By Lisa Kava
If you are hoping to dine out at discount prices, you are in luck. NYC Restaurant Week 2022 is right around the corner. The title is misleading; the event, which takes place twice a year, once in January/February and once in July/August, actually continues for four weeks, not one. The winter event will begin on January 18th and end on February 13th. Restaurants may choose to participate for one, two, three, or all four weeks.
As of this article, 453 restaurants in NYC plan to participate in NYC Restaurant Week 2022, and 33 are located on the Upper West Side. More restaurants may still opt in. A two-course prix-fixed lunch costs either $29 or $39, and a three-course prix-fixed dinner costs $59, at participating restaurants. Saturdays are not included in the program, and Sunday participation is optional. You can get a $10 credit on your meal by paying with a Mastercard. Online reservations can be made on OpenTable or on the event website.
Last winter, all meals in the 2021 NYC Winter Restaurant Week were “to go,” due to the pandemic. Take-out and delivery are not an official part of the 2022 winter event, however some restaurants may choose to include food “to go” as part of their promotion. But take-out and delivery will not be eligible for the Mastercard credit.
NYC Restaurant Week was started in 1992 by Tim Zagat of The Zagat Survey, and Joe Baum, a NYC restaurateur as a one week promotional event that included lunch only.
Today, NYC Restaurant week is organized by NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization for the City of New York. It is part of a greater initiative called NYC Winter Outing, which provides a variety of discounted offers on NYC activities. The goal is to get New Yorkers and visitors “off the couch and living it up at attractions, restaurants, hotels and Broadway shows,” according to the event website. NYC Winter Outing also hosts NYC Broadway Week; NYC Must-See Week; and NYC Hotel Week. NYC Restaurant Week organizers hope the events will bring diners to restaurants that they might not ordinarily frequent because of higher prices.
Masks are required to enter the restaurants, along with proof of vaccination for those over the age of five. Covid-19 guidelines are stated on the event website:
“While New York City is open, Covid-19 remains a reality for all of us. We aim to provide you with the most current information about our NYC Winter Outing programs, but due to ongoing developments, we recommend checking with venues before you go. Proof of vaccination is required for everyone age 5 and over to participate in indoor activities, including dining in restaurants and attending Broadway shows.”
The following Upper West Side restaurants will participate in the January/ February NYC Restaurant Week 2022. This list is still evolving. Links to each participating UWS restaurant, with more information can be found here:
Call me old fashioned but a $30 or $40 lunch doesn’t strike me as a very attractive promition.
It’s a good deal if you’re going to an expensive restaurant that would normally cost more than $30-40 for lunch. However, many restaurants that participate are not that high-end and so it’s not a great deal.
Cafe Boulud, for example, on the UES used to have a 3-course $30 lunch during restaurant week, which was a steal! (They closed in 2020.)
Does it require a vaccination card?
Restaurant week is a big overpriced SCAM. BOYCOTT THEM.