Monday, January 10, 2011

Pop Up!

The concept of the pop up restaurant has serious legs and will gain a huge following in recent years. The idea of creating a dining experiment that will go away forever in a matter of months or days is ultimately exciting for anyone who wants an exclusive experience. Cue those romantic ideas of a true speakeasy. Imagine an up and coming chef opens a place right across the street from your office that will only be open for 30 days. He or she is experimenting with new concepts and doesn’t have the ability (yet) or the desire (ever) to open a restaurant...do you support it? Now if the line to this restaurant is out the door for 30 days and you can't get in, would it drive you crazy? Damn right it would. Not only does the conversation about the design of the space have a real start and end date, the restaurateur, the chef, the designers and the patrons all have a moment in time to connect on a very exclusive and somewhat intense level. The result is a type of food fraternity. Pop up is about access, not ownership. It is about variety and spontaneity that could change on a moments notice…. In a very connected world, a restaurant can and now does live as a conceptual construct and every once in awhile lives at a corner near you. Pop. Gone.

3 comments:

  1. What an exciting concept. Does this mean you all are working on some type of pop-up restaurant!?

    Christina {Sweet On Design}

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  2. I have enjoyed watching ai3's projects and company philosophy evolve. You are certainly out there to take risks and I love it! It brings vibrancy to your work in this static economic time, and I am glad to see a company take this much opportunity to think on such a creative and dramatic level and make this concept a reality!

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  3. This is an interesting idea. The logistics of fitting out a space for semi-temporary use will be a challenge. It will provide a regular boost of creative design juice.
    The legal side should be interesting; how to define a lease agreement to allow for a continuous lessee option so a patron can support multiple chefs or the same chef multiple times trying new concepts.
    The whole idea makes my head spin a little, but in a good way. Lots of energy and possibility. A new spark on some semi-regular basis. I love it.

    Joe A Perkins

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