The Cook and the Diner

A cook knew exactly what was in his soup. The diner did not. If the diner could see the kitchen, he’d know whether the ingredients were fresh. But the kitchen was hidden.

The diner had two choices: trust the cook or eat elsewhere. Trustworthy cooks suffered because the diner couldn’t distinguish them from careless ones. Careless cooks benefited because their shortcuts were invisible.

Over time, some restaurants opened their kitchens to public view. Others hired independent inspectors. Both were attempts to solve the same problem: reducing the gap between what the cook knew and what the diner could verify.

Transparency was not generosity. It was competitive advantage in a market where information gaps destroyed trust.