooden floors because they
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  want the sound to bounce. They want it to feel loud and
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  vibrant when when you're in there dining.
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  Other places wanted to be nice and quiet so you could hear a
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  pin drop and so more carpet effects.
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  That versus hardwood floors, sound panels, art on the wall,
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  rugs, ceilings, all of that plays a part in how the music or
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  how the noise of the restaurant is.
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  And you can also think about restaurants that have open
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  kitchens. Are you the type of restaurant
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  that the open kitchen is, the show?
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  Are the chefs back there playing music and being distracting to
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  what's happening in the restaurant?
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  Are they calling too loud? Are they too disruptive?
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  I've been that chef where I was calling the past a little too
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  loud and I was disturbing the dining room, calling for my
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  scallops. So you have to understand where
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  you're at. Is the open kitchen adding or
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  subtracting from the dining experience?
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  You have to pay attention to that.
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  Do you need to turn your music up a little bit?
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  Do you need to turn it down a little bit?
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  Do you need more energy in the dining room?
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  If you're catering to a young crowd, you want to make sure
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  that that music appeals to them. Same thing to an older crowd.
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  Does the music appeal? Years ago I went to this
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  restaurant in Dallas. Shout out to Matt McAllister.
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  He had opened up FT 33. And so this was probably, I
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  think, 2013. And I remember when I walked in,
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  it was a little bit taboo at that time to play hip hop music
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  in restaurant, at least good hip hop music.
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  And I remember I walked in and he was banging Wu Tang Clan
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  Method Man. And I just remember saying
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  that's it, I'm in. And I wrote, I wrote a review
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  for him and I put that in. The review was like good music
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  playing Method Man. As soon as you walk in, I'm
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  already happy and it built that environment.
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  It was a cool restaurant and he had cool music going on.
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  So if you're going for that cool vibe, call me up.
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  I'll. I'll give you your hip hop
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  playlist that you want in the restaurant.
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  Anyway, we digress. There's also the tactile senses
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  when you think about the way that the menu feels.
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  The paper that it's on. Is it cheap, flimsy paper?
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  Is it nice cardstock? Did you take a signet ring and
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  stamp it with wax? Is the paper scented?
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  I've seen restaurants that scent the paper a little bit.
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  All of this is important. What's the weight of the
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  cutlery? Is it fine China or is it heavy?
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  You use a heavier China for a more casual restaurant.
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  Use a finer China for more fine dining restaurant.
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  If you were to flip it, it would feel awkward in the setting.
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  It will affect the experience. Not always, but in a lot of
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  cases. What type of linen are you
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  using? Are there things on the table
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  that they could touch? Is there leather or their
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  placemats? What are the placemats made of?
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  The quality of the tactile senses is going to affect how
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  you feel, and it needs to match the restaurant.
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  Take wine glasses, for example. Are you using a nice crystal
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  wine glass or using a proper decanter?
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  If you're going to sell expensive bottles of wine, a
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  wine connoisseur wants to drink it out of a good glass, so
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  that's something that you have to consider as well.
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  While we're on the subject, a good bar program is always going
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  to match the proper beverage to the proper glass.
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  A lot of restaurants don't do that.
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  But is it the right glass for the right beverage?
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  The right glass for the right wine?
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  Red wine, White wine glasses? But there's more than just white
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  and red wine glasses, right? It affects it.
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  It adds elements of luxury, its attention to detail.
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  In the restaurant, there's the descriptive language on the
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  menu. Is it too wordy?
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  Is it not worthy enough? Depending on the type of
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  restaurant you have, maybe you want more descriptive language.
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  Maybe you want less descriptive language.
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  How are the prices written on the menu?
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  Are they ending in 99 or 98? Are they ending in 00?
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  Or are they just round hold numbers, no decimals?
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  Where's the placement of those numbers?
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  What type of font are you using? Is it easy to read?
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  A problem a lot of restaurants have is they have hard to read
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  menus that are printed too small in dark environments and it
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  makes it difficult for the guest to read what's on it.
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  Another thing that's difficult is when you go into a restaurant
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  that is a busy big place and they use a lot of words that you
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  can't understand. Don't always think like a chef,
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  think like the diner, think like the guest.
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  Do they understand this language?
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  Not everything has to be the exact technical term.
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  Sometimes you got to dumb it down a little bit for the
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  audience. You want it easy to understand
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  because if it's too difficult for them to pronounce the words,
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  they may be reluctant to order it.
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  There's this thing called the golden triangle where people's
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  eyes naturally navigate as they look at a menu.
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  So do you place your items there, the items that you want
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  them to order? There's something called the
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  decoy effect where you place a high-priced item next to a lower
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  priced item to make the lower priced item that's also
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  expensive look more attractive. All of this psychology effects
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  how people order. When the server comes up to the
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  table and says I recommend this, people are going to take
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  advantage of that recommendation.
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  It's important that you're training your servers to
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  recommend things that benefit you, your operation.
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  Maybe it benefits the flow of service, but also maybe it
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  benefits the bottom line because sometimes servers just want to
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  recommend things because it tastes good, and not that you
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  shouldn't recommend things that taste good.
