Intro - Lettuce Entertain You - in the former L2O space

Rich Melman is taking a page out of Nick Kokonas' book.

The dean of Chicago restaurateurs and chairman of the sprawling Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises empire plans to open his most ambitious restaurant concept yet, a rotating-menu, rotating-chef experiment called Intro that is expected to open in the space vacated by L2O as soon as early February.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... eplace-l2o

Intro
2300 North Lincoln Park West
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 868-0002

I am excited and intrigued by this concept; definitely plan to experience some dinners provided that I find the price point to represent at least a decent value. Sorry to see Chicago losing yet another 2* venue, but at least this time it is being replaced by something that sounds promising.

I like the concept of a restaurant intentionally changing chefs every few months a lot more than a chef changing their cuisine several times a year. The Next people liken their meal tickets (so to speak) to buying concert tickets, but this is more like going to a venue to see a touring band's residency, which is cool.

Gonzo70 wrote:I am excited and intrigued by this concept; definitely plan to experience some dinners provided that I find the price point to represent at least a decent value.

According to Eater.com, prices will be in the $65-95 range, before tax, tip, and pairings:

L20 Reconcept Will Be First Chicago Restaurant to Regularly Rotate Chefs and Concepts

I like the opportunity that the concept represents for the chefs involved; I would assume that, when any particular chef and concept is well received, Lettuce Entertain You would then consider having the chef open it at another location as a permanent restaurant within their empire.

Paint me as far more skeptical of this concept. It's one thing for Next to change concepts every few months -- people know and trust the team behind it.

But with LEYE's new concept, LEYE is asking Chicagoans to get excited about rotating chefs who apparently are mostly from out of town and lesser known. So what is going to be the lure of the place from the customer's perspective? How is it any different than your average pop-up? Are people really going to be willing to spend $75 or so on a restaurant they know little about, and several times each week? (On perhaps an unrelated note, do they really believe Kirkley would hang around to watch the show after receiving 2 Michelin stars?)

It also sounds like a huge risk for any chef not interested in moving to (or staying in Chicago) -- i.e., to leave a job in another city and come to a Chicago for a limited time, where he/she doesn't necessarily plan to stay. This isn't Top Chef where the chef gets major media exposure. To me, it sounds like LEYE is conducting a new, more elaborate type of job interview with the possibility that a less established chef can come to Chicago and if successful with the lengthy pop-up, get a new LEYE restaurant (be it in the L20 space or elsewhere).

And you have to consider that each chef will only be in the restaurant for 2-3 months. Isn't that about the time it takes for a kitchen staff to gel as a team, learn the nuances of the restaurant and its equipment? Are there really enough people to fill a pop-up of this nature 5 or more nights per week?

Again, Next has an established team and established chefs. I see that as a dramatic difference. Are people really going to line up and buy tickets in advance not knowing what others are saying about their dining experience? I would not be shocked if LEYE brings a new chef to town, forms some kind of partnership, and has that chef open up a new LEYE restaurant. But I'll be stunned if this concept sticks around more than a year or two.

Does the brigade stay the same giving some consistency to actually running the kitchen?

I'm not getting it either but I'm always surprised at how loyal to LEYE some of the folks I work with are ... wonder if that is enough to keep this going.

The place may succeed, but I'd think one strike against it is that when people go to a restaurant for the first time, one reason they're hoping it's good is that they hope to add it to their rotation. You might say that people "curate" restaurants and are always looking for a good new one to add to their collection. If it's built-in that the restaurant essentially isn't going to be there the next time you go back, that removes one of the reasons people go to restaurants.

Yeah, but on the other hand ...

Foodiestatusseeker: "This latest chef at L2O really defines 'innovative', don't you thi..."

Masterfoodie: "What did you think of that chef they had three months ago?"

F: "Well, actually, I never got around to ..."

M: "Oh, too bad. Nobody who missed that will ever really be able to understand the meaning of 'innovative'."


It would certainly play in NYC, dunno about li'l old Chicago.

riddlemay wrote:The place may succeed, but I'd think one strike against it is that when people go to a restaurant for the first time, one reason they're hoping it's good is that they hope to add it to their rotation.

See, I disagree. This is more like trying to catch a touring act. "Did you see so and so?" "No, it was sold out." Sure, it's a bit of a gamble, but if they can attract known quantity chefs I don't see how it would be any different than a venue attracting a top touring act.

BR wrote:And you have to consider that each chef will only be in the restaurant for 2-3 months. Isn't that about the time it takes for a kitchen staff to gel as a team, learn the nuances of the restaurant and its equipment?

Honestly, I'd rather them bring in a chef with a specific field of expertise than Next's model, which is assuming a top tier chef would be equally adept at myriad cuisines, with the same time constraints and limitations. It's definitely a risk, but if they can keep prices as low as promised/hinted, it's a risk people may be willing to take, probably. $75 a meal is a lot more, erm, palatable than Next's creeping costs, and the fact that Next is hardly batting 1000% proves that familiarity with the staff and kitchen can only take you so far when the food is erratic, or at least inconsistent (be design, no less!). If this place pulls it off a few menus in a row and proves its concept, the rest of the pieces pretty much fall into place.

