Restaurants in Manhattan’s dreaded congestion pricing zone are trying to keep customers through their doors — by offering the $9 tip, Side Dish has learned.
From Fresco by Scotto in Midtown to Sushi by Bou in Nomad to Clinton Hall in the Financial District, diners can get some relief from the hated tax — which went into effect Sunday.
“During the week, we get the business crowd, but on Fridays and Saturdays, our people drive in from outside Manhattan — from the boroughs, Long Island and New Jersey, and now they’re angry — even if you live in Manhattan, you have to entering the area,” restaurateur and “Good Day New York” host Rosanna Scotto told Side Dish.
On Friday, her restaurant will offer a $9 credit per table, provided customers order at least one appetizer and one entree. If it’s popular, the restaurant will consider extending the deal.
“As a family-owned restaurant in the heart of New York City, we understand the challenges our guests face. This dinner is our way of saying thank you for choosing to dine with us,” said Scotto.
Another restaurateur, The Lure Group CEO Aristotle “Telly” Hatzigeorgiou, said he is offering drivers $9 off $100 or more at his Clinton Hall locations on W. 36th Street, E. 51st and at FiDi for the rest of January.
“It’s a way to take some of the sting out of the congestion pricing,” Hatzigeorgiou told Side Dish.
Veteran nightlife impresario Richie Romero, a partner in Sushi by Bou, said the Japanese restaurant is offering a $9 discount per person on its $65 signature 12-course Omakase experience. Diners should use the code CONGESTION to get the deal, which runs until February. 1.
All three restaurants said they are using the honor system for the $9 refund — the fee charged to drivers going down 60 St. during peak hours, 5am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 9pm on weekends.
“Most people don’t even know [the zone’s borders.],” Romero told Side Dish. “If they live on 74th Street and go down to Sushi from Bou at Nomad and then come back up, you pay a fee.”
He added: “Even today I have to go to one of my partner’s places on 94 St. and I have to pay a small congestion charge to get back home to the West Village. It’s crazy! The problem with Sushi by Bou is that every single one of our locations is in the area—two in Nomad, one in Times Square, and one in Chelsea.
The celebrity promoter’s marketing team came up with a simple social media campaign to promote the Sushi by Bou discount – using an image that mimics the new fare boards hanging around town.
Romero, who also runs the popular Meatpacking District nightclub Hearsay, said he plans to charter buses to shuttle guests and staff from Brooklyn and Queens to help defray their expenses.
It will use Mercedes Sprinters vans for Manhattan customers.
Scotto also plans to add some music to liven up the mood at her restaurant, at 34 E. 52nd St., by hosting an overpriced dinner this Friday, complete with a DJ.
“Maybe we’ll play that Donna Summer song – toot toot, beep beep!” she scoffed.
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