A New Year note from Family Meal
Family Meal - Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
Hello Tuesday,
Happy New Year’s Eve from Hong Kong!
Fair warning: What follows is not a traditional Family Meal, but more of a wordy, end-of-year note. Not offended in the least if you skip it and come back Friday, but before you go, allow me a quick break from my snarkier self to say: I truly hope however last year went for you, 2020 is better.
And now, some (further) self-indulgence…
If we’re doing a few 2019 highlights, I’d say it was fun to break the news of Visit California spending $600k on the statewide Michelin guide there, cover 50 Best up close for the Washington Post (with additional notes in Family Meal), get Gaggan Anand’s side of the story on his dramatic restaurant closure in Bangkok, hear Nyesha Arrington recount her turning down Top Chef over dim sum, and most of all: spend a good chunk of 2019 writing nearly 100 Family Meal newsletters for YOU.
Family Meal is definitely a niche publication, but subscriptions grew by over 15% this year on word of mouth alone. Not sure how that stacks up generally, but for context (and media readers please correct me): If my compounding math is correct, the New York Times (which promotes itself just a little bit) grew its newsletter subscriptions around 26% per year from 2014 to 2017, and that includes the growth they got from nearly doubling the number of different newsletter titles they published.
So… THANK YOU! Please keep forwarding to your friends, shouting it from the social media rooftops, etc. etc.
Family Meal is for and about the restaurant industry. If you’ve got ideas for improvement in the new year, I’m all ears.
And hey, ever wanted to punch me in the face? Please stop reading here.
Everyone else, here’s where I’ll be when next month:
NYC: Jan 22-24
DC: Jan 24-29
Baltimore: Jan 29-Feb 3
NYC (again): Feb 3-11.
Traveling with three young kids and time will be tight, but always in the market for fresh recommendations on restaurants, bars, events, people I should meet (you?!), and whatever else you think I should know. Most of you are in the industry, so maybe just send me a note and let me know where you work? With the minor caveat that thousands of people are reading this, I’ll do my best to at least buy a drink at the bar and say an unobtrusive hello in as many places as I can.
NB: I am not an influencer. I do not want your comps. I only ask for all your best secrets and rumors…
And that’s it for today. Thank you so much for reading this year! And good luck tonight!
I’ll see you here Friday for next Family Meal.
And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and send tips and/or all your best secrets and rumors to andrew@thisfamilymeal.com. If you like Family Meal and want to keep it going, please chip in here. If you got this as a forward, sign up for yourself!
P.S. – Of all the things I’ve read about this year, maybe the one I’m most mad I missed – for several reasons – is the Happy Gyro popup at Komi in DC. If any of you work or have pull there and can get them to do it again while I’m in town, please lmk. How many seats do you need me to fill, Monis? I’ll fill ‘em!