Food, ambience (design) or service? Choose 2 out of the 3.
The trend is towards the last 2 criteria, according to this article, the younger ppl care less about food, but more about the look.
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Price point didnāt play a role at all? Bc that and the food would be my deciding factors.
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Food & service.
But then, Iām not younger ppl
But, if Iām going to become a regular, then all three, plus value for money, comes into play.
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Food, food and food. Service comes the second.
Iām always a bit suspicious with too good looking restaurant (I mean if the price stays good value), something has to be off, where does all their investment goes into?
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Iām old. Food is by far first. Ambience is probably second, but only in terms of cleanliness and the ability to hear my dining companions (no loud music, space between tables, soft surfaces to absorb sounds, etc.).
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Food. I donāt go out to eat to be served, nor to be impressed/soothed/awed by ambiance. I want to eat.
ETA: Bad service or crappy ambiance is enough to keep me away from a LOT of places. I select restaurants based on food. I deselect restaurants because of bad service or ambiance.
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Also, Iād argue that ambiance is not just about design.
The Slanted Door in Napa is a beatiful space, all minimalist design, black slate floors, stark white walls with elegant pictures, etc. Really good food, too, and fairly pricey.
I donāt know that weād go back in a hurry. All that ādesignā meant the place was so loud that we had to lean in and raise our voices to speak to one another.
Great design. Terrible ambiance.
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It depends on why I am going out to eat.
If itās a business function, the most important thing is ambiance (or setting).
If itās a purely āI need to get food inside of meā type of function (i.e., on a road trip) then itās location.
If itās purely for pleasure (i.e., date-night with SO, or a birthday meal), then food.
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This thread is just begging me to sound like the grumpy grandma (get off my lawn)! 
For me, itās food #1. Service would be second, but a considerable gap. While bad service is a huge problem, having just basic, competent service is ok and wouldnāt detract me from a place with good food. Ambiance is nice, but optional in my opinion (Iām way more concerned with overall cleanliness, rather than ambiance/vibe).
When I was young, I went to a number of restaurants with friends where food was only mediocre because it was more about the company and being social, rather than the food, so I can understand why the young folks donāt care as much about the food quality. You also had to appeal to the mass, and there was always at least one who just didnāt want anything but āsafeā foods, nothing exotic.
But an increasingly large number of young people are all about living the āinstagrammableā life - everything has to look good. Food with a post-worthy feel trumps the actual food quality, taste and price point. Itās the rise of āexperiencesā and this need to share that with others.
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Iām still not eating indoors at restaurants, so outdoor seating is critical. Iām also retired, so $45 mains are out of my range these days.
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Food and service.
And that service had better include the fact that they donāt turn the music to a godawful decibel level. Yes, I know thatās āambianceā, but itās a service to those of us who are beginning to have issues with ambient noise around us.
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I donāt care if the food is overall good. I want to know I can get at least one thing that is fantastic and can give me a sense of euphoria.
Fortunately I have surrounded myself with a lot of terrific options along that line.
Decor does not enter into it at all. And I get good service no matter where I eat, so that is not part of the equation.
All of my favorite experiences are at places I can easily afford, so I have learned that most expensive places do not provide for important memories. I am going to pricey places less and less.
Plus I go to the theatre a lot, so long meals for me come under the category of ādinner-as-theatreā and the experience does not come close to providing anything substantive on that score.
Lastly, I arrange for group meals, and some places are more conducive to sharing and exploring interesting and exciting food choices. With a group, I can turn any restaurant menu into a multi-course meal.
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Food is my #1 criteria. I wonāt go to a place that doesnāt serve what I (or my dining companions) donāt want to eat.
Price and service can rotate for #2. Price is not as important for a special occasion. Service is.
Ambience, well, that depends. Iāve had some great meals at places that look like they havenāt been renovated in decades. I wouldnāt go to a trendy place just to say I went there unless there was a reason, such as a good friend really REALLY wanted to go for her birthday or something like that.
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Now looking back, in my 20s I didnāt care much about food, good enough was fine. Only in my late 20s, with more income and tried some amazing food, I changed my mind on food. There is a learning curve, as Iām not born in a gourmet family.
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Itās a dumb af article by a writer who didnāt do even the most cursory research into the history of ādesign-focusedā restaurants, which stretches back just a wee bit further than the past five years.
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It depends who Iām dining with, and why Iām going out to eat.
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Agree, whatās the reason for dining out? Otherwise food first, then service.
For the younger folks mentioned, my guess or take is the past 20+ years has seen a rise in overall quality and talent, and to some extend variety.
If you basically know most places will serve decent foodā¦then ambience might rise. Any mid-range place or above that doesnāt serve decent food likely wonāt survive. I know this is generally true in the Bay Area.
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True! It really has been an epiphany for me the last 2 years or so, that as I get closer and closer to retirement, and feel somewhat comfortable in my ability to take care of myself (ignoring the recent stock market insanity) that I feel like I can splurge more than I used to. Not that I do high end dining every week, but getting something special once every month or two now feels right. I feel like Iāve earned it!
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All style, no substance from Hollywood to a restaurant near you. What an abysmal trickle effect. Make the food a little worse than yesterday and it will still be good enough. Continue ad nauseam and youāll have garbage that is deemed eh, good enough.
Big J and I were on holiday with another couple and ran across a food stand where a lovely Venezuelan husband and wife made fantastic arepas. There were a few plastic tables and chairs in front of the stand that had definitely seen better days and it was slightly removed from a loud and busy pedestrian thoroughfare. J and I loved it, but our friends didnāt, even though they devoured what they ordered and commented that the food tasted really good. They had wanted to sit in a very busy, loud restaurant that served what they admitted were not the greatest steaks, but they wanted the boisterous ambience. Big J and I walked by that restaurant when it was packed and noisy and were very glad that we didnāt have to go in for dinner.
Food and service over ambience, every time. I want a restaurant, not a nightclub.
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I absolutely despise loud restaurants where you have to yell at each other. I know itās supposed to indicate āatmosphereā for the younger crowd (and Iām decidedly not that) but whether itās the music thatās too loud, or itās just badly designed ā big fat nope.
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