Next, IMHO, isn't the appropriate comparison. They're not competing against Next.

This model is far more similar to Chef's Club in Aspen and NYC.....

http://www.chefsclub.com

Its working beautifully in Aspen and so far, in NYC after it opened recently.

Just received an email informing that CJ Jacobson of Top Chef 'fame' will be the first chef to take the helm at Intro, in February 2015.

Information here.

=R=

Some background: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/nov/02 ... d-20131102

I agree with BR's comment that it really takes awhile for a chef to settle in with the staff and create a kitchen culutre. A student of mine (Daphne Demetry recently published a paper about the transition at a fine-dining restaurant and how the two chefs created very different kitchen cultures and the challenges they faced.) It is not that a chef can't come to town and produce interesting dishes (chefs often do this for a charity benefit), but it is hard to imagine that a routine can be developed. Intro will have some novelty appeal, but I question whether it will last, and I question whether the restaurant can survive bad notices for one of the menu iterations if the problem at L20 has been financial. But time will, as always, tell.

Maybe Melman is creating his own Top Chef competition where the purpose of Intro is to audition chefs for other projects. Hey, as long as we're speculating, I might as well throw that theory out there.

stevez wrote:Maybe Melman is creating his own Top Chef competition where the purpose of Intro is to audition chefs for other projects. Hey, as long as we're speculating, I might as well throw that theory out there.

I like that one. How about employees aren't eligible for benefits until they've been on the job for 3 months? #Profit!

stevez wrote:Maybe Melman is creating his own Top Chef competition where the purpose of Intro is to audition chefs for other projects. Hey, as long as we're speculating, I might as well throw that theory out there.

Yup, same thing I posted earlier in this topic:

nsxtasy wrote:I like the opportunity that the concept represents for the chefs involved; I would assume that, when any particular chef and concept is well received, Lettuce Entertain You would then consider having the chef open it at another location as a permanent restaurant within their empire.

Tickets are now available for Intro; they are starting early February and they are indeed from $65 to $95 depending on weekday vs. weeknight and peak vs. off peak hours. This price is a bit more than I am willing to shell out for a short tasting menu (five courses only) by a chef I know little about - especially considering the "tickets" are non-refundable. Will take a wait and see approach; if most of the early buzz is positive I will perhaps give it a try, but I would not be surprised if they struggle to fill tables at this price point while using a reservation system most diners do not find favorable/appealing.

http://www.introchicago.com/

Gonzo70 wrote:Tickets are now available for Intro; they are starting early February and they are indeed from $65 to $95 depending on weekday vs. weeknight and peak vs. off peak hours.

http://www.introchicago.com/

There sure are a lot of tickets still available. I know it has only been a few hours, but given the early chaos of Next (remember how the difference between logging in and getting first season tix or not was reportedly 18 seconds?), my perspective is distorted and this already feels like a flop! It appears the system has an option for odd numbers of tickets but they have only been released as 2's, 4's, and 6's. I will be curious to see if this changes in the future; it hasn't for Next or, at least on the ticket site, Elizabeth.

Smassey wrote:There sure are a lot of tickets still available. I know it has only been a few hours, but given the early chaos of Next (remember how the difference between logging in and getting first season tix or not was reportedly 18 seconds?), my perspective is distorted and this already feels like a flop!

LOL! I don't think CJ and Rich carry quite the cachet that Grant and Nick do.

=R=

Wrong season I think for him to stage in February. Unless it is preserved foods.

From the website :

"Chef CJ Jacobson is introducing a five-course menu that is rustic-refined. His cuisine combines flavors foraged from the local terroir of Chicago combined with hyper-seasonal, local California ingredients he highlights in his West Coast kitchen."

But, I did have a lovely meal at RPM Steak last week to close out 2014.

This could be an example where, in 99.9% of cases, the ticket system isn't the best idea. It's not good for potential customers to see a sea of inventory available....kind of like going into a restaurant that's nearly empty. Who wants to go there? I picked a random day (Friday, 2/20) and there's anything and everything available.

Not good.

Then, if people do buy tickets and someone cancels or gets sick, you'll see the tickets at below market value on Facebook or here....I just think this might prove the ticket idea is a bad idea except for the top 0.1% of places like Alinea.

pairs4life wrote:"Chef CJ Jacobson is introducing a five-course menu that is rustic-refined. His cuisine combines flavors foraged from the local terroir of Chicago combined with hyper-seasonal, local California ingredients he highlights in his West Coast kitchen." .

What exactly is "hyper-seasonal"? Cicadas?

DutchMuse wrote:This could be an example where, in 99.9% of cases, the ticket system isn't the best idea. It's not good for potential customers to see a sea of inventory available....kind of like going into a restaurant that's nearly empty. Who wants to go there? I picked a random day (Friday, 2/20) and there's anything and everything available.

Not good.

