NEW YORK – One of the best tables in a New York City restaurant is now also a hotel room.
Amid strict rules for receiving indoor dining services and fewer travelers due to the pandemic, The crocodile, a French restaurant located at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, has created a totally private dining experience within an empty hotel room to offset business losses.
Restaurant owner and chef Aidan O’Neal says he came up with the idea to replace beds with dining tables, but no one thought it was a good idea at first. They went over the idea again in the summer and now all of the hotel’s second-floor rooms have been converted into dining rooms.
For a hundred dollars per person, diners get the room for the whole night to enjoy French food and drinks.
“It’s great,” said diner Annabel Thompson, “as soon as we walk in it’s so cozy and warm.”
Another customer, Jordan Redaelli, said that he thought the experience would be really elegant and exclusive, but that he felt different once inside.
“It’s really nice. It’s almost like having dinner at someone’s house, except you don’t have to do the dishes and the food is so much better,” he laughed.
Chef O’Neal said the reaction has been really positive across the board.
“Being in a hotel room, whether it’s a table or a bed, it still feels luxurious and exciting,” he said.
Private rooms are fully booked on most weekends, according to the restaurant, but Le Crocodile still has its main indoor dining room and outdoor garden with limited seating and separate tables as dictated by state guidelines.
“Just being in a room that is ours at night … I’m not particularly nervous, but this is an extra layer of tranquility,” Redaelli said.
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