Ana Roš | Hiša Franko, Kobarid/Solvenia
“This is an amazing opportunity for us to open ourselves to a more regional market. Before, probably 30% of our clientele were Americans, some British. Today, we need to understand that Europeans will be our main customers. We’re no more than a four-hour drive for Germans, Italians, Austrians. I want to see more regional clients.”
Virgilio Martinez | Central, Lima
“We can survive together, working hard, innovating and making the most of the situation when we see no tourism, no restaurants open. The new luxury will be coming closer to nature and genuine experiences. When we open, we’ll have more focus on using local ingredients, local knowledge. There may be fewer fine-dinning options but they will be better.”
Vineet Bhatia | Indego by Vineet, Dubai
“A lot of our restaurants are in luxury hotels, dependent on corporate travel and high-end tourists. And in London, we are dependent on tourists and we’re not going to get the Chinese market coming in, or the Middle East market.”
Be Kind to One Another
The chef may have his name on the door, but restaurant life after the pandemic means everyone on the line counts, from the front desk to the chap washing the plates and carrying out the trash.
Ciccio Sultano | Duomo, Ragusa/Sicily
“We must walk on all fours to get up again tomorrow. It is also clear to me that the world will have to have more respect for itself in the future. Of course, the pandemic has not changed nor will I change the way I cook. We will be even more a family, attentive to the needs of the moment. if there will be less income it will be like this for everyone.”
Diego Muñoz | Atman, Lima
“This situation puts us in perspective on how much we are connected and how we can affect the rest with our own actions and decisions. We must come out of this situation being better persons — cooks, farmers, customers, wine makers, waiters, restaurateurs and everyone that creates this beautiful synergy of giving and taking.”
Enrique Olvera | Pujol, Mexico City
“We will continue to drift apart from luxurious nonsense: Rather focusing on the resilience of our food systems, the people that are part of it and the well-being of our customers.”
Having Fun Can Be Hard
Restaurants of the future will not just have smaller menus, they will also seat fewer people, with restrictions ranging from space to curfews to no more friendly banter with the owner. That will make it much harder to establish a welcoming atmosphere, some chefs say.
Thitid Tassanakajohn | Baan, Bangkok
“I’ve reopened Baan, one of my four restaurants, with a lot of restrictions. We were 30 seats restaurant before covid and now we can seat only eight. On top of that, we have a curfew at 10 p.m. meaning we have to let customers leave by 8:30 pm. It’s difficult.”
Prateek Sadhu | Masque, Mumbai
“People used to come into the kitchen and give me a tight hug at the end of the day. That’s hospitality. It was like a family with our guests. But are we going to be able to do that? What about that warmth? Something will be taken out of restaurants if we’re all wearing gloves and masks, with minimum interaction.”