Le Bernardin tops ‘Liste’ as NYC restaurants prepare for the holidays

December will be a make-or-break month for many Midtown restaurants suffering from sluggish lunch traffic, but Le Bernardin seems unconcerned.

The West 50th Street seafood palace, where Michelin just confirmed a coveted three-star rating, was been crowned the top restaurant in the world for 2023 by La Liste, the increasingly prominent Parisian rankings. The conclusions are based on an examination of hundreds of guidebooks, media reports, and web evaluations from throughout the world, whereas Michelin relies on visits by anonymous inspectors.

Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin together with Maguy Le Coze, hailed the restaurant’s second consecutive No. 1 ranking on La Liste as “great news for us. La Liste, which is just seven years old, is beginning to assert itself,” and is frequently followed by tourists from Asian nations such as Japan and South Korea.

Le Bernardin scarcely requires an additional boost.

Ripert stated that Le Bernardin, likewise ranked first by La Liste in 2019, had “never been more crowded.”
Not other Midtown eateries have the same lunchtime popularity as Le Bernardin.
Robert Miller

“We have never been so busy,” Ripert added, referring to both lunch and dinner.

Even if tables are few before the end of the year, Michelin and La Liste are “much more essential to us in January and February.”

However, not everyone in Midtown, Manhattan’s restaurant industry’s epicenter, is ready to pop the bubbly. Bookings for holiday parties have been surprisingly healthy, but poor lunch traffic remains a lump of coal for establishments still recuperating from the epidemic.

Although superb establishments such as Fasano, Le Rock, and Simon Oren’s exciting new Monterey have opened, and old favorites such as Fresco by Scotto and Polo Bar seem to host nonstop parties, the epidemic has brought the legendary ’21’ Club to its knees, and others are on the verge of closing.

Times Square Alliance president Tom Harris stated that he is “closely monitoring December.” According to him, the region’s restaurant business is down 9 percent from 2019 levels. Before 4 p.m., restaurants such as Jasmine’s on Restaurant Row were closed due to low lunch demand.

The chaotic environment keeps astute owners on their toes. CEO of Alicart Restaurant Group, which owns Carmine’s and Virgil’s, Jeff Bank, stated that operators must “acknowledge the enormous swings in demography and timing.”

Before COVID, “lunch and dinner were rather predictable,” he added. But today, “We must be adaptable. It is simpler for [well-established locations] to stand on several legs. We are aware that Fridays are slow owing to vacant offices, but weekends may be profitable for tourists.”

The CEO of Alicart Restaurant Group, Jeff Bank, stated that restaurant operators must “acknowledge the massive demographic and temporal trends.”
Freelancer

The proprietors or landlords of Gallagher’s, Bryant Park Grill, and Nobu 57 believe their income is 20 to 25 percent greater than in 2019. However, according to Andrew Rigie of the New York Hospitality Alliance, “it is difficult for eateries that significantly rely on office employees when the building above them is less than fifty percent filled.”

The new Avra on Sixth Avenue usually appears to be bustling, but partner Nick Tsoulos reports that his three restaurants are only 60 to 70 percent back to pre-COVID levels.

“I’m curious to see [what transpires] this holiday season,” he remarked. The “power lunch,” in which influential individuals conducted business over their meals, “has disappeared,” he noted.

Ben Grossman, chief executive officer of Fireman Hospitality Group, stated that the firm is “near to pre-COVID levels.” However, the lunch menus at Bond 45 and Trattoria Dell’ Arte are gentler.

Still amazing is dinner, particularly at Trattoria across Seventh Avenue from Carnegie Hall.

Grossman stated, “What’s lacking in the neighborhood is lunch.” “Friday, formerly our finest lunch day, is now our worst.”

Office occupation in the same buildings as the eateries drives a portion of the lunchtime foot traffic.

Porter House Bar & Grill in Columbus Circle has a less lunchtime clientele because Deutsche Bank employees, who replaced Time Warner employees upstairs, appear to eat more meals in their cafeteria.

Trattoria Dell’ Arte, like many Midtown eateries, is experiencing a weekday lunch slump.
Helayne Seidman

However, chef/owner Michael Lomonaco stated, “Since the summer, our private parties have never been stronger,” and his 260 seats are virtually always occupied.

At Dino Arpaia’s Cellini on East 54th Street, private events are compensating for decreased lunch business, which is half of what it was in 2019. Recent events at the popular venue were held by Santander Bank, Jefferies, KPMG, Blackstone, and Black Rock.

However, “They’re all concentrated on Tuesday through Thursday since they’re scarce on other days,” Arpaia explained. To serve business clients within a shorter time frame, “I’ve never been under such strain”

At elegant Chinese restaurant Hutong, maitre d’ and guest relations director Raafet Olian cited strong dinner and events business, but described lunch as “still a struggle” — in part because Bloomberg employees, whose headquarters are located in the tower, are visiting less frequently than in the past.

Bloomberg, like Deutsche Bank, has its own in-house dining facilities. Some bank personnel have even offered leftovers to Hutong employees they encounter in elevators.

Olian quipped, “Shouldn’t it be the opposite?”

»Le Bernardin tops ‘Liste’ as NYC restaurants prepare for the holidays«

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