The Rise of New York’s Hidden Gems
Social media has played a major role in the rise of small restaurants’ success. From savory snacks to sweet treats, social media has boosted small businesses. Here are some recommendations for tasty small restaurants around New York. Many popular restaurants come with a correspondingly high price tag; however, the beauty of small restaurants is that they often have a lower cost paired with high-quality food—a delicious duo.
Gnocchi on 9th
Gnocchi on 9th, located in the East Village, is a unique restaurant that caught the internet’s eye because of its special way of serving its main, and only dish—gnocchi—in a classic Chinese food takeout container for just $10. Opening less than a month ago, the restaurant has quickly gained popularity with the help of social media.
At the restaurant, there are two sauce options and two possible add-ons: burrata and black truffle burrata. In addition, they offer a small Caesar salad and tiramisu. That’s it! The restaurant is vegan and vegetarian friendly, so it is open to a wider group of customers. Their simple menu makes the ordering experience efficient and straightforward, further making it appealing to customers. In a competitive restaurant industry where many try to outdo one another through extravagant food choices and decor, customers enjoy a change of pace to see a place going back to the basics of a simple menu and restaurant feel.
When asked about what she looks for in a restaurant, ninth grader Misha Vaynerchuk said, “A restaurant with distinct elements.” Gnocchi on 9th embodies this idea and stands out for its simple, delicious menu and fun takeout containers.
The success of Gnocchi on 9th has demonstrated that innovative offerings at a good price also help draw crowds, particularly for a younger demographic who often find restaurant inspiration on social media.
Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods
Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods, a bakery with locations in East Harlem, Upper West Side and West Village, proved that innovative offerings help small businesses grow their customers. The bakery originally gained recognition for combining cookies and pie to make pie-crust cookies, but they recently added the “crookie”, or cookie-croissant, to their menu, causing them to go viral on social media.
Mickey Michalski, an employee at the East Harlem location of Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods, remarked that “the cookie croissant was added to our menu because we saw it blowing up in France. We were the first ones to do it in NYC.”
“Janie [the owner] is passionate about her Instagram and her TikTok. With the bakery’s significant presence on social media, the crookie caused the bakery to go viral,” Michalski added. A post on Janie’s instagram that advertised the crookie received over 137,000 likes.
This inventive hybrid dessert, social media following, and reasonable prices, have allowed Janie’s bakery to thrive.
Upper School Language teacher Jannely Almonte-Ortiz commented, “I hear about restaurant recommendations through social media groups because I am part of a local Bronx and Westchester group on Facebook.”
In response to a food trend and a desire for more affordable options, social media is helping consumers like Ms. Almonte-Ortiz to connect to restaurants with delicious food and reasonable prices. So, stay on the lookout because you never know what NYC gem you might discover next.
