Dish It Up: The future of the industry is murky

Courtesy photo

Lo Croque, a new take on the Croque Monsieur breakfast sandwich at Urban Solace in North Park, which has transformed from a full-service restaurant into a breakfast eatery and nighttime hotspot with small plates menu.

Courtesy photo

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By Contributed Content

UPDATED: February 14, 2019 at 10:46 PM PST

When Urban Solace opened in North Park 11 years ago, the neighborhood was nothing like the bustling area it is today. Chef/owner Matt Gordon, who also operates Solace & the Moonlight Lounge in Solana Beach, has seen a lot of changes over the years and now he’s evolving right along with the scene.

But, while he has re-imagined Urban Solace to include daily breakfast service and smaller shared plates for dinner, he continues to wonder where the industry is headed next.

Gordon recently sat down with PACIFIC and podcast host Edwin Real of Facebook group Eating and Drinking in San Diego to talk about North Park, his new menu and other restaurant trends. In this episode of Dish It Up, expect to hear about:

Bringing elevated food to North Park at a time when it didn’t exist there
Chef-driven restaurants
Being engaged with both diners and staff
Making the decision to link restaurants only loosely in name
Changes seen in North Park since moving in
Throwback to 30th Street Restaurant Row
Core audience moving out of North Park
Dealing with wage increases
How popular dining delivery services affect restaurant profit margins
Future of the industry is really murky
Group mentality & social media influences
Care more about quality and experience than just checking in
The three types of experiences: Positive, neutral, negative
Positive experiences are really hard to create

Dish It Up is a collaboration between PACIFIC and Facebook group Eating and Drinking In San Diego.

Listen and subscribe to Dish It Up and sister podcast Kiss My Glass on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Soundcloud. And, if there’s something you want to hear about in an podcast, whether it be a food-related topic or specific guest, please feel free to let us know at [email protected].