Family style, Japanese-inspired meals will be served at the former Herbivore on Valencia near 21st street starting today – and the restaurant will also have chefs serve guests directly, eliminate tipping, and aim to drive its food waste down to zero.
Two “guides” will monitor the restaurant, but cooks will do most of the serving, “bridging the divide between dining room and kitchen” and “fairly acknowledge service throughout all parts of the restaurant,” according to a statement.
The menu centered around house-made key ingredients like miso and soy sauce, which helps the restaurant continue a collaboration that began at Bar Tartine: A now year-long partnership with Full Table Farms of Yountville, Calif.
The restauranteurs pay the farm a monthly retainer and sources its produce exclusively from the farm, forcing them to get creative in order to use as much as possible of what’s delivered and maintain near-zero food waste.
The result is a three-course meal – starting with small bites, then an entree centered on a whole animal or fish with sides, and small sweet desserts, which works out to $58 per person not including drinks.
Overall, Motze (named after a philosopher) “aims to rethink the restaurant industry, eliminating unnecessary expenses and extra steps to provide maximum value to its guests in addition to paying a living wage to its employees.”
The restaurant is slated to close in March 2018 because the space was available for an 18-month timeframe.
Motze is located at 983 Valencia Street and will open 5:30 – 10:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Herbivore was vegan and there’s still a vegan restaurant on Valencia between 16th Street and 17th, but It’s fairly new and in a place that changes restaurants every few months so I doubt it will last.
Udupi Palace at 1007 Valencia St has vegetarian Indian food.
A three course meal of “small bites” -n entree and dessert for $58 per person (not including a drink!) is providing maximum value? Wow.
Chile Lindo has always had zero waste 🙂 I find it intolerable that so much food is goes to waste in our culture… in and out of the restaurant industry.