Hello! Before I get into today’s newsletter, my critically acclaimed cookbook Amrikan is currently on sale for $15.99, which is cheaper than most sandwiches these days. A friend made my paneer tikka masala recipe and texted me that her husband ate the leftovers the next day for lunch and dinner. If you already own the book, thank you! I would greatly appreciate if you left a review on Amazon.
Restaurants will fuss over the small the details when it comes to nailing hospitality from how they greet you at the door, to the kind of soap they stock in the bathroom, to they way they denote allergens on the menu. But there’s one touch point that even the fussiest fine dining restaurant often overlooks: where the hell someone can put their purse.
I, like many people, carry a small handbag with me every where I go. It’s an easy place to stash my keys, my wallet, a tampon, and other essentials. (Maybe this could be solved if more female clothing had pockets! But I digress.) Or maybe you’re someone who carries a backpack around everywhere you go. Where is it supposed to go when you enter a restaurant?
More often than not the bag ends up on the floor, which is, quite frankly, a ridiculous solution. It does not matter how clean a restaurant is, the amount of foot traffic that happens in the space, the floor is simply not a sanitary resting place, regardless of whether it’s a $10 bag or a purse that cost $1,000. Not to mention that it is also apparently bad luck in several cultures.
Most restaurants do not have a solution. Are you always supposed to drape your bag over the shoulders of the chair? That can work if you have the right type of chair and the right type of bag. But what about a chair with only rounded edges making it impossible for your bag to stay up without it fighting for its life? Or what if the handle on the purse is small? You also run into the chance of a server knocking the bag off on accident as they walk by. (Annoying for both you and them.) And if you’re sitting outside, it’s easy for someone sauntering past to just grab your purse and keep moving.
I always pray that there is an extra seat at the table that can be designated as the “purse chair,” and where everyone toss their bags and coats and other miscellaneous items onto that chair. It’s rare though, especially at restaurants where the reservation is difficult and they cram three people into a table for two. At that point you’re fighting for leg room and elbow space that an extra chair just for bags seems egregious. Maybe you’re able to snag a table that has banquette seating and so the purses and bags can all be stacked on any empty real estate on the bench. But not every restaurant utilizes this type of seating.
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Enter, purse hooks. They are delight when restaurants do offer them, and they tend to be the most common solution — but not always the best one. They are especially not functional if your bag is heavy or has a long straps — you bag ends up touch the floor ways or you end up constantly kicking or kneeing the bag under the table or bar counter. You could in theory bring your own purse hook to the restaurant as well, but it’s not always the most convenient of options and historically they haven’t always been the most subtle move (though there is now some innovation in the space like this purse hook that is also a bracelet, or this sleeker option.)
I’ve seen some clever solutions that I wish were more widely adopted. In Mexico City a restaurant I went to brought over to each table a mini coat rack for both purses and jackets and even portable chargers for phones. At Hotel Bel Air and at a few Beverly Hills establishments, I noticed they would bring over mini stools, almost like foot rests, for the table or for each person to place their purse onto. The new location of Pizzeria Sei might have the best solution of them all, which was to bring over a basket for the table to place their purses in and then set that basket on the floor either right near the table or under the table, depending on the space.
one of the best purse and backpack solutions I have ever seen
I understand that space is limited in a dining room, and operators are simply trying to maximize the number of tables they can fit. Or that adding bag hooks or bag baskets is an additional expense. But at its best, hospitality is about anticipating the needs of a diner before they even think to ask for it. And if I have to spend the first 5 minutes of a meal figuring out where the hell to put my purse, it sets the wrong tone, and something has been missed.
Whether you’re spending $15 or $150 on a meal (but especially if you’re spending the latter amount), in a restaurant where every other detail has been so clearly considered down to the temperature of the room, to then be told to put your purse on the floor. I’d rather forgo the fancy hand soap in the bathrooms if I could have a real place to put my purse. Please spend your Aesop budget on baskets, it will pay off tenfold when it comes to how considered a guest feels when they walk out.
If you’re in LA (or visiting soon) and are into breakfast, I recently wrote an guide to international breakfast options for KCRW’s Good Food (you can read the full story below, or listen to me talk about it.)
