The Demise of the Early Bird Special
When we weren’t looking it seems that the “Early Bird Special” on a restaurant menu … beloved by generations of “seniors” quietly slipped into oblivion. Did it depart along with the mile long lines at the K & W which used to weave from the front door through the switchbacks to the serving counter? Where did the Early Bird Special go?
Retirement Resource Guide spoke to the people who should know … local restaurateurs who have been around long enough to know the Triangle and Triad area dining scene.
Giorgio Bakatsias’s Giorgio’s Group has over 20 dining venues in the Triangle and Wilmington. William D’Auvray is the Executive Chef over two of those venues; East End Bistrot and the soon to open Girogio’s Epicurean Market. D’Auvray is a well-known name on the Triangle dining scene, having been at the epicenter of such favorite dining establishments as Fins at Lead Mine, Fins Downtown and more recently as the visionary behind establishments such as Lulu’s in Chapel Hill and Lulu Bang Bang in Durham. D’Auvray got his start working at the Chaya Brasserie in LA, moved to the famed Jockey Club in Washington, DC where he prepared food on occasion for Nancy and Ronald Reagan (ask him about Nancy’s beloved stewed tomatoes) with the bulk of his career having been first in the Triad then in the Triangle. So he’s uniquely qualified to talk about the evolution of the 55+ diner in central North Carolina.
“We’ve seen this part of North Carolina’s restaurant scene kind of grow up a over the past couple of decades and the kids who were in college 25 or 35 years ago have grown up with it. Now in their fifties or sixties, they have been working, had their careers and they know food more just because they were brought up with it. Also people are traveling more and they get exposed to lots of different culinary experiences around the US and around the globe. As a group, the 55+ set has a more developed palette and the world’s a smaller place than it used to be. Too, they are being exposed to a lot of different and interesting things through social media … a lot of really cool things that chefs are doing across the country and here in the Triangle, and they think ‘that’s something I want to try.’ So, they go and try it and they enjoy it, and then they find their way through the menu.”
Tal Blevins is an owner of Machete in downtown Greensboro. Blevins grew up in Greensboro leaving in the 1990’s to work in the programming field in California. He developed a taste for fine dining over the years and embraced the cutting edge culinary experience of San Francisco and wanted to bring some of that with him when he returned to Greensboro in 2018. He began hosting pop up dinners in his home which rapidly ratcheted up to a full fledged restaurant called Machete. Says Blevins of the Greenboro’s restaurant evolution: “Greensboro is very different than when I left after graduating from UNC-G, especially downtown which was just a 9-5 business center when I lived here in the ’80s and ’90s. There are a lot more options in Greensboro now, both at low price points and upscale dining. That’s great because people have a whole new perspective on dining as they’ve been exposed to more variety.”
As food prices have gone up everywhere it seems that the price point of fine dining in the Triangle and Triad has accelerated even faster. The average ticket at East End Bistrot can run well over $100 per head. That’s expensive by most anyone’s measure. But what’s really interesting is that in the 90’s and early 2000’s restaurants of this caliber were primarily the “go-to” for expense account dinners hosted by pharmaceutical execs and companies that would spend lavishly on clients. Today, it’s frequently the individual diner willingly paying out of pocket for the dining experience. And increasingly, it’s the 55+ retirees who are coming back again and again to partake. D’Auvray is quick to point out, however, that what diners love is that they don’t have to spend that kind of money. They can come in and get a great 10 oz burger, only offered on Tuesday through Thursday or enjoy a seasonal menu with everything under $40.
Blevins says, “I think Greensboro was ready for an experience like we provide at MACHETE. A lot of that comes from my time in San Francisco and having the opportunity to eat at some of the best restaurants in the world. I can’t tell you how many people told us ‘I’ve been waiting for something like this to open in Greensboro for years’ when they eat at MACHETE, so that makes us feel like we hit the right notes with what we’re doing.”
It’s Not Only About the Food
It’s not just the food that appeals to this crowd however, it’s also the venues themselves.
Local events manager, Kirk Royal, collaborates with the owners of The Velvet Hippo in downtown Durham which just last year welcomed their first patrons, many of whom are members of Downtown Durham’s burgeoning community of active retirees. Says Royal, “The vibe inside is very much intended to evoke ‘I left town without leaving town.’ Being able to board an elevator and go up to the rooftop and leave the rest of the world ‘downstairs’ is the experience the five women owners (two pairs of sisters and a sister friend) were going for, and based on several recent ‘best of’ wins in local publications’ annual reader polls, Durham seems to be saying they hit the nail on the head.”
The Velvet Hippo’s Sarah Matista, a co-owner and the marketing director, says “Our goal always has been to create a bar where everyone could feel like they belong whether it’s Latin nights, or late afternoon hours or weekend Yappy Hours for dog lovers.”
