Some NYC Restaurants Report a 30 Percent Drop in Sales After New Dining Curfew

NYC restaurants report sales dips in the wake of new curfew

It’s been four days since Gov. Andrew Cuomo instated a new 10 p.m. curfew on outdoor and indoor dining in New York, and restaurants are already reporting significant sales dips and customer backlash from the new regulation.

According to the New York Post, sushi spot Kissaki saw a 30 percent drop in sales at its locations over the past weekend. Clubby chain Tao Group and restaurateur James Mallios of Midtown restaurant Amali and Rockaways spot Bar Marseille both reported similar drops in revenue. Due to the 10 p.m. cutoff time, restaurants have been forced to stop taking reservations as early as 8 p.m., operators say, and they aren’t allowing customers to linger past curfew due to the potential $10,000 fines. “We try to be hospitable but it’s like we are herding people out,” an UWS restaurateur from e’s BAR told the Post.

Cuomo announced the new guidelines last week, following in the footsteps of multiple neighboring states that have also put late-night dining curfews in place. Under the curfew’s rules, any business with a liquor license must shut down indoor and outdoor dining at 10 p.m. Takeout and delivery for food can continue past that time, but alcohol sales are banned.

In other news

— NYC’s tourism industry, a vital lifeline for many local restaurants, may not return to full force until 2025.

— In an unexpected move, hip Brooklyn pizzeria Roberta’s partnered up with Disney and well-known L.A. chef Roy Choi for some Mickey Mouse-themed pies in time for Thanksgiving.

— East Village hangout the Tile Bar is back in action.

— City Winery is descending on Rockefeller Center this winter with private, heated dining igloos and a rink-side bar.

— Alimentari Flâneur, a produce market run by fourth-generation Balducci family member Daniel Emilio Soares, is popping up for the holiday season at the Market Line on the Lower East Side, according to a market spokesperson. Italian produce and pantry staples including olive loaves, panettone, Puglia olive oil, and more will be stocked at the pop-up, which launches on November 18 and runs through December 31.

— Breakfast inspo: