Food for Thought

I'm not going to lie. But coming up with a topic has been quite difficult even after thinking long and hard about what to write about. So what am I thinking about? Well, after revising the Trifecta blog I was reminded about another blogger who had written about a sports bar not fitting into the neighborhood. Reading that made me think of a rather cherubic kiddo that smelled...interesting and did not have any friends. Simply not fitting in. Then a question raced through my mind--what are some restaurants that have distinctive cultures that do not necessarily fit in with their surroundings? Does that even happen? Do communities have a sense of self then invite the restaurants that match its personality or vice versa?

One restaurant with a distinct culture is Barney's Beanery. This place is not intimidating and it has a friendly atmosphere.The lighting is dim, there are pictures of famous people plastered on the table tops, junk is thrown up on the wall like it belongs there (it doesn't). This is the kind of place where you can eat, drink, watch the Dodger games and curse your heart out at Time Warner. It's a sports bar/restaurant for some bombass chilli. But can you see this place like Los Feliz? Probably not because it is a more affluent region of Los Angeles. All Barney's Beanery would be is that fat smelly kid confined by kid in rich-kid suits.

In-n-Out is a restaurant that we all know and love. RIGHT?! It's definitely a So Cal thing, but has opened restaurants in states like Arizona and Nevada. Let's walk into in-n-out together. Right away you catch a wiff of grilled onion. The walls are white with a touch of red. Behind-the-counter is an army of employees dressed in white, as nurses are, equipped and ready to save me from my hunger. As I get to the cash register a nice young and beautiful person (why is everyone who works  at in-n-out so good looking?) asks what I want--#2 Animal Style NO PICKLES pleaseandthankyou. Sorry I just got hungry. The point I am trying to make is that in-n-out seems to do an excellent job at locating themselves in areas that they would fit into. Mostly in suburban areas as well as off the freeway. (This just might be my own personal opinion) but every time I go to In-n-Out it is usually in not so ghetto areas. BUT there is one in Huntington Park. This is interesting because when I visited this In-N-Out location I realized how white the employees were! I'm not saying In-N-Out is racist, but it has located itself in areas where white middle class families live. So seeing In-N-Out in the hood is a bit skeptical.

Places like Barney's Beanery and In-N-Out are welcoming to all kinds of people. Restaurants like Baco Mercat, Cleo's, and Beastia are kind of intimidating if you haven't been there before. They are all in areas that are trendy and fun to be in, but are kind of hidden if you haven't been there before. The areas these restaurants are located give a reflection of the neighborhood. It tends to be a bit more fancier than where In-N-Out would be located.

Overall, I don't think I have any answers to my questions. It seems like some restaurants, depending on the type of restaurant it is, can receive some backlash from the community. Other restaurants like In-N-Out are received well from the general public. (then again In-N-Out is quite popular. It's cheap, it's American, and It's open til 1am---why aren't they paying me?!) So is it restaurants placing themselves in the community or the community demanding the restaurant? ¿Por que no los dos?

Food for thought.