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Aristosus t1_izk01it wrote

Not surprising when most restaurants slashed their late night hours because of the pandemic and refused to go back to their old schedules.

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SuperFX t1_izkwpzl wrote

Interestingly I feel like this is mostly an American phenomenon. Restaurants in London seem open much later than NYC nowadays, and I don't think they changed their hours much now vs. pre-pandemic.

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phillipia718 t1_izl9vyg wrote

Restaurants in Germany (Berlin) even stay open longer and the city was known for everything closing early, now i feel there are more 24hr spots then NYC and supermarkets stay open later than they do here too

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hyp0static t1_izletjm wrote

Agree. This has been my experience in London and Toronto. New York City shuts down much earlier than other large cities, which is surprising.

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nikkideeznutz t1_izlf6x3 wrote

Depends what part of NYC you are in. Where I live, there is a lot open 24/7.

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SuperFX t1_izlpf3r wrote

Where is that?

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nikkideeznutz t1_izm5qxd wrote

Bushwick. Been here a long time and it's only gotten crazier in the past 10 years.

I have friends that live on 34th and Lex.... what dreadful place.

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SuperFX t1_izmbd3k wrote

I live in Manhattan but I do get the sense that parts of Brooklyn are where the night life is at now, more so than East Village and lower Manhattan.

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PM_me_crispyTendies t1_izmi6td wrote

UWS. Tons of open late and 24/7 things

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SuperFX t1_izmmo68 wrote

Really, what? That's where I live. I don't mean fast food (doesn't need to be 24/7, but past 11pm.)

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throwaway1847384728 t1_izn2w16 wrote

Yea nothing except the couple odd spots (delis, food carts, fast food) is open late on the UWS. The neighborhood basically shuts down at 10 or 11pm

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iv2892 t1_izlzuou wrote

People pretend that all of nyc is the same . Times squares and some of the busier areas are almost always open at all times . The outer Boroughs and and residential areas tend to close much earlier

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Evening_Presence_927 t1_izmxdki wrote

I mean, it depends on where in the city you’re talking about. If you’re in a more residential place like the Heights or the UWS, yeah stuff is gonna close earlier. If you’re in neighborhoods that are known for partying (west and east village, LES, Williamsburg, Bushwick), you’ll find a ton of stuff that’s open late on weekends. Heck, I think Katz’s just resumed its 24hr operation on weekends a few months ago.

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seditiousseals t1_izzi4md wrote

I disagree, I’m in London and the city seems to basically shut down around 9 or 10 save for pubs and bars.

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sternfan1523 t1_izmwn5y wrote

F'n tried to go to Waverly Diner at 1am last Saturday and even that was closed. A diner in the middle of the village. What the hell?

This shit is the problems we need to fix, culture is going to shit

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damnatio_memoriae t1_izmq5xv wrote

there's like 15 bodegas open all night in my neighborhood... used to be the norm in most neighborhoods. nyc shouldn't need mcdonalds for this.

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Dantheking94 t1_izo7648 wrote

Yeh I was gonna say, most restaurants close early now. There are a few spots open late-24 hours in midtown and in other boroughs but you gotta kinda be in the know, to know where they are. They also tend to be niche places.

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smallint t1_izkl5w6 wrote

Maybe this is a good thing?

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Aristosus t1_izkm71b wrote

I don't think so, not when you're hungry at 2am and your only choices are crappy $1 slices or McDonald's in the city that's supposed to never sleep

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oreosfly t1_izkqn61 wrote

> refused to go back to their old schedules.

This tells me that the 24/7 model was never sustainable in the first place.

Businesses exist to make money. If there was good money to be made during the overnight hours, businesses would stay open. Clearly that is not the case. Businesses closed during lockdown, reopened with reduced hours, then realized "hey, I'm not actually making that much more money staying open 24/7, so I'm just going to close at 10pm now".

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Simmangodz t1_izkr6u3 wrote

Well, it's a catch 22. Now that restaurants close early, no one wants to go out at night. Since no one is out and about late night, restaurants close early.

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Aristosus t1_izkwhcz wrote

I have no problem understanding the economics behind their decisions—it makes sense—but that doesn't contradict what I said. It's just a shame that most would rather cut their losses and stay closed than take advantage of any late night demand or even encourage it. People won't go looking for food if there aren't any options.

