Why 'pop-up' restaurants are everywhere now

The post-covid pop-up boom, explained.

This video is presented by Verizon Business. Verizon Business has no editorial influence on our videos, but their support makes videos like these possible.

From 2021 to 2022, one specific type of restaurant grew 105% in the US: pop-ups, or temporary restaurants. From 2022 to 2023 there were 155% more pop-ups. If you’re a foodie in a US city, it’s made the diversity of food you can get today higher than ever before. Why are so many chefs deciding to "pop up' all of a sudden?

To find out, we talked to the owners of two New York City pop-ups to get their stories. For Jorge Aguilar & Amanda Rosa, chef & co-owners of the breakfast taco pop-up Border Town, their story starts in the pandemic. They were unemployed, and instead of trying to rent a space and open a brick and mortar restaurant, they started working temporary locations, marketing themselves via instagram. Eric Huang, chef and owner of Pecking House, a Sichuan-style fried chicken pandemic pop-up that became a brick and mortar restaurant, told us a similar story.

So how did these restaurateurs pivot during difficult times to ultimately find success?

Links and further reading:

[johnshin]

it's like the phrase, the dodgier the place is, the better the food would be because the chefs can concentrate on the food not the place itself

[focoagrotech]

Pop-up restaurants not only help many chefs realize their dreams but also bring unique and creative culinary experiences to diners.

[anthonywardjr]

Low spaces forces pop ups to use everything and keep it all fresh. Quality is typically high and significantly more consistent than most big restaurants.

[Peizxcv]

"pop-up" is just what foreign countries call street hawkers, food stand, hawker center, food court, night markets. New York's Mobile Food Vending License are too restrictive and expensive and distorted the market

[this_Is_n_One]

One point we all ignore as to why these pop-ups have better tasting food is because their ingredients get over almost every day and they get fresh ingredients daily whereas this doesn't happen in a restaurant which stores food in cold rooms for a week or more!

[mycellphone]

Pop-ups are very common in many parts of the world (LATAM, SE Asia, etc.). I personally prefer having a bite to eat at one of these places than sitting at a restaurant.

[seraphimsforge-master]

food trucks been the best even before 2014's Chef
low maintenance = lower consumer costs and best thing quality is usally always good at food trucks

[WingYanTso]

Pop-up restaurants are actually more down-to-earth and bring better culinary experiences to customers coz the chef and the diners can interact directly, the culinary experience goes beyond the food taste, but the geniue communication between the chefs and diners, even only with eye contact, makes it way more unique than restaurants, where ppl are separated from the chefs.

[StefandeJong]

This is the embodiment of the 2014 movie Chef.

[JustJulyo]

Quality, quantity, and supporting local business is the reason why they're better than fast food corporations

[EthelJung-jw]

I went to Mexico last month and people there have WhatsApp to order food from neighbors pop-outs on speed dial

[bridgetown]

Man… I recognize Pecking House anywhere

That place has my entire heart

[Daniel-Strain]

Cool video. But I am surprised there was no discussion of the health department laws regarding these things? That would be interesting to have learned here.

[averytucker]

The main reason pop-ups got so popular.
Is becuase the prices of fast food and common food places have gone up so high.
That it's actually cheaper to go to a taco truck instead of a BK.

[ChaseBoddicker]

As a food safety specialist I have seen mobiles explode in popularity. However, same places create a larger potential for cross contamination, a lack of cleaning facilities, and not to mention water quality.

[kendrawallace]

Little Korea in Mayfield, Ky is now a brick and morter, but it started as a food truck/ pop-up (possibly during or shortly before the pandemic).

Great video, @Vox. As a nonprofit founder who produces a music festival every year, this was helpful in more ways than I thought it would have been.

[jlee]

This video didn't explain Jack on why there are so many popup restaurants also it's using data from pandemic years. It doesn't even address what's going on now. What a joke.

[JamielDeAbrew]

Bathrooms - many popups don’t have to fund and many bathrooms.

No cleaning of bathrooms, or paying for the space, maintenance, water, cleaning products etc…

[CloroxBleachCompany]

In the 90’s you could open a restaurant for under 10k, now you need a minimum of 100k to get started. Celebrating pop ups is like celebrating container homes 😢

[SquizzMe]

Nothing generates creativity and innovation like hardship. Well done to all these chefs and owners.