The Restaurant Feature That Matters As Much As The Food, According To Gordon Ramsay

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To deliver a truly extraordinary dining experience, a restaurant needs more than just good food. At least that's Gordon Ramsay's stance. In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, the celebrity chef, who's rarely impressed by others' food, details how atmosphere is vital to a restaurant's success — and why the front-of-house staff plays such a big part in that. "The service needs to match the food," Ramsay says. "That's called uniting the teams together."

We've watched as he's explained the importance of this dynamic to the staff at restaurants he's "rescued" on TV, even testing them on their knowledge of different menu items. However, it's about more than just knowledge and efficiency; It's about the vibe as a whole. "I like the joyful introduction. I like the charisma that a maître d' or waiter gives off. I love hearing the specials, and I love seeing how smart they look in the attire that matches," Ramsay explains, highlighting the importance of service being elegant yet unpretentious, which allows diners to feel at ease in the space. When it comes down to it, he believes that the front-of-house staff is a representation of the food a restaurant serves.

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According to Gordon Ramsay, having the front and back of house on the same page is critical to a restaurant's success. And yet, even when those two elements are in sync, seemingly small details such as the lighting and music can make or break the meal. "The lighting in the dining room is equally as important as the service or the food," Ramsay tells Tasting Table. While bright lights can overwhelm the senses, lights that are too dim might suppress the mood. (This leaves us wondering about Ramsay's take on dining under red lighting.) 

Ramsay compares finding the right lighting to finding the right music, which he points out is also a really big deal. (Even McDonald's in Scotland knows this, opting for the soothing effects of classical music!) "When the restaurant's half empty, the music's up. But when that restaurant is full, the real music is the atmosphere and the ambiance from your customers," he says. As a general rule, Ramsay says the volume of the music should be lowered between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., when the restaurant is typically at its busiest. 

Static Media owns and operates Mashed and Tasting Table.