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Rottimer t1_izl9y12 wrote

It was sustainable pre-pandemic because a lot of infrastructure and services revolved around workers traveling into the office. If I stayed past 8pm at work, my job paid for my dinner and paid for a cab ride home. Obviously that wasn't them being generous. It was encouraging late hours onsite in the office.

Now I still may have to work way past 8pm - but I do so in my pajamas and raid my own fridge and I don't have to commute once I'm done - I shuffle over to my bed and fall asleep. The result of that though is a lot of places that might stay open late and employ delivery people in Manhattan, no longer do so if they're even still in business.

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phillipia718 t1_izlacnt wrote

I work late hours and can’t get any food anymore after i’m off. It’s like a ghost town after 9pm on weekdays but It’s not too bad because I just pack something or cook at home. I do miss diners and the general livelihood late at night

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_kalebb_ t1_izjz5ys wrote

It's because nothing else is open late in NYC post pandemic. Kinda defeats half the point of living here tbh...

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Kooky_Performance116 t1_izk2scs wrote

Yeah really wild how now a lot of places close real early. I work construction and am usually out and about between 4-5am. Before the pandemic no matter the neighborhood there was places open I could grab some food and drinks that early. Now I have to walk it seems 2-3 avenues away to find a spot open/still open that early.

They must have realized the profits they were making being 24/7 didn’t make sense to the cost of staying open 24/7.

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pixel_of_moral_decay t1_izo349m wrote

Speak to the owners… that’s exactly what happened.

They weren’t making much, most of their profit comes from the lunch/dinner rush. The rest of the evening is run at a loss. This truthfully started before the pandemic. The pandemic just made everyone do the math.

Then you have employees who don’t want to work those late hours since it’s minimum wage at best. Slow business = few or no tips. Per hour working those times is a pay cut. With the current labor shortage there’s no reason for someone to want to work those hours. Work someplace else, get earlier hours and more money.

People forget: restaurant employees who are tipped make more money when it’s busy. Less when it’s not.

Nobody is taking those hours until restaurants have too many employees for their peak times. Which is far from reality.

And honestly: good for them. Working overnight for minimum wage is awful.

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trashpandarevolution t1_izk67n2 wrote

It’s workers, nobody wants that shift and stores keep getting mugged so why bother

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DryGumby t1_izklaa1 wrote

Doubt there's an epidemic of restaurant muggings

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travelinaj t1_izk3bng wrote

Yeah what a “coincidence”

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Kooky_Performance116 t1_izk67c2 wrote

I’m confused by this comment? Lol

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travelinaj t1_izk6yz6 wrote

To me I just seems like the pandemic benefitted a lot of larger corporations in many ways such as: eliminating competition who couldn’t hold out with no business for so long, allowing changing of store hours so they can have less overhead, pushing people to shop online, among other things

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BourdainTiffin t1_izka2oj wrote

What did large corporations do that made diners and bodegas stop being 24 hrs?

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travelinaj t1_izkamln wrote

The diners that survived changed their hours to save money just like the larger corporations.

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BourdainTiffin t1_izkcp9x wrote

Yes, businesses of all sizes like to save money.

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travelinaj t1_izkdu26 wrote

Yeah they were forced to because of the pandemic and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they were forced to

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[deleted] t1_izkfj2i wrote

[deleted]

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Bfam4t6 t1_izkgxyh wrote

Huh? What a fucking conclusion to jump to.

I think he’s saying scrutiny of business models increased for businesses of all sizes. Nothing more. You can stop digging.

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_kalebb_ t1_izkj0fp wrote

Maybe we have different definitions of coincidence, then... To me that sounds like one

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BourdainTiffin t1_izl5wp3 wrote

Son, I have no idea what you’re saying. Who forced them?

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travelinaj t1_izlanki wrote

Whoever lengthened the pandemic. It should have been resolved after a few months

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AnacharsisIV t1_izlerns wrote

I'll be sure to relay to the virus that you're disappointed it didn't happen according to your timetable.

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sternfan1523 t1_izkbci4 wrote

What killed it was when they shut down bars. Tons of people weren’t going out and eating late night anymore. Corporations were able to wait it out while the small shops died out

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BourdainTiffin t1_izkd327 wrote

We’re talking about small shops that survived but still haven’t restored late night hours. For instance Wo Hop closes at 10 now.

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thatguygreg t1_izl2np4 wrote

The City that decided to go to sleep after all

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2morereps t1_izlkouq wrote

I think once people stayed in and were getting paid during covid prime, they realized, "the fuck am I doing to myself. I dont need to work like a fucking animal to make ends meet." don't know, seems like people just started treating themselves better now.

