Inside Live On Air: The World’s First Live Streaming Restaurant
Menus often come with warnings regarding cross-contamination from tree nuts or gluten, or that consuming raw meats may increase your risk of foodborne illnesses. At Live On Air, however, the rider additionally cautions that you may be photographed, taped or recorded, and that you agree for such content to be widely distributed, throughout any and all media.
Such is the nature of the world’s first “live streaming restaurant,” the next logical step, it seems, from fanatically instagramming your food. Originally inspired by the 1998 film, “The Truman Show”—where Jim Carrey’s everyday life is telecast round-the-clock—owner Joe Barbour’s exhibitionistic concept actually preceded the technology, coming to fruition only with the advent of Periscope, Facebook Live and YouTube.
Not that cameras are trained on unsuspecting patrons at each and every moment: it’s possible to graze on chicken n’ waffles, popcorn shrimp and po’boys (from an appealing, New Orleans-inspired menu), entirely unmolested. At the current time, computers are chiefly used to disseminate in-house entertainment, from stand-up comics and DJ sets, to open mic’s, “Brooklyn Idol” competitions, and band-backed karaoke.
Yet if diners elect to get in on the action, opportunity abounds for that too. A broadcast booth stands at the ready for impromptu presentations and interviews, and there’s extra incentive to reach for one’s phone as well—live streaming yourself garners 10% off a repast of “mac and say cheese,” shrimp and grits, and a fleeting side of fame.
335 Flatbush Ave, (718) 618-0156, Park Slope
Photos by Valery Rizzo
