Theatrics of Dining: An Architectural Critique on the Social Functions of a Restaurant

Abstract

This thesis investigates the way in which people dine in different situations by amalgamating nine eating occasions (the solo diner, convenience eaters, the first date, girls night out, beers with the boys, family reunion, an eating disorder, anniversary couple and the corporate box) into the design of a single restaurant for the 2.5m wide service lane at One Shortland Street. It acts as a critique of the restaurant and its fit out by questioning the generic table, table setting and ambiance across the dining room and exploiting the surplus enjoyment dining out provides a developed society. In our ever-busying culture the restaurant provides a convenient location for gathering with friends and family. Food has an incredible ability to make people more communicative and expressive. It improves mood and brings people together through the hospitality and generosity it expresses. Eating is an activity that we must all undertake multiple times a day, and it is something that can be shared with others, which is why it is often used to facilitate social interaction. The restaurant enhances the enjoyment of eating by providing what Slavoji Zeizek terms as surplus enjoyment. It provides royal treatment to the middle class, giving particular attention to the individual and their specific desires. The table in a trendy restaurant is a podium for diners to exhibit their fashion sense, wealth and sophistication to the rest of the world. The luxury experience of dining out extends beyond the food that is served to manifest itself in the décor, ambiance and service. Eating is an activity that engages with design at a very small scale and close proximity to the body. To explore the way in which the table setting has the ability to shape the dining occasion I have detailed and produced the tableware to be used in the dining rooms for the solo diner, the first date and the family reunion. They compare the various formalities of eating when one two and many are involved.