NEW
YORK, June 30, 2010 -- Zagat released the results of its 2010/11
New York City Nightlife Survey today. The new guide covers 1,014
nightspots rated and reviewed by 5,719 local night owls. Besides being
available in bookstores and newsstands, the guide can be accessed via
ZAGAT.com and ZAGAT TO GO for iPhone, Android and more.
Happy Anniversary: It's been 10
years since Zagat's first NYC nightlife survey was published in 2000
and in that time there has been a veritable nightlife
revolution. We saw the rise and fall (and rise again) of the
Meatpacking District, the emergence of mixology and witnessed the most
revolutionary change to nightlife since prohibition: the smoking ban.
Quite controversial initially, it quickly became accepted (and
appreciated). Neighborhoods that barely registered on the
nightlife radar in 2000 blossomed in the Aughts: the Bowery, Lower East
Side, Prospect Heights and Williamsburg. Speakeasies below
and rooftops above became all the rage.
On the Downside: Surveyors report
going out less - on average 1.8 times per week down from 2.3 at the
start of the decade. Most of this decline followed Wall Street's 2008
collapse. Before then the average times out per week was 2.0. One thing
that has definitely gone up is average cost of a drink, now $10.78 versus $7.20 in
2000. What's more, people are spending less per night - $51.25 this
year down from $56.59 two years ago. This is consistent
with responses to the question "What effect has the weak economy had on
your nightlife habits?" Forty percent say they're going out less; 32%
say they're being more attentive to prices; 31% report going to less
expensive places; 32% report ordering fewer drinks and 19% say they're
ordering less expensive drinks – the declining pattern in NYC nightlife
is illustrated by the following chart.
|
Compared
to last year, are you going out to bars, clubs and lounges…?
|
|
|
2005/06
|
2007/08
|
2010/11
|
|
|
More
|
20%
|
18%
|
10%
|
|
|
Same
amount
|
46%
|
46%
|
42%
|
|
|
Less
|
34%
|
36%
|
48%
|
|
|
NET
LOSS
|
(14%)
|
(18%)
|
(38%)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Winners: Below are this year's Top
Newcomers, Appeal Winners and Most Popular. It's noteworthy that six of
the top fifteen spots are in hotels (see asterisks) and that this
includes three of the five top newcomers.
|
Top
Newcomers:
|
Top
Appeal:
|
Most
Popular:
|
|
|
1.
Jane Hotel Lobby*
|
1.
Madame Geneva
|
1.
230 Fifth
|
|
|
2.
Bar Pleiades*
|
2.
Dizzy's Coca Cola
|
2.
Campbell Apartment
|
|
|
3.
Sweet Afton
|
3.
Raines Law Room
|
3.
1 Oak
|
|
|
4.
Studio Square
|
4.
Bemelmans Bar*
|
4.
Brother Jimmy's
|
|
|
5.
Ace Hotel Lobby*
|
5.
King Cole Bar*
|
5.
Four Seasons Hotel Bar+*
|
|
|
+Indicates
a tie with the place above
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tops
By Category:
|
|
|
After
Work/Uptown – Bemelmans Bar
|
Jazz
Clubs – Dizzy's Club
|
|
|
After
Work/Midtown – King Cole Bar
|
Latin
– Nuyorican Poets
|
|
|
After
Work/Downtown – Brandy Library
|
Lesbian
– Henrietta Hudson
|
|
|
Art
Bars – Box
|
Mature
Crowds – Dizzy's Club
|
|
|
Beer
Specialists – Radegast Hall
|
Meat
Market – Plunge
|
|
|
Bowling
Alleys– Brooklyn Bowl
|
Music
Clubs – Brooklyn Bowl
|
|
|
Cabarets
– Cafe Carlyle
|
Nightclubs
– 1 Oak
|
|
|
Cocktail
Experts – Madam Geneva
|
Piano
Bars – Brandy's
|
|
|
Comedy
Clubs – Comedy Cellar
|
Pool
Halls – Fat Cat
|
|
|
Dance
Clubs – Santos Party House
|
Punk
Bars – Manitoba's
|
|
|
Dives
– 55 Bar
|
Quiet
Conversation – Raines Law Room
|
|
|
Frat
House – Tortilla Flats
|
Rooftops
– Top of the Tower
|
|
|
Gay
– Ritz
|
Speakeasy-Style
– Raines Law Room
|
|
|
Hookahs
– Karma
|
Sports
Bar – Ainsworth
|
|
|
Hotel
Bars – Bemelmans Bar
|
Strip
Clubs – Rick's Cabaret
|
|
|
Irish
– Wilfie & Nell
|
Wine
Bars – Terroir
|
|
|
|
|
|
Statistical Results: Here
are the statistical results from the current 2010/11 Nightlife survey:
|
1.
