I often wonder if it is worth giving so much money to eat at a “good” restaurant. Some days ago my friend Stephen posed me a relevant question and gave me the motivation to write this article.

Stefan’s question consists of two parts.

The first relates to the fact that foreign chefs are more generous in their portions than the Greeks. I suppose he reached this conclusion by viewing the size of the portions in the photos I have posted and at first glance he is right.

In order to see if Greek chefs are indeed “stingy” I would have to start from somewhere else.

In order for the avarege person to be satiated, he has to receive 600 grams worth of food. This depends on the size of the stomach, which varies from 1 to 2 litres for an adult depending on the size and the sex of the human. The amount of food that the person can receive can be both in liquid and/or solid form. A big part in satiation plays the time that has passed since the human began eating. It is said that the stimulus of satiation reaches the brain 20 minutes after he began eating. So for an average person an amount of solid food around 400 grams accompanied with a quantity of liquids around 200 milliliters, I personally believe is good enough for him to be satiated without overdoing it which would bring the opposite feeling of pleasure. Please pay attention, I am not talking about calories because we don’t care about good diet but satisfaction.

In our case, when I went to some foreign restaurants and the Greek restauran “Spondi” I ordered the menu degustation, which is based around French restaurants and cuisine. Meaning: appetizer, first course, main dish, cheese and dessert in the end, five different dishes given in such quantity in order for the customer to leave satiated but not full.

In the case of “Funky Gourmet” , “Osteria Francescana”, “Pujol” and “Botrini’s” as well I ordered the menu degustation, which consisted of many small bites so you can experience more creations of the chef and receive quantity of food which is not enough to make you overfed. If you could add the weight of food in our former restaurants then you would see that the differences between them wouldn’t be big.

So that’s why in the photos you will see huge dishes with little content. For example in “Funky” Gourmet, characterized as a restaurant of creative cuisine, I got the large test menu and I brought a total of 21 dishes, while in “Spondi” which is a French cuisine restaurant 9 dishes in total came, by ordering the corresponding test menu.

Thus the Greek chefs aren’t stingy or foreign chefs generous, just the quantity of each serving depends on the set of dishes comprising a degustation menu. Anyway the restaurants are governed by laws, which define clearly what amount of food should be contained in one serving. Though a portion can be divided in half, so you’ll be able to make a greater variety of dishes per person; logic that follow several restaurants. If a restaurateur willing to serve test menu that includes almost all the creations of the chef, it will be needed to calculate the quantity so that is considered enough to get fed an average man, then to break into any number of dishes he wish, without naming those full portions. How he deals with the law for costing the dishes is something that I don’t know. What I do know though is that I usually get satisfied with this kind of dining.

The second part of Stefanos’ question concerns the total cost. Why these restaurants are so expensive?

Here things want some analysis.

Let’s start by saying that if I want to eat good food, and I choose restaurants with delicious and inexpensive cuisine, there are a bunch of them. But these restaurants do not have the extra cost that has an ‘ expensive ‘ counterpart.

Why?

Because ….

1. Usually most expensive rent.
2. It employs much more personal, because his clients should be served continuously and seamlessly. This means adequate number of waiters so you don’t have to wait at all once they do make sense, bringing someone to serve. In several restaurants, I’ve eaten, once could I raise my eyes from the dish always epefta at a waiter watching me to see if I need something. It means enough people in the kitchen so that, even if the restaurant is full, there is a flow of dishes without delays. Mean man picks up your car and to deliver outside the door of the restaurant to avoid having to walk miles to go to the restaurant from where the stathmeyses yourself why don’t eyriskes somewhere near. Mean man to take your coat and puts it in the dressing room of the restaurant. Mean man on the host that will lead you to the table.
3. Take care to always create and independent weather feeling of comfort to Diners, i.e. sufficient heat in the winter and feeling of coolness in summer.
4. The size of the tables and the living space they occupy together with chairs are great, not enochleisai by the proximity of next group, which means for the same square shop less tables and chairs and therefore less turnover per day.
5. The kitchen takes up a lot more square than those of a simple restaurant because the dishes have to be prepared quickly, easily, be visible and can accommodate without delays, as I mentioned above, all of the dining room, even when it is full.
6. The ergatwres preparation of the dish is clearly more.
7. In several cases the decoration is pricey, porcelain dishes and silver tableware.
8. The cost of empty tables of the week, passed to the customer is more heightened than what a simple restaurant.
9. Employing chefs who have dedicated many years of their lives to learn techniques and evolve. And they cost, especially if it is successful. Also on several occasions the chefs go to cuisines of other chefs, usually abroad, to learn new techniques that will integrate in their kitchen, where and this has costs.
10. Because the cost of living in the country where the restaurant is great. For example in Rome at the restaurant “La Pergola” must give someone at least 300 € per person to eat while at Pujol, located in Mexico City and is considered one of the best restaurants of the world paid 66 € per person, which is minimum amount compared to corresponding restaurants in Europe.

In short and the initial investment and running costs, if we are to speak in economic terms, is much larger than a simple Tavern and like I said in another article kinda have to repaid. If this is not done, the shop closes.

So they make their services of this kind of restaurants? Reach out to those who can afford to go, one in a while, to eat in a restaurant in addition to the ‘ good ‘ food, provides such services, where the diner I charmed the outing at all levels.

These benefits, however, as we have said previously they cost. Interim solutions are there? Clearly there are. For example me may not interest me the silver Dinnerware or non valet, I can not care if the kitchen employs five sous chef or not I love it always someone over my head to my fill the glass with water. So search and find a restaurant with their respective services and the visit. You may, of course, and such restaurants to yperkostologisoyn eating them because the entrepreneur might want to build home in Mykonos or why the chef thinks it’s René Redzepi o. Here, therefore, plays a big role the actor “price/quality”.

And that’s why in the “Introduction” of my website I mention that I’m trying to check if in a restaurant that I paid enough money I had enjoyed and their respective services, always assuming, that the quality of food is well above average.