Why Every Decent Restaurant Has a Product in the Grocery Store Now

The fundamental appeal of restaurants was once that they produced flavors you couldn’t find inside your own home. If you wanted what the premier red-sauce joint in America was selling, you would have to find your way to one of eight global cities to finagle a reservation at Carbone. To experience White Castle, you would have to go, in person, to White Castle. And should you have a craving for TGI Fridays’ signature loaded potato skins, there was no choice but to make a pilgrimage to TGI Fridays.

Now restaurants are invading the grocery store. They’ve captured the freezer aisle, colonized the pastas, conquered condiments and spreads. I am well aware of this, because, as far as I can tell, I spend all my time at the grocery store. I used to go to restaurants, too, but then I had a baby. It had never occurred to me to buy restaurant-branded food. If every purchasing decision tells a story about the kind of person you are, then I’m the kind of person who prefers difficulty for no reason. Also, I wasn’t a mark who believed I was really going to get the full fast-casual experience by eating Cava hummus in my apartment. (Instead, I would soak chickpeas for 12 hours.)