New York’s restaurant scene is often cited as one of the world’s most vibrant, but new research shows it has taken a big hit from the current global economic downturn.

Listen to an interview with Gabriella Gershenson, food editor at Time Out New York

Significant drop
Zagat’s annual survey covers 2,000 restaurants in New York and reveals a significant drop in the number of times people eat out each week; the figure fell from an average of 3.4 times a week in 2008 to just three times a week in 2009.
 
Recession
Tim Zagat, co-founder of the survey, said: “There’s no doubt that the recession seriously affected the New York restaurant industry. Yet the survey illustrates that the picture is far more nuanced than many reports suggest. It may come as a surprise, but the number of restaurant openings this year still exceeded the number of closings.”
 
Corporate hospitality
One of the main sectors hit by the financial downturn has been corporate hospitality. Zagat’s survey shows the private sector is no longer spending vast sums on client dinners.

Time Out New York magazine’s food editor Gabriella Gershenson told Radio Netherlands:

“I think a lot of restaurants were making money from banquets and office parties, and right now they’re dealing more directly with getting income from civilians. Before they had an umbilical cord to financial companies that give really big advantages to restaurants by sending people out to eat – that’s not really happening any more.”
 
More creativity
Gabriella Gershenson says restaurants are becoming more creative at finding ways to keep customers coming back, and that there has been a growth in the number of eateries offering cut price menus. And, she adds, the city’s famous food scene is strong enough to bounce back.

"People are so creative and from the high end to the low end there are new restaurants opening and there are new trends and the public is really enthusiastic about food, that’s not changing at all.

So although there have been some bruises recently in the dining scene I think there is enough interest to keep it live and relevant."