It takes a high level of confidence to put your bathroom between the diner and the kitchen. I think that's a gutsy and very courageous decision by the owners. According to Gerry Frank, the restroom facilities of today are a far cry from those of the past. The author of Where to Find It, Buy It, Eat It in New York , which includes a section on the most convenient restroom facilities in the Big Apple, Frank is a scion of one of the familes behind Meier and Frank and a longtime Portland restaurant bon vivant. Several of the major hotels in New York and Europe still have them.
Tradition allows for it.
In the old days these perky gents and ladies could brighten your day with a smile and a bit of good cheer. These attentive attendants also made sure you never left the lavatory with any articles of clothing misplaced or with telltale paper stuck to your shoes. But according to Frank, they don't have a place in our current fast-paced, workaday world. It is a thing of the past. People today are more interested in the cleanliness and the decor.