By admin 
SAN FRANCISCO– At Merchant Roots in San Francisco, the menu is always exciting, with a new tasting experience and theme every few months.
“As much as possible, we try to make sure that this is a new restaurant every time we change our themes,” says Ryan Shelton, chef and owner of Merchant Roots.
It’s a big undertaking, with each theme taking about nine months to create. The themes ranged from ‘Merchant Roots and the Chocolate Factory’ to ‘God of Wine’. Each theme has a unique menu with up to 20 courses.
The current theme for Fall 2024 is “Color Theory,” which highlights the beauty of different colors with 10 monochrome courses.
It’s not just about the food though, it’s about the overall dining experience: “We change the lights in the room. We change the projection in the room. We have some other really crazy little multimedia effects that try to enhance as much as possible the experience of that color just to enhance it. We serve food that, with your eyes closed, you would say tastes green or tastes purple. And it’s all about an exploration of how color affects us and how we interact with color.” Shelton said.
Shelton credits his hard-working staff for bringing the themes to life. “I’ve been so lucky to have an incredible team that is so involved at every level of everything. The brainstorming sessions we have together where we come up with these ideas are super fun.”
If you’re curious about the Winter 2024 theme, Shelton offered a hint: Think Humpty Dumpty and focus on eggs.
Learn more about Merchant Roots here.
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