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TonyzTone t1_izlbgas wrote

Which is what folks meant when they’d say “NYC is dead/dying.” The city was famous for certain things, late night eats being one of them.

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TapesNStuff t1_izkau7n wrote

Yeah, that was my first thought too. I'd go anywhere else before McDonalds.

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moolatto t1_izm082o wrote

Yeah the CVS near me never went back to being open 24 hours. That’s where I used to get all my snacks

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atxtony23 t1_izk2v4r wrote

McDonald’s on Delancey exists in its own Universe

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GoRangers5 t1_izke33c wrote

Man, years ago I nearly got into a fight with some bro just for accidentally locking eyes.

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atxtony23 t1_izpzlie wrote

I order then stare at the ground until they call my number 🤣

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misterferguson t1_izkqd6r wrote

34th and 8th checking in.

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atxtony23 t1_izleyc6 wrote

That place is absolutely tied for being just as crazy, used to live right there and the Penn Station locals were always wildin

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ZeroFucksToGive t1_izo0uaz wrote

Oh lol, I would go to this McDonalds back when I would ride the LIRR. Some guy tried to sell my buddy a belt in the bathroom once lol

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oreosfly t1_izkqpl3 wrote

That whole area is a mad house at night. Gross.

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[deleted] t1_izli6kw wrote

[deleted]

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oreosfly t1_izntx4r wrote

LES was a residential neighborhood first. Walk further east along Grand and it’s still a very quiet residential neighborhood. The city decided to fuck the place up by stuffing a bunch of homeless shelters around the Delancey area and concentrate 70 bars in a 3 block area in Hells Square.

They pretty much have taken a residential area and turned it into a playground for the rest of the city, residents be damned. And people wonder why NIMBYs exist…

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swampy13 t1_iznr6mg wrote

Yooooooo that place is basically still set in The Warriors universe

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ThreesKompany t1_izmtkqe wrote

The McDonalds of lower Manhattan each had their own wild ecosystem but Delancey was always the most nuts.

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GoRangers5 t1_izke8o5 wrote

I feel for the next generation that will never end a night at the West 4th St McDonald’s.

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BaconEggnCheese611 t1_izl57pm wrote

I remember I was there one late night with my friends and everyone in the place was drunk. One guy skips the line to order and another drunk guy knocks him out with a hook that leaves him starfish on the floor. I saw people literally step over his unconscious body to order their McChickens.

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ghostlymadd t1_izktse6 wrote

I walk past it all the time and think “who will rise to legacy that was west 4th street McDonalds”

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iStealyournewspapers t1_izmbukm wrote

Hey even with it closed it still attracts the worst kind. Like I was letting my daughter play at the playground next to it this summer and a lady is there with like 5 kids. Clearly not mother of the year with the way she speaks to them, and then she just begins smoking a joint. In a kid’s playground.

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poopship462 t1_izliipm wrote

I had just turned 21 on my 2nd night ever out drinking at bars and this woman wanted me to go down on her in the McDonald’s bathroom. I was so drunk, I nearly went through with it, but luckily it was out of order and I don’t need to have that memory.

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BefWithAnF t1_izo6b14 wrote

Guess that place just knocked itself down- like some kind of Lovecraftian vortex opened up & it got dragged to the other side.

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citydudeatnight t1_izjwzc6 wrote

It's cheap and one of the few spots in the city is that truly is 24/7. No surprise. I dont think it's just a NY thing though

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Inig039 t1_izk6349 wrote

McDonald’s isn’t cheap anymore sadly. Unless you use the dollar menu. It’s like 10 bucks for a meal. Which is so silly.

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Weekly_Drawer_7000 t1_izkensd wrote

Only thing that’s a dollar is a sweet tea or soda. It’s even worse

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BarriBlue t1_izkp2s2 wrote

More items are $1 (or discounted) if you use the app. I go for the weekly $1 large fries, and sometimes for the $1 hashbrown. They also have the free medium fries with a $1 purchase. $1 drink, free medium fries - boom.

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xxdeathx t1_izmdd6o wrote

Wtf my app had zero deals at Delancey/Essex when I went there this Halloween. I ended up paying $20 and waiting 45 min to get my food at 4 AM.

I switched the location to my old one in California and all the deals were there. Somehow got the feeling that Manhattan is excluded from app deals, because yknow it's Manhattan

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flashcapulet t1_izodmcn wrote

nope, live in manhattan, deals work for all of the 7 locations within 5 miles of me. it might've just been that specific location that turned them off.

