Andrea Strong

1 week ago | ny.eater.com | Andrea Strong

Photo by: Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Earlier this week, 250 street vendors, elected officials, restaurant owners, and advocates rallied in the pouring rain on the steps of City Hall ahead of a critical Council hearing to advance the Street Vendor Reform Package. The legislative reforms, which were first introduced in February 2024, are aimed at addressing vendors’ long-standing concerns about access to business permits and protection from police crackdowns.

2 weeks ago | ny.eater.com | Andrea Strong

Brandon Hoy had a problem. It was 2007, and the restaurateur behind Foul Witch and Blanca was building the original Roberta’s in Bushwick when his plumber quit, leaving a graveyard of pipes and a pipe cutter behind. Hoy was pissed, but he had an epiphany. He needed to build the bases for bar stools, tables, and chairs. “I had this cutter. I am handy. I figured it out quickly,” he said, reflecting on how he repurposed his plumber’s abandoned pipes into restaurant furniture.

1 month ago | postguam.com | Andrea Strong

2025 was supposed to be the year of the maximalist restaurant in New York City. Buzz as big as the arena-size spaces heralded the openings of spots such as Crane Club, La Tête d’Or and Time & Tide. Instead, it’s the city’s tiny dining rooms that are grabbing outsize headlines. Cozy places, with as few as 20 seats, a maximum of a dozen tables and a footprint of as little as 350 square feet, are now the hottest spots in town.

1 month ago | crainsnewyork.com | Andrea Strong

The trend is grounded in more than just the cozycore vibe of a snug room. There are the obvious economic advantages: Costs from rent to labor to gas and ingredients are inevitably lower—no small consideration in a year of economic uncertainty. Operators have more flexibility in finding a compact space, which is key as rents are on the rise; there’s also more license to be quirky.

1 month ago | bloomberg.com | Andrea Strong

2025 was supposed to be the year of the maximalist restaurant in New York City. Buzz as big as the arena-size spaces heralded the openings of spots such as Crane Club, La Tête d’Or and Time & Tide. Instead, it’s the city’s tiny dining rooms that are grabbing outsize headlines.