My 2 cents. Not sure who first started using the phrase (maybe it was me…) but I was certainly an early adopter.
My use of the derogatory term was specifically directed at Japanese restaurants due to their typical restaurant business model where the chef is highly visible to diners - i.e sushi bar, yakitori-yas, ramen, udon, food court takoyaki stands etc. Kitchens of most other cuisines are typically hidden away and you can’t see the chef. except maybe the fancy-schmancy chef’s counters which is a whole other discussion (3 hr tasting menus sitting in front of the chef and pretending you’re enjoying the horrible food).
So coming back to the defense of the term bait-and-switch. New famous restaurant chain hailing from Japan opens, advertising how it’s the #1 chain in Japan of of so-and-so food and during the initial few weeks or months, diners can see the skilled imported Japanese chef whipping out the specialty. Wow it’s a step up from the usual fare and I’m totally enjoying the quality and execution with cheesy humble brags proclaiming its authenticity and how this taste like so-and-so dish from my last trip to Tokyo. Spread this like wildfire to all my acquaintances that there’s a new Japanese restaurant staffed with Japanese chefs and it’s excellent. Like dining in Japan without paying for a plane ticket.
Fast forward a few months and they completely replace the kitchen staff. Gone are the Japanese masters. Instead of the skilled udon master stretching and cutting udon masterfully, there’s now a guy who’s lazily slapping things around and doing a terrible job making noodles. More often than not, once this switchover occurs, there is a marked decline in the quality to the point it no longer merits the reason why I was initially excited to dine there. My most recent experience was at Sushi Nakazawa, I was drawn like most others to the story of the lowly assistant rising through the kitchen after slogging for 10 years mastering his skill. What do I get when I dine there? A non-Japanese chef who in Japan’s rigid high-end sushi training regiment would probably have still been relegated to scaling the fish or washing the rice… Did I get a discount? Nope. Was he skilled? Nope Was the food good? nope…
I think these specialty single item/dish restaurants (not limited to Japanese cuisine) is when the switchover is most pronounced. I think it due to a deep understanding of the cuisine ingrained growing up with it in the country of origin (or training many years), your taste buds and eyes have been trained to understand what the last 5% of the dish needs for it to be authentic. Once the local chef leaves and is replaced with a staff that’s lacks this intimate understanding - the differences are noticeable. Just like @Starchtrade 's comment about the correct consistency of takoyaki interior. Can you train the new staff to understand and execute to a comparable level? YES, no doubt in my mind but like everything else it takes time and the handoff should be gradual. But alas once there’s a 100% switchover this is very unlikely…
To me the term “bait-and-switch” is appropriate in the case of Japanese restaurants stateside.
Don’t tell me the proprietors are not aware of the reason why glass displays exist to exhibit the udon/soba etc prep. Or why sushi bars are built they way they are, it’s to highlight the chef and their skill. They “bait” us in with these skilled masters when they first open and then “switch” the staff once all the professional reviews, social media, yelp *s, food boards, word of mouth has achieved sufficient positive traction to keep the crowds flowing. Tell me I’m wrong in this assessment. And yes I do agree “shitty business planning and execution” also applies.
Sorry for my Friday rant. Bad dining week…