It's official: New York City restaurant visits are up almost 50% since the beginning of 2021

After a year of pretty sad news concerning the food industry, here's some respite: according to marketing firm Zenreach, New York City restaurant visits are up 43% since the beginning of 2021.

Specifically, in January, the rate increased by 6.25% compared to 2020. It then jumped to 41.54% in February and has inched closer to 50% in March. Clearly, as indoor dining regulations are eased, New Yorkers feel confident and safe enough to start returning to restaurants.

As of now, eateries in New York City are allowed to operate until 11pm at 50% capacity indoors, the highest restriction since shut down orders forced plenty of dining rooms to temporarily close back in March 2020. Destinations peppered across the rest of New York State, on the other hand, can fill up their indoor rooms to up to 75%.

The stats are undoubtedly aided by the slew of re-openings and grand openings that the city has bore witness to in the past few weeks. A fully-digital Taco Bell cantina just opened in Times Square, for example, while the first-ever Michelin-starred ramen shop in the world announced its first New York location. In terms of re-openings, both Alice's Tea Cup locations will welcome diners back indoors starting next week while the iconic Tavern on the Green will do so at the end of the month.

Interestingly enough, according to the marketing firm's research, visits to bars haven't followed the same trajectory as ones to traditional restaurants. Although February saw a major spike "with people coming in at a rate of 46.52% compared with -1.85% in January," the numbers have tapered off in March, decreasing to 41.92%.

Our theory? New Yorkers are so excited about being able to properly dine at a restaurant like they used to that they're simply opting for a traditional experience over nights spent at watering holes—for now, at least. 

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