Boozing Beats Eating

Big Apple adopts "bar-style" dining

THE COCKTAIL’S renaissance has reached new heights in New York where economic uncertainties and a desire to approach nights out in a more casual fashion have seen many restaurants put a greater emphasis on their bars.

"Dinner’s so intimate, while bars have a less serious veneer," says Cyndi Stivers, editorial director of Time Out New York magazine, adding, "People are going out and keeping things casual."

E Charles Hunt, from the New York State Restaurant Association, has noted that the more savvy restaurateurs are adapting to this new mood.  "Hopefully, you’ll stay for dinner," he says. "But if you have a drink or finger-food and move on – God love you – you’re in the chair."

The average price of a meal in New York restaurants dropped last year for the first time since 1990, says Tim Zagat, founder of the Zagat guides.  He attributes this decline in part to people eating less formally, or "bar style," as he calls it, ordering appetiser-size plates. 

"If you look at the most popular places, the hipper restaurants, there’s an effort to provide bar space," says Zagat.  "Younger people are socialising in restaurants, but they do less eating."