Tableside preparation originally was the domain of fine dining restaurants. It required specialized equipment (a gueridon cart) and specialized skills. You also needed a restaurant with enough room between the tables to roll the cart out, and work without interfering with neighboring tables. This style of service became a symbol of continental dining that was slow and expensive. While still done in some fine dining restaurants, it has mostly been replaced by kitchen skills in the kitchen, and restaurants that were more casual in their approach. 

Prior to guacamole receiving all of the attention, some restaurants chose the Caesar salad as their focus for tableside preparation. It was the perfect dish to execute in the dining room. It required no specialized equipment and the skill level was not out of reach for most restaurants. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen does a Greek salad tableside. Blue Mesa does a Southwestern Caesar salad tableside (in addition to their guacamole). Rockfish Seafood Grill does a Mexican Shrimp Martini tableside. You choose whether to get it with or without a shot of tequila. Most people choose “with”.

Tableside preparation seems to be a trend that receives a lot of mixed reviews among the media. In early 2006, Bon Appétit magazine named it one of the hot trends of the year. By December 2006, New York Magazine named it one of the “Food Trends That We Have Seen Enough Of”. Whichever way it turns out, the restaurants that I am in that offer it seem to be getting positive feedback from their customers. No specialized equipment, no specialized skills, and happy customers. It sure doesn’t seem like brain surgery to figure this one out.