New Restaurant Trend In Detroit – And It’s About Time
Is it wrong that I’m excited about this restaurant trend in Detroit (and America?).
“The Wall Street Journal” just did a big article on an emerging trend: Suddenly, a lot more of us are EARLY BIRDS for some reason.
Restaurants are now seating 10% of customers between 2:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M. That’s up from 5% in 2019.
They’re also closing earlier, because it doesn’t make financial sense to stay open. Getting a reservation at 7:00 P.M. can be easier than at 5:00 now . . . it’s always been the opposite of that. And the new trend is to close the kitchen around 8:00. (Had this happen a couple of weeks ago – went to get a reservation and only 7pm was available – so this trend seems to be accurate)
Uber says trips to restaurants between 4:00 and 5:00 P.M. are up almost 10% since 2019. And rides to restaurants after 8:00 P.M. are down 9%.
They’re not the only ones adjusting. Even Broadway shows are starting earlier now. 8:00 P.M. used to be the norm for a Friday show. But now a third of them are starting at 7:00 P.M. on Fridays.
So why are people shifting from night owls to early birds? No one’s sure, but here are two theories.
- It’s become trendier for young people to be healthy, avoid alcohol, and get a full night’s sleep. So that’s one possible factor.
- Working from home might be another one. If you don’t have to drive home and get ready before you go out, you can meet up with people earlier. Plus, skipping out of work early is easier if your boss isn’t there.
How do YOU feel about eating dinner earlier in the day? I don’t have a problem with it (although when you get up early to do a morning show you’d ideally like to eat dinner at 3pm…lol).
And BTW if you’re looking for a place to eat – might I suggest some of these fine restaurants that we visited on our “Restaurant Road Trips”