Obsidian Arrowheads Key to Restaurant Success?

New York chef Anita Lo is hedging her bets against any more restaurant-related bad luck with feng shui, reports Sumathi Reddy in the Wall Street Journal. Last July, her restaurant Annisa burnt down. In January, she got a feng shui expert to go over it for the rebuild.

The advice? Obsidian arrowheads and amethyst crystals buried in the basement, walnut and metal essences mixed into the paint, more round shapes, water in vases strategically placed around the dining room, and seating recommendations: "Don't place important guests [i.e., critics] at certain tables. Kitchen meetings should be held in the front of the kitchen. Play piano music to bring in more metal."

It's not as unconventional as it might sound. After all, two years ago McDonald's opened a location in Hacienda Heights with a "one-of-a-kind Feng Shui-inspired design ... including water elements, earth tones, red accents, and exotic fauna."

Image source: Flickr member cuttlefish under Creative Commons