Small Town Restaurants, Big City Revenue: Middle America Eats the Coasts Alive

When writers, critics, and restaurant lovers talk about what is trending or where the best restaurants in the U.S. are located, you can be certain that New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will be at the forefront of that conversation. There is nary a critic out there who will not say that those cities are the mecca of the culinary and bar world. Yes, other towns enter the conversation. Chicago houses what is arguably one of the most important fine dining restaurants in the past 30 years, Alinea. Texas is synonymous with some of the best BBQ out there — four BBQ spots received Michelin stars in 2024 and you can’t forget Franklin BBQ with its infamous line. Charleston, Miami, and Dallas all sneak into the conversation.

These revered critics and writers are typically based in popular coastal cities, but their reach is not just local. My favorite story about the power of a New York Times review is that of Razza, a pizza spot in Jersey City. Pete Wells, the food critic at the time, famously reviewed the joint with an article titled “Is New York’s Best Pizza in New Jersey?” In an interview with New Jersey Monthly, Chef Dan Richer told a story about the next day after the review. “One guest told me he read the review online at 3 a.m. Wednesday at his home in Atlanta and immediately booked a flight to Newark to come here and have pizza,” Richer said. “He said he was flying back to Atlanta as soon as he finished.”

People from around the country make special trips to dine at storied restaurants in these cities. They fly in, hit the hotspots, and flex on social media about their dining experience. But while the critical reaction to these major markets is unequivocally positive, the financial realities of these markets are vastly different.