Classic Tableside Carts Are Taking Over New York City Restaurants

Dec 15, 2023

Whether it's flaming eggplant or liquid nitrogen gelato, the formerly fussy-seeming service has become a social-media success story for restaurants.

The dessert cart at Skirt Steak is good for social media and the restaurant's bottom line.

Kat Odell

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Turn a corner in a New York City restaurant today, and there's a good chance you’ll bump into a tableside cart.

The luxe piece of dining equipment, also known as a trolley or gueridon, was once reserved for formal white-tablecloth dining rooms. They were operated by suited servers who deboned a classic Dover sole and portioned a porterhouse for two as smoothly as a TikTok dance move.