Let’s be honest: GALA is tired of the boring restaurants and bars that you find on every street corner!
That is why we are taking you into the world of experience-based gastronomy. We will show you how to turn a simple visit into a true adventure with 11 examples and ideas that are guaranteed to stand out.
Definition: What is Experience Gastronomy?
Simply put: Experience gastronomy is food and drink combined with entertainment. Restaurants, cafés, pubs, and similar venues offer a special feature that goes beyond "normal" consumption.
It doesn't matter what that special feature looks like as long as it remains a unique and memorable experience. It should not only inspire guests but also differentiate your business from the competition.
Generally, we distinguish between two types of experience restaurants:
- Passive: The environment defines the event. Guests only need to eat or drink while enjoying the unusual atmosphere.
- Active: The adventure consists of participating, such as helping prepare the food, watching a show, or completing other tasks.
6 Swiss Examples of Experience Gastronomy
You have unlimited possibilities to offer your guests an unforgettable evening. However, there are some typical categories that have proven successful.
Passive: Theme Restaurants
In theme gastronomy, the interior design, the menu, and the presentation all align. Think of sports bars where beer is served in stadium cups and football plays on every screen, or the famous Hard Rock Cafés dedicated to rock music.
The success of the experience depends on consistency. If the food is from Hawaii but the decor looks like a standard furniture store, it isn't experience gastronomyit is just a normal restaurant.
Unsere zwei Beispielprojekte denken das jeweilige Thema deshalb bis ins Detail:
Restaurant Negishi mit authentischer japanischer Innenarchitektur.
Negishi at Winterthur Station: Guests enjoy take-away sushi in an environment that reflects authentic Japanese dining culture.
Ladenlokal Kilo+Gramm in renoviertem Schlachthof
Kilo+Gramm: At this location, guests eat in a renovated former slaughterhouse. The interior design serves as a powerful reminder of the building's history.
Passive: Exciting Locations
If you have access to a very special plot of land, you should make the most of the location!
A prime example is the Restaurant Piz Gloria on the Schilthorn, nearly 3000 meters above sea level. To fully utilize the panoramic view of the Alps, the restaurant sits on a rotating platform. In 45 minutes, guests rotate a full 360 degrees.
Passive: Shows on Stage or at the Table
Watch and enjoy: this is the motto of show gastronomy. Artists provide entertainment between or during courses. This often involves comedy, music, or theater. A show that combines all of this into one colorful evening takes place regularly at Pink Rabbit in Zurich.
Active: Live Cooking
In open kitchens, guests watch the professionals cook. The preparation itself becomes the show. The more spectacular the flames, the louder the sizzle, or the more elegant the movements, the stronger the experience.
Japanese Hibachi restaurants like Fujiya in Zurich perfect this principle, where chefs prepare dishes directly in front of the guests on a hot plate.
Active: Helping with Preparation
The joint preparation of food can also be an experience. An instructor teaches guests a few practical kitchen skills and shares stories from daily life in the kitchen. In the end, everyone enjoys the self-cooked meal together. At the Alte Brennerei in Solothurn, for instance, guests can brew their own beer.
Aktiv: Bei der Zubereitung helfen
Auch die gemeinsame Zubereitung kann ein Erlebnis sein. Ein Lehrer bringt den Gästen ein paar praktische Handgriffe bei, erzählt aus dem Alltag in der Küche – und am Ende geniessen alle zusammen das selbstgekochte Mahl.
In der alten Brennerei in Solothurn brauen die Gäste etwa ihr eigenes Bier. Natürlich mit ausführlichen Qualitätsproben.
GALA Brainstorms: 5 Ideas That Don't Exist Yet
Are you looking to open an experience gastronomy business but need some inspiration? These ideas would certainly win attention. And if we get to design your interior architecture, you won't even have to pay us a commission for the idea!
- Restaurant 2222: Robots not only prepare and serve the food but also keep the guests company. At each table sits a digital partner who chats about the world via AI.
- Escape Restaurant: Five rooms, five courses. Only those who solve all the puzzles make it to dessert. The rest stay hungry!
- Influencer Café: Here, guests pay with positive posts. The more followers a guest has, the more they can afford. A TikTok dance for the café might earn you a free piece of cake.
- Mind-Sport Bar: Like a sports bar, but instead of football or boxing, the screens and tables feature chess, Sudoku, and spelling bees.
- Café Zero-G: Cakes are served like astronaut food from a tube. The staff pours coffee into a zero-gravity room where guests float while they drink.
Trend or Future?
Is it still worth opening an experience gastronomy business? GALA predicts a clear yes. It is a gap in the market! While the phenomenon is widespread in North America and Asia, there are few such establishments in Switzerland and almost no successful chains.
The fact that people long for more experiences is already evident in other areas, such as the rise of Escape Rooms, offices with ball pits and foosball tables, or pop-up stores.
Special places are:
- Recommended more often.
- Shared more frequently on Instagram.
- Preferred over boring alternatives.
- More likely to be visited again in the future.
Storytelling works, even in gastronomy. But only if you do it right.
What do you need for successful entertainment gastronomy?
- Delicious Food and Drink: Even with all the bells and whistles, guests come to leave full and happy. A top-tier show cannot compensate for bad cooking.
- An Idea That Ignites: A theme restaurant about different types of power outlets might be new, but it won't interest many people.
- The Right Interior Design: Your physical space must radiate the story you are trying to tell. GALA is here to help you with that.