Somehow he strikes the tone of a tender note in his last takedown.
sharipep
🥺
Extension-Current921
He’s right, more than ever now eating out in nyc isn’t what is once was.
Fragdict
Pete, you’ll be missed. The next critic has big shoes to fill.
Personally, and I think I speak for all Millennials here, I’d hate to make a phone call to place a reservation. And I’d be worried my reservation got misplaced. Reservations systems are great except for the Resy bots.
Many fine dining restaurants feel like an assembly line now. Get in and get out within ninety minutes. Clear the table for the next guests. Dishes are served almost robotically. Noise levels are indeed too high. And the worst offender is when tables are spaced so close together you might as well be in a large group with your table neighbors.
No-Survey3001
I enjoy eating at halal carts and ordering takeout more than ever!
yeezypeasy
His point about fine dining and tasting menus is really exemplified at /r/finedining. I do enjoy looking at the pictures, but it really seems like these restaurants and experiences are all interchangeable and could be anywhere in the world.
mr_zipzoom
Hear, hear. I miss what going out used to feel like. Last decade has been steady demoralizing and I am basically done with it.
Authentic_chop_suey
This is an important essay that everyone interested in the hospitality industry should read.
UncreativeTeam
Between COVID decimating restaurants, hourly wage workers moving away from NYC, landlords jacking up rent, the price of supplies going up, the increasingly hostile environment for immigrants, outdoor dining going away, a single viral negative review having the ability to tank a business, and inflation making it harder for consumers to go out… what the privileged consider “cutting corners” is a survival tactic.
No one picks up the phone anymore? Boo hoo. Restaurants give you a free dessert for your birthday? The nerve!
Ironic that the only point I wholeheartedly agree with (the scourge of bots eating up all the reservations to resell) is a result of people like Pete contributing to the hype cycles of those very same restaurants, which created demand for those reservations in the first place.
j_ha17
Is he retiring bc restaurants aren’t paying enough attention to him anymore?
roleplay_oedipus_rex
His thoughts are pretty wild given he reviewed restaurants for 12 years… this article makes him sound like he only eats at the latest places TikTok has hyped up and is butthurt that he has no taste.
As for that app where you tip before even sitting down, get the fuck out.
Cartadimusica
He left a bittersweet note to his readers. So sad yet so true.
kuyene
Somewhat tangential but I really feel like NYC’s dining scene has gotten worse post-lockdown
offalshade
After 12 years of reviewing restaurants, this is the best he can come up with for a farewell essay? Talking about how impersonal it is to make a reservation on an app? Lame man. Very lame
RaptorEsquire
Oh no, I have to use an app to make reservations. Come on, man.
jblue212
Every word is true.
Cartadimusica
Anywhere that’s featured in Tik Yorkers’ feed without the business’ monetary exchange I steer clear.
GemandI63
My husband was a food critic for 8 years. Everything about it is true and experienced by my husband too. (He even spoke to Pete on occasion) Weight gain, poor health, staff trying to guess your identity, having to go several times to a bad place so you don’t ding on a just-off night. It’s kinda a grind. Ordering from app’s to dessert and several times of each. We took neighbors, friends, begged people to come and order bc it looks weird for one person to order 4 apps at a time alone etc.
heartoftuesdaynight
I’ll always take the hole-in-the-wall mom and pop shop over any of the pretentious fine dining establishments that try to convince you that they’re totally unique and unlike any of the other identical places.
I think the dining scene in NYC post-instagram era has gotten worse as presentation (and price/exclusivity) has become so much more key than just serving up genuinely good food and becoming a local hotspot.
Also I swear to god if I see one more asshole sitting at a crowded restaurant doing a fucking photoshoot at their table with a portable lightbox I will lose my fucking mind.
Roo10011
A lot of servers in these “fine”dining don’t speak English well and i have to strain myself to understand them, which makes it even more difficult to enjoy.
Roo10011
The required minimum tip at 20% is also a major turnoff from these “fin” dining restaurants.
BigOlSandwichBoy
I was wondering what that nagging feeling of depression has been when I go and pay exorbitantly for a meal and leave feeling like nothing happened. I think it’s this.
