Is Fine Dining Dead?

G'day,

Is fine dining dead?People have now had a week to take in the news that Noma will shutter its doors in 2024. And while the announcement has garnered differing reactions across the foodosphere, the question of whether or not this news signifies the death nell of fine dining as we know it, has come up a lot.

Our short answer to this query is, of course, no. Firstly, there's always going to be a market for well-off people wanting to pay exorbitant prices for eating leaves. It's simply what the rich like to do. Exhibit A:

Secondly, the restaurant industry has an astonishing power to attract/produce obsessive creative types who have passion, singular focus, and uncompromising vision. These people tend to find the right outlet for their personalities in the world of haute cuisine and it seems hard to believe they would just let that world die. The important  takeaway from Noma's announcement though, is the imperative to rethink how we approach fine dining. Long hours, free labour, and abuse have been at the heart of the operating models of many of the world's best restaurants. And it's our opinion that if your business is predicated on not paying staff and treating them badly, it's not really a business that deserves being around. An interesting thought experiment: what could fine dining look like without free labour or underpaying staff? We've been pondering the question and will write about it in the future.