Virtual dining
Monica Kass Rogers reports.
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| Food, Eatalian-style |
| Yellowfin seviche on rye |
| Rhône rising |
| A chef weighs Elements |
| Instant India |
| Sad good-bye |
Midnight City—A stroll through Second Life, the 3-D virtual world created by its residents, just got a little tastier. In October Sushi Samba, the Latin/Asian fusion hot spot with five locations nationally and one in Tel Aviv, became the first national restaurant company with a location in this fantasy land.
Patterned after Sushi Samba's New York locations with look-alike seating, sushi bar, Sugarcane lounge, and rooftop bar, the virtual unit is located in Second Life's Midnight City.
"You don't have to pay to get in," public relations manager Joanna Cisowska explains. But it costs real U.S. dollars (converted to Second Life's linden currency) to order food and drink.
Beyond chow, interactive experiences include chatting with guests, barkeeps, servers, and chefs (drawn to look like real-life employees). There's also music and downloadable dance moves, plus a link to the chain's gift store.
Investing early on in stylish interactive Web sites, the now-eight-year-old chain gets 60,000 visitors a month to www.sushisamba.com. It expects Second Life visits will best that as Second life makes the Sushi Samba experience available all over the world, at any time.
