Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published November 5, 2007 Restaurant Rows Restaurants located near other restaurants do better than restaurants with no nearby competitors. That paradox explains the phenomenon of Restaurant Row, in which a large number of eateries--often in the same price and style category--cluster together in a few blocks. This seems to puzzle the average diner, who wonders whether his favorite place will be hurt by the new bistro that just opened across the street. Restaurant rows tie into a powerful brain channel. Most of us do our metal shopping for restaurants not according to food or service or atmosphere categories, but by location. If only one restaurant is in a given neighborhood, that neighborhood may not show up on your mental radar, and it won't come to mind. The prime Restaurant Row in New Orleans is the French Quarter. But you can get even more specific than that. The block bounded by Bourbon, Bienville, Royal, and Iberville, plus one block in every direction, is by far the densest concentration of restaurant seats in the city. It’s also the best--at least according to the number of stars carried by all those places. The Quarter used to be just about the only Restaurant row. But you now find clusters of restaurants all around the city, and even in the suburbs. Lately, a lot of the new restaurants have clustered in the CBD. As downtown converts from offices to hotels, the has become a sort of French Quarter annex, with many more good restaurants than it once had. The best Restaurant rows generate a good bit of walking traffic, so that it’s possible to just go to the neighborhood and walk around till you find a place that appeals to your taste of the moment. A neighborhood where this effect is currently emerging is North Carrollton near Canal. One other interesting aspect of Restaurant rows.Far from hating one another, restaurants that work cheek by jowl are friendly competitors who often swap raw materials and recommend customers to one another. Good feelings all around. © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com