www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/02/25/MN47093.DTL&type=food
But the crowd is not the same silver-haired group that Phillips has solicited for other high-profile restaurants. This one is dominated by jeans-clad dot-commers in their 20s and early 30s. Prompted by an explosion of Internet riches, these young urban food lovers are changing every facet of the Bay Area restaurant scene -- from the money that backs restaurants to the food that is on the plate. Restaurateurs are responding to dot-commers' financial clout and what they want. Many feature live entertainment, busy bars and later hours. These restaurants are becoming havens for the young and affluent, promoting a sense of belonging and providing them with a way to escape the pressures of the wired lifestyle. Jordan Gersch, a 23-year-old employee of Net2Phone in San Francisco, is typical. He eats out five nights a week -- about two times more than the traditional foodie who participates in the Zagat San Francisco survey -- and at places like Boulevard, Bix, Aqua, Le Colonial, Cafe Kati and Pane e Vino, where main courses range from $15 to $35. Fine dining has become an essential part of being a young, successful person,'' he says. He says he will go back often, even though the entrees cost from $22 to $27. The San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau conducted a national survey last year that revealed that 22 percent of 26- to 30-year-olds ate out at least three times a week -- the largest percentage of any age group. The 21- to 25- year-olds were not far behind, with nearly 17 percent dining out that frequently. But the extent to which they now dominate the upscale dining market is such a new phenomenon that no one has yet documented exactly how much they are spending. FOUR RESTAURANT OPENINGS Within the past month alone, at least four significant restaurants designed to cater to this booming segment have opened South of Market or in the Tenderloin. They join other relative newcomers like Azie, an East-West restaurant next to LuLu on Folsom, and Gordon's House of Fine Eats in Multimedia Gulch, an area that includes parts of Potrero Hill, the Mission District and South of Market. According to chef-owner Gordon Drysdale, many of those who work at neighboring Internet startups are single, make $80,000 to $90,000 a year and eat most of their meals out. But just about every fine-dining restaurant in the Bay Area is noticing the shift. On Valentine's Day, when chef-owner Roland Passot looked out over the dining room at La Folie, a San Francisco French restaurant where main courses start at $32, he was surprised that most couples were under 40. A year ago, the room was filled with people considerably older. Hubert Keller, chef-owner of Fleur de Lys, one of the most formal French restaurants in the city, has felt the change, too. His core clientele has traditionally been 55 and above, but recently he estimates that diners have been an equal mix of young and old. The 20- and 30-something dot-commers are willing to part with their cash, whether it is spending $100 for a weeknight meal or investing thousands in a new restaurant venture. If you become an owner,'' attorney Phillips told the young potential investors at the Bacar dinner, you'll have a special place to go. It will be a place I can enjoy and bring my friends,'' he said. The idea of belonging resonates with De La Cruz and his friends, too. The Kimpton Group, which has been wildly successful with a wide variety of venues in San Francisco -- Masa's, Kuleto's, Grand Cafe and Postrio, among others -- opened the tony Fifth Floor last fall. The target audience was 45 years and older, the typical age of people who can afford to spend $75 to $125 per person for a meal. Yet, the late seatings filled up with a much younger crowd, extending the restaurant's peak dining hours. LONG, LEISURELY DINNERS Obviously, this group is not after a quick-fix meal or a grazing menu, either. Chef George Morrone's food is complex and sophisticated, and diners must be willing to spend at least two hours at the table to get the most out of the meal. Morrone also found that his youthful clientele may order differently -- three appetizers rather than the traditional appetizer and main course, for example. On the new spring menu, the chef plans to include more and lighter appetizers to appeal to these changing demographics. In putting together the business plan for Bacar, Debbie Zachareas said she and her partners interviewed about a dozen dot-commers to understand their needs, especially since the restaurant is located in an area heavy with Internet firms. I thought of wiring up the tables at Bacar for the Internet,'' Zachareas says. Last week, a widely reported Stanford survey revealed that those who work long hours on computers can feel increasingly isolated. A lot of them are very interested in food and wine, and they want to be closer to it. I'm doing a lot of education and a lot of perks for these investors'' -- for example, serving 100 wines by the glass and offering tasting flights so interested diners can learn to distinguish characteristics of wines, features she hopes will appeal to all ages. Gordon's Drysdale, while targeting the dot-com crowd, still does not want to alienate the more mature patron. We hoped for a varied clientele, which was the whole point behind the menu,'' he says. That means a diner can order fried chicken, steamed crab, classic coquilles St. Jacques in a rich butter sauce, a veggie burger or an elaborate caviar service. Drysdale, like lots of savvy Bay Area restaurateurs, asserts this is the wave of the future. In the past month alone, at least four significant restaurants have opened South of Market or in the Tenderloin. The industrial-chic restaurant features two dining rooms -- one with an open kitchen, the other with a sushi bar. Chaya Brasserie, 132 The Embarcadero (near Mission Street), San Francisco; The expansive restaurant features high ceilings, light wood appointments and the original terrazzo floor. The French menu has been transformed into rustic American combinations by chef Julia McClaskey, formerly of San Francisco's Universal Cafe. Although the sedate Marais was only about 3 months old when it closed, the new owners completely redid the space, exposing brick walls and creating a more relaxed environment. The L-shaped space includes a long curved bar to draw the after-work crowd, and the dining room features a more intimate tented ceiling and wall, and a jewel-tone color scheme. The influx of flush young diners already is having a profound effect on the Bay Area dining scene. Here are some of the ways the changes can be seen: -- Larger and louder: The louder the buzz, the better, but designers are also adding mezzanines and corner booths where the noise isn't as relentless. That's also a reason why the gap between appetizer prices and main course prices is closing. And restaurants such as XYZ or Azie skip the starched linen tablecloths. Now, high-ticket places are heading South of Market or even to the Tenderloin. Michael Bauer 28 Printer-friendly version 29 Email this article to a friend ARTS ROUNDUP 30 Neva Chonin: cleavage, sperm donors & the Grammys. 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