Fine Dining in the Metaverse

On today’s Bullseye: A new study from Momentum Worldwide finds that most people believe the metaverse feels more inclusive than real life. According to the multi-country study, 80% of respondents indicated that they felt that way. The study surveyed 4,500 people across the U.S., UK, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Spain, The Middle East and North Africa. The report also found that consumers look to the metaverse to fill three core aspects of life: inspiration, individuality, and inclusion. Eighty-five of those polled said that one appealing aspect of the metaverse is that they can change their appearance as they see fit. So just imagine how this meta-experience is about to change our restaurant dining experiences.

Rafael Tonon writes in finedininglovers.com that we will step into a restaurant, and before you pass the foyer to reach the table, a camera scans your face and body and transmits all your ethnographic data to a database. The maître d’ welcomes you, and before you start the meal, he asks you to fill in a sensory form with 30 questions that will generate the dishes you are going to eat that night. There's no menu: the algorithms (and the sensors in the camera) will tell the chef in the kitchen what you feel like eating that night. Before the first dish, the maître d’ brings virtual reality glasses that allow you to observe artworks displayed on the walls that you weren't allowed to see before — they are NFTs from prominent digital artists that only exist virtually. When you look across the table, your dining partner (who physically stayed at home in Hong Kong) smiles at you, drinking the same cocktail that you now have in your hand. You two chat for a few minutes until the waiter announces the first course has arrived. You can finally can start eating. I thought the most enriching part of dining out is being with someone else – in person – and having good conversation, good wine, good food and being able to see their real smile.