The Casual Dining Restaurant ‐ More Fun than Formal
Somewhere in the vast gap between fast food and fine dining lies the casual dining restaurant. The menu of a casual dining restaurant is varied, and of considerably higher quality than the paper-wrapped burgers you find at most take-out joints. However, the atmosphere is laid-back and relaxed, more fun than formal.
A casual dining restaurant is traditionally defined as “a sit-down restaurant with wait service and a moderate or moderately high price point.” However, the definition has expanded to include restaurants offering buffet service, as well as counter service (where customers order and pay for their meal at the register).
Most casual dining eateries offer a wide variety of comfort foods, along with a selection of appetizers, salads, sides, and desserts. In some cases, the menu may be focused on a particular ethnicity (e.g. Mexican, Italian, Cajun) or a specific food type (e.g. seafood, barbecue, vegetarian).
As in a fine dining restaurant, the food will be prepared to order and served on a proper plate, rather than in a disposable paper or plastic container. However, for the casual dining restaurant, the emphasis is on value and speed of service, rather than presentation. Your meal may not be plated in the intricate, visually-appealing manner of fine food, but it will arrive quickly and the portions will be generous.
A casual dining restaurant is also likely to include a full bar, with a good selection of beer and a limited wine menu. Many will also offer a variety of liquors, including a few top shelf brands.
Casual Dining Restaurant Types
Traditional
The traditional casual dining restaurant adheres to the fine dining model as far as service is concerned. Guests are usually greeted at the door by a host or hostess, who seats them and provides them with menus. A server then comes to take food and drink orders, and to answer any questions about the menu. At the end of the meal, the server brings the check, which is paid at the table.
Cafeteria
Cafeterias offer little to no table service. Instead, ready-cooked food is dished up a la carte from behind a serving counter. Each guest takes a tray and pushes it along the front of the counter, taking what he or she wants from the serving line. At the end of the line, a cashier rings up the total food on the tray and charges the guest accordingly.
Cafe/Diner
Cafes, coffee shops, and diners are informal eateries that offer a variety of made-to-order sandwiches and hot meals. Many of these casual dining restaurants are open during the morning hours and serve full, hot breakfasts as well. While most cafes and diners do offer menus and table service, most have a single cashier stationed near the front of the restaurant where guests go to pay their checks.
Pub/Gastropub/Brewhouse
Influence by British culture, the pub (which is short for “public house”) is a full-service bar that features a somewhat limited food menu. Originally, the food took a back seat to the drinks, but modern pubs tend to place much more emphasis on the food. In fact, the gastropub is a recent incarnation that specializes in gourmet pub food. The term “brewhouse” used to refer to the room in a brewery where the copper tanks were stored. However, it is now commonly used to refer to a pub that features its own microbrew beers.
Buffet/Smorgasbord
This type of casual dining restaurant offers customers all they can eat for a fixed price. The food is served on trays around bars, and customers are free to serve themselves. Some buffets may offer modest or limited choices, while others may provide separate serving areas for salad, soup, hot entrees, cold entrees, and dessert. Food servers are on hand to provide and refill drinks, as well as to remove finished plates.
Bistro
In France, a bistro refers to any casual dining restaurant. However, in the U.S., it typically means that the restaurant features a European-influenced menu. Most bistros feature counter service, or have a single cashier to handle the checks (as in a cafe).
Teppanyaki Grill
The teppanyaki grill is a Japanese casual dining restaurant where several unrelated parties may be sat around a large grill. Food orders are taken by servers, and are then prepared by a skilled chef as the customers watch. Often, the food preparation is a show in itself as the chef juggles and spins eggs in the air, flips pieces of grilled shrimp into the mouths of customers, or forms a flaming volcano out of a stack of onion slices.
Mongolian Barbecue
A bit of a misnomer, as this type of casual dining restaurant actually originated in Taiwan. Customers are given a bowl, which they fill with a variety of meats, vegetables, and other ingredients, which are displayed in the style of a buffet. The bowl is then handed to a cook, who stir-fries it and then serves it to the customer on a plate or in a bowl. Often, rice or noodles are added to the finished dish. A casual dining restaurant of this type may either charge by the bowl, or charge one fixed price for all-you-can-eat.