We present to you the best essay on a restaurant for students and children.
The essay on restaurant
Cafes and restaurants are firmly entrenched in our lives and have become part of it. But the roots of the restaurant business go no deeper than 250 years back in history. The first restaurants as we know them today did not appear until the 18th century.
The main precondition for the appearance of restaurants was the well-known love for delicious food, but the lack of time and culinary talents did not allow to translate dreams into reality. Of course, there were places called taverns, where you could eat and drink, but the food there was very basic, and the interior did not call for a pleasant conversation in the family circle. Unfortunately, because of the number of visitors and the poor variety of menus, the taverns were never popular with high society. It was therefore only a matter of time before a higher-level establishment opened.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest restaurant in the world is in Madrid and is called “Sobrino de Botin”. Its history goes back to 1725, when the Botin couple created a small hotel, making the first floor a catering establishment (A. Porokhovshchikov will do the same in the future). The more than 250-year history of the restaurant “Botin” is evidenced by the plate, hanging at the entrance to the hotel with the date of foundation. The same year can be seen in the baking oven, which is still reliably used by the restaurant’s cooks.
It is known that until the beginning of the 18th century in Spain it was forbidden to sell meat, wine, and other products in catering establishments because it hindered the work of food vendors. Therefore, “Botín” cooked and served only what the visitors themselves brought.
Almost at the same time, in 1765, the future famous painter Francisco Goya worked at the Botín as a dishwasher while he waited for the decision to admit him to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (although he never got there).
The restaurant, as a term, begins in 1765. Of course, it originated in the very center of fine dining – Paris. A Frenchman named Boulanger (so French cuisine historians claim) first used the word restaurant to refer to his establishment, placing a sign above the entrance to the establishment in Latin: “Venite ad me omnes, qui stomacho laboratis et ego restaurabo vos” – meaning: “Come to me all those who suffer from their stomachs and I will restore (restore) you.” The main marketing ploy, besides the signage, of course, was the choice of dishes. Basically, these were dishes of several kinds of meat and broth.
Boulanger’s restaurant did not become a popular institution, but it gave rise to an entire industry; the founder of the basic operating principles was Beauvillier and his Grand Taverne de Londre restaurant, founded in 1786. Separate selection of dishes, seating visitors at small tables, chic furnishings, and fixed hours of operation are familiar associations with the word “Restaurant”.
Beauvilliers welcomed its guests in chic surroundings: mahogany tables, crystal chandeliers, damask-patterned tablecloths, decently dressed servants, a wine cellar, and top-quality food.
As competition increased over time, the owners understood a simple truth to survive: A restaurant must surprise!
Particular attention was paid to the appearance of the institutions, creating unique facades and frescoes, decorating with luxurious furniture and crystal chandeliers. The menu of the restaurants was also transformed. The chefs created hundreds of dishes that appealed to the most demanding aristocrats.
Entrepreneurs gradually identified all the benefits of creating such pompous establishments. The main audience of restaurants of that time consisted of noblemen, travelers, and visitors. But history does not stand still, and the restaurant business began a new chapter. The experience of the French was adopted by many Europeans. In every country, the establishments got their own unique national flavor, and the menu included traditional cuisine for the area (partly because the menu was compiled based on what products could be bought in the area).
Despite the high rate of appearance and popularization of restaurants, this business was quite risky. Restaurateurs in the 19th century, unlike their contemporaries, did not have a complete kitchen arsenal, as well as refrigerators to store products. In wintertime, some products could be stored in cellars, thus making a small stock. But in summer, all products had to be prepared and served at once.
Restaurants in Russia
The Russian history of public catering institutions began in the 16th century when Ivan the Terrible secured for the state a monopoly right to trade alcohol and ordered to open everywhere drinking establishments – state pubs and taverns, where you could order a simple snack with a glass of vodka.
Notable in the development of the restaurant business on the territory of the Russian Empire is the opening of teahouses. The first such establishments appeared under Alexander II and had no analogs in the world.
At the peak of the popularity of French culture, the appearance of the first restaurants was only a matter of time. Coffee houses and taverns began to appear, but they were far from the restaurant level. In Russia at the beginning of the 19th-century “restaurants” became an independent concept, fully copying the European approach to service and interior design. Originally they were exclusively attached to the hotels. The menu was composed with an emphasis on French dishes and French wines. Signboard “‘Restaurant” also for a long time was in French, and in the menu, French names were simply translated into Russian without deciphering. Such dishes as “julienne”, “consomme”, “volte”, “pogoffe”, “glass(e)”, “soufflé” etc. are still a mystery to many.
The first restaurant opened in Moscow was Slavyansky Bazar. The restaurant was built in 1874. Even for the inhabitants of the capital at that time who in many respects kept up with modern French and German tendencies it seemed to be something wonderful and in Russian chic, where there was not an evening without dancing to gypsy tunes.
Why was Slavyansky Bazar on Nikolskaya Street so beloved in Moscow?
First, it was the striking architecture of the building, designed by architect A. Weber, commissioned by businessman A. Porokhovshchikov.
Secondly, the cuisine seemed more amazing for those times. Chefs tried new culinary masterpieces and developed the classic recipes, presenting them in their most vivid manifestations. The chef, Vladimir Ivanov, who studied the business in Paris, was recognized as a true master and was the recipient of many awards.
Third, “Slavic Bazaar” was famous for its visitors. Many famous people stayed there: V. V. Stasov, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, P. I. Tchaikovsky, G. I. Uspensky, F. Nansen. Moscow merchants often met at the restaurant for breakfast and concluded their deals over a meal. And in 1897, after hours of discussion, K. С. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko decided to create the Moscow Art Theater.
The further development of the restaurant business in Russia did not end there. Restaurants began to be in particular demand and became very popular in both capitals. Even in times of revolutions and further development of the Soviet Union, restaurants stayed afloat, adapting the business to the demands of the times and the quality of life. Also, thanks to political changes, many entrepreneurs decided to leave the country and ended up becoming the progenitors of Russian cuisine all over the world. And till nowadays the Russian restaurants, as well as the Russian culture, are known for their pomp and friendly atmosphere.
Today restaurants in Russia offer us the most diverse cuisine, which can be tasted in a variety of interiors. Struggling for each customer’s interest, businesses find more and more ways to entice visitors and leave them in love with their establishment forever.
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