We something that much of edmonton is having trouble warming to.We used to sit people there if that was the only spot we had available .even people with reservations,” Costa says. “We didn’t check with them first — we just didn’t see it as a big deal. But some people left. I guess the thought of sitting with other people really bothered them.” Now Costa always gives people advance notice if they’re going to be spending their evening at the communal table. Fewer people are walking out, but some still decide not to go ahead with the reservation. Communal tables are large tables that can accommodate groups of people from a number of different parties. They’ve become more and more common in big city restaurants around the world and Edmonton’s dining scene is now starting to see more of the tables popping up. Along with Corso 32, you’ll find them elsewhere downtown at MRKT, The Marc and Tres Carnales, as well as Ousia, the new Mediterranean restaurant on Whyte Avenue.Explore here Table Reservation In India
Over at The Marc, where a hand-crafted eight-person communal table bridges the gap between the dining room and the bar, owner Patrick Saurette reports he’s also encountering some reluctance. “People would rather sit at the bar,” he laments.When he first opened The Marc late last fall, Saurette felt Edmonton was ready for communal-style dining. “Really, the concept has been around for a long time. As a kid, growing up in Vancouver, I remember going to this breakfast place where, if there was a vacant seat at a table, you just took it. It really encouraged neat conversation.” He had a friend make a large wooden table that is distinctly different from the white, glass-topped tables that dominate the rest of the room. He thought the table would fit in well with the light, easygoing atmosphere of his restaurant, as well as help to encourage spontaneity. “I wanted people to feel that they could just pop in for a bite at the last minute, without always having to have reservations.” Currently, the communal table seems to be more acceptable at lunch, but in the evenings, those seats are the last to go — if they go at all. Saurette says although Oilers coach Tom Renney has sat at the table, it wasn’t by choice — every other table was taken. And even when the table does happen to be occupied, Saurette isn’t noticing a lot of interaction. “There was a group celebrating a birthday there, and they did share the cake with the others sitting at the table, but really it’s an uphill battle.”Costa points out the big tables make some sense from a business perspective for restaurants always working on tight margins.Click here to know more about Gurgaon Restaurants.
“A restaurant needs to fit in tables wherever it can,” explains Costa. “In New York, you’re lucky to have an inch between you and the table next to you but here, everyone’s used to dining in their own little world.“It’s more than that, though. Eating is about company and sharing, so the communal table is a way of bringing people together. I want people to sit amongst other people and meet others who share the same city as they do. For me, those are the best times.”Costa admits that “one person can spoil the whole pot,” but says situations like that, where one diner makes everyone else uncomfortable, happen only rarely. Once people relax and let go, they usually enjoy the experience. There have even been people who’ve met at Corso 32’s communal table and come back for dinner together on nother night.“Our communal table often ends up being the loudest table in the restaurant, with the most interaction.”So there does appear to be hope for the communal table concept in Edmonton, and at least one restaurant where the common nosh is more the rule than the exception. That’s at MRKT, where chef and co-owner Carla Alexander feels the concept is being embraced. She says the long 24-seat communal table that dominates her room is routinely busy, as are the three smaller six-person tables. And she says that holds true for both the more casual cafeteria-style lunch service and the slightly more formal table service at dinner.“We wanted people to dine together — to enjoy the food and to share conversation. Most people like being amongst it all, elbow to elbow. It is a little unconventional, but people do strike up conversations.“When I dine out, I’m always looking at what’s coming out of the kitchen. This makes it easier to say, ‘That looks great. What is it?’”Saurette says he’d like to turn The Marc’s communal table into a place where dinner is about more than just the food. He’d like to see “a table of talk.” He envisions a table that’s bigger and wider, with a centre board running down the middle of it. “It would be like a true groaning board — you could put the platters of food right in the middle, along with baskets of bread and maybe some flowers.”As for Costa, one day he’d like to open up a restaurant that’s one big communal table.“The thing I love about Edmontonians is that, while they may hate the idea at the beginning, once they start eating, they switch over,” says Costa. “This is something that’s different, and no one likes something that’s different right away.”His advice? “Don’t stress – just enjoy your food. Who cares what someone else might be thinking?
Source “edmontonjournal”
Over at The Marc, where a hand-crafted eight-person communal table bridges the gap between the dining room and the bar, owner Patrick Saurette reports he’s also encountering some reluctance. “People would rather sit at the bar,” he laments.When he first opened The Marc late last fall, Saurette felt Edmonton was ready for communal-style dining. “Really, the concept has been around for a long time. As a kid, growing up in Vancouver, I remember going to this breakfast place where, if there was a vacant seat at a table, you just took it. It really encouraged neat conversation.” He had a friend make a large wooden table that is distinctly different from the white, glass-topped tables that dominate the rest of the room. He thought the table would fit in well with the light, easygoing atmosphere of his restaurant, as well as help to encourage spontaneity. “I wanted people to feel that they could just pop in for a bite at the last minute, without always having to have reservations.” Currently, the communal table seems to be more acceptable at lunch, but in the evenings, those seats are the last to go — if they go at all. Saurette says although Oilers coach Tom Renney has sat at the table, it wasn’t by choice — every other table was taken. And even when the table does happen to be occupied, Saurette isn’t noticing a lot of interaction. “There was a group celebrating a birthday there, and they did share the cake with the others sitting at the table, but really it’s an uphill battle.”Costa points out the big tables make some sense from a business perspective for restaurants always working on tight margins.Click here to know more about Gurgaon Restaurants.
“A restaurant needs to fit in tables wherever it can,” explains Costa. “In New York, you’re lucky to have an inch between you and the table next to you but here, everyone’s used to dining in their own little world.“It’s more than that, though. Eating is about company and sharing, so the communal table is a way of bringing people together. I want people to sit amongst other people and meet others who share the same city as they do. For me, those are the best times.”Costa admits that “one person can spoil the whole pot,” but says situations like that, where one diner makes everyone else uncomfortable, happen only rarely. Once people relax and let go, they usually enjoy the experience. There have even been people who’ve met at Corso 32’s communal table and come back for dinner together on nother night.“Our communal table often ends up being the loudest table in the restaurant, with the most interaction.”So there does appear to be hope for the communal table concept in Edmonton, and at least one restaurant where the common nosh is more the rule than the exception. That’s at MRKT, where chef and co-owner Carla Alexander feels the concept is being embraced. She says the long 24-seat communal table that dominates her room is routinely busy, as are the three smaller six-person tables. And she says that holds true for both the more casual cafeteria-style lunch service and the slightly more formal table service at dinner.“We wanted people to dine together — to enjoy the food and to share conversation. Most people like being amongst it all, elbow to elbow. It is a little unconventional, but people do strike up conversations.“When I dine out, I’m always looking at what’s coming out of the kitchen. This makes it easier to say, ‘That looks great. What is it?’”Saurette says he’d like to turn The Marc’s communal table into a place where dinner is about more than just the food. He’d like to see “a table of talk.” He envisions a table that’s bigger and wider, with a centre board running down the middle of it. “It would be like a true groaning board — you could put the platters of food right in the middle, along with baskets of bread and maybe some flowers.”As for Costa, one day he’d like to open up a restaurant that’s one big communal table.“The thing I love about Edmontonians is that, while they may hate the idea at the beginning, once they start eating, they switch over,” says Costa. “This is something that’s different, and no one likes something that’s different right away.”His advice? “Don’t stress – just enjoy your food. Who cares what someone else might be thinking?
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