After generations like “The City That Never Sleeps,” New Yorkers are waking up to the realization that many of their favorite nightspots are closing early.
When shops, restaurants and bars all started closing from about 10pm two years ago, it was understandably attributed to the economy wreaking havoc with the COVID-19 pandemic and its endless restrictions.
But many late-night businesses have avoided returning to non-stop hours, leading to complaints that the Big Apple’s famous nightlife has been severely curtailed.
Older New Yorkers reminisce about going to the movies at 10 p.m. in their youth and going to a diner from 1 a.m. for a leisurely dinner.
But one of the city’s most famous casual eateries, Veselka in the East Village, no longer offers that option. The Ukrainian restaurant now closes at midnight.
At Veselka, a beloved Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village, customers complained that the open spot now closes at midnight
In Chinatown, the small lo mein restaurant Wo Hop was known for its 24-hour service. It ended the practice during the pandemic and now closes at 9pm
Despite an ‘open 24 hours’ sign out the front, L’Express now closes at 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and at 11pm the rest of the week
Similarly, dim sum spot Wo Hop in Chinatown — once a favorite for post-club snacks or even breakfast — now closes at 9 p.m.
The French bistro L’Express on Park Avenue closes at 2 a.m. at the latest, despite the awnings still promising 24-hour service.
And it’s not just restaurants. A famous 24-hour bowling alley in Queens, Whitestone Lanes, now closes at 2am.
And an unfortunately-named branch of 24-Hour Fitness in Kew Gardens, Queens, is pulling down the shutters at 10 p.m.
Locals blame rising costs – for businesses and consumers alike.
Many workers who helped keep New York’s 24-hour economy afloat can no longer pay rent in Manhattan or Brooklyn, with the prospect of long commutes and unsociable hours an unappealing combination.
Others complain that it’s hard to enjoy even the most basic nights out for less than $50.
Some New Yorkers even worry that locals have gotten used to relaxing at home while watching Netflix shows, rather than venturing out to explore a city famous for its dazzling variety of nightlife. .
Whitestone Lanes, a bowling alley in Queens, was known to be open 24 hours a day, but now closes at 2 a.m.
A 24-hour fitness center in Kew Gardens has decided to shun its name and close at 10pm.
“I didn’t expect this restaurant’s bedtime to be earlier than mine,” commented New York magazine food columnist Tammie Teclemariam last year, who noted how a Tribeca eatery kicked customers out as late as 9:30 p.m.
Her experience was one that seemingly frustrated business owners and customers alike, who lament how inflation drove up prices and streaming services put everyone to bed.
“In the beginning, people would go to the movies at ten o’clock on a Friday night and eat out and eat until one in the morning. Now we never see that again,” said a restaurant owner, who agreed with Teclemariam when he entered WNYC podcast when she joined this week.
We close at 10 a.m. on weekdays, and at 11 a.m. on weekends. People go home and watch Netflix, I think.”
Katz Deli, one of New York City’s most iconic small businesses, had to temporarily end its 24-hour service due to the pandemic
The source of New York City’s new habit of ending the night early is often attributed to the pandemic and its lingering effect on everyday life.
Forcing millions to work from home, an after-work drink or a bite to eat after a long shift was no longer an option, while the rampant inflation of the past year deterred the last nightly clientele.
Many companies also blame declining workforces for their struggles.
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“It’s really hard to find people, the people who do the dishes, who cook the food,” says Jason Birchard, the third-generation owner of the beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka in the East Village.
He told the New York Times that the city used to be filled with eager workers, including hopeful Broadway fans desperate for work. Now, he said, “you can be in Kansas and audition via Zoom.”
“The kitchen is closing — that’s a new thing,” added Shep Wahnon, who told the outlet that he had been a regular at Veselka’s since 1981, long before the “open 24 hours” sign outside wasn’t lit.
Like many locations, Veselka ceased 24-hour service during the pandemic and never returned as it now closes at midnight.
The loss of the Eastern European favorite was noted by Teclemariam during her podcast appearance, saying: “I remember Veselka, of course, which used to be open 24 hours a day and you see they have a queue out the door.”
“It’s not about whether or not they’d have the business, but the whole thing about going to Veselka used to be like, yeah, we’d go there at 3 a.m. after a bunch of drinks and then you could have a bunch of latkes. Now it’s not the same bite,” she added.
The Ukrainian restaurant’s dissatisfied customers aren’t alone, however, as it’s one of countless New York City locations to bring their closing times forward.
Tammie Teclemariam, New York Magazine’s food columnist, called the early closures in New York City “really disappointing”
In Chinatown, a lo mein institution called Wo Hop was known throughout Manhattan as the place to go for noodles any time of night. When the pandemic hit it had to close at 9pm and never returned to its old ways.
The small restaurant had been a fixture in the area since 1938, but co-owner David Leung, whose family has run the venue for generations, said the town has become too dangerous for its “older staff.”
“We also don’t want them coming in late at night anymore… we’re concerned for their safety,” he said.
Park Avenue South, one of the city’s poshest neighborhoods, is home to the small French bistro L’Express, which prides itself on being ‘open 24 hours a day’.
Now the sign is still out front, but the venue actually closes at 11pm – except Fridays and Saturdays when it extends to 2am.
Likewise, tongue-in-cheek false advertising is found at Kew Gardens in eastern Brooklyn, where a 24-hour fitness center closes at 10 p.m. And in uptown Queens, the Limestone Lanes — a bowling alley popular with night owls — was no longer open 24 hours and closed at 2 a.m.
“I find it really disappointing that, like the essentials, it’s really hard to find a bodega in any neighborhood that makes sandwiches all night,” Teclemariam said.
Teclemariam called the loss of the all-night dinner “sad,” saying it means New York City loses the ready availability of almost anything you want, anytime.
“I think the city attracts a lot of people who don’t have schedules and don’t really have a normal — whether or not it’s because they like going to concerts all night or because they’re sleepless or writing. all night or whatever,” she said.
‘In addition to having a social place, just a bite to eat for people who work odd hours or people who have just woken up and need something to eat.
“Yeah, there’s just less social places, and I think that just adds to a lot of anxiety.” It’s just very expensive to go out and do something that isn’t in the park.”