BroadwayWorld Strike Coverage On the Scene: The Restaurants

The Broadway Strike of 2007 continued on Sunday, affecting not only audiences, but also many of the Theater District restaurants that serve them. As the traditional Sunday curtain time of 7PM drew closer on Day 2, some restaurants were filled with happy diners. Others were nearly empty. As they waited for customers to wait upon, the owners, managers, and staff of the restaurants tried to keep their spirits up, and waited for a resolution to the walk-out.

Some restaurateurs did not feel that the strike had adversely impacted their business. Jefferson, a bartender at Rachel's, said that the popular 9th Avenue bistro was "very busy" last night. "For the most part we filled up the restaurant," he said. "It was not as bad as I thought it would be." 

A few blocks up 9th Avenue at the Film Center Café, Rebecca said that business had been normal since the strike began. "Perhaps it's because we're a couple blocks removed," she said. "I haven't seen a lot of disgruntled patrons."

At Nizza, a new Italian eatery on 9th Avenue, co-owner Robert said that diners were making their reservations for later in the evening, and taking longer to enjoy their meals. "The pre-theater [crowd] last night was a little slower than it would have been," he said. "But post-theater was much lighter than we had been anticipating." Still, he added, "It could have been a lot worse. I haven't seen too many disappointed theater-goers. My staff is in good spirits so far. We hope this won't go on too long. I'm hoping it's taken care of before next weekend."

However further up on 9th Avenue, seafood restaurant The Blue Point was mostly empty. Owner Juliet was distressed over the lack of business. "We didn't have the crowds we usually have," she said. "People didn't show, and others canceled their reservations. I'm not very happy about this strike."

Restaurant Row, normally bustling with pre-theater diners, seemed largely quiet if not entirely calm. Johan, the manager of Da Rosina, was relieved that the popular Italian eatery had done good business on Saturday (Day 1 of the Strike). "It hasn't affected us very much," he said, but added that he hoped the strike would end by midnight on Sunday. "During the week, I won't make that much," he said. Next door, at French restaurant La Rivage, Gisele said that Saturday was not so bad. "Yesterday, the people didn't know, so that's why they came to the city, and they had their lunch and dinner and enjoyed their day," she said. "But today really affected us. Today, you see the restaurant is almost empty, and usually it's full."

Nino, a waiter at popular Restaurant Row steakhouse Joe Allen, estimated that business had dropped about 30 to 35% since the strike began. "Brunch wasn't too bad," he said about Sunday's business, and quipped that the customers, rather than being disgruntled, "are happy to get reservations." Instead, he said, it's the restaurant's employees who are worried. "We're coming into the holiday season," he said, "and this is when we make our money." Most people he's spoken to, he added, are simply hoping for a speedy resolution to the conflict.  "What we want is the best thing for the shows, for Broadway."

His sentiment was echoed by almost everyone in the restaurants, all of them eager to see a return to normalcy. New York's theatre and restaurant industries are unequivocally linked, and anything affecting one will affect the other, whether for better or worse. "We work with the theatres," said Gisele of La Rivage as she looked across her largely empty restaurant, "so if there's no theatre, there's no work for us."

Photos by Jena Tesse Fox: (top) Empty tables at Joe Allen; (bottom) Johan outside Da Rosina