The CulinaryWoman Newsletter, 9/10/23
They used to be called early bird diners. Now, they're just diners.
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Early Birds Are The Latest Trend In Dining Out
In all my years of fine dining, the hardest reservations to snag were between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. In Manhattan, especially, nobody wanted a “loser time” when the restaurant opened; those were for tourists and people who didn’t have any pull.
You’ve probably heard about “early bird specials” in places like Florida and Arizona, where dinner is served staring around 4 p.m., with cheaper deals and smaller portions for senior appetites.
Well, it turns out that we’re all becoming early birds.
Around the country, restaurants are reporting that customers are coming in earlier for dinner, some as early as 3 p.m. The rush is quickly becoming 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Boston Globe explored what was happening there.
Chef Douglass Williams says all of his restaurants — the original Mida in Boston’s South End, Mida in Newton, Mass., and the newest Mida on the East Boston waterfront — open at 4 p.m. “We’re finding that people want to eat earlier,” Williams told the Globe.
I can testify that it’s happening elsewhere. This summer, I’ve eaten at Dixboro House in Ann Arbor three times. They’ve been running a Tuesday “Chicken With Friends” promotion that featured visiting chefs such as George Azar from the acclaimed Flowers of Vietnam in Dearborn, and Jordan Balduf, above, the squire of Sidebiscuit here in town.
All of my reservations have been at 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m., because that’s when my friends and family wanted to go. In each case, most recently last week, the restaurant was packed when we arrived.
That could be a tribute to the people who’ve been cooking, of course, but I found evidence of the earlier dining trend from Traverse City, Mich., to Chicago and San Francisco, and even in that hipster hot spot, Brooklyn.
Reasons people are eating early
The shift away from later dinners seems to have been an after effect of the pandemic. Work from home eliminated commutes, and when you turn off the computer at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., you’re free. Kids are hungry. Why not go out and eat?
WFH also means other lifestyle changes. In my case, I usually don’t eat three meals a day any more. I get up, do my stretches, maybe start work, and eat breakfast around 9:30 a.m. or 10 a.m. I skip a formal lunch, and have a snack in mid-afternoon to tide me over if I am going out.
In some cases, work from home has also eliminated the cocktail hour that some people observed when they left the office for the day. That bridge from work to dinner isn’t as necessary when you work alone. You can mix a drink as the mood strikes you.
The chance to do something else
In a sophisticated place like New York City, earlier dining is a reversal of the decades-long trend in which dinner was the evening’s entertainment. Now, it’s back to being more like just a meal.
As playgoers and concert lovers know, an early dinner offers the opportunity to do something else afterward. You can stop by the grocery store (always better to shop when you aren’t hungry), take a walk around downtown, attend a class or binge a show. I’ll sometimes follow an early dinner with a trip for ice cream.
Also, I’m a big baseball fan, and the Detroit Tigers now start their home games at 6:40 p.m., versus 7:10 p.m. in the past. With the pitch clock speeding up games, they’re often finished by around 9 p.m. If I eat out after 7 p.m., I miss the broadcast. (I can listen to the replay, but especially when I know they’ve lost, I won’t bother.)
Restaurants are closing kitchens earlier
One reason that the crush has been pushed earlier is that there are fewer hours to serve customers. Many, many restaurants now close around 9 p.m., at least during the week.
If you are squishing your dinner hour into four or even five hours, it means that every available table is in demand. That tradition early evening lag until things revved up around 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. is becoming a thing of the past.
Zach Engel, the chef and owner of Galit in Chicago, told me that reservations from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. are still his most requested.
But, the restaurant doesn’t seat past 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday, and after 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It used to close service at 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. on those days, respectively.
“Not a lot of people want to do a four-email course meal for two to two-and-a-hours and leave a restaurant at midnight on a Wednesday,” Zach said.
In visitor-focused New Orleans, those 7 p.m. times remain in demand, says Jet Gauthier, the restaurant manager for Miss River at the Four Seasons Hotel. But, when those slots are gone and diners are given a choice of 6 p.m. or 8 p.m., they typically will take the 6 p.m. slot, he says.
Those limited hours mean that a restaurant’s operations have to run like clockwork from the moment service starts. With fewer staff, and less time to serve customers, it’s important for everybody to show up, and to be there on time.
The advantage of an early meal
There are numerous advantages to a late afternoon start time. One is that the restaurant is probably fully stocked with everything on the menu, including specials. You’ll have ample choices that you might not get later.
Another is health. Recent studies have shown that 5 p.m. might be the ideal dinner time. Your body gets plenty of time to digest your meal, and if you are able to get in a little exercise, even just walking to the car, you start using that fuel before bedtime.
