No one has to know how you eat at home. Photo by Amy Lombard.
By Carol Tannenhauser
“Restaurant Week To Go” — the pandemic version of the semi-annual event — kicked off on Monday, January 25th, and it’s setting records. The largest number of eateries ever — 571 throughout the five boroughs — are participating, and 41 are on the Upper West Side.
Update: It’s been extended to Feb. 28!
Here’s the deal: lunch and/or dinner, including an entree and a side, for $20.21. Plus, if you have a MasterCard, one of the event’s sponsors, you can register at nycgo.com, and you’ll get $10 off every transaction of $20.21 and over.
“The 29-year-old program is popular with diners who see it as an opportunity to try out restaurants that might ordinarily be out of their price range,” the New York Post observed. “In the past, reservations for some popular eateries could be hard to score during the promotion.”
That won’t be a problem for diners this round, and restaurants will be free of the normal fees of participation, which can run as high as $2,800. Restaurant Week To Go is scheduled to end on January 31st, but could be extended.
Here are the participating restaurants on the Upper West Side:
Curious if restaurants will make money on this? Are we better off supporting them by ordering on their regular menu (and not seamless!).
I understand why the offerings are modest not high priced fish or steaks but the RW deal seems higher priced then the regular menu prices at some. I wanted to try something new but I’ll avoid and just support my usual places
The options at these restaurants for the price are not good at all. No selections…seems to be a set meal. As someone mentioned, you’re better off ordering from the restaurants regular menu. I don’t see any tho interesting
The set/prix fixe menu is typical for restaurant weeks in most places (in NYC and out). Obviously it’s cool if you’re not interested, but I always look forward to these things to try something new. 🙂
For the past 20 years there is always a set menu for restaurant week prices. Usually a choice of 2-3 entrees and a appetizer. The choices offered seem fare.
I’m not sure what you’re looking at, but most restaurants DON’T have options. It’s a set meal unlike previous years. If there was a selection, that’d be a different story.
This is great news! Thank you so much for posting the list of participating restaurants. I wasn’t aware that half of them had even reopened (in any form).
Agreed. For takeout it would be hard to pack up multi course meals, but some places are counting potato chips or a dish’s usual accompaniments as the required side dish.
Some of the places have posted photos on instagram. This attempt may backfire since I see what just looks like standard cheap takeout at higher prices., many standard pasta and sandwich options.
Hoping for some real economic help for our beloved neighborhood restaurants!
It is well-known that you cannot expect the actual menu of a restaurant that participates in Restaurant Week. As my friend who worked in one told me – its second string line cooks cranking out tons of basic inexpensive dishes, and if you really want to try the restaurant you have to go when it is NOT Restaurant Week.
My guess is those “second string line cooks” are far superior than anything you can whip up in the kitchen. Please don’t denigrate kitchen staff who work incredibly hard under stressful conditions
I suspect that standard restaurant week menus are loss leaders to try to attract new customers, but loss leaders are not appropriate for the restaurants’ current situation.
In these difficult economic times, it is especially important to patronize your neighborhood restaurants.
With indoor dining banned, take out and catering are their only source of income. When ordering take out, why not tip as if you were dinning indoors? My wife and I don’t mind occasionally paying a little more to help our favorite restaurants survive. Don’t forget your cook and server. We try to tip 20 percent against the total bill including taxes. If it is an odd amount, we round up to the next dollar.
These people are our neighbors. Thousands have already had to permanently close their doors. The remaining restaurants are barely hanging on. Who knows how many more weeks or months will go by, before they can reopen indoor dinning with 25%, 50% followed by another return to full 100% capacity?
There are over one hundred thousand NYC residents whose livelihood depends on restaurants that are still out of work. This includes bar tenders, waiters, bus boys, cooks and cashiers. Wholesale food sellers, distributors, delivers, linen suppliers are also at a loss. There are also construction contractors and their employees, who renovate or build new restaurants.
Our local entrepreneurs work long hours, pay taxes and provide local employment especially to students during the summer. If we don’t patronize our local restaurants, they don’t eat either.
Larry Penner
Larry Penner, I think you’re terrific.
I tried last night and just now to schedule a pick up from Epicerie Boulud and Rosa Mexicano and was unable to. This whole thing is badly organized. I want to help these restaurants and I don’t think they should make it difficult for consumers to order take out.
I think Rosa Mexicano is closed Monday and Tuesdays
At the base price of $20.21 it really is no great deal. But if you use the MasterCard promo and are paying $10.21, it is a very good deal – most meals are valued somewhere in between the two price points.
Does anyone know how the economics of that works out? I want to support local restaurants but if they are paying Mastercard most of the incremental $10, I will just order of the regular menu as it seems like it would hurt the restaurants.
I have just a couple of words that are sent with the deepest appreciation – thank you.
I was anxious to help these restaurants, but almost none are offering vegetarian options.
People, the City and the restaurants are trying to get the motor running. What if the menu is mediocre?
I for one am ordering 10 to be delivered when I get back.
Let’s all help each other.
Thank you.
Sam Koo, many people are supporting restaurants and are continuing to order off the regular menus. We’re just pointing out that the restaurant week promotion is not working out as planned. Many people posted online that the web sites are not working and the Mastercard promotion link was broken. Sometimes doing things badly causes more damage to a reputation than not doing it at all.
Please note, there is a section for black-owned restaurants on the website. Good time to support them!
We love WESTSIDE RAG.
Valuable info regularly.
Keep up the splendid work !
Has anyone tried to register for MasterCard’s $10 discount? It doesn’t work for anyone I know. I’m wondering if MasterCard or the restaurants pay the $10. I hope it’s not the restaurants.
Let’s all try to support our restaurants during these terrible times. I order pick-up because deliveries tend to come slowly and the food gets cold.