Hospitality design, at its very core, is all about catering to the guest experience. In recent years, the focus on that experience has been magnified and evolved into a whole new genre of dining that Govind Shepley, creative director and founder of TwentyOne06, calls ‘Extreme Dining.’
Below, Shepley breaks down the trend and shares his perspective on the topic.
At TwentyOne06, we’re known for crafting one-of-a-kind, unconventional designs that are also hugely commercially successful. Identifying, researching, and making the most of industry trends is part of what we do – as a market-leading strategic design agency. And one tip we have for 2023 – 2024 is the exciting area of extreme design restaurants.
What is ‘Extreme Dining’?
In a nutshell, extreme dining offers restaurant goers unique opportunities, the kind of one-off experience we’re known for, and that they’ll remember for years to come, along with sharing with friends, and family. From meals consisting of just one ingredient, to psychedelic soundtracks to accompany fine dining, adventurous modern restaurants are pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable in the industry, creating moments to remember, and eating experiences that others can only hope to match.
Three Standout Extreme Dining Experiences
Bompas and Parr
Industry-leading gastronomic duo, Bompas and Parr, created their multi-sensory dining experience to pay homage to the more than 200 dormant volcanoes that lie beneath its Saudi Arabian destination. Bringing a truly unique eating experience to Alula, in particular to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra, the restaurant is inspired by the work of the world’s foremost expert in molten rock, Professor Robert Wysocki.
At this exciting, stimulating, and awe-inspiring eatery, diners can watch local produce be cooked for them across a stream of molten lava, reaching temperatures of 1,350 degrees (that’s not your average barbecue!) Dishes are designed to be cooked on an open flame, from salt-baked fish, to charred filets of prime beef. Alongside fine dining, the restaurant is a performance spectacle, with a darkened atmosphere creating a unique, and extreme treat for the senses. Not one to be missed!
Carsten Holler
Serving up a slice of simplicity at Brutalisten, in Stockholm, Sweden, diners are treated to dishes that contain just one ingredient – severe minimalism at its finest! Named after the architectural style of brutalism, famed for its lack of decoration, this future-facing eatery also takes simplicity to a whole new level, clearing away the background noise to showcase one fine ingredient, and one ingredient only – a risky strategy that, when done well, is a mind-blowing experience for diners, who choose the level of simplicity in their dishes, combining ingredients if they wish. How far would you go?
Taste of Daedong
Like Carsten Holler, Daedong, situated in Shanghai, China, focuses on simplicity, this time using only a single colour – blue – in all of its dishes. Creating an ethereal, dreamlike experience, the space is soaked with blue light, beamed out from LED panels and hidden ceiling lights. In a cool, hypnotic, and calming space, light bounces off curved, stainless steel walls and mirrored panels allowing diners to view warped versions of their own reflections as they eat. This psychedelic eating experience, with its mysterious soundtrack, is not for the faint-hearted!
So What’s in it for Diners?
In 2023, dining must dare to be different, and diners expect much more than a cosy atmosphere, and a pleasing meal. Dining experiences must be exciting, memorable moments, and hospitality brands must explore what this means to varying degrees, whether upping the ante on ingredients, processes, decor, or locations.
Sustainability is also becoming an increasingly important area for restaurants, with zero-waste dining becoming the gold standard.
Whether you’re harnessing forces of nature to create unique sensory experience, using consciously quality ingredients so good that you only need one per meal, or using only local produce to reduce the risk of fragile supply chains, extreme eating is assured to create unforgettable experiences that create organic PR and popularity for your restaurant – and we can help you start the process of devising, defining, and executing the next big thing in this growing market trend.