Deranged diners, inflation and staff shortages: American restaurants are struggling

Covid rules have been lifted – but things aren’t back to normal for staff or customers

By any concrete rubric, restaurants in New York City are the same as they’ve always been. All the pieces are intact – there are new, exciting restaurants; there are old, exciting restaurants. According to New York Magazine, this fall is “the busiest opening season in years”.

Since the city’s vaccine mandate was lifted back in February after nearly two years of no indoor dining and limited capacity, there are have been no formal rules at all. Things are normal. Better than normal. “Every single month is our strongest month ever,” Resy CEO, Alexander Lee, told the Atlantic; it had been true for all of 2022, he said, and he saw no signs demand for reservations would be slowing down.