Average Drink Cost Inflation:
|
|
|
Survey
|
Average
Drink Cost
|
|
|
2010/11
|
$10.78
(+2.2%)**
|
|
|
2007/08
|
$10.12
(+7.3%)**
|
|
|
2005/06
|
$8.83
(+3.2%)**
|
|
|
2003/04
|
$8.30
(+13.3%)**
|
|
|
2002
|
$6.92
(-2.6%)**
|
|
|
2000
|
$7.20
|
|
|
**Annual
inflation rate
|
|
|
|
|
2.
How much do you spend on an average night out (excluding dinner)?
|
|
|
2007/08
|
2010/11
|
|
|
Average
|
$56.59
|
$51.25
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.
What irritates
you most about going out to bars, clubs and lounges?
|
|
|
Crowding
|
39%
|
|
|
Noise
|
17%
|
|
|
Service
|
15%
|
|
|
Lines
|
11%
|
|
|
Clientele
|
7%
|
|
|
Prices
|
7%
|
|
|
Bouncer/door
policy
|
2%
|
|
|
Others
|
2%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.
Do you primarily frequent nightspots…?
|
|
|
In
your neighborhood
|
32%
|
|
|
Outside
of your neighborhood
|
68%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5.
What's the …?
|
|
|
Best
night
to
go out
|
Worst
night
to
go out
|
|
|
Monday
|
2%
|
29%
|
|
|
Tuesday
|
5%
|
10%
|
|
|
Wednesday
|
6%
|
2%
|
|
|
Thursday
|
36%
|
3%
|
|
|
Friday
|
22%
|
13%
|
|
|
Saturday
|
27%
|
28%
|
|
|
Sunday
|
2%
|
15%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.
When going out, do you usually…?
|
|
|
Use
public transportation
|
45%
|
|
|
Take
a cab
|
33%
|
|
|
Drive/carpool
|
11%
|
|
|
Walk
|
10%
|
|
|
Other
|
1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7.
At the end of your night out, do you usually…?
|
|
|
Take
a cab
|
63%
|
|
|
Use
public transportation
|
19%
|
|
|
Drive/carpool
|
11%
|
|
|
Walk
|
6%
|
|
|
Other
|
1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8.
What
time do you typically head out to the bars, clubs and lounges?
|
|
|
Happy
hour
|
17%
|
|
|
7
PM
|
7%
|
|
|
8
PM
|
13%
|
|
|
9
PM
|
25%
|
|
|
10
PM
|
26%
|
|
|
11
PM or later
|
12%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.
How late do you typically stay
out at the bars, clubs and lounges?
|
|
|
In
before 11 PM
|
14%
|
|
|
Midnight
|
23%
|
|
|
1
AM
|
19%
|
|
|
2
AM
|
24%
|
|
|
3
AM
|
14%
|
|
|
4
AM or later
|
6%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.
