32 W E S T W O R D F o o d & D r i n k 2 0 2 5 westword.com derstand they are not just offering a meal; they are providing an experience for a night out, and their value comes from being transportive. In this era, new fl avor combinations or gastronomic tricks aren’t enough – diners need to build trust with restaurants to part with their hard-earned cash, and that means the hospitality part of these experiences is as important as the food. These restaurants will forge a crystal clear vision of the full experience they are trying to provide and build their operations and teams to deliver on it. The question is, what experiences will be viable and for whom? If we con- tinue down the path we’re on, it’s hard to imagine how the middle stays afl oat – the most endangered restaurant in our time is the full-service casual restaurant, where you can get a reasonably priced meal on nights when there’s no occasion. These are generally high-labor models where technology cannot supplant your server or your cook – most people sit down in a restaurant for a truly in-person interaction and want screens to be scant. Because of our chef-driven era of restaurants, many of these restaurants also punch above their weight in food costs, because it used to be economically viable to offer high-quality ingredients in a casual environment at lower-than-fi ne-dining prices, and that is what the public now craves and expects. By and large, these are the restaurants that we think of when we think of places where we’re regulars. And sadly, most of these restaurants are going to have to make a choice: level up to fi ner dining so that they can move to a price point that supports the reality of the economics, shift to counter- service models to cut labor costs, or close. That will leave the high end – the restau- rants with price-insensitive regulars and a steady stream of tourists and special occa- sion celebrants – and the chains that trade on consistency and can weather a tough economic market because of geographic diversity. Even many restaurants in these camps will decide the work is not worth the pay-out and close their doors. And let’s consider what this signals about who will be able to dine out and who will not. But let us also, for a moment, dare to imagine better. Because it could be so much better! There is also a version of the future in which the full spectrum of restaurants – from the grab-and-go convenience shop to the three-star Michelin trailblazer, from the food stall hawking novelty to the well- worn neighborhood joint (especially the well-worn neighborhood joint!) – is alive and well. A future in which new ideas see the light of day, some of them dying because they’re truly insane and some of them just crazy enough to push everyone forward. A future in which Denver again lives its social life in food and watering holes because we can all afford to do so. A future in which Denver isn’t looking back to its halcyon pre-COVID days, but is moving forward toward something better. We should fi ght for that version of the future. As our world continues to digitize, places where we can gather in person en masse become all the more essential. Restaurants provide neutral ground where we can meet our neighbors, foster relation- ships, and even hash out our differences, in the process strengthening our commu- nities and keeping our streets safer simply because we’re out in them. There’s a reason why pubs and taverns feature prominently in intellectual and political movements – and there’s a reason why lots of deals are forged over a meal and a drink. Din- ing together fosters trust and encourages conversation. In a world where we’re all living in carefully cultivated little silos, that’s worth preserving and proliferating. For everyone. Restaurants will have to play a signifi - cant part in creating this future, starting with building experiences that offer real value to diners. They’ll need to use cut- ting-edge technology and AI to tighten up their operations in service of that vision. They will need to adapt – what plays well in 2025 is different from what played well in 2015 (I’m looking at you, mocktails). And they’ll need to up their training game, both to ensure that their own restaurant delivers on its promise and to catalyze a new generation of culinary leadership. But they’ll also need help. To hasten this future, the city could couple immediate economic relief for Denver restaurants with longer-term policies aimed at recul- tivation of that entrepreneurial environ- ment. Short-term: permitting happening in a reasonable amount of time, ratcheting back the speed at which wage changes and regulatory costs get levied, zoning changes that make providing smaller spaces with smaller rents attractive, to name a few examples. Long-term: people are more likely to take risks when they aren’t afraid of losing everything if they fail. In the early 2010s, Denver had a reputation for afford- ability, work-life balance that encouraged side-hustles, and a community that was out in person and in force, the happy side effect of which was a natural exchange of ideas. We need creative ways to recapture the key elements of that broader backdrop. I have some ideas, but you probably do, too – let’s hash them out over a drink and a meal. It’ll be more than the restaurants that benefi t. My true hope for the next fi ve years? More birth notices, fewer eulogies. I hope we get our mojo back. I’m rooting for us. ■ Food for Thought continued from page 28 Leven Deli levels up with prepared foods and lots of take-out business. MOLLY MARTIN
