Inside the Fine Dining Restaurant Tucked Into a Food Hall

The business of fine dining, largely defined by its chefs and cuisine, has its own challenges. While diners accept a higher price point in exchange for quality and service, higher food and labor costs challenge restaurants to maintain the right balance. This is our second look inside a fine dining restaurant to dive deeper into the unique challenges and operational strategies of running these unique businesses. Read the first, an interview with chef Gabriel Kreuther, here. Tucked inside Le District, a French-inspired food hall in New York City, is L’Appart, which serves Michelin-starred cuisine in an intimate space designed to evoke a friend’s apartment, if that friend happened to be an insanely talented chef. L’Appart is able to tailor the menu to each guest’s preferences thanks to maître d’ David Coucke, who discusses the experience with each diner before they arrive; chef Nicolas “Nico” Abello, who helms the kitchen; and the fact that the entire spa