FSR June 2023

First Course

More consumers are reducing their meat consumption for health or environmental reasons, even if they don’t identify as a vegetarian or vegan—and restaurant leaders are taking notes. Four times as many foodservice operators plan to add more plant based meat options to their menus in 2023, according to Datassential , and 60 percent of operators say plant-based meat is a long-term trend. Plant based foods are now found in 48 percent of restaurants across the U.S., versus 30 percent in 2012. VEGGIE VISION

lic or speaking with people to contribute, and all we’re asking is for everyone to contribute. Contribution is the success,” Viana adds. His other mission is to bring new life to Portuguese cuisine. Lita is a love letter to Viana's family, who immigrated from Portugal to Newark, New Jer sey, in the 1970s. The restaurant is named after Viana's mother, Rosa Lita, who taught him to cook alongside his grand mother, Isaura. Modern twists on traditional Iberian dishes take center stage at the restau rant, where most of the menu

fully cross-trained and rotate between working on the res taurant floor and in the kitchen each week, plus share tips equally. He projects every employee will make around $70,000 annually. “It bridged that gap. There have been other attempts to do this,” he says, noting no-tipping models. “I want to make this clear, because I’m not saying this is going to make other mod els irrelevant … I want there to be an alternative avenue, and I think this is more problem-solv ing for places like Noma, which is a world-class restaurant which

“I want to make this clear, because I’m not saying this is going to make other models irrelevant … I want there to be an alternative avenue, and I think this is more problem-solving for places like Noma, which is a world-class restaurant which is closing because it couldn't have free work anymore.”

will be cooked in an open-fire hearth oven which sits in the middle of the dining room. Guests will start with "Essenci ales," a shareable collection of lighter bites and tapas, before delving into a bevy of charred vegetables, fresh seafood, and meat dishes like piri piri chicken, Bitoque, and crispy paellas. Viana co-owns Lita, Heir loom Kitchen, and Heirloom Kitchen at The St. Laurent with his business and life partner, Neilly Robinson, who acts as managing director. This sum mer, Viana and his team will open La Otra, an intimate neighborhood cocktail bar located next door to Lita. To learn more, listen to FSR ’s new podcast, “The Restau rant Innovator,” which featured Viana as its first guest.

is closing because it couldn't have free work anymore.” Viana's goal? To create trans parency and equality around pay, which historically has been based on a hierarchy in the res taurant industry and has cre ated disparities between FOH and BOH workers. “Our industry proved it was unsustainable because we couldn’t get people com ing back [after the pandemic],” Viana says. With this unique model and structure, Viana offers an elevated hospitality experience for both customers and team members. Though, he admits not every chef has the skillset to play both roles. “There are opportuni ties for chefs that don’t neces sarily want to be guest-facing or aren’t comfortable in pub

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JUNE 2023