CHICAGO
The Waldorf Astoria Chicago is preparing to close its highly acclaimed RIA restaurant at the end of July, in the wake of several hotels around the Windy City shuttering their high-end eateries and other properties nationwide making the same move, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Within the past year, the Peninsula Chicago closed its flagship restaurant Avenues, keeping three diverse dining offerings and starting construction on a junior ballroom; French-international NoMI at the Park Hyatt was reinvented as the less-formal, more American NoMI Kitchen; and the Four Seasons converted its elegant, wood-paneled Seasons into private event space with views of Lake Michigan and created Allium, with seasonal American fare.
Nationwide, the hotel restaurant market's growth lies with 25- to 35-year-old diners, who seek "more bistro, small plates and tapas bars," said Dick Williams, president of HVS Food & Beverage Services. Meanwhile, the 45- to 55-year-old group is gravitating toward steakhouses, several observers said, with known chefs and brands proving to be big draws.
Nearly two-thirds of hotel visitors want a restaurant that's "comfortable and relaxing," according to a study by Technomic, a Chicago-based restaurant consulting and research firm.
Courtesy of The Chicago Tribune