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iStealyournewspapers t1_izmcgvv wrote

I got a happy meal and a double cheeseburger w medium fries for like 13 the other night. Still pretty cheap but yeah it used to be cheaper. The food quality sucks though. Idk if it’s gotten worse or if I just never noticed before how bad it was.

But I tell you, there’s the most incredible chicken sandwich for 5 dollars at a place called Tiki Chick on the uws. So filling and such good quality. Pretty sure they’re made at Jacob’s Pickles and then are walked over to the tiki bar. JP owns the place so it’d make sense. You can get em to go or eat at the bar. I just can’t believe I can get a sandwich better than shake shack’s for 5 dollars. Also on the weekend their brunch menu has 5 dollar breakfast sandwiches and you can get a bacon egg and cheese on a donut.

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eldersveld t1_iznlgay wrote

Man I live for these random restaurant tips. Thanks, will check em out

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iStealyournewspapers t1_iznn236 wrote

My pleasure! I got like 5 last time. Ate two in one go, wife and kid ate one, and had one cold later which was super good

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Thetallguy1 t1_izmuffd wrote

Gotta use the app my man. They run so many damn deals, its like early 2000s pricing on there.

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BlankVerse OP t1_izjy4ly wrote

Post-pandemic none of the McDonald's near me are 24 hours here in SoCal.

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citydudeatnight t1_izk2n7o wrote

Central LA like WEHO and K Town had a few great tacquerias and diners and even Denny's that were 24 hours since they were active hotspots. Let's hope they survived. I dont recall if Jack in the Box or In and Out ever had 24 hour drive thru. I seen them in the strip.

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BlankVerse OP t1_izk31u0 wrote

Near me Del Taco and Jack-in-the-Box were always 24/7 until the pandemic.

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travelinaj t1_izk35v7 wrote

Omg I tried Jack in the box when u travelled to Dallas it was amazing

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DeSterrennacht t1_izmrrmi wrote

The McDonald's near me in NYC isn't 24/7 either. Post-pandemic, there is basically no food available except for a couple of pizza joints after 11 pm in my neighborhood

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sutisuc t1_izkhon9 wrote

Yeah but you still win given that you can go to in-n-out. We have to suffer through overpriced inferior shake shack

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The_CerealDefense t1_izjwqjk wrote

>McDonald's fans located in the Big Apple were twice as likely to order from the restaurant between 12 am–4 pm than the rest of the US

I bet this is highly skewed because McD's in the city are disproportionally open 24 hours vs the rest of the country which closes earlier and opens later. -- so other parts of the US can't even order then if they wanted to. Of course places that are open are going to be visited more than one thats closed

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oreosfly t1_izkr69g wrote

This is a hunch based on my own observations, but I think McDonalds is easier to keep open 24/7 out in the suburbs and sticks than it is in NYC.

I went to school in suburban upstate NY and the McD's was open 24/7, but the dining room was closed 12am-6am. Drive thru only. All you need is one person to take orders and a skeleton crew in the back prepping the orders. And the safety issues that come with being open late night are mostly mitigated by being drive thru only. Some of the dinng rooms at 24/7 NYC McD's turn into fucking zoos overnight.

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DavidPuddy666 t1_izkusj7 wrote

Lots of NYC McDs have walk up windows these days. It allows them to close the dining room at night.

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oreosfly t1_izkxsq5 wrote

In that case the one in my neighborhood should consider building one. (hint hint it is the one where axe man went on a rampage)

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LongIsland1995 t1_izm0rt5 wrote

There are actually a lot of 24 hour McDonald's in Middle America.

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The_CerealDefense t1_izm2x5q wrote

A lot less than you think

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ctindel t1_izyuyib wrote

Yeah that's why the 24 hour taco bell and jack in the box was our options growing up. I was amazed when I came to times square and saw the multi-story mcdonalds here next to an internet cafe.

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don-mage t1_izjzx55 wrote

They would be open if there was business…

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b0xtarts t1_izk3uw0 wrote

Cause it’s the only thing open past 7pm now a days

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im_not_bovvered t1_izk1g56 wrote

Since COVID, everything closes early. McDonalds does not.

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Pristine-Confection3 t1_izm716z wrote

Many in Brooklyn close at 11 pm so some are not open late . There is usually a 24 hour deli with better food open anyway .

