Four years ago the world was completely flipped on its head, experiencing almost too much change to handle. Between Black Lives Matter, crucial elections, and COVID policies, the tensions that spilled out into the streets divided people like nothing before. One of the industries most affected by this divide was the food industry, a constantly polarizing business reliant on personal preference.
As opinions have become even more divided, so has the restaurant scene. Since COVID, many restaurants have had to close their doors, turn off their lights for the last time, and be replaced by personality-less, fluorescently lit chain restaurants which have diminished the diversity of restaurants across New York City.
The Upper East Side of Manhattan has always had a special beauty, being both a center of commerce with Madison Avenue and all the glamorous shops and a charming neighborhood lined with family-owned restaurants, bakeries, and old brownstones. Over recent years though, that identity has been lost a little as corporate restaurants have taken advantage of family-owned restaurants, and run them out of business.
With the decrease of family restaurants and focus on inclusivity, the atmosphere of the Upper East Side has shifted. Fewer laughs are being heard while walking down 3rd Avenue. Fewer kids get to experience a free dessert while Happy Birthday is sung to them. In these chain restaurants, you will never encounter a birthday in which the whole restaurant stops to celebrate one customer which has made the specialness of dining out go down drastically due to the increase of a corporate feel while eating out.
The key advantage chain restaurants have is name recognition. According to a study by Alexander Kunst in 2024 over 85% of people could recognize Chipotle, Domino’s, and Applebee’s just by the logo. This statistic has also led to around 17% of family-owned restaurants permanently closing since 2020 (according to Business Insider). According to their Q3 report, Shake Shack is opening up 15 new locations with an overall growth of 18%. Audra Hicks, a former resident of the Upper East Side of New York said, “We take [local restaurants] for granted because they are always there until they aren’t and the decrease of diversity is caused by these chains having name recognition.”
The decreased restaurant diversity as noticed by Ms. Hicks has made her realize that humans are meant to blend together and experience new things. The world at different times has been a very divided place, yet one of the things that has often managed to bring people together no matter the period is food. The uniqueness of cuisines between cultures and races has led to some of the most unexpected friendships, dating as far back as the origins of Thanksgiving where the pilgrims and Native Americans shared a harvest and meal to try to form a friendship and bond between the two cultures. Unfortunately, as the diversity of restaurant options decreases, the ability to connect with new people and experience new cultures also decreases, which has had a larger impact on more than the human eye can see.
Local restaurant owner Luke Moraki said “As I notice restaurants around me shut down, I see that the food becomes more similar between the newer restaurants opening.” Mr. Moraki’s observation that the restaurants replacing and driving out local family establishments shows that restaurants are crucial to what makes a neighborhood. They are vital to the heart and soul of neighborhoods as they can connect a multitude of people who would have never interacted otherwise.
Restaurants are also able to educate us on global cultures in our own neighborhoods, as you may never get to go to Greece and eat souvlaki, but you can have a taste of Greece by sitting down at Ethos on 1st Ave. and having souvlaki and pita bread. Without the ability to experience new cultures and learn about them through food, it has become easier to be influenced on how to view others leading to people believing they don’t need diversity in their lives.
Part of what makes everyone unique is the differences between cultures. Once this uniqueness is understood and accepted, the world can become a more peaceful and accepting place. Restaurants are some of the greatest enablers of learning about different cultures, but with the invasion of corporate chain restaurants, the chance to learn about other cultures is deteriorating. This inability to learn and experience new cultures has had a larger impact on many neighborhoods including the Upper East Side, as it has enabled people to become less accepting of diversity and those different from themselves. Restaurants are crucial to the environment of every neighborhood as they connect people and help them become accepting through food and relationships. This is why family-owned restaurants must be protected from corporate restaurant chains to continue to allow us to become more accepting of everyone and appreciate diversity in our lives.