Is This the End of Fine Dining?
Apply for Coaching with me: https://justinkhanna.notion.site/39c38fe6ebfb8098bbdfc636fdac611a?pvs=105
Get your FREE Station Score (towards Total Station Domination): https://www.joinrepertoire.com/tsd
Is fine dining really dead—or is the restaurant industry simply changing? In this episode, Justin and Ray break down the evolving definition of fine dining, what chefs actually think about today’s biggest food and beverage trends, and the New York Times’ 2026 list of America’s best restaurants. They also discuss Dominique Crenn’s move to Melbourne and what it says about the increasingly global nature of high-end dining.
Plus, we get into one of the most important conversations for working chefs: how to approach salary and title negotiations without underselling yourself. We also look at Danny Meyer’s latest thoughts on hospitality and what the legendary restaurateur believes the industry still gets wrong—and right—about taking care of people.
#chefs #finedining #restaurants #cooking #kitchenculture #linecook
0:00 Intro
0:51 Fine Dining Is Dead
22:32 What Chefs Think About You
32:55 NY Times Restaurant List
37:54 Salary Negotiation Advice
52:18 Dominique Crenn Heads To Australia
57:30 Danny Meyer’s Regrets
Links:
Fine Dining Is Dead – https://www.instagram.com/p/DdRs0uDFDZJ/
Ask Chefs About Food Trends (New York Times) – https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/dining/chefs-dining-beverage-trends.html
New York Times Best Restaurants in America 2026 – https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/dining/best-restaurants-america.html
Dominique Crenn Moves to Melbourne – https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/three-michelin-starred-dominique-crenn-chooses-melbourne-for-her-next-restaurant-20260907-p60v5c.html
Salary Discussion Advice (Reddit) – https://www.reddit.com/r/KitchenConfidential/comments/1wgx5h9/discussion_about_salarytitle_tomorrow/
Danny Meyer Book Launch (New York Times) – https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/dining/danny-meyer-hospitality-book.html
💌→The Repertoire Newsletter: https://www.joinrepertoire.com/newsletter
🎙→Podcast: https://geni.us/repertoirepodcast
💻→Website (everything): http://geni.us/site
📸→Instagram (watch my stories/check my photos): http://geni.us/instag
💌Send us mail:
Justin Khanna
5920 MLK Jr Way S
Unit 18272
Seattle, WA 98118 USA
__
Disclaimer: I earn commission income with qualifying purchases made through Amazon’s Affiliate program and other affiliate links in this description.
3 Comments
In the news too… NYC's $60 loaf of bread! You must cover this story. I make wholegrain, sourdough, fermented bread at home. It cost me about $6 a loaf for the highest quality flour, from Einkorn and other heritage grains because I'm buying it in small quantities. Generally the restaurant industry charges 4 – 5 X costs to stay in business. I'm guessing at RYE, the $60 loaf of bread costs $3 for the grain, which is bought in bulk. Of course, the greedy landlords and expensive rent in NYC's most expensive neighborhood drains much of the profits. I doubt this bakery will last long. The best bread bakery in America is SEYLOU, in Washington DC, and their bread costs between $15 – $20 a loaf.
I enjoyed Relae's Christian Puglisi take on that. He has a channel now as well.
At 12:54 "I think fine dining is on elevated plain that will be seen, not just as something that can't be attained, but something that is revolting." Then, at 13:14 "Extremely expensive fine dining is going to take a down turn because of the disparities that everyday people face."
Agreed on both points. There are few things more abhorrent in the restaurant industry than cooks in a kitchen, sweating and laboring for the elite class, knowing that they will never be able to afford to dine in such a rarified stratosphere. In the U.S., we've already moved the Overton window so that healthcare NOT a human right. Heck, why should cooks deserve to eat?