Thank you to the person who shared the Facebook post this morning on ‘How to Open a Hipster Restaurant – A Simple Guide.’ Certainly brought a smile. Guidelines include ‘Make sure none of your furniture matches. No two chairs must be the same.’ – this also goes on to say anything can be used for a table. Reclaimed doors, wooden pallets and bird tables are just some of the items now being used to bear plates in so-called ‘trendy’ dining spots. Apparently,  ‘Bearded barmen’ and ‘quirky waitresses’ are a must. As is a daily famous quote on the blackboard and jam jars for glasses for no reason at all. While we can all smile at the humour of some of the familiars we’ve seen in this business – this post hits the nail on the head in so many ways. What does it take to open a ‘hipster restaurant’? We can think a few examples of some fine establishments that get it right. Kai Cafe and Restaurant and Ard Bia in Galway, The Yard, Wexford Town and The Kitchen @ Gorey. Co. Wexford, and The Green Room Cafe, Wine and Beer Hub, in Midleton, Co. Cork, are just some favourite hot spots which have ‘on trend’ down to a fine art.  Not for their funky dining spaces and creative interior design, which they all possess in spades. But for chefs and management teams who are in the know about what makes a restaurant move with the times. Superb service from enthusiastic staff (bearded or not). Chefs who are in touch with what they cook, choosing local sustainable produce at all times.Value pricing in menu choices (it seems a few off the wall furnishings could be deemed a licence to print money in menu terms in some restaurants). We’ve named a few establishments we like. Their front of house staff work extremely hard to ensure diners are looked after.   It’s not easy to look hip and unflustered when you have a room full of people who need the correct attention at the correct time – the operative word here being ‘correct’! Chefs build relationships with local suppliers, conscientiously considering their ingredients with the seasons. Alongside the pleasurable dining experience this combination brings, we can leave replete and happy, while having learned something from people who live to provide the best in casual dining, and possibly even in a little bit of awe at how these consumate professionals knock it out, day after day. It takes more than a bird table to make a ‘hipster restaurant’…