New York Restaurant Week

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New York Restaurant Week, also known as NYC Restaurant Week, is an event held twice a year in which participating restaurants in New York City offer prix fixe lunches and dinners. At the finest restaurants, this can be a fraction of the usual prices.

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The event is held in early winter (January/February) and summer (June/July). Since its inception, Restaurant Week has seen an increase in appreciation, followers, and footfalls to such an extent that it has inspired people to create their own version of the event in various cities across the globe. [1]

History

Restaurant Week began as a lunch-only promotional event in 1992 and is considered the first "restaurant week" and the price was the year $19.92 (equivalent to $45in 2024). [2] Tim Zagat and Joe Baum are credited for the "first restaurant week". Tim Zagat in a 2010 The Atlantic article said that he did not see or dream of the possibility of using American Express and Coca-Cola as sponsors for future events at the time. [3]

A letter to the editor of The New York Times was published on July 15, 1992. In the letter, Emil William Chynn praised the organization of the first "restaurant week" during the Democratic National Convention, and he suggested that it becomes a yearly event with sponsors like Coca-Cola and American Express. [4]

Restaurant Week celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017, [5] The program continues twice a year as of 2025.

References

  1. McGeehan, Patrick (July 9, 2017). "The Siren Call of Restaurant Week, and How It All Started". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  2. Holt, Steve (August 17, 2012). "Why Restaurant Week Won't Die, Despite the Haters". The Atlantic Cities. Atlantic Media Company . Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  3. Zagat, Tim (August 10, 2010). "How Restaurant Week Became Restaurant Month". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  4. "Let's Do Some of This After the Convention Too". The New York Times. July 24, 1992. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  5. Harans, Julie (July 20, 2017). "Restaurant Weeks Boom as New York's Marks 25 Years". Wine Spectator. Retrieved May 23, 2020.