Then, if people do buy tickets and someone cancels or gets sick, you'll see the tickets at below market value on Facebook or
here....I just think this might prove the ticket idea is a bad idea except for the top 0.1% of places like Alinea.

Didn't they just go on sale today? Would you suggest they hold back inventory so it looks full when people first go to the site today?

Darren72 wrote:

DutchMuse wrote:This could be an example where, in 99.9% of cases, the ticket system isn't the best idea. It's not good for potential customers to see a sea of inventory available....kind of like going into a restaurant that's nearly empty. Who wants to go there? I picked a random day (Friday, 2/20) and there's anything and everything available.

Not good.

Then, if people do buy tickets and someone cancels or gets sick, you'll see the tickets at below market value on Facebook or
here....I just think this might prove the ticket idea is a bad idea except for the top 0.1% of places like Alinea.

Didn't they just go on sale today? Would you suggest they hold back inventory so it looks full when people first go to the site today?

I don't know when they went on sale; I just looked now because of this thread.

No, I don't think they should hold back inventory to create a false impression, I'm just questioning if the ticket concept really is the best idea for anything but the hottest of the hot restaurants.

Darren72 wrote:

DutchMuse wrote:This could be an example where, in 99.9% of cases, the ticket system isn't the best idea. It's not good for potential customers to see a sea of inventory available....kind of like going into a restaurant that's nearly empty. Who wants to go there? I picked a random day (Friday, 2/20) and there's anything and everything available.

Not good.

Then, if people do buy tickets and someone cancels or gets sick, you'll see the tickets at below market value on Facebook or
here....I just think this might prove the ticket idea is a bad idea except for the top 0.1% of places like Alinea.

Didn't they just go on sale today? Would you suggest they hold back inventory so it looks full when people first go to the site today?

They went on sale yesterday afternoon. Approximately 24 hours into the sale it seems as though other than Valentines Day very few tables have sold.

I agree with DutchMuse that for the vast majority of venues this type of ticket system (non-refundable and you have to pay the full price at time of booking) is an extremely poor idea and will end up harming most restaurants that opt for this scheme. It deters a significant portion of potential diners from even considering a meal at such a venue. Unless one has off-the-chart demand or is offering an exceptional value there are far too many competing venues to choose from where one does not have to incur the risk of paying in advance for a meal that one might end up (for a variety of reasons) not being able to make.

On the other hand I think there is some good potential for the idea of tickets in the form of a small deposit; this would likely greatly cut down on no-shows and last minute cancellations but without putting an undue burden on a patron who has a legitimate reason for not honoring a reservation. Furthermore offering deposits with incentives (i.e. $10 deposit for $20 dining credit) is mutually beneficial for filling off-peak hours; the restaurant benefits by increasing the number of covers whereas for taking on a little risk (the deposit) the diner receives better value.

I won't be buying tickets to Intro just yet. I'm unfamiliar with the chef, the place isn't open, and we have no idea what the food is. I'll wait a bit.

I think we're supposed to feel we "know" the chef due to his Top Chef and winning Top Chef Duels appearances (http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-duels/s ... ip=2817499).

That said, I've with Pairs in my skepticism about his food in the dead of winter in Chicago. He's become a big fan of foraging, etc and I have trouble thinking "terroir of Chicago" rather than say terroir of midwest farmlands or something - and at the moment, it all just makes me shiver with cold!

I'd want to at least see a menu or sampling of possible dishes and even then, I just really dislike the whole ticket model given the nonrefundable issue.

The ticket concept would be so much more palatable if it were not for the no refunds. Make it fully refundable if cancelled with at least a full week's notice (perhaps a token $2 fee to discourage people from booking a reservation far in advance they are not committed to honoring) and then a sliding scale for how much is refunded after that - i.e. 90% for 2-6 days out, 75% for 6-48 hours out, 50% for canceling within six hours, 0% for no show without canceling. This would still serve the purpose of minimizing no shows and late cancellations but make it far less stressful and risky for the customer to purchase tickets; for an unavoidable situation requiring a late cancellation the burden is shared rather than being entirely on one party. I think most would find something like this to be fair.

Yes, putting down $250 for 2 for an unknown menu for a new chef in town with no recourse if plans change other than to hope someone else is available that night is a bit absurd. It's an interesting concept and I'm hopeful it works and will buy tickets if it sounds tasty, but doing so a month before it opens isn't happening.

I just received the following from Intro's hyper-local menu:

Chef CJ Jacobson is introducing a five-course menu that is rustic-refined. His cuisine combines flavors foraged from the local terroir of Chicago combined with hyper-seasonal, local California ingredients he highlights in his West Coast kitchen.

I confess some puzzlement with Chef Jacobson's idea of locavore cuisine. EVERY ingredient is local SOMEWHERE. I guess he is shipping his shipping his ingredients in, but after all that is what fusion chefs do. What differentiates this is that the ingredients all come (presumably) from Chicago or California, I guess.

Given that the main protein is lobster, I am not quite sure whether those delicacies are from Oxnard or DeKalb. (Could be California Spiny Lobster, I guess).