Indians have gone to trucks because there’s more money there.” But now, “business is 70 percent from the community here, and only 30 percent are taxi drivers,” he says. According to co-owner Kulwinder Singh, before the pandemic, roughly 60 percent of his business came from taxi drivers popping in to get chai, grab some chaat or samosas, and use the bathroom. Just a few blocks away, at Punjabi Deli, an East Village institution that caters primarily to South Asian cabbies, it’s not the lack of foot traffic that’s preventing it from returning to late-night hours but the lack of taxi traffic. We are seeing it getting busier and busier every single week.” But it’s just a matter of when those crowds return. “I would love to provide a date, and I think our staff would like to be open 24 hours on the weekend. Carter is unsure when the restaurant will be able to expand its hours, but he guesses it could happen by July 4. We’re just looking at other bars and restaurants in the area and seeing when those crowds come back, when bars are open until 3 or 4 a.m.,” says Peter Carter, director of marketing and communications for Katz’s. “We’re still planning to go back to that model. At the moment, there’s simply not enough foot traffic. For now, however, the famous Lower East Side delicatessen will stay only open until midnight. Since 2012, Katz’s has been open around the clock on weekends for people who are seeking to re-create When Harry Met Sally or are simply in need of a post-bar pastrami sandwich. The law was subject to plenty of criticism as well as lawsuits from restaurant and bar operators who asked, “Does the coronavirus only come out at night?” As New York has eased restrictions on restaurants and other businesses over the past month, many have decided this means one thing: New York is back, baby, and it’s never sleeping again! But nightlife that stretches into the predawn hours hasn’t returned in full force just yet, and operators at some of the city’s most fabled late-night restaurants say they’re unable to flip the switch. On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s midnight curfew was officially put to bed, the latest COVID restriction to be eased.
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