Posted up in an East Austin wine bar to evade the thick early summer heat, I was eyeing the merch on the wall behind the bar before I’d even ordered. More specifically, I was fixated on a navy cap with spidery, cursive orange embroidery spelling out ‘LoLo Wine.’ “Where are you from?” asked the bartender.
“Ireland, via London,” I replied. “Oh, London! I was so sorry to hear about P. Franco—it sucks losing that.
” Thousands of miles from home, here I was commiserating over the sudden recent closure of a cult east London artisanal wine bar, compelled—quite happily—into playing up a national cliché for some camaraderie in a new city. By the time the crunchy white wine and sesame-studded pretzel had hit the counter, the cap was in my bag. Support small businesses! Over the past few years, dining out has evolved into just one more way to articulate our identities to others.
Outside of the Instagram carousels of pretty plates and dinner party tables ruffled and red wine-ringed, restaurant merchandise has become just another extension of expressing your taste. Go on any modern restaurant’s website and you’ll likely find ‘shop’ on their dropdown menu, with a selection of apparel, homeware, wall art, and accessories. This year in particular has felt rife with collaborations, from arbiters of taste both sartorial and sensory.
Maybe you’ll be browsing a streetwear e-tailer like END and cop London Turkish restaurant Mangal 2’s collaboration trainer wit.
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