The Magic of the 90-Minute Meal

"Turnmaxing" is a reality of contemporary dining — it’s time we meet restaurants halfway 🤝

Earlier this year, Ben Leventhal and I were at a dinner that dissolved into a three hour affair. It happened at a popular New American bistro that we’re both big fans of, not some tasting menu spot where we’d sat down anticipating a marathon meal. And while the company and banter were both good, neither merited such a slog.

Good hospitality requires a sleight of hand—much of the magic undergirding an experience happens behind the scenes—and the same is true when the service gets fumbled. Ben and I didn’t clock what was happening until it was too late — in this case, a shift in servers, with the second who took over our table most likely losing track of our mains, or not getting the baton at all. Hey, these things happen. Over another round of drinks, Ben and I joked about the experience, dubbing it the “dinner death zone.” Like climbing peaks above 8,000 meters in elevation, we decided, any meal in excess of 90 minutes enters dicey territory. 

Nobody likes being rushed out of a restaurant. Putting a time limit on a table makes the whole experience feel transactional (which is why, I’ve argued in the past, the single seating dinner just might be the ne plus ultra of dining experiences). And yet, the razor thin economics of the modern restaurant business—such as they are—require that restaurants turn several tables every night. Let’s call it turnmaxing, which is a term I just came up with right now. We can gripe about turnmaxing all we want, but, as we know, complaining about contemporary culture is as futile as it is dating. 

Rather than gripe, it’s time to embrace reality. And the 90-minute meal, friends, is the answer to our troubles. It’s how we, as guests, meet a restaurant halfway. And, as it turns out, we benefit, too. Rather than rely on the above death zone metaphor, a more apt comparison would be to the movie biz. Screenplays, specifically. These days, the 90-minute movie (or 90-page script) is king — just ask Jason Blum. As far as popcorn fare goes, nobody wants to sit down for Lawrence of Arabia anymore. And yet these streamlined films, if they are to be successful, still need to deliver the same entertainment value, the same emotional payoff and so on, as did their bloated precursors. The three-act structure remains, all the story beats still need to be hit. 

The same logic applies to the 90-minute meal — our drinks need to arrive in a timely manner, and we need to be given sufficient time to enjoy them and catch up before our orders are taken. Ditto goes for starters and mains. As with everything in life, calibration is key, and nobody knows this better than a sharp operator and a crisp FOH staff. Then it’s on—perhaps—to dessert, followed inevitably by the check (btw, much more on that final detail very soon from Blackbird). Ninety minutes, folks, that’s all we need to be both satiated and sufficiently entertained. Bingo, bango, let’s boogie.  

I could go on and on, but in the spirit of brevity and its countless benefits, I’ll leave it there. Now go enjoy some 90-minute meals this weekend. ✌️

James Jung
VP, Content
Blackbird Labs, Inc.

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3 Spots Perfect for the 90-Minute Meal

With Blackbird, you can DM any of the spots below for tables or other needs, and each time you check in you’ll earn $FLY, our universal rewards currency (think airline points, but for restaurants), which you can spend across our network. It’s not magic, it’s Blackbird.