The Underground Culinary Tour by Damien Mogavero book review

We live south of the newest “IT” city, Nashville Tennessee. Our local news station has a series on the boom in growth Nashville is having and one of the most interesting area of growth to me is the plethora of new places to eat. From fine dining to food trucks; Nashville is making a name for itself as a foodie city. 

Demos in downtown Nashville has been one of our favorite places to dine for years now. To us, Demos is doing everything right-from the friendly, helpful staff, to the excellent food that never disappoints. If you are visiting Nashville, check out Demos and try their blackened chicken! 

While my family and I have our go to places, we also love exploring new places to eat and new types of food; we enjoy the whole experience, most of the time. As the price of a lunch or dinner out for a family of four has steadily increased in our area, the lack of true hospitality and service seems to be diminishing, that’s what led me to reviewing today’s book:

The Underground Culinary Tour: How the New Metrics of Today's Top Restaurants Are Transforming How America eats with a foreword by Danny Meyer

Book Synopsis:

“Dining will never be the same again, thanks to data expert and food lover Damian Mogavero.”  

“Mogavero offers foodies and industry insiders an entertaining, behind-the-scenes narrative about how the restaurant business—an industry historically ran by gut and intuition—is being transformed by data. 

“The book takes readers from Montauk, to the exotic Creole cooking of New Orleans, from the impeccable choreography of the Brazilian restaurant Fogo de Chao to kitchens of such celebrity chefs and restaurateurs as Danny Meyer, Daniel Boulud, Guy Fieri, Giada and Tom Colicchio. 

What Mogavero describes as "New Guard" restaurants—those making decisions based on insights gained by the systematic collection and analysis of daily homegrown data—have been quietly revolutionizing how they run their businesses, compared to the old guard that relies on gut instinct, and a hit or miss approach that can misread the desires and expectations of today's demanding foodie generation.”

My Thoughts:

As a blogger, I have to look at stats, data and trends within my industry often if I want to remain relevant. Creative people like myself usually don’t like hard numbers and spreadsheets, I certainly don’t! I’ve long considered cooking as a creative outlet as well, so I found the idea of meshing the creative with the technical intriguing. 

This book takes you inside the restaurant business, not just the glossy, magazine ready side-but the very heart of a restaurant.  I enjoyed the personal stories and how Mr. Mogavero demystifies several key areas of being in the restaurant industry.  

Mogavero states “we are in the midst of a grand foodie revolution. A burgeoning foodie economy in which the New Guard restaurateurs are eagerly embracing both data and trends. “   

This New Guard, which is radically different in their approach than their predecessors are doing things more nimbly and efficiently by embracing data and adapting to the new trends of today’s demanding consumers.

For instance, how many of us are guilty of snapping a photo of our food to share on social media before we eat?  As Mogavero points out- that’s great fun for us, the patrons, but what if the food wasn’t quite ready for that close up and share? The restaurant may very well suffer from this type of sharing, or become innovators and embrace the new way we eat and share our foodie finds.

The Take Away:

I found this book highly insightful and a true learning experience. This is an enjoyable read- especially getting to see parts of the New York City restaurant scene unfold in an authentic way. 

If you have ever dreamed of opening a restaurant, or a food truck, this is a must read. Even if you're just a passionate foodie, I think you would enjoy seeing things from the other side of the table. You will have a better understanding of what all it takes to run a profitable restaurant. You can learn more about the author, Damien Mogavero and read more praise of this book here. 

Have you ever considered opening a restaurant? If yes, what type of cuisine would you serve?



Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Blogging for books. No further compensation was given. All opinions expressed are my own.