You should have improved sleep, too, especially if you have a drink or two with your meal. There’s time for your liver to process alcohol, and for your bloodstream to deal with sugar, if you’ve enjoyed a dessert.
Lots of people are trying intermittent fasting, a weight loss plan in which you only eat within a certain window of time. Having an early dinner allows the meal to easily fit into your chosen time block.
The pandemic changed quite a lot about dining, and it seems that when we eat is among the newest trends.
Square Screws Up Big Time
From my inbox to my Instagram account, restaurants and food places complained last week about the outage at Square, the transaction processing company. (You’ve probably seen its white flip screens in your favorite coffee shop or carry out place)
The national network went down on Thursday and was slowly getting back to normal on Friday. That paralyzed places that rely on credit cards and mobile apps for payment, especially those that were completely cashless.
Some found workarounds, but the stress was easy to see.
On Friday afternoon, Square dispatched an apology to its customers, which you can read above. I have a Square account as a convenience to purchasers of my book. It subsequently said it was waiving fees for bank account transfers until midnight Saturday.
There have been a lot of computer glitches lately, from ransomware attacks to telephone and power outages, and now Square. Blame Mercury in Retrograde if you want (it will be over on Thursday.)
The Big Influence of Food Influencers
Not long ago, someone called me an influencer, and I laughed. I don’t have hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, and while my Reels get seen by a decent sized audience, I’ve never thought that my posts could move the needle for someone’s business.
Well, as it turns out, I actually do have a spot in the influencer universe in that chart above, despite what I think is a modest following.
According to Social Shepherd, influencer marketing is nearly a $22 billion industry, More than 90 percent of marketers surveyed said they have used influencers to raise brand awareness for their clients, whether through formal contracts requiring them to mention a brand, treating them to meals, trips and products, or giving them access to VIPs.
The Food Institute reported some interesting numbers.
Most businesses make about $5 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing.
Eight of 10 consumers on social media have purchased something after seeing it recommended by an influencer. (Yep.)
Instagram is the top influencer channel, followed by Instagram Stories and Tik Tok. No matter how Tik Tok influences trends, OG Instagram apparently is the smarter place to market.
There are now apps that can connect brands with influencers who might be appropriate for them, according to Marketing Brew. It seems word of mouth simply doesn’t do the job any more. You’ve got to have influencers on your side.
We Have A Winner For 50 Pies, 50 States
Deborah J. Binder will be receiving an autographed copy of Stacy Fong’s wonderful book shortly from Voracious Publishing.
Here is what Deborah shared with us.
“I am an independent non-profit management consultant and grant writer and do marketing for a local estate attorney. I also teach yoga, mindfulness practices and indoor cycling. I also am a cooking assistant for a cooking school at a local natural foods market.
I used to work professionally in fine dining restaurants and bakeries in Connecticut and Vermont before moving to Edmonds, WA. (just north of Seattle.) When I moved to the West Coast I worked for a granola manufacturer as well as for several bakeries.
I love gardening and cooking--currently trying to preserve all the produce coming out of the garden that my husband created and that I help maintain. In addition, I write a "healthy eating" column for a local online newspaper called MyEdmondsNews.com. https://myedmondsnews.com/category/news/health-and-fitness/healthy-eating/
Finally, I am a 14 year Ovarian Cancer Survivor and in my spare time I am a Survivor Research Advocate attending and speaking at conferences to encourage scientists/physicians to actively collaborate with OVCA survivors in their research studies.”
Congratulations, Deborah! Watch for our next giveaway in Wednesday’s edition of the CulinaryWoman Reading Room, and read about it next Sunday, too.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
I hope you all saw the news that I am launching a second Substack this week. Intersection: Everything That Moves is my digital sequel to my 2003 book, The End of Detroit: How The Big Three Lost Their Grip On The American Car Market.
You are so welcome to sign up. Issues come out every Tuesday, with breaking news updates as warranted. Go to intermove.Substack.com.
By the way, Intersection has its own Instagram account. You can find it (@) intersection_on_substack.
CulinaryWoman will forge ahead, never fear. I’m what they call a two-way player in baseball.
Otherwise, you can find me:
Email: culinarywoman (@) gmail dot com
Instagram: (@) michelinemaynard and (@) micki_in_nola (devoted to New Orleans posts)
Etsy: check out my City Tips Vintage shop, which has some beautiful Japanese linens.
Last week, I got my flu shot and my first ever shingles vaccine. I plan to get the new Covid booster as soon as it arrives. I know at least four people who have come down with the latest strain. Please look after your health.
I’ll see our paid subscribers tomorrow and everyone else next week.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: How Zingerman's Built a Corner Deli into a Global Food Community https://a.co/d/2LKsc8g