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suitcase88 t1_izjuu18 wrote

Its scary enough going into a McDonalds during the day.

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IAmArique t1_izjvmjc wrote

I mean, wasn’t it obvious? Mac Tonight made eating late night McDonalds cool back in the 80s/early 90s.

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sutisuc t1_izkhf7o wrote

The culinary capital of the country

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HiFiGuy197 t1_izlzvfr wrote

I just ate a 50¢ double cheeseburger and am getting a kick out of these replies.

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werdnak84 t1_izkcar2 wrote

Must be all the munchie cravings they get from the new cannibis shops.

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midtownguy70 t1_izp1ekp wrote

Well McDonalds is one of the few places still open in the City That Used to Never Sleep.

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shant_jan t1_izjzaec wrote

imo, mcdonalds is for when there aren't other options.

small town in rural PA? you'll see folks there all day because there isn't much else fast and cheap.

nyc? whats the point of a crappy burger and alright fries when you can go grab a couple of street tacos or a slice of pizza for around the same price. mcdonalds is only worth it when you're drunk and the better food has gone to bed.

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NoodleShak t1_izkf8v5 wrote

I’m wondering how much of this is tourists who don’t have a favorite local spot versus natives. Agreed otherwise.

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Ares6 t1_izp56fd wrote

Well that true. Only because for much of the city it’s the only thing open.

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communal-napkin t1_izkaxqd wrote

I never order from the walk-up window after hours because whoever is running it has no idea how to enter in the combo meals and my meal ends up being nearly 2 dollars more than it would be if I ordered it inside from the kiosk.

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Luke90210 t1_izkqa56 wrote

So many times post-Pandemic I found out a former late night place I used to go to is closed for good or closed at 8 PM or the building was torn down for a new, bigger and shiny big building. McDs might be the only option and their fries suck.

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47mmAntiWankGun t1_izky9o3 wrote

Sometimes it's 1 and you're in the mood for soft serve.

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Dave_Labels t1_izl4khz wrote

Should be White Castle, but we’re not ready for this conversation.

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aliskiromanov t1_izldzq8 wrote

Even pre pandemic it was the only place to get food after a certain point

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lovelynelly06 t1_izll9hy wrote

Then why does my McDonald’s close at 12am 😫

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KidAstoria t1_izm249c wrote

But you got to pick the right McD’s. Some take forever just giving you fries and a milkshake.

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Mooseandagoose t1_izmfrwx wrote

Randall’s island 2006 - trying to catch the last MNRR back to CT from 125th (I think???) and my friend had to have McDs. That line was allll locals, took forever and we def almost missed the last train.

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Double-Ad4986 t1_izmiso7 wrote

the Mcdonalds at 125th and Lexington was world war z starting at 9pm

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BasedAlliance935 t1_izmopf5 wrote

Considering mcdonalds is normally open 24/7, i'm not suprised

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mowotlarx t1_iznt1rr wrote

Unlike the 'burbs or less walkable cities, we can walk to late night McDonald's when we have a hankering and don't need to hop into a car drunk. Makes sense.

2

bibimbab111 t1_izo60c3 wrote

I mean Jay-Z does name drop McDonald's in "Empire State of Mind"

2

ike_tyson t1_izlw1y0 wrote

We got weed everywhere now so I guess that's a win right?

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RecommendationOld525 t1_izlztd9 wrote

I don’t eat McDonalds anymore, but several years ago on my way home from a drunken early-twenties night on the town, I drunk bought some fries and put the bag in my purse. While on the subway ride home, I knew I was going to vomit. I carefully removed the fry containers from the McDonalds bag and placed them in my purse, and promptly vomited in the then-empty McDonalds bag. When I got off at my stop a few minutes later, I dropped the McDonalds bag of vomit in a trash can and walked home where I feasted drunkenly on my fries.

Thanks, McDonalds. 👍

1

Pristine-Confection3 t1_izm6gc0 wrote

Not sure how when many around me close at 11 pm . The Burger King , Popeyes and subway all open later than the McDonalds . As soon as they took salads and grilled chicken off I was done .

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asian_identifier t1_izm708j wrote

ah the city that never sleeps, all thanks to McD

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OfWhomIAmChief t1_iznqpxb wrote

No wonder people from other countries call us Burgers, lol

0

smallint t1_izkbjy8 wrote

I don’t eat McDonalds or Chinese food. I’d rather go to sleep without eating and just pop an advil.

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