Dark dining is the act of eating a meal without seeing the food that is being eaten. The basic concept is that the removal of

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...

enhances the other

sense A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the cen ...

s and increases

gastronomic Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

pleasure. Since 1999, specialised dark restaurants have opened in many parts of the world.

Origin

The first experience of dark restaurant took place in Paris, set up by Michel Reilhac and was called "Le gout du noir". This program started in 1997 and was followed by the opening of a temporary restaurant in the "Montorgeuil" district in Paris during the summer 1999. This program became in 2003 "Dans le Noir ?" founded by Edouard de Broglie, a French entrepreneur in cooperation with the blind foundation Paul Guinot. It became the first international chain of restaurant in the dark. The first permanent restaurant was '' Blindekuh'' (

Blind man's buff Blind man's buff or blind man's bluff is a variant of tag in which the player who is "It" is blindfolded. The traditional name of the game is "blind man's buff", where the word ''buff'' is used in its older sense of a small push. Gameplay Blin ...

in German), in Zurich, Switzerland. It was opened in September 1999 by a blind clergyman, Jorge Spielmann, who wished to convey the experience of blindness to sighted customers. Spielmann says the idea came after guests who had dined

blindfold A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the human eye, eyes to disable the wearer's visual perception, sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a ...

ed at his own home reported greater enjoyment of their meal through the senses of taste and smell.''Eating in the Dark''
SpotCoolStuff Travel, Page 17 Media LLC, accessed 13 October 2014

Growth

The opening of ''Blindekuh'' in 1999 was followed during the next few years by other dark restaurants in cities in Europe and North America and Asia. In 2008 there were around six and by 2014 there were claimed to be "dozens frestaurants around the world". The only international multi-restaurant chains is ''

Dans le Noir ? Dans Le Noir ? ( French for "in the dark") is a chain of restaurants where guests are served in total darkness, a concept called dark dining or blind dining. "Dans le Noir ?" also diversified its activities into shops and spas. Dans Le Noir was f ...

'' in Europe, Russia and Pacific,. Opaque is the only chain operation in the US after Dans le Noir ? left New York.

Operation

In most cases the restaurant area is kept in complete darkness, with all sources of light eliminated, including mobile phones and cameras. In other venues the customers are blindfolded instead.Katherine Luster
''Dining in the Dark: Top 10 Pitch Black Restaurants''
, Restaurants.com, 28 February 2014Scott Mayerowitz
''Blind Waiters serve diners in the dark''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

, 19 August 2010 Before entering, customers choose their meal, often selecting from among several generic menus rather than specific items. Allen's (2012) review reported that for many customers, eating in the dark can be "an unsettling experience", in particular the physical process of feeding oneself; even though the menu may be adapted to allow for "the diner's limited ability to aim a knife and fork". Many dark restaurants employ blind or

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

waiters and guides, whose condition enables them to work with little difficulty in darkened surroundings. Visually impaired staff may teach something of the techniques they themselves use in everyday life. Dark dining may also be staged as an event, rather than having a permanent location. Some dark restaurants offer live music or storytelling to accompany the meal.Wency Leung
''Dining in the dark''
,

The Prague Post ''The Prague Post'' was an English language newspaper covering the Czech Republic and Central and Eastern Europe which published its first weekly issue on October 1, 1991. It published a printed edition weekly until July 2013, when it dropped the ...

, 31 December 2008

Aims

Heightened sensory experience

The notion that a meal can be more enjoyable without sight is typically described as "the theory that flavors are intensified when people can't see what they're eating".Clay Hemmerich
''Eating trend: 'Dark dining' shines a light on flavor''

CNN Travel CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

, 20 February 2012 A counter-argument has been put that "most of us eat with our eyes, enjoying a plate before we've tasted it. So the trade-off might not be even."Corey Mintz
''Dining in the dark''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

, 12 June 2008 An analysis by Allen (2012) of customer reviews found that many did report "heightening of the nonvisual senses". Allen proposed a neurological basis for this phenomenon, involving "combination-selective

neuron A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. N ...

s" which normally receive visual input in addition to that from other senses. Similar thinking has been the basis for the development of

blindfolded tourism Blindfolded tourism (also cecitourism) is a form of experimental travel, consisting of a guided tour in which the tourist is blindfolded while being talked through the visited areas, as opposed to traditional sightseeing. A blind tour is a differe ...

