Where should you grab lunch in Midtown today? DNAinfo New York has made it easy to choose! By launching an interactive food finder, the viewer will be able to navigate through the hundreds of restaurant and fast-casual eateries available in Midtown. The food finder first prompts the viewer to choose where they are located (midtown north, south, or east). Following this selection the food finder generates a list of different types of foods to help the viewer figure out what they are in the mood for (Mexican, Middle Easter, Soup/Salad, etc.). After the meal type is selected, the viewer is prompted to state their desired lunch budget, and the food finder will show a list of restaurants that meet the criteria.

For the initial rollout DNAinfo has included 36 popular Midtown eateries to choose from but the selection will continue to grow. The website also allows for the viewer to send along suggestions of good recommended lunch spots either by leaving a comment directly on the site or by letting them know via Twitter: @DNAinfo.com New York.

To check out the interactive food finder for lunch in midtown click here!

Brookfield Place, the upper level of the World Financial Center, houses Hudson Eats: a food hall consisting of 14 different eateries. Hudson Eats is not comparable to a food court, it is more upscale  with marble countertops, walnut furniture and custom light fixtures. Some of the eateries include known lunchtime establishments such as Num Pang sandwich shop or Black Seed Bagels, whom are both serving the same $10 meals that are found in their standalone shops. It is five times cheaper to be operating out of Hudson Eats than it is at a standalone shop.

Hudson Eats is one of the new food halls that are cropping up around the U.S and across the globe. These new “upgraded food courts” are targeted towards a white-collar working audience who seek an easy and appetizing lunch. Other food halls in Manhattan that are comparable to Hudson Eats include the Chelsea Market, Gotham West market, Plaza Food Hall, and Mario Batali’s Eataly. Rumor is that Anthony Bourdain also has plans to open an international street-eats bazaar. .

Edward Hogan, the national director of leasing at Brookfield Office Properties who own Hudson Eats. has stated, “This customer is more educated…they want fast casual food, and they want to be impressed.” To read more about the Food Hall trend in Manhattan, click here

Transportation officials hope to transform Penn Station into a complex where travelers are eager to experience the dining and retail offerings at the hub; similar to Grand Central Terminal where travelers can choose from various good coffee, dining and retail options, such as Shake Shack’s burgers, the GCT Market or Michael Jordan’s steaks. As it stands now, Penn Station is lined with cases of (probably day-old) soft pretzels, less than average pizza slices and grab and go food establishments. The frequent insect sitings, dim flickering lighting, low ceilings and visible homeless population certainly do not add to the experience either.

Several restaurants operated by Riese Organization in spaces owned by Vornado Realty Trust within Penn Station are expected to close, however it remains unclear whether or not they will be immediately replaced or if these spaces will be closed to make room for higher-end dining options. The owner of the station along with other Amtrak officials have stated that it would be challenging to have a fast turnover given the layout of the building and overcrowding concerns; they did, however, agree that there is a definite push towards a change to upgrade.

Moynihan Station, which is a future planned rail hub construction across eighth avenue, is intended to be built to resemble Grand Central Terminal in the sense that it will offer enticing dining and retail options. Amtrak’s principal of capital program development, Jeff Gerlach, has mentioned that new retail and food additions are more likely to be found in the Moynihan Station project over the next several years.

To read more about the efforts to upgrade New York City’ Pennsylvania Station, click here

There is an interesting phenomenon occurring in the New York City Food Scene: that of fake scarcity. Food establishments are making their products or dishes hard to get as opposed to boasting a bountiful fully-stocked quantity of their products. This is the case in the fashion industry, where consumers will line up for coveted limited-edition limited-supply designer pieces, which makes sense to a certain degree, however should this also be the case for lunch or  a pastry? Totonno’s pizzeria in Coney Island is known for the times when customers used to be ushered away because the pizzeria had run out of dough, causing customers to line up early to ensure this wouldn’t happen to them. They now operate with sufficient dough for the demand, however the hype and memory of the frenzy that was caused by the running out of dough at Totonno’s will remain. This seems ironic, however the limited availability of a product and the hype that ensues if a product ‘runs out’ (although designed this way) gives the guest the impression that it must be an outstanding product worth lining up for.

A great example of this phenomenon is Dominique Ansel’s cronut. New Yorkers are willing to start queuing at the crack of dawn to get their hands on one of the 450 $5 croissant-donut hybrids. For those who are not willing to line up early, there is a “cronut black market” where the item can be made available for $40 each. Another example is at a restaurant downtown in SoHo called Raoul’s. Raoul’s is known for only making 12 hamburgers per day. 12 hamburgers. The line begins to form at 4:30 PM, an hour before the kitchen opens, and if you are lucky to get to order one of these 12 burgers you may only enjoy it at the bar. David Honeysett, chef at Raoul’s admits that, “If anyone could order a burger, it would really interfere with dinner service..Our check average now is much higher than what a burger would produce.”

Clark Wolf, a local restaurant consultant sums up the fake scarcity phenomenon by expressing that, “In New York, people love getting what they can’t have or fighting for it..running out can create drama and notoriety.” To read more about the marketing principle of limited supply in the New York City food scene, click here