This is very pleasant for the customers, but none too sensible from a business point of view. I always thought that the idea behind a business is to provide a return on investment. If you go right over the top setting up a place you could wait many years for a return, or you may never see one. Meanwhile, if you've borrowed money to get established, you have to charge ridiculous prices to service your loans. If you fall for this trap you're automatically locked into a situation that results in poor value for money to your customers.
Ambience is important, but expensive decor is unnecessary.
They're doing very nicely, thank you. Most of their comments and perceptions relate to the food and the service, to which they pay very close attention. What this restaurant lacks in decor and opulence it does make up for in ambience. It comes from the warmth of the people who work there, not from a dazzling display of financial irresponsibility. You will, to be fair, sometimes see someone turn over a plate to see if it is Noritake or Target, but these people are very much a small minority.