Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 8

Fi ned &
FI LT ER ED

NOPAR KING
The New Restaurant Reality in NYC
by COREY WARREN

8

WINE & SPIRITS

Scenes such as these are now common. In an effort to
open up revenue streams for restaurants, the city government unilaterally and swiftly allowed a massive
expansion of outdoor dining. Public space formerly
allotted to parked cars was snatched up by businesses,
enclosed by barriers to city specifications, and populated by well-spaced tables.
Meanwhile, government statistics from early
August indicated that restaurants across the five
boroughs employed 193,000 fewer people than they
did in February. When workers begin to return, they
may find themselves wearing a few more hats than
when they left.
As restaurants have pivoted to delivery and takeout models, selling cocktails to go through curbside
windows, they're doing their best to adapt to the frequently changing city regulations and recommendations. Keens (a staid steakhouse that dates to 1885)
has been offering to-go meals as well, and its thirsty
diners have shown a propensity to splurge on wine,
even if it isn't served by the sommelier. So far, some
of the to-go sales include Turley Zin, Clos Erasmus
and even a 1963 Port.
Outdoor dining will continue in the city until October 31; in early August, the mayor's office announced
that it would bring back the program next summer
with the intent to make it a permanent yearly fixture,
and possibly extend the duration of the program (it
would currently run from June 1 to October 31). This
re-allocation of public space for the lively activity of
dining rather than the inactivity of parking is monumental: It's the largest single shift of public space

OCTOBER 2020

away from vehicles in years, and it's the first concrete,
likely permanent change to the function of restaurants due to the coronavirus.
However, not all restaurants would take advantage
of outdoor dining in a post-COVID world. "If we have
a rainy day, we do no business at all," says Conley.
"Decent weather, we do 40 or 45 covers. This is a restaurant that in July would normally be serving 800
people a day."
Many expensive restaurants are scaling back their
prices and adjusting their menu during the pandemic. Even Copenhagen's Noma functioned as an
outdoor burger joint for more than a month during
the summer. It's changing wine lists, too: In New
York, James Jusseaume at Aquavit in midtown, says,
"We're focusing on summery wines, whites and more
accessible selections." Downtown at L'Accolade, Clément Lapeyssonnie has found diners are "a bit more
curious now. I can get them to try anything."
There may be more seismic changes in the restaurant industry in the months to come. In early August,
a host of top NYC restaurateurs, including Danny
Meyer, Tom Colicchio and David Chang, announced
their support of a "Safe and Just Reopening" plan-
developed in part by One Fair Wage, an organization
that has for years pushed for the elimination of the
tipped minimum wage. The plan's four pillars (eliminate the tipped minimum, allow tip-sharing between
back- and front-of-house staff, payroll tax relief, and a
5 percent safe reopening surcharge) provide a potential roadmap for more fundamental changes in the
American restaurant.

PHOTO BY EMILY ANDREWS FOR ROCKWELL GROUP

NYC'S CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP
CLOSED DOWN MOTT STREET TO ALL
DAYTIME TRAFFIC TO ALLOW THE
INSTALLATION OF BARRICADES AND
PUBLIC SEATING FOR PATRONS OF ANY
NEARBY RESTAURANT TO USE. THE
CLOSURE IS PART OF DINEOUT NYC,
AN INITIATIVE CREATED BY THE NEW
YORK CITY HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE AND
THE ROCKWELL GROUP TO INSTALL
SIMILAR "OUTDOOR FOOD COURTS"
AROUND THE CITY. THEY'VE MADE THE
DESIGNS AVAILABLE AT ROCKWELLGROUP.COM/PROJECTS/DINEOUT-NYC.

James Conley surveys Keens Steakhouse's six tables of outdoor seating on 36th
Street in NYC. The tables sit six feet apart from each other, nestled against
barricades (36 inches tall, 8 feet into the street, with reflectors against the flow of
traffic). The air is sticky with summer heat and humidity. A delivery worker, his
handcart stacked with produce, pulls to a stop. Conley politely excuses himself
from the table to which he's just served two very chilled glasses of Prosecco. The
delivery driver can't park in his normal place as there are tables there. Conley,
formerly the beverage director, now the beverage-service-delivery-receptiondirector/patio captain/takeout sommelier receives the delivery mid-service
and brings it to the kitchen, checking to make sure that the packed to-go order
includes the requested bottle of Clos Erasmus.


http://www.rockwell-group.com/PROJECTS/DINEOUT-NYC http://www.rockwell-group.com/PROJECTS/DINEOUT-NYC

Wine & Spirits - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2020

Contents
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover1
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover2
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 1
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 2
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 3
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 4
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Contents
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 6
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 7
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 8
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 9
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 10
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 11
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 12
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 13
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 14
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 15
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 16
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 17
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 18
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 19
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 20
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 21
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 22
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 23
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 24
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 25
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 26
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 27
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 28
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 29
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 30
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 31
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 36
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 37
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 38
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 39
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 40
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 41
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 42
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 43
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 44
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 45
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 46
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 47
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 48
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 49
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 50
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 51
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 52
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 53
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 54
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 55
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 56
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 57
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 58
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 60
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 61
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 62
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 63
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 64
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 65
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 66
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 67
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 68
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 69
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 70
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 71
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 72
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 75
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 76
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 77
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 78
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 79
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 80
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 81
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 89
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 90
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 91
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 92
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 93
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 94
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 95
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 96
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 97
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 98
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 99
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 100
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 101
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 104
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 109
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 110
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 111
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 112
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover3
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover4
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