Awareness and support for visual impairment

Allen (2012) has described the aim of temporarily conveying the experience of blindness as having been subsidiary in practice to that of the distinctive gastronomic experience. However, some dark restaurants have included awareness-raising in their stated aims, including the ''Dans le Noir?'' chain.''Dark restaurant provides ray of hope for visually impaired''
Around Town,

Indianapolis Recorder The ''Indianapolis Recorder'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Indianapolis, Indiana. First published in 1895, the ''Recorder'' is the longest-running African-American newspaper in Indiana and fourth in the U.S. History The newspaper w ...

, 28 June 2012 Some dark restaurants devote part of their proceeds to charities or causes concerned with visual impairment. Among these are Dine in the Dark (DID) in Bangkok and O.Noir, Montreal. In Zurich, the original dark restaurant is part of the ''Blind-Leicht'' project, aimed at creating jobs for blind people.

Comment

Novel experience

Commentary has stressed the novelty and distinctiveness of the dark dining concept, e.g. "... it definitely elevates the simple task of eating into an entirely new experience. This won't likely be the type of restaurant you'll visit over and over again, but the glimpse it offers of a world without sight is certain to leave a lasting impression." Not only the eating itself, but also the conversation with one's neighbours, may be experienced as different. The diners' being unable to see one another has been seen as a positive feature, removing social inhibitions, particularly in

dating Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...

situations and it has also been pointed out that "Using the wrong spoon isn't an issue".

Marketing ploy

In some accounts the concept "can trend toward marketing gimmick" or is an example of a "theme or attraction to get ... bodies into seats". Gerard (2008) concluded that "there is little altruistic" about the restaurant he reviewed, and asked "Are we really so bored that we find it diverting to eat in the dark?"Jasper Gerard
''London restaurant review: Dans le Noir?''
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 11 July 2008

Food quality

Some accounts have suggested that food quality may be accorded lower priority than novelty of ambience and experience. Comment in general accounts has included "Not all locations are strictly about the food" and "...other factors – namely the food – are sacrificed for the sheer concept." Two reviews of particular venues stated * "The food itself ... would likely be unremarkable in an ordinary setting" * "...indescribably awful food"

List of dark dining events or restaurants

International

Asia

* NOX - Dine In The Dark, Singapore * Noir. Dining in the dark. - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * BlackOut – Na La'gaat Center - Tel Aviv, Israel *

Black Restaurant Black Restaurant known as Kurayami-gohan (a meal in the darkness) is an irregular event in which the non-profit organization ''SIEN'' (a cultural exchange group in Japan since 1997) and Higan-ji (a virtual Buddhist temple created by Japanese monk ...

Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped The Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) is a charitable organisation for the blind in Singapore. It was founded in 1951 and was known as the Singapore Association for the Blind. The SAVH is a registered charity and is affilia ...

* DID – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Europe

* Dark Restaurant — Poznań, Poland * Blindekuh - Switzerland * Unsicht Bar - Berlin, Germany * Nocti Vagus - Berlin, Germany * Svartklubben - Stockholm, Sweden * Blind Bar * Vier Sinne - Vienna, Austria * Tenebris – Sofia, Bulgaria * C Taste - Amsterdam, Netherlands

South America

* La casa de Rafa - Quito, Ecuador

North America

* Blackout (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) * Dark Table (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) * O. Noir (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) * ONoir (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) * Opaque (Santa Monica, California, USA) * Wyld Pines (Camas Washington, USA)

Australia

CHEFI
Blindfolded Dinner
Experience Dining in the Dark Experience

References

{{reflist Theme restaurants Darkness