Maybe Restaurants Don't Really Sell Food

Rom’s latest piece starts with a reframing: a restaurant is not really in the food business. Eating at home or ordering delivery wins on convenience every time, so the reason people still go out has to be something else, and that something is each other. Restaurants are where celebrations, dates, and reunions happen. They are the third places, the social infrastructure of a neighborhood.

That changes what technology is for, he argues. AI and automation should take friction out of the operation, things like waiting to pay, so the staff has more time for genuine hospitality, not less. As everyday life gets more digital, the in-person social role of a restaurant becomes more valuable, not less.

This is the third and final part of the Eating Alone series, following From Bowling Alone to Dining Alone and The Human Cost of Eating Alone.

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Originally published on LinkedIn.