Americans Might Be out of Luck if They’re Hoping for a Late-Night Meal

Americans who work late night shifts, enjoy night-time socializing, or simply prefer nocturnal hours, may not find as many late-night meal options as they might have during pre-pandemic times.

It’s not just restaurants feeling the pinch. Despite it being four years since the pandemic, which led to reduced hours, Walmart has yet to return to being “open all night.” Many supermarkets, electronics stores, pharmacies, and coffee shops that reduced their hours during the pandemic have not resumed late-night hours. Some 24 Hour Fitness gyms are still not operational 24 hours a day, despite advertising round-the-clock access for their services.

However, the areas impacted the most by this are restaurants and diners.

Data from Yelp reveals a significant drop of 18% in the number of restaurants offering 24-hour service between 2020 and 2024. Even iconic cities like New York, well-known as the city that never sleeps, experienced a 13% decline in 24-hour restaurants. Similarly, Los Angeles, which was impacted by Hollywood strikes, saw a drastic 35% drop in 24-hour eateries, while Chicago saw a slightly slower decline of 10%.

The fact that “open all night” services haven’t resumed back to pre-pandemic levels showcases the shift in consumer habits in the nation. This transition in customer behavior, including earlier dinner times and less alcohol late into the evenings, has held back a return to pre-pandemic patterns. Another factor that has resulted in restaurants closing earlier is the rising labor and food costs.

On the flip side, chains famous for their breakfast menus such as IHOP have bounced back to some extent. Roughly half the 1,800 IHOP locations have resumed 24-hour service on Fridays and Saturdays, at least. Approximately 75% of the 1,600 Denny’s restaurants are open 24 hours again. Additionally, to predominantly cater to raving students everywhere, all of Waffle House’s almost 2,000 restaurants are now running 24 hours again.

However, Alex Barakos, the general manager of Pete’s Kitchen, a Greek diner based in Denver, said that 24/7 is risky. He said, “It’s very stressful to have a business open 24 hours.”

From the 1990s until the pandemic struck in 2020, Pete’s Kitchen ran around the clock, 24/7. When the pandemic led to a temporary closure, “Barakos didn’t even high a key because the restaurant had never locked its front door before.”Barakos didn’t even have a key, he said, because the restaurant had never locked its front door.

The restaurant has resumed its 24-hour operation, but only on Fridays and Saturdays. Barakos said that the weekday nightlife scene is still not as lively as it was pre-pandemic.

He said, “24/7 [service] relies on events like concerts and games. It’s all tied together. You have to really give someone a reason to go out right now. You have to give them an event.”