Why NYC restaurants close: it's usually the lease math, not the food
The documented economics of a New York restaurant — rent as a share of sales, thin margins, and the post-2020 squeeze — explain most closures better than any menu ever did.
Travel News
Reporting on restaurant economics in New York: lease terms and commercial rent, labor rules and wage floors, delivery platform commissions, liquor licensing, insurance and build-out costs. Coverage explains why rooms close in good locations and open in unlikely ones. For operators, investors and curious regulars.
The economics deciding which New York restaurants survive: commercial rent, wage rules, delivery commissions, liquor licensing and the cost of a build-out.
Why that mystery line on your Manhattan check just got a new rulebook
A city rule on restaurant surcharges took effect in April, and a state law on credit-card fees has been on the books since 2024 — here's what a diner is actually owed at the bottom of the bill.
Two car-free Manhattan Saturdays left — and they overlap Restaurant Week
Summer Streets opened its Manhattan run on August 1; the DOT's remaining dates, August 8 and 15, put a car-free corridor next to Restaurant Week tables through August 16.
NYC Summer Restaurant Week bookings open today — the program runs July 20 to August 16
Reservations for the summer edition of NYC Restaurant Week open July 14, with the prix fixe program running four weeks from July 20 and some restaurants extending to Labor Day weekend.
More than 100 free World Cup watch parties, five boroughs — and food a block from every screen
The city unveiled its watch-party roster on June 11 as the tournament opened, with big screens in parks, plazas and theaters and dining rows all around them.
Outdoor dining is back for 2026 — but there are far fewer sheds than you remember
The Dining Out NYC season returned with spring, and only a fraction of the pandemic-era roadway sheds made it: roughly 2,100 to 2,450 permits citywide.
World Cup fan zones for New York are set — and restaurants are a short walk from every screen
Announced in late April 2026 with $20 million in state backing, the city's free fan zones put match-day crowds at the doorstep of some of the city's most reliable dining rows.
New York drew 64.7 million visitors in 2025 — and the city expects 66.3 million this year
NYC Tourism + Conventions' annual report, released in March 2026, shows record hopes deferred by a 17% drop in international travel — with a 2026 rebound projected.
Spring 2026 in New York: the openings visitors should plan a dinner around
March brought one of the stronger opening waves in recent seasons — a London import, a steakhouse, and a slate of debuts worth building an itinerary on.
The Liberty State Park World Cup fan fest is off — here's where that leaves the food plan
New Jersey cancelled the official FIFA Fan Festival at Liberty State Park four months before kickoff, and the dining around it has to replan.