As temperatures have plummeted into the single digits and below this month, New Yorkers have resorted to hibernation-mode, plowing through their Netflix queues and ordering in. Though guilty consciences and the ease of online-ordering have attributed to a significant boost in delivery tips and sales, that doesn’t necessarily make-up for walk-in business.
“I’ve seen an increase of 25 percent in the delivery department with this cold weather, but you’re losing in the restaurant, it’s just a tough time man,” said Kostas Plagos, 49, owner of Souvlaki GR, a Greek restaurant in the Lower East Side.
Plagos has been successful with the delivery side of his business but depends on customers to enjoy the white-washed, Mediterranean paradise of his physical restaurant and order a bit extra than they would normally in a delivery order.
“There’s only a certain amount of food that people are going to order through Seamless. As opposed to if you have a great atmosphere, people are feeling the vibe, you have more of a chance for that upsell in the restaurant,” said Plagos.
Exchanges with delivery.com and Grubhub Seamless, the two primary websites for placing delivery orders, confirmed the bump in sales during the colder weather.
“We do typically see a spike in order volume during inclement weather — whether that be rain, snow, sub-zero temperatures, etc. — a trend that we’ve seen play out during this week’s Polar Vortex,” wrote Allie Mack, PR representative for GrubHub Seamless, in an e-mail.
Deanna Davis, PR representative for delivery.com agreed.
“Chilly January [2014] had 40 percent more sales than July 2013. I did a data pull earlier this month looking specifically at the first four days [of January] and we had a substantial increase year over year,” Davis wrote.
Many admitted to feeling shameful about placing food delivery orders in these frigid temperatures, so they either tipped more than usual or didn’t order at all.
“I tip more generously when it is cold because I usually order food late at night and I feel guilty,” said Dale Eisinger, 27, an arts journalist living in Clinton Hill. Eisinger ups his gratuities to about 25 percent during the cold late evenings from the 15-20 percent he tends to abide by on a regular day.
This tip increase is congruent with data from Allie Mack, the GrubHub Seamless representative, who wrote that tipping was more than 5 percent higher than normal during the first polar vortex at the beginning of the month. Those tips grew to about 15 percent higher in the icier cities of Detroit, Minneapolis and Chicago during the same weather cycle.
A former restaurant delivery person reflected on working in the elements.
“The best feeling in the world was riding through a rainstorm, complaining about how rich everyone is when you are broke, and then delivering to a stock broker and getting like a 50 dollar tip,” said Peter Moskowitz, 25, a deliveryman-turned-journalist who lives in Williamsburg. “My new philosophy is: I can afford it, so if I’m being a lazy ass and ordering in, I can also afford to tip 20 percent on whatever I order, just like I would at a restaurant.”
Shaun Herman, 39, an information technology project manager who lives in Gramercy Park, made a case for skipping delivery altogether when it’s cold.
“I order less in the winter since I don’t go out as much so I have more time at home to cook. Winter foods are awesome and easy to make in large batches (soups, stews, etc). Also, having the oven on is an added benefit,” wrote Herman in an e-mail.
This hibernation concerned Plagos at Souvlaki GR, who was used to the occasional slow day over the years but had never experienced anything like this month.
“You have your slow day here and there, but nothing like this year. Nothing like when the cold set in. It’s a tough time in Hollywood right now. Everybody gets affected you know, right down to the suppliers,” said Plagos.
