When I first started Midtown Lunch back in 2006, consensus was that Midtown was the worst place to eat in all of NYC. Our tagline referred to Midtown as a food wasteland, and even Gawker poked fun- saying that one would expect a blog called Midtown Lunch to be “entirely empty, like those blank-paged books entitled ‘German Humor.'” At that time Kati Roll was still on 46th Street, the Biryani Cart only served biryani 2 days a week, and the closest thing Midtown had to a “gourmet” food truck was Jiannetto’s Pizza. Now, just five years later, there’s actually something decent to eat in the Rock Center concourse, Midtown has a Momofuku, it’s own Shake Shack,and we’re constantly being told by people who work in other areas of New York that they actually wished they worked in Midtown.
The site (which now sports Downtown, Philadelphia and Los Angeles sections) turns 5 years old in June (I know, it’s insane), and to celebrate we’re throwing a party to celebrate how far Midtown has come! It all goes down Saturday June 11th at City Winery’s Outdoor Courtyard (155 Varick Street) from noon to 3pm and your ticket gets you all you can eat courtesy of:
Plus dessert from:
And all you can drink courtesy of:
Tickets are only $55 in advance ($67.50 if you want a limited-edition Midtown Lunch t-shirt) and all proceeds go to benefit the Street Vendor Project. If available, tickets at the door will be $65. The ticket price includes all the food you can eat, plus all you can drink.
And that’s not all… since it’s a birthday party there are going to be presents- but they’re all for you. Stuff like…
- An afternoon Sweetery Sweet Stop for you and up to 100 of your co-workers
- Dinner for 2 at Beacon
- $100 Gift Certificate to Bon Chon
- $75 worth of beer tickets for BeerParc
- $50 to Schnitzel & Things
- $50 Gift Certificate to Eddie’s Pizza Truck
- $50 Gift Certificate to the Bistro Truck
- Ice Cream Party for 4 at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
- (4) $25 Gift Certificates to Yushi
- (4) $25 Gift Certificates to The Counter
- (2) $20 Gift Certificates to Taim Mobile
- (3) $20 Gift Certificates to Kimchi Taco Truck
- (3) $20 Gift Certificates to Mai Cuisine
- (4) $20 Gift Certificates to Glaze Teriyaki
- Signed Copy of The French Laundry cookbook
- Signed Copy of Under Pressure cookbook
- And more to be announced…
Buying a ticket to the party automatically enters you in the raffle, and you don’t have to be present to win. So even if you can’t make it to the party, you can still buy a ticket, support a great cause, and win awesome prizes!
Come celebrate 5 crazy years with us, and see what makes Midtown the best place to work for lunch in all of NYC!
Buy your tickets now>>
FAQ
Q. Where is the party?
A. City Winery, 155 Varick Street. One block from the A,C,E,1 and 2 trains. And a short walk from the N,R,B,D,F,4 & 6 trains. Doors open at Noon and the party goes until 3pm.
Q. Varick Street… isn’t that Downtown?
A. Yup. We tried our best to find a location in Midtown, but in the end we couldn’t. And we do have a Downtown section of the site now! What better way to remind people of that…
Q. Is the party indoors or outdoors?
A. The party is outdoors, in City Winery’s Outdoor Courtyard but the event is rain or shine (there will be coverage in the event of rain.)
Q. Are children welcome?
A. Yes. The party is all ages. And children under the age of 8 are free.
Q. How much are tickets?
A. Tickets are $55 in advance, plus a $2 service fee. And all the proceeds go to benefit the Street Vendor Project, a non-profit organization that advocates for street vendors in New York City and elsewhere.
Q. Does that mean my ticket is tax deductible?
A. We’re not accountants, but the Street Vendor Project is a 501(c)(3) and all proceeds from the event, after expenses, will be donated to the organization.
Q. Is everything included in the ticket?
A. All the food, beer, soda and water you can ingest is included in the price of admission.
Q. What about wine?
A. Wine will be available for purchase at the event.
Q. What about the food? Will each restaurant or vendor be offering their full menu?
A. The menus haven’t been finalized, but each vendor will either be serving a signature item or something created special for this event. In most cases they will be smaller tasting size portions so that you’ll be able to fit in a bit from every single vendor.
Q. The last food truck event I went to was a mess! Super long lines, not enough food. What is different about this?
A. First of all, this isn’t a food truck event, it’s a party! And while there will be some food trucks and food carts at the party, there will also be brick and mortar restaurants as well. And a limited number of tickets are being sold to insure that lines are short and everybody gets their fill.
Q. What does the Limited Edition Midtown Lunch tshirt look like?
A. It will look like this.
Q. Can I buy it at the event?
A. Nope. You can only buy it online, and we’ll only be taking orders for the shirts until June 1st.
Q. Can I buy one without buying a ticket to the party?
A. Nope.
Q. What about the prizes? Do you have to buy raffle tickets to be entered to win?
A. Nope. Buying a ticket to the party automatically enters you to win all of the prizes listed above (and more to be announced in the days to come.)
Q. Do you have to be present to win?
A. Nope. You don’t have to be at the party to win the prizes.
Q. Can I buy a ticket to the party at the door?
A. If there are still tickets left, they will be available at the door for $65, cash only.
Q. What if it rains?
A. The party will go on rain or shine! And there will be tents so everybody can stay dry…
Q. Will all the Midtown Lunch contributors be there?
A. Yup. We’ll all be there! (Even me from L.A. and Jamie from Philly)
My friend just recently discovered the wonderfulness of ramen in the form of spicy chicken ramen at 
