5 Things You NEED to Know About Dining This Summer with Union Square Hospitality Group’s Trends Team and its CEO Danny Meyer
Who’s hungry, New York City?! 📣
As the weather warms up and New Yorkers sway toward frozen drinks and weekend park hangs, we’re diving even deeper into the Summer Dining trends of 2022. Here to provide the much-needed inside scoop is Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). So for this week’s Up Down Next, we’ve given the reins to their Trends Team. CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and New York Times best-selling author of Setting the Table is Danny Meyer.
Top 5 Summer Dining Trends from the Trends Team at USHG
Can’t Get a Dinner Reservation? Come For Lunch!
Whether you’re a foodie trying to cross somewhere off your bucket list, you’re taking a client out for the newly-revitalized power lunch, or you’re looking for a new place to get some remote work done (we promise not to tell 🤫), lunch is a goldmine of opportunity.After more than two years of being cooped up, people are gobbling up dinner reservations. If you’ve had a tough time finding a reservation at Gramercy Tavern or Ci Siamo, we have a secret for you.
Weekday lunch may be the perfect opportunity to nab that coveted reservation you’ve been eyeing all week, as the data shows a lot more people are booking in advance. Wondering, “How do I get a seat?” Our answer, lunch! Even the busiest of books often hold lunch availability for walk-ins and reservations. Consider this an official order to clear your calendar.
It helps that the line is blurring between late lunch and early happy hour. USHG’s outdoor spaces are seeing more groups meet up in the late afternoon for bites and bevs, turning NYC streets into a block party.
2. Tequila is the Winner of the Summer Alcohol Wars
Don’t believe the hype around espresso martinis or dirty Shirleys. USHG’s numbers don’t lie: tequila and, to a lesser extent, gin are having big glow-ups. Nothing can stop the momentum of the margarita.
Gen Z seems to be driving the tequila trend; they over-index on the spirit (also, weirdly enough, red wine 🤷🍷). As they come into their own as tastemakers, they’re mainstreaming nostalgia for the 2000s, when tequila first began to skyrocket in popularity. USHG bartenders also predict that 70s and 80s drinks are out — they don’t like piña coladas or getting caught in the rain — and cocktails of the 90s and 2000s are in. The Aviation takes off again!
But the biggest winners among drinks may be relative newcomers: mocktails and non-alcoholic beers, like Brooklyn Brewery’s Special Effects IPA. This surge in interest is again driven by Gen Zers, who drink less alcohol than previous generations.
3. Saturday is the New Brunch King
If you’re looking for the ultimate brunch experience, the era of Sunday Funday may be behind you. Across the board, reservations for the best boozy brunches are increasing on Saturdays instead.
Is this because with more people working from home on Mondays, there’s less need to drink away Sunday Scaries and more latitude to spend prime weekend real estate on brunch? It’s tough to say, but that would also explain why USHG is reporting more traffic on Monday mornings and afternoons at their all-day cafes.
4. Game the Hybrid Workweek for the Perfect Dining Experience
Hybrid schedules vary, but many companies have settled on Tuesday through Thursday for in-office days. More workers are remote on Mondays — positioning it as a transition from the weekend to the office — and Wednesday is the #1 in-person workday. The new workweek has caused a wider shift in the hospitality industry… and there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
As we said, lunch and afternoons are a great choice to grab a bite, and Saturdays are best for brunch. But what about evenings and nights?
Tuesdays (the return-to-office day), Wednesdays (the all-hands-on-deck day) and Thursdays (the transition-to-remote day) are now the best for happy hours. WFH has made Friday happy hours no more, but dinner reservations for two on Fridays have surged; a workweek filled with office happy hours has made Friday and Saturday the ideal date nights, while Sunday nights are perfect for family dinners out or decompressing the weekend with a group of friends.
5. Mission-Driven Meals
Let’s face it: the state of the world is pretty volatile these days, and it’s easy to feel powerless. What if you could get a meal that not only tasted good, but produced good as well?
It’s true that restaurant-goers seek out exciting menus, new experiences, and beautiful design, but the hospitality industry has always led the way for consumers who want to patronize businesses that invest in social responsibility. Whether it's a commitment to equity in the restaurant industry or addressing food insecurity, NYC’s hottest dining spots are increasingly leveraging a larger platform for change and helping patrons make a positive impact.
The restaurants within USHG, for example, adopted Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging principles in 2020. Last week, it was recognized by One Fair Wage as an industry leader on equitable wages. And this weekend, USHG President Chip Wade released a call to action with ways for industry leaders to help address America’s intractable gun violence crisis.
“It has been a steep two year, uphill road for New York’s restaurants, but no one can question their collective resolve and resilience, nor the powerful role they’ve played to bring back our vibrant city-- 2022 is the summer of New York restaurants.” - Danny Meyer