24 Comments
So spot on, dining out has been as transactional as ever. Everything’s an up charge and every meal out feels like a borderline ripoff
I feel like this [NYTimes article (Gift Link)](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/nyregion/nyc-restaurants-virtual-remote.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BU4.bO3a.KOPKjXbfJyF5&smid=url-share) from April about how some NY restaurants are using hostess/cashiers from the Philippines via Zoom is a perfect example of how some things aren’t changing for the better lol.
Somehow he strikes the tone of a tender note in his last takedown.
🥺
He’s right, more than ever now eating out in nyc isn’t what is once was.
Pete, you’ll be missed. The next critic has big shoes to fill.
Personally, and I think I speak for all Millennials here, I’d hate to make a phone call to place a reservation. And I’d be worried my reservation got misplaced. Reservations systems are great except for the Resy bots.
Many fine dining restaurants feel like an assembly line now. Get in and get out within ninety minutes. Clear the table for the next guests. Dishes are served almost robotically. Noise levels are indeed too high. And the worst offender is when tables are spaced so close together you might as well be in a large group with your table neighbors.
I enjoy eating at halal carts and ordering takeout more than ever!
His point about fine dining and tasting menus is really exemplified at /r/finedining. I do enjoy looking at the pictures, but it really seems like these restaurants and experiences are all interchangeable and could be anywhere in the world.
Hear, hear. I miss what going out used to feel like. Last decade has been steady demoralizing and I am basically done with it.
This is an important essay that everyone interested in the hospitality industry should read.
Between COVID decimating restaurants, hourly wage workers moving away from NYC, landlords jacking up rent, the price of supplies going up, the increasingly hostile environment for immigrants, outdoor dining going away, a single viral negative review having the ability to tank a business, and inflation making it harder for consumers to go out… what the privileged consider “cutting corners” is a survival tactic.
No one picks up the phone anymore? Boo hoo. Restaurants give you a free dessert for your birthday? The nerve!
Ironic that the only point I wholeheartedly agree with (the scourge of bots eating up all the reservations to resell) is a result of people like Pete contributing to the hype cycles of those very same restaurants, which created demand for those reservations in the first place.
Is he retiring bc restaurants aren’t paying enough attention to him anymore?
His thoughts are pretty wild given he reviewed restaurants for 12 years… this article makes him sound like he only eats at the latest places TikTok has hyped up and is butthurt that he has no taste.
As for that app where you tip before even sitting down, get the fuck out.
He left a bittersweet note to his readers. So sad yet so true.
Somewhat tangential but I really feel like NYC’s dining scene has gotten worse post-lockdown
After 12 years of reviewing restaurants, this is the best he can come up with for a farewell essay? Talking about how impersonal it is to make a reservation on an app? Lame man. Very lame
Oh no, I have to use an app to make reservations. Come on, man.
Every word is true.
Anywhere that’s featured in Tik Yorkers’ feed without the business’ monetary exchange I steer clear.
My husband was a food critic for 8 years. Everything about it is true and experienced by my husband too. (He even spoke to Pete on occasion) Weight gain, poor health, staff trying to guess your identity, having to go several times to a bad place so you don’t ding on a just-off night. It’s kinda a grind. Ordering from app’s to dessert and several times of each. We took neighbors, friends, begged people to come and order bc it looks weird for one person to order 4 apps at a time alone etc.
I’ll always take the hole-in-the-wall mom and pop shop over any of the pretentious fine dining establishments that try to convince you that they’re totally unique and unlike any of the other identical places.
I think the dining scene in NYC post-instagram era has gotten worse as presentation (and price/exclusivity) has become so much more key than just serving up genuinely good food and becoming a local hotspot.
Also I swear to god if I see one more asshole sitting at a crowded restaurant doing a fucking photoshoot at their table with a portable lightbox I will lose my fucking mind.
A lot of servers in these “fine”dining don’t speak English well and i have to strain myself to understand them, which makes it even more difficult to enjoy.
The required minimum tip at 20% is also a major turnoff from these “fin” dining restaurants.
I was wondering what that nagging feeling of depression has been when I go and pay exorbitantly for a meal and leave feeling like nothing happened. I think it’s this.