To play on the question “If a tree falls in the forest … ,” one might ask “If a restaurant closes in New York, how long before another opens in the same spot?” The answer may range from weeks to months, but it is almost guaranteed that landlords in the Big Apple rarely lose rent for long when it comes to restaurants. Despite every newspaper article and blog that bemoans the demise of New York’s dining scene, the actual number of 22,000+ eating establishments in the city hasn’t changed since the 1980s.
Restaurants are always opening and closing in New York, especially in tough times like the dot.com crash, post-911, the recessions of the late 20th century and, of course, the Covid pandemic, which for long stretches shuttered every eating establishment in the city, as elsewhere.
And since most restaurants operate on a slim net profit, many upon re-opening had to attract back its former clientele and new people—many of whom either had Covid or feared dining out among those who might. Even now, people who learned to work at home in the suburbs don’t venture into New York as much, and business lunches are still off.
Covid was a crushing blow, added to which, in the post-pandemic era, attracting staff, from cooks to dishwashers, has been an enormous problem everywhere. (Current unemployment in New York is at 6%, nationally at 3.5%.) Then there is inflation, which has occurred fast and furiously in the food sector, not to mention energy and transportation costs. How can anyone expect to survive under such pressures?
Yet, survive they do, coping, balancing, cutting staff and maybe lunch service, getting creative with lesser priced ingredients, not re-stocking still-full wine cellars and maximizing their social media. The result is, if you merely read the Wednesday food section of The New York Times, you’ll find Florence Fabricant’s weekly “Off the Menu” column announcing the opening of half a dozen restaurants of every stripe, with perhaps notification of one closing. Also, the just-published Michelin Guide to New York 2022 added six restaurants with a one-star ranking, now totaling 55.
Most of those food media who cried wolf at the start of Covid (when TV personality Tom Colicchio insisted 70% of U.S. restaurants would close permanently) would today have a tough time getting into restaurants ranging from the ultra-fine dining places like Le Bernardin to a steakhouse like Gage & Tollner in Brooklyn, and there are lines out the door of Mexican, Argentinian, Thai and…
Read More: What’s The State Of New York’s Dining Scene Right Now?