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'Chicken Shop Date’ ends a legendary run

Plus a notable cake snubbing, BYO seasoning etiquette, and more

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September 7, 2026 5:34pm EDT

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Greetings! In today’s send:

A Tom Cruise coconut cake snub.
Amelia Dimoldenberg announces her show Chicken Shop Date will be ending very soon.
Is it ever okay to BYO seasoning to a restaurant?
Why an industry veteran is done pretending the customer is always right.

Welcome back to Open Tab, and happy Labor Day. Can you smell fall in the air? I cannot, but I want to make an apple pie so badly that I’m pretending I do.

Earth-shatteringly, it was revealed that Gal Gadot does not receive one of the famed Tom Cruise coconut cakes. “He makes cakes?” she asked, confused, on a recent episode of the Armchair Expert podcast. It’s not a big deal for Gadot, who reportedly, does not like cake (?!).

I’m sure Gadot is actually not that worried, since her Mac and Cheese company, Goodles, valued at $88 million three years ago, just got acquired.

Get all the details in the full version of this week’s Open Tab—here’s a gift link to send your friends.

SAM STONE

SENIOR EDITOR

Why this ad?

Breaking Up With Chicken Shop Date

By Sam Stone

After 12 years of hosting her incredibly popular shortform talk show, Chicken Shop Date, Amelia Dimoldenberg announced that it will soon end. “I feel like it’s now time to move on from this adventure and onto a new one,” Dimoldenberg shared in a note posted to Instagram.

There will be a few more episodes before the series goes dark, according to the note. Read on to find out what exactly Dimoldenberg will focus on next.

photo collage with packets of condiments stuffed in a jean pocket

Is It Ever OK to BYO Seasoning?

By Maggie Hennessy

Julia Coney, a Washington, DC-and-Houston-based wine consultant, journalist, and regular traveler, has spent a decade perfecting her personal condiment kit. It includes more than half a dozen finishing salts, Calabrian chili oil, cracked black pepper, everything seasoning, dehydrated lemon juice, Kyoord olive oil, Cholula and Original Louisiana hot sauces, Bon Maman honey, and Dijon mustard.

Chalk it up to a collective spice and condiment obsession, which grows more nuanced by the day. But is it a faux pas to break out a BYO seasoning kit in a restaurant setting?

Recipes We Love

Cheesy Apple Omelet

Saucy Pork Chops With Coconut Crisp

Why this ad?

Food for Thought

Image may contain: Balloon, Diner, Waiter, Person, People, Face, Head, and Crowd

I’m Done Pretending the Guest Is Always Right

By Adam Reiner

On the surface, Guidara’s 2022 book Unreasonable Hospitality is a missive on the power of exceeding guests’ expectations. In it, he shares anecdotes from a decades-long career in fine dining that serve as parables for the transformative nature of hospitality. Since its release, the book has found an audience beyond restaurants, selling over a million copies and appearing on the New York Times best-seller list for 27 weeks.

While Guidara’s impact on hospitality culture is undeniable, the book’s success has a hidden cost. The idealism behind it created an impossible standard for restaurants. Here’s why it’s time to stop expecting magic at every turn.

The Best Pizza Ovens, Reviewed by Our Experts:

After testing 16 contenders, our editors named the best.

ICYMI: Restaurants Are Using Unsettling AI-Generated Photos of Food:

I’m sorry for what I’m about to show you.

What My Job Is Like as a Culinary Producer:

Go behind the scenes to get a peek into the Bon Appétit-iverse.

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'Chicken Shop Date’ ends a legendary run

Plus a notable cake snubbing, BYO seasoning etiquette, and more

Recipes We Love

Food for Thought

On the Side

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