Here is Grant Achatz, now blogging:
Each guest at a table gets a card with four rows of six words. The rows
are defined by characteristics. In the example below, from left to
right: Row one is flavor, two is texture, three is emotionally driven,
and four is temperature. As a group, the diners have to select one word
from each category or row. Once the group has made a decision, they
turn in their choices to the waiter. The waiter hands the choices to
the kitchen, where we create a dish based on the guests' four choices.
Soon after, the result of their choice–their exercise in limited free
will–is served. Or will be.
As Arnold Kling has noted, I am interested in the issue of the efficient delegation of choice. So very often the theatrical presentation of "the feeling of being in control" conflicts with the efficient delegation of choice. If I ran a restaurant I would be embarassed by this practice, not proud of it.
I’m a huge fan of Achatz, but had no idea that he had started a blog. Thanks!
Interesting. This seems like an ideal way to shift the blame on the table if dinner is less than remarkable. And in turn the table can internally blame those most vocal about their preferences in “flavor/texture/…”
It’s worth noting that this is done for one course of a 25(ish) course meal. So the impact of the diner’s choice on the overall experience is relatively small.
If you’re in Chicago, and you have the means, I can’t recommend his restaurant enough. Most fun meal of my life without question.
If most people, given choice, inefficiently restrict their options to the familiar, then downweighting consumer preference in favor of randomness and objective quality (which is what this is) dominates letting the customer choose their meal.
The theatrical element lets the consumer feel more in control than under more direct forms of delegation, which may be necessary to maximize the restaurant’s popularity.
What you see as inefficiency may just be a psychologically-driven technique to maximize efficiency.
http://blogs.menupages.com/chicago/2009/04/the_problem_of_free_will_comes.html
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