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  But there has to be some thought and strategy behind why you're
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  recommending things. Maybe your kitchen is really
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  busy and you say recommend bread for everyone because that buys
• 11:37
  you time to get the next course out.
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  Another kitchen might say recommend the steak because
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  that's our big profit margin item.
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  So anyway, use that strategy where you are, tailor it to your
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  needs and to your restaurant. Think about the lighting in the
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  restaurant. Is it too bright?
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  Is it not bright enough? If you don't have windows, do
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  you need to have lamps on the table?
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  Finding the right setting on the dimmer for the restaurant is
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  crucial market. So it's there every single day
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  because a different person sets the light every day and it's
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  always just slightly ajar and it's never just perfect.
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  Lighting matters, as do seating arrangements.
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  You want to make sure that your restaurant is comfortable for
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  the type of restaurant that you are.
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  I'll give you this example in Austin, where I am, I think was
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  one of the first cities to really introduce this communal
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  style dining and food arrives when it arrives, like chefs
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  would say, you know, our type of restaurant is the chef likes to
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  course things out and send it as it's ready.
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  That's that's just their way of saying, yeah, we're just going
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  to put it up as we put it up because we're slammed.
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  And that style of dining was very popular in Austin in a very
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  casual setting. Then you try and introduce that
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  into a different market and it didn't necessarily work because
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  other markets were like, I don't want to sit with strangers.
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  I don't like the communal style seating.
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  I want to sit with my table and I don't want anyone listening.
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  I don't feel like talking to the people next to me.
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  I don't want my food to arrive whenever arrives.
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  I want it to arrive how I order it and how I want it.
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  So understanding that maybe a communal style seating is not
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  appropriate for all restaurants, maybe they want privacy.
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  Maybe you're the type of restaurant where are there for
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  the experience. It's date night.
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  Well, date night doesn't work always at a communal style
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  dining table. But a communal style dining
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  table worked very well for a young social environment type
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  restaurant. So know where you're at.
• 13:16
  All those things are going to affect it.
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  I know certain restaurants that people enjoy eating there more
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  because the mirror is close to them and they could look at
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  themselves and people liked looking at themselves in the
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  mirror. So a restaurant that I knew
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  would position mirrors so the guests could look at themselves
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  and they enjoyed the meal a lot more.
• 13:31
  It's interesting how that works. Then you have to think about how
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  color affects the dining room. They say red, which seen a lot
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  of Chinese restaurants, is an appetite stimulant and blue is
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  an appetite suppressant. Most people will tell you don't
• 13:42
  ever paint your restaurant blue unless you're a seafood
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  restaurant. It's usually an appetite
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  suppressant, hence why there's not a lot of naturally occurring
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  blue foods out there in nature, with the exception of maybe
• 13:53
  blueberries and blue Gatorade. Wait, blue Gatorade is not
• 13:56
  naturally occurring, and blue food in general is kind of
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  gross. I don't deep blue, but even the
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  color of the plate has been shown to affect in psychological
• 14:05
  experiments how salty the food is perceived or how sweet it is.
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  Interesting there was an experiment where people were
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  given a bottomless bowl of soup, meaning that you could eat as
• 14:15
  much soup as you want. They put the soup in front of
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  you and as your soup got lower they would keep pouring more
• 14:20
  soup so you could eat all the soup you wanted.
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  And what was interesting about that experiment is people tended
• 14:25
  to eat 73% more soup, so they ate more soup.
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  But when asked afterwards, those people that had the bottomless
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  bowl of soup or those that had the standard portion of soup,
• 14:35
  they were both equally satisfied.
• 14:37
  So more soup didn't necessarily mean more satisfaction.
• 14:41
  More is not always better. Thomas Keller is very famous for
• 14:44
  talking about this in his French Laundry cookbook, the very first
• 14:46
  one about the law of diminishing returns and how after a certain
• 14:50
  point, more is not always better.
• 14:51
  Sometimes you want just enough so you could enjoy it and then
• 14:54
  move on to the next thing. Bigger portions don't always
• 14:56
  equal bigger satisfaction. When you're designing a
• 14:59
  restaurant, make sure you're considering it all Auditory,
• 15:02
  Visual. Kinesthetic.
• 15:04
  What does your restaurant smell like?
• 15:05
  What does your restaurant sound like?
• 15:07
  What does your restaurant look like?
• 15:08
  What does your restaurant feel like?
• 15:10
  If you could improve 1% of all of those things, you're better
• 15:13
  than yesterday. Do your own personal audit on
• 15:15
  your restaurant and see where you can find the improvement.
• 15:17
  Anyway, if you want to support the show, you know what to do.
• 15:20
  Leave five stars. Nothing less than five stars.
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  Go to chefspsa.com, where you get all the books, all the
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  merch, including this brand new Chef's PSA white hoodie and this
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  happy cook hat. Go get the books Leadership
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  soon. And I'm writing another book
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  forever, but I'm going to start hustling on it anyway.
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