The Restaurant Problem

New York City is known for its fabulous dining scene, from food trucks to Michelin-starred restaurants. The world of cuisine is at your fingertips. That is, if you’re lucky. You see, I’ve learned through my foodie sister that dining in NYC is a rat race of sorts, with everyone fighting to obtain seats at the top restaurants. For most, these dining experiences are just not in the cards.

My sister told me a story of her attempt to eat at Don Angie, a popular Italian spot in the West Village. She and her friend showed up at 4:30 to try to get the first seating of the night. When they were finally able to speak to someone, they told her to come back at 9:45, the only slot for a table. Not wanting to eat that late, she put off a dream meal for another time. Again, not in the cards.

In order to get reservations at any popular restaurant in NYC, you have to be on your phone at a wee hour of the morning and ready to pounce on reservations when they open up at the start of each week or month.

There have also been stories of people paying to get reservations at top spots, dishing out hundreds or thousands of dollars just for a chance at a meal. These high rollers lower the chances for normal people like you and me to experience the gems of NYC. I won’t say whether that is fair or not. It just is what it is.

Have restaurants always been this competitive? Obviously, there are more people living in NYC now than there were even five years ago. And the pandemic caused an immediate scarcity among restaurants, many which have not been able to return. So with fewer chairs for butts, it makes sense that things are tight. And, for the most part, it makes sense that certain places are harder to get into than others. Word of mouth is powerful. So is social media. Thereby, certain restaurants become hot spots while others can offer anyone a seat any night of the week.

I have to wonder whether there is a difference of opinion among chefs at these exclusive restaurants. Are they happy that their restaurants are so sought after that it’s nearly impossible for an average person to get a seat? Or do they rue the fact that the average New Yorker will never be able to taste their food? After all, they are cooking in New York for a reason. Don’t they want the city to experience what they have to offer? In terms of the latter, this is likely why many restaurants save a few tables for walk-ins; so any old person can experience a good meal without the need for a reservation.

I also have to wonder if it’s all worth it. Last night, my sister and my cousins and I waited on a line to try pizza from Mama’s Too, a West Village joint known for their Sicilian-style slices. It’s a popular place. As we ate our pizza, the line out the door only grew longer. Don’t get me wrong; it was good. Was it the best pizza I’ve ever had? Nope. Afterwards, we waited on line at Lil Sweet Treat, a Swedish candy store that blew up over social media. Was the candy good? Yes. Was it worth lines around the block any given day of the week? I am not so sure.

Thanks to social media, certain restaurants and establishments for food and drink will gain cult followings that will then peter out after a while. If an influencer likes a restaurant and shares it with her millions of followers, that restaurant had better be ready for soaring demand, though it may only last until the next hot spot takes the limelight.

Making a reservation should not be as stressful as it is, and yet here we are. As of right now, only the lucky or the famous can eat at many of NYC’s most talked about joints.

I am all for chasing the dream of dining at NYC’s most famed and popular restaurants. For some, however, the dream may never become a reality, and that’s a shame. Take Rao’s for example, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side that only decades-long regulars and invited guests can eat at. Rao’s will never happen for you, and you have to accept that. But should NYC be proud or ashamed that this is what its storied dining scene has become? I don’t know for sure.

For people like my sister, this impossible dream is a key part of the mythos. Don Angie will forever live at the front of her foodie mind for all that it’s taken her to try and get in the door. And when the time comes, then comes the real question. Will it all have been worth it? Or will it need a bit more salt?