New York dining boom
A record number of restaurants opened in New York City during the past year, says the latest survey from Zagat.
The number of openings, at 311, compares with an average of 227 a year over the past ten years.
Closings fell for the third year in a row, with only 89 restaurants shutting up shop. This compares with a high of 127 closures in 1996.
The pace of eating out also picked up sharply, with New Yorkers eating out on average 3.6 times a week, against just 3.2 times a week last year.
The average amount spent by diners on their meals rose by 5.9% to $35.14 a head, including one drink and a tip. This was the highest single-year increase in more than a decade and well above the average 2%-3% annual rate during the 1990s.
While New York remains the most expensive city in the USA for eating out, it is still good value compared with Paris ($40.47), London ($42.24) and Tokyo ($64.77).
The city's 20 most expensive restaurants registered a 9.5% increase in the average bill, which rose to $76.73.
Most popular restaurant was the Union Square Café. It took the title for the fifth year in a row.
A major trend recorded by Zagat was the surge in the number of brasserie-style restaurants, but casual neighbourhood restaurants accounted for the largest number of newcomers.
Such restaurants are known as "Baths" (better alternatives to home) and frequenting them has become a way of life for working couples and families with young children, says the survey.
Diners surveyed by Zagat said they get 56% of their lunches and dinners from restaurants or take-aways.
Top of the list of complaints about restaurants was service (58%), followed by overcrowding (8%), reservations (7%) and high prices (6%).
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