Inspired by monks in India, NY restaurant comes up with a new concept.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: In the ever-increasing hustle and bustle of life, particularly in a metropolis like New York City, it seems as if the concept of silence has gone the way of the cavemen. But one restaurant is looking to change that.
“Eat,” a restaurant situated in the heart of Brooklyn, has taken inspiration from monks in India and has initiated a policy forbidding any kind of talking or conversing in its establishment. It’s a bold move to make in a time when seemingly everyone is constantly talking on their phone or clacking away at a laptop, but the restaurant hopes that their new policy will make Eat a haven for those looking for meditation, introspection and, of course, good food.
Eat’s menu is also rather different — it consists entirely of locally grown organic food. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant serves vegetarian cuisine as well as vegan dishes and seafood. According to a statement on the restaurant’s Facebook page, they “serve handmade 100% natural and organic foods that are good you and the environment. We only use local vegetables, wild caught fish, and sustainably [sic] grown meats and dairy. All bread and baked goods are house made with 100% whole grains.”
Although some say that Eat’s new silent policy is simply part of a growing fad by restaurants to have some facet of their experience be an absolutely extreme in order to set them apart from the pack — for example, there are some restaurants in parts of Europe that have their dining room in complete darkness all the time — the team at Eat say they’re striving for something a little more pure in their restaurant-going experience.
“It’s just an opportunity to enjoy food in a way you might not have otherwise,” said chef Nicholas Nauman to the Associated Press. “There’s such a strong energy in the room,” he added, saying that having the only noise come from the kitchen creates a kind of ambiance that you don’t get anywhere else.
Whether or not that kind of ambiance is what customers are looking for, however, is something that only time — and Eat’s future income tax statements — will tell.