Get All Access for $5/mo

Are You Going Out Earlier and Earlier? The Early Birds Are Taking Over, According to Yelp. Five o'clock is the hot new social dining time.

By Dan Bova

Daxiao Productions | Shutterstock

According to research conducted by Yelp, 2023 appears to be the year of the early bird.

In its 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry report, Yelp found that 10% of all diners were seated between 2-5 p.m.

The 4 p.m. slot more than doubled from 2% in 2019 to 5% in 2023, according to the study, with 6 p.m. being the most popular reservation time, making up 20% of daily reservations.

Related: Restaurants Are Adding 'Inflation Fees' to Customer Checks

The Wall Street Journal and The Today Show spoke with business owners and patrons who back these stats. Noting that New York City's theater industry is falling in line with the early-to-bed-trend, more and more shows are starting at 7 p.m. (as opposed to 8).

"Traditionally people would say that's a bad idea. Don't do a show that early, because people won't have time to get into the city from the suburbs," Alexander Donnelly, who runs the theater division of production company PRG, told WSJ. "Now, we're seeing this desire to get home earlier and get out of the city as quickly as possible."

Courtney Lorenttz, general manager of the New York City restaurant Ilili, told Today: "We've seen a huge decrease in guests that are dining later. That 10 p.m. guest is not coming anymore."

A diner at the restaurant identified as Judy said that eating on an earlier schedule has improved her health. "I sleep better and actually have lost weight," she said.

Related: Why Most Restaurants Featured on 'Kitchen Nightmares' Fail

People might be eating earlier, but that doesn't mean they are eating less. The Yelp study reports positive trends for the food and beverage industry, citing new business openings up 10% from April 2022 to March 2023 compared to the previous year. Yelp says that pop-up restaurants account for a big part of that increase, up a whopping 105%. What began as a cost-savings tactic during the pandemic, pop-ups have continued to share a space and equipment with breweries, bars, and sometimes other restaurants, according to the New York Times.

Researchers have found that eating earlier dinners has numerous health benefits, like limiting weight gain and spikes in high blood sugar levels. The only trick? Sitting down to a healthy dinner at 5 and then not eating a party-sized bag of chips when you are plopped on the couch and starving at 10.

Dan Bova

Entrepreneur Staff

VP of Special Projects

Dan Bova is the VP of Special Projects at Entrepreneur.com. He previously worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Maxim, and Spy magazine. His latest books for kids include This Day in History, Car and Driver's Trivia ZoneRoad & Track Crew's Big & Fast Cars, The Big Little Book of Awesome Stuff, and Wendell the Werewolf

Read his humor column This Should Be Fun if you want to feel better about yourself.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

These Companies Offer the Best Work-Life Balance, According to Employees

The ranking is based on Glassdoor ratings and reviews.

Productivity

6 Habits That Help Successful People Maximize Their Time

There aren't enough hours in the day, but these tips will make them feel slightly more productive.

Business News

Apple Is Adding ChatGPT to iPhones This Week. Here's How It Works.

ChatGPT will take over questions that Siri can't answer.

Leadership

Why Your AI Strategy Will Fail Without the Right Talent in Place

Using fractional AI experts through specialized platforms allows companies to access top talent cost-effectively, drive innovation and scale agile strategies for growth.

Science & Technology

Use This Framework to Successfully Integrate AI Into Your Business Operations

Here's how to ensure both innovation and compliance when using AI in your organization.