In restaurants, small is the new big. (Did I just type that?)

Andrew McCormack of Frisson, Joseph Manzare of Tres Agaves and Dennis Leary of Rubicon are among the big-name restaurateurs who have recently opened twee little places with the aim of keeping down those ever-rising San Francisco labor costs, some of which exempt restaurants with fewer than 20 people.

The small size also helps make the restaurant feel like a comfortable home away from home for meeting up with friends, or just plain meeting friends.

McCormack's case is particularly interesting, as he has gone from the biggest and splashiest restaurant space in the dot-com era or immediately after to a truly small little neighborhood joint.

More in my restaurant design story:

Business Times: In restaurant design, small is the next big thing; Restaurateurs turn to cozier spaces to counter rising costs (free link)

I also did a sidebar on restaurant design mistakes:

Restaurateurs dodge building bugaboos (free link)