In 1979, Esquire coined the term “power lunch” to describe the congregation of high-net-worth individuals for a meal at the now defunct Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue. The pandemic brought those meals to a screeching halt. Now, up and down the city, business meals are picking back up. Almost 50% of New York employees are again showing up to work in offices on an average weekday.
Michael McCarty, founder of midtown’s long-established Michael’s restaurant, says that these days, Tuesday through Thursday lunch hour is so packed, it’s “all-out full metal jacket.”
