In the Emmy-winning FX show “The Bear,” which returned for a fourth season on June 25, there’s a pivotal Season 2 episode when Richie, aka Cousin, learns what it takes to work at a fine dining restaurant — and just how much intimate research goes into preparing for guests.
Before his first night on the floor of the fictional three-Michelin-star restaurant, the front of house team goes over the evening’s PNOs — persons of note. Guests for the night include the district attorney for Chicago as well as a musician and actor. But then the captain zeros in on two guests of particular note: teachers who have been saving up for a meal of a lifetime, he learned on social media. He is determined to make their night unforgettable and tells the team to pull out all the stops — a tour of the kitchen, a visit to the wine cellar and a meet-and-greet with the chef. Most importantly, he does not want them to pay a dime for the meal.
“I want to blow their f—king minds,” he says.
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie from “The Bear” Season 3. FX
Turns out, that deep-dive research of guests and over-the-top hospitality is not all that fictional in the world of Bay Area fine dining. A few of our local restaurants are also known to blow some f—king minds.
Take Lazy Bear, the Michelin two-star restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District. The ethos of the restaurant is “modern American dinner party.” But it’s more like you are a royal from another land. And when you visit their castle, they shower you with gifts.
For one guest who was visiting Lazy Bear on her birthday for the third straight year, the team found out she was a penguin enthusiast. Wanting to honor this personal, yet quirky detail, the restaurant staff went all out: They adopted a real emperor penguin chick for her.
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“She was like, ‘Oh my God. I’m floored,’” recalled Colleen Booth, managing partner and chief operating officer of Lazy Bear, in an interview with SFGATE.
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