After a night out at bars,
clubs and lounges, do you typically like to…?
|
|
|
Get
a bite to eat somewhere
|
38%
|
|
|
Go
right home to bed
|
38%
|
|
|
Relax/activities
at home
|
19%
|
|
|
Find/create
the after party
|
4%
|
|
|
Walk
around or catch movie
|
1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11.
It's a weeknight, you typically
are drinking...?
|
|
|
Wine
|
43%
|
|
|
Beer
|
24%
|
|
|
Mixed
drinks
|
20%
|
|
|
Non-alcoholic
drinks
|
11%
|
|
|
Other
|
2%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12.
It's a Friday/Saturday night, you typically
are drinking…?
|
|
|
Mixed
drinks
|
57%
|
|
|
Wine
|
20%
|
|
|
Beer
|
16%
|
|
|
Non-alcoholic
drinks
|
3%
|
|
|
Other
|
4%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13.
Which do you prefer…?
|
|
|
Live
music
|
33%
|
|
|
DJs
|
30%
|
|
|
Quiet
ambiance
|
22%
|
|
|
Jukeboxes
|
15%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.
What do you think of the growing trend of bars with master
mixologists?
|
|
|
An
excuse to charge more for drinks
|
47%
|
|
|
Fun
and harmless gimmick
|
22%
|
|
|
A
great addition to the nightlife scene
|
18%
|
|
|
I
don't know
|
13%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15.
What type of nightspots do you typically go to on a…?
|
|
|
Week-
night
|
Fri./Sat.
night
|
|
|
Lounge
|
12%
|
15%
|
|
|
Restaurant
bar
|
15%
|
13%
|
|
|
Wine
bar
|
13%
|
11%
|
|
|
Performance
venue
|
6%
|
9%
|
|
|
Pub
|
12%
|
9%
|
|
|
Hotel
bar
|
9%
|
8%
|
|
|
Dance
clubs
|
2%
|
7%
|
|
|
Dives
|
7%
|
6%
|
|
|
Jazz
club/piano bar
|
5%
|
6%
|
|
|
Sports
bar
|
9%
|
6%
|
|
|
Speakeasy-style
|
5%
|
5%
|
|
|
Microbrewery
|
4%
|
3%
|
|
|
Frat-mospheric
|
1%
|
2%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.
What do you think of the current craft beer trend?
|
|
|
A
great addition to the nightlife scene
|
25%
|
|
|
Fun
|
24%
|
|
|
Silly
|
9%
|
|
|
Don't
know/care
|
42%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17.
Do you think the nightlife in Midtown is making a comeback?
|
|
|
Yes
|
36%
|
|
|
No
|
23%
|
|
|
Don't
know/care
|
41%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18.
What effect, if any, has the
weak economy had on your nightlife habits? (Check all that apply)
|
|
|
I'm
going out less
|
40%
|
|
|
I'm
being more attentive to prices
|
32%
|
|
|
I'm
going out to less expensive places
|
31%
|
|
|
I'm
ordering fewer drinks out
|
22%
|
|
|
I'm
ordering less expensive drinks
|
19%
|
|
|
I'm
less likely to go to new nightspots
|
12%
|
|
|
Other
|
2%
|
|
|
The
economy hasn't affected my habits
|
25%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19.
What is NYC's
hottest nightlife neighborhood?
|
|
|
1.
Meatpacking District
|
|
|
2.
Lower East Side
|
|
|
3.
East Village
|
|
|
|
|
About
Zagat Survey, LLC
Zagat
Survey is the world's most trusted source for information about where
to eat, drink, stay and play around the globe, and such has become a
symbol of quality. Zagat Survey rates and reviews airlines,
restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf, resorts, shopping,
spas and a range of other entertainment categories in more than 100
countries. It has been lauded as the "most up-to-date, comprehensive
and reliable guides ever published" and as "a necessity second only to
a valid credit card." Zagat content is available in print, on the web,
on the mobile web, iPhone, BlackBerry and on TV. For more information,
visit ZAGAT.com
|
