I’ve been to Chicago and New York City dozens of times before, and the store locations in both cities have been on my list since their respective openings. During a recent four-hour stopover in Chicago, I had time to do two things: have lunch with my sister who was also traveling for work and visit the titular Italo-foodie Mecca that is Eataly.

Founded by the Italian entrepreneur, Oscar Farinetti, in 2007, Eataly takes a William Sonoma approach to grocery shopping whereby high-end products and fancy, spacious displays trump the need to pack every available shelf. They serve food as well; the two-storey space I toured had a Lavazza café, gelateria and a Nutella waffle kiosk on the main floor with formal seating areas and bars (yes, they have a liquor license) mixed in between the grocery aisle on the mezzanine.

For those who haven’t graced the halls of an Eataly franchise, make plans for a lengthy sojourn when you are next in Chicago and New York. You can easily spend half a day there bouncing between the wine section, the hundreds of cheese and all the compiled cookbooks. (Although Eataly has 16 locations in Italy proper, 11 in Japan and a few others sprinkled across the globe, there are unfortunately only two in North America at the present. More are in the planning stages.)

What fascinated me most about Eataly, and the reason for why I’ve devoted a whole blog article to it, is that the store takes an educational approach to grocery shopping, thereby adding a new dimension and depth to the consumer experience. Take a look at the two pictures above – one for truffle picking by season, the other for grape varietals by growing region. All crappy smartphone lighting and framing aside, what would be apparent from these maps is how they both serve to visually convey the great geographic diversity of Italian produce.

How many of you know the difference between white and black truffles, and the best time of year to visit certain provinces of Italy to partake in the annual traditional of truffle picking? I didn’t, but after perusing the above drawing, I had a better sense of what the answer is. Moreover, it got me curious; I wanted to learn more. It’s these little ‘did you knows’ that stimulate patrons’ minds in a different way than the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a fine dining establishment.

Nowadays, there is a demand for F&B awareness and education beyond simply serving a fascinating meal with equally excellent service. People want to know where ingredients are coming from, what their health benefits are and how cuisine is prepared. It’s this same principle that helps explain the rising popularity of restaurants with kitchens that are open to their diners; customers can see every part of the cooking process. Further, take a look at market-style food shopping. It’s not just a matter of pulling stuff off the shelves, but being able to converse with the vendor in order to guide your end purchase.

So, how can we apply this ‘Eatalian’ learning to your restaurant and your wine list? Simple: it’s also about paying the knowledge forward. Educate your servers about the food and wine that are offered so they can pass along a few morsels of information to the consumer. Additionally, you can infuse your written menu with little factoids about ingredient sourcing and preparation.

The second big lesson to takeaway pertains to regional specificity. If you can’t be locally authentic – a highly buzzed hospitality term these days – then this is the next best thing. For example, how can an Italian restaurant in, say, Seattle be locally authentic to its namesake? However, instead of this outlet flying the broad banner of just Italian food, why don’t the operator and chef plan a menu solely around Trentino cuisine (that is, Alpine fare from the north of the country)?

As I learned from my trip to Eataly, a Sicilian marinara can have vastly different ingredients than tomato sauces from other regions. Some recipes even call for the inclusion of almond paste! The same goes for cheeses, wines, meats and literally everything else that you’d want to put in your mouth. Nor is this a phenomenon exclusive to the diverse regions of Italy. For example, Provençal and Savoyard cuisines are as disparate as apples and oranges – well, more like oranges and grapefruits – even though the two regions are adjacent to each other.

As an hotelier, this sense of wonder and curiosity can be applied to nearly every other aspect of your operations, so maybe a trip to the nearest Eataly is the inspiration you need to put things in motion. Or, if you have the money, do yourself one better and get on a plane to Rome!

(Article by Larry Mogelonsky, published on HOTELS Magazine on Friday, October 16, 2015)