Pop-ups

Chef Ludovic Lefebvre

Yes, I know what you’re thinking — those annoying ads that clutter your screen. But I’m talking pop-up restaurants — a phenomenon that Restaurant News trumpets as growing in popularity. In a web story Tuesday, Ludovic Lefebvre, formerly chef of the now-defunct l”Orangerie in LA, talks about setting up shop five nights a week in Breadbar. The bakery/cafe rents space for LudoBites in the evenings; the chef has a kitchen and a venue without opening a new (and expensive) restaurant. When he’s tired of this space, he and wife Krissy will move on.

It’s a little like some romances – benefits without long-term commitment. None of the hassles of restaurant owning – raising capital, 5-10-year leases, buying expensive equipment — but the added sizzle of the unexpected. Here today, and tomorrow somewhere else.

So far, the idea hasn’t hit Boston — although the new Bina on the Common might be a stab in that direction. But in the gloom of the economy and the stress on restaurateurs, look for pop-ups in our eating future.