[Vision2020] West of Paris

[Art Deco]

Resend, since apparently this did not go system-wide:

I don't know the owner of West of Paris, so this is not an allegation, but a 
caution.

Although certain items are not available on the menu of a restaurant does 
not mean they are not available at the restaurant.  For years, for example, 
it was against the law (and may still be) to serve wild game/horsemeat/cat 
meat/etc at restaurants.  Although such items were not on the menu, they 
were available, sometimes to select customers, sometimes to all, at certain 
restaurants.

Perhaps it is just the Daily News -- but I have a high regard for Alexis 
Bacharach's reporting accuracy -- but there seem to be a some 
inconsistencies in the West of Paris owner's statements in the news article 
which did not inspire confidence in me in his value for the truth.


West of Paris faces major challenges to succeed:

First, the owner's visible, vocal, strong membership and association with a 
sexist, homophobic, racist, anti-secular, crackpot religious cult whose 
cultmaster and some members are certainly not known for their honesty but 
for eating out of the public trough without paying their share means that 
some proportion of the local population will not choose to eat at West of 
Paris -- these abstainers understandably do not wish any of their money to 
go to support the doctrines, activities, and flimflam of the cult.

Second, the foie gras controversy, the reaction of the owner to such, and 
the reactions/comments of some cult members about such have alienated other 
potential customers.

Third, high priced meals, even if they might be of high quality, further 
restrict the potential customer base.

Hence, if West of Paris makes foie gras available to select customers even 
though it is no longer on the menu, I would expect that such potential 
dishonesty (if it happens, and becomes public) will reduce the potential 
customer base even further.

How many potential customers can a business consider throw-aways and still 
succeed in the very competitive local restaurant business?


Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com
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