It looks like your grandparents had the right idea all along—5 p.m. is the new highly-coveted reservation time for restaurants across the country. With the time no longer reserved for early bird specials, diners are flocking to restaurants long before dark so they can enjoy their evenings out and still call it a night by 8 or 9 p.m. According to a Yelp's 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry report, habits have shifted, and earlier meals are growing in popularity—even the demand for 4 p.m. reservations nearly doubled.
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It doesn't matter what day of the week it is either. Where it was once a challenge to get a 7:30 p.m. reservation at any hot spot on a Saturday night, Yelp's report reveals that for each day of the week, the number of reservations between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. has doubled since 2019.
Even in New York City, where it's normally unheard of to eat before 8:00 p.m., many foodies have shifted their reservations to the now-coveted 5:00 p.m. time slot.
"If I'm going out for a nice high-end meal, I always opt for the 5:30 p.m. reservation," high school teacher Katie Mark told Resy. "I don't want to be in a rush. I want to get a cocktail, talk about the menu, enjoy the meal, and I always get dessert. And then I don't feel exhausted the next day."
While diners are opting for earlier meals, that doesn't mean they're cutting costs. Unlike the two-for-one deals older adults enjoy due to the over-65 deals that are offered by many establishments, younger diners are choosing to indulge in fancier dining experiences—but still beginning at the 5:00 hour. Yelp reports that, conversely, people aren't as interested in less expensive restaurants either, with some states' lower-end digs dipping by between 10 to 12% consumer interest.
If you're planning a special night out at a popular restaurant and want to jump on the early dining trend, you may want to make a reservation for a 5 p.m. table—and sooner, rather than later. It's not just your grandparents who are eating early anymore. Everyone just wants to be in their pajamas by 9:00.