NYC restaurants rise from COVID pandemic ashes as bookings soar for holidays

Big Apple restaurants are gearing up for a smashing holiday season — not up to pre-pandemic numbers, but enough to keep their spirits, and bank accounts, up.

Restaurant bookings have soared 34% compared with last year, but are still down by a third from 2019, according to data compiled for Side Dish by OpenTable.

Restaurateurs who had money to bet big and expand during lockdown are reaping the benefits for gutting out the tough times.

“We are almost sold out for holiday party private bookings,” said Stratis Morfogen, of Brooklyn Chop House in Times Square, who signed the lease for the 680-seat eatery during the pandemic.

The OpenTable stats, based on the number of seated diners during the first week of September from online, phone and walk-in reservations, bare out Morfogen’s enthusiasm. The company doesn’t provide raw reservation numbers, just the percent changes, a spokesperson said.

Andrew Rigie, executive director for the New York City Hospitality Alliance, described the feeling amongst restaurateurs as “cautious optimism.”

“People booked holiday parties last November and that got restaurants excited. But then came omicron,” Rigie said. “We are in a different place than we were this time last year. …. But there are still labor shortage problems and inflation to deal with, along with uncertainty about the city’s outdoor open dining program.”

Stratis Morfogen
“We are almost sold out for holiday party private bookings,” Morfogen said.
Lois Cabral

Many older restaurants are struggling to survive as new restaurants open, and many that depend on a daily mix of office workers and tourists are also still fighting for survival, Rigie added.

Even critically acclaimed new hotspots are falling on their cooking knives. Earlier this week, Dumpling Lab — a Tsingtao-inspired gastropub in the East Village, from the team behind Hunan Slurp —  shuttered after a year, the same week it received Michelin Bib Gourmand status.

The owners did not respond for comment, but they hope to open in another space soon, according to reports.

Securing a good deal on a lease during the pandemic played a key role in a restaurant’s survival after the lockdowns were lifted.  

Restaurateur AJ Bontempo, managing partner of South Village Hospitality Group, signed a pandemic lease for an outpost of his Williamsburg restaurant, Ainslie, in April 2021. The massive, 20,000 square-foot East Village / Lower East Side spot at 199 Bowery didn’t open until Sept. 29 but is already getting booked up for holiday events, Bontempo said.

A nearly empty street is seen in Times Square in June 2020.
Restaurateurs who had money to bet big and expand during lockdown are reaping the benefits for gutting out the tough times.
Bloomberg via Getty Images

“We are big believers in New York,” said Bontempo, whose new place replaces Vandal, which closed during COVID. “The energy and vibrancy came back in a huge way, which will only attract more people back to the city. Since New York  was impacted in a huge way during the pandemic, we believe its rebound will be equally large.”

Nathan Leong, who co-owns Somewhere Nowhere in Chelsea, just opened Gamehaus in Long Island City, which spans 5,000 square-feet over two floors. He also signed the lease in 210-seat Gamehaus in April 2021. Somewhere Nowhere seats 316 guests.

“Forty percent of our dates are already booked up for private events at Somewhere Nowhere, and Gamehaus is filling its semi-private, second-floor corporate gatherings and family events,” Leong said. “It’s been great to witness post-pandemic numbers.”

At another new spot, Saint, at 136 Second Avenue — which opened in May — event bookings are also thriving. The bilevel restaurant has capacity for 250 people upstairs and 100 downstairs. It is seeing full buyouts in Saint’s Downstairs speakeasy lounge, as well as the Parlour Bar/Garden, which is being booked for events, a spokesperson said.

Brooklyn Chop House
The lease for the 680-seat Brooklyn Chop House was signed during the pandemic.
Lois Cabral

New, smaller restaurants are also doing well.

Morfogen opened an 800 square-foot Brooklyn Dumpling Shop last Wednesday. He said he needed 100 people a day to make it profitable. To his surprise, he says, he has been getting 1,100 people a day and long lines, forcing him to cancel all online and delivery services until they can get up to speed.  

“Back in 2020, we predicted almost to the day that things would turn around this quarter, and they have,” Morfogen said.

Brooklyn BBQ joint to reopen

We hear…that 18 months after a devastating fire, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue is reopening in Prospect Heights on Oct. 25. And it’s coming back even better following a smokehouse rebuild with updated wood finishes, furnishings and reclaimed industrial lights, along with a restored green interior support wall and throwback chalkboard menus.

“It was important for us to maintain the integrity of the original space, which is so familiar for our regulars, BBQ lovers and the neighborhood,” said owner Mathew Glazier of GlazierWorks.

Miraculously, Glazier said, the on-site smoker survived the fire, allowing Chef Cenobio Canalizo to maintain the restaurant’s signature slow-smoked prime brisket, sausage, pork, ribs and bacon. There will also be an extensive bourbon list, delivery and weekend brunch.

We hear … that following a three-year hiatus, City Harvest’s signature tasting event is back in-person at The Glasshouse, at 660 12th Ave., on Oct. 18. “City Harvest Presents BID 2022: Through the Looking Glass” will bring together more than 50 of the city’s top chefs, restaurants and mixologists, including Eric Ripert, Tom Colicchio, Geoffrey Zakarian and Melba Wilson. The event will help City Harvest provide meals to millions of New Yorkers in need.

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