The “experience” can take many different forms but it’s more than just the food that makes that experience for the 55+ diner. The Velvet Hippo has a rooftop venue that is magical and while they bill themselves as a bar and lounge they also serve small plates with a seasonal menu. The rooftop transforms twice a year. According to Royal, “in the summertime the rooftop has an island vibe. Tropical plants add a lushness to the space and the drink menu complements the season and the vibe. But one day in the fall, the place closes down on a Monday and the next day re-opens magically transformed into a ski lodge until spring. The guests love it. So, while great food and drink is requisite, it’s the creativity, that “just right” vibe, along with those thoughtful creations for the taste buds, that keep guests – myself included – coming back.”
The Velvet Hippo’s rooftop transforms from a lush tropical island “feel” in the summer to a ski lodge in the winter.
Machete’s dining room is sleek, cool and has a very west coast modern vibe. According to Blevins “We were looking for an open kitchen where our guests could see our chefs creating, so the building layout lent itself to that kind of experience. We think of it as our stage, and we put on a show for our guests every evening.”
Dauvray agrees, “(East End Bistrot has) a stunning interior that’s just pleasant to be in. I have a garden outside that seats about 60 people and it’s beautiful. Have dinner or just drinks. Our guests who are over 55 have had kids and now they’re empty nesters with expendable income … many are still working. They are out to enjoy life.”
For both the Velvet Hippo and Machete the location of their restaurants and lounges is also important in being integral to the lifestyle of the 55+ set.
Royal notes that The Velvet Hippo is a favorite spot for “pre” and “post” sips and noshes, being within a short walk of the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP), both of which are favorite destinations of Durham’s retiree community. Likewise, Blevins says of Machete’s location, “[we’re] located in the heart of Greensboro walkable to the Tanger Performing Arts Center, the Hoppers Baseball Stadium, and single family as well as multi-family residential.”
Proximity to ball games, the theatre, and being a walkable venue are attributes that are meaningful to today’s retirees.
Craft Cocktails – So Yesterday
The shift in tastes of the 55+ crowd extends beyond just the culinary and the aesthetic. The cocktail scene is evolving perhaps even more rapidly.
While “Craft” Cocktails still get promoted by some establishments, according to D’Auvray, his group doesn’t even refer to cocktails as “Craft” Cocktails anymore. “You know, cocktails have just evolved in the last 20 years and what is termed “Craft Cocktails” is what I consider as normal … what you should do and not necessarily beat your chest about.” “(In the fine dining world) it’s always been a standard and everybody’s just catching up again because of social media, because of cooking channels and literature that helps people make their own drinks at home. People are interested in it. It’s interesting to them and the consumer knows more about food now than they ever have.”
Blevins agrees; “While we might do a few vodka sodas here and there, like our food offerings, our older guests love trying new things, so we introduce them to many new, original cocktails. They also love trying our spins on classics, like a smoked Old Fashioned or Manhattan.” At East End Bistrot they make all their own tinctures and shrubs and syrups in house and then, according to D’Auvray they “pair it cerebrally with the food” so if a menu leans this way or that then they find the cocktails that pair well and pair naturally. “And we take advantage of the season … strawberries, blueberries, watermelon … incorporating whatever is in season … and that’s the part that people are picking up on.”
Dining Room at Machete. Photo: Daniel Ray
Hold the Alcohol Please
It’s widely publicized that the younger generation is eschewing alcohol, but it’s not just the younger folks seeking a healthier, “feel better in the morning” lifestyle.
Surprisingly, mocktails and non-alcoholic wines account for 20% of East End Bistrot’s bar sales. Non-alcoholic wines range from delicious sparkling roses to red wines that have zero alcohol, but, according to D’Auvray, “they drink just like a regular glass of wine and they are delicious … same nuances, same tasting notes as something that’s loaded with alcohol just without the alcohol. And it’s a big trend.”
The price point for mocktails is not far off from the alcohol-laden version, because as far as the restaurant’s concerned, the cost is about the same. The same work and the same expensive ingredients go into both, but the mocktail just doesn’t have the liquor. So guests will pay $10-$12 dollars for a mocktail, not much less than a cocktail, but the experience is more appealing to many diners.
“On the whole, today’s 55+ crowd is trending to more healthy liquors and they’re not drinking as much. You still have your bourbon drink and your scotch drinkers, but you don’t have a lot of aged liquor sales like we used to,” says D’Auvray.
D’Auvray sums up the dining scene this way: “Today’s retirees have become really well educated in food and food trends. They are eager to try new things. And they’re always the first ones who show up … they’re eager and they’re educated.”
The Early Bird Special may still exist someplace, but it’s clear that the Baby Boom Generation has different aspirations for retirement than their parents had and that is on full display across the Triangle and Triad’s ever evolving restaurant scene.