A documentary film featuring chef Grant Achatz - a pioneer of selling restaurant tickets - puts the spotlight on just how meaningful food can be and the power it has to connect us to one another.
Often eclipsed by the glamour and excitement of fine dining are the stories of the people behind the scenes that make it all possible. Bringing those hard working folks into the spotlight is a documentary from filmmaker Joseph Levy called Spinning Plates.
As described by the filmmakers, Spinning Plates is...
A documentary about three extraordinary restaurants and the incredible people who make them what they are. A cutting-edge restaurant named the seventh-best in the world whose chef must battle a life-threatening obstacle to pursue his passion. A 150-year-old family restaurant still standing only because of the unbreakable bond with its community. A fledgling Mexican restaurant whose owners are risking everything just to survive and provide for their young daughter. Their unforgettable stories of family, legacy, passion and survival come together to reveal how meaningful food can be, and the power it has to connect us to one another.
The chef who "must battle a life-threatening obstacle" is none other than Grant Achatz, owner of Alinea in Chicago. Achatz is a cancer survivor and recently published a book that reflects on his medical battle called Life On the Line - highly recommended reading for its inspirational story. The Spinning Plates documentary follows two other stories as well, and while not directly related to Grant Achatz, each are equally as inspirational.
A recurring theme in both Achatz’s book and Levy’s documentary are the emotional connections we all have with food. And in going behind the scenes and telling the story, Levy shows how we as people can become closer and more understanding of each other when we have the shared experience of dining together.
The affinity a shared dining experience provides also includes the nurturing presence of the restaurant owner, the chef and the staff - a dynamic familiar to other types of venues and their patrons….
Live music venue owners have long known of the importance of cultivating venue and patron affinity. Being connected in a meaningful way with patrons is a good business practice, yes, but it is also a responsibility of being part of a community. A past series of posts described the positive results - both economic and personal - that come from cultivating venue and patron affinity.
In the same way live music venues bring people closer together through the shared experience of music, the Spinning Plates documentary emphasizes how we can be closer as a community when we have the shared experience of a meal.
Another thing that music venues have in common with restaurant’s like Alinea is advance ticket sales. Alinea, along with its sister restaurant Next, made the concept of selling tickets famous. Lesser know is how selling tickets cultivates affinity between the restaurant and diner. There is a lot of commitment in buying a ticket for a dining experience, vastly more than the frail act of making a telephone reservation. That commitment must be reinforced with a sense of trust by the diner. The restaurant owner that asks for a high level of commitment from their guest must deliver on the promise of a rich, rewarding meal and a memorable experience.
Achatz always delivers on this promise, as seen by the completely sold out season of dining experiences at both Alinea and Next.
Restaurant owners who know the fiscal and personal rewards of being deeply immersed in their community can follow chef Grant Achatz's lead of selling restaurant tickets.
ThunderTix restaurant ticketing software is built with the same technology that powers some of the most popular rock concerts in the country. Plus, we make nightly deposits of your sales dollars directly into your bank account, giving you the liquidity to buy only what you need for the menu – no waste.
Chef and TV celebrity Ludo Lefebvre’s new restaurant Trois Mec gets $2,160.00 in up-front liquidity (twenty-four $90 tickets sold in-advance). Trois Mec co-owner says “the decision to operate on a ticket system allows the chefs to plan accordingly each night.”
When you say “table d’hôte” we know what you mean. In addition to being the most restaurant friendly ticketing software available, know that ThunderTix has years of experience in enabling venues to sell tickets online. You will inherit all that expertise when you decide to make the move from telephone reservation to selling tickets, either all-at-once or gradually.
If you have any questions about a gradual transition to selling tickets at your restaurant, please contact us at your convenience.
