citizen,ö especially in Paris, which by the 1760s resulted in the opening of a handful of restaurants. Most were the creations of traditional Traiteurs, or caterers, who ôtransformed diningö by offering a menu or bill of fare. Before that, travelers dining at roadside inns were seated and served at a large table with all the other guests. It was a style known as table d'h(te. ôThe traditional menu had simply informed the customer of the dishes to be served and the cost of the meal.ö Now, however, ôthe diner could à eat at any time à [and] the [new] a la carte menu allowed individual choice à ö (Trubek 36).
Beyond that, restaurants, in effect, democratized the privilege of fine dining, making feasts of truly princely quality and elegance available to anyone with a few francs. Indeed, costs were of concern to early observers of the new trend, who praised the virtues of ôprix fixe menus that use modest ingredients and can cost just two francs.ö Indeed, this was perhaps ôthe most important innovation of the restaurant and the a la carte menu: an individual, regardless of social class, has the chance to eat like a kingö (Trubek 37).
By 1804, the French restaurant, with its elegant dining room, well-trained waiters, fine wine cellar, style of menu and customer-driven choices, was definitively established in the opening of La Grande Taverne de Londres in the Palais-Royal section of Paris. However, the restaurant had a broader democratizing impact than just allowing the common folk to get a good meal. Wo
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