Drivers: what’s happening
: Culture as currency – As noted in our The Rise of the Intellectuals and Modern Salons reports, people are increasingly signalling status through what they know, rather than what they own. Dining at museums, galleries and auction houses has become a way to communicate taste and intellect, while boosting social capital
: Culture as commerce– Hospitality is becoming a strategic growth engine for museums. At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, food services generate £4.7m ($6m, €5.1m) annually – around 7% of the museum’s budget – while the Dallas Museum of Art saw the number of visitors coming solely to dine increase from 5% to 17% following its café transformation (source: Observer)
Photography by Charles Walker, US