Brick-and-mortar businesses only scratch the surface of the world’s culinary talent. The rise of food pop-ups are giving hidden gems a chance to shine.

The food industry seems to become more and more competitive as time goes on and as a result, the chefs working in conventional restaurants are constantly rotating in and out, shifting as fast and as frequently as the Billboard 100. This became especially evident both during and after the pandemic, as many chefs were forced to leave their posts. Some even left their established positions voluntarily to pursue projects of their own, which often start off as pop-ups.

But what exactly is a food pop-up, and why are they so popular?
In short, food pop-ups are concepts that aim to build traction and operate like a restaurant without an established storefront. Their base of operation can be found in unexpected locations like a bar, a street cart or stand, a restaurant taking the night off to give another business a chance to shine, food festivals, or even inside people’s homes. They can last for just one night, several weeks, or on a recurring basis. That freedom is why many talented chefs see the pop-up movement as an opportunity to grow their own concepts, operating independently without being shackled down by the demand of overhead costs or operators outside the kitchen.

What are the advantages of starting a pop-up?
Chefs can use pop-ups as a way to introduce their concept, generate hype, and get feedback from customers in real-time without the high costs of running a full-time restaurant. A traditional restaurant’s locale plays a huge factor in customer conversion, so testing one or multiple locations with a pop-up allows a chef to gauge where their concept will be most successful without committing to a lease or incurring other opening costs. It’s like test driving a car to see how it adapts to your local roads.

Additionally, pop-ups are great stages to test menu ideas and refine a concept’s identity. You’ll notice some pop-ups focus on mastering one dish extremely well, over and over again. Take Mike Puma of Gotham Burger Social Club for example, who has probably smashed over 1 Million smash burgers at his pop-ups in the last few years. Other pop-ups like Hera and Din Din have constantly rotating menus based around a specific cuisine or seasonality, which allows them to test out an array of dishes and themes.

If customers love the food so much that a pop-up is selling out consistently, the social media effect starts and generates hype. That hype creates brand awareness, which drives more hungry customers to future pop-ups.

What are the advantages of eating at pop-ups?
Eating at the top restaurants is social currency. It’s a way to build clout and earn a reputation for having good taste. But as more and more people try a restaurant, it becomes less rare. You don’t want to get hit with a “ugh, everyone’s been there” reaction when you’re flexing your favorite recent meals. That’s much less likely when you’re eating at pop-ups, because they aren’t open all the time, and often bounce from location to location.

Not only are pop-ups rare; they offer a chance to taste food from up-and-coming chefs who are cooking what they want to cook. Most restaurant menus are decided in collaboration with business partners invested in the restaurant. We’ve all seen that scene from ‘Chef’. An investor’s ideas about what will sell can drastically differ from what a chef wants to cook or what they are best at. Take Nancy Nguyen for example, who spends her one day off from the Michelin-starred plant-based eatery, Eleven Madison Park, each week proving her own concept with her Vietnamese pop-up Beaucoup. Beaucoup recently hosted a dinner featuring seven courses of beef. It’s safe to say that wouldn’t fly at EMP, but Nguyen has created a space where she can combine Michelin-level technique with the food she specializes in individually. When a chef is cooking at their best without outside input, the sky is the limit; giving customers a unique opportunity to taste exciting food before that chef’s concept takes off and they become a household name.

What are the best ways to find food pop-ups?

1. SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow every single chef, restaurant, food entrepreneur, and pop-up space on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Then constantly check their accounts for update posts and rely on the algorithms of those platforms to show you other pop-up announcements as they drop. It’s a labor of love and may require you to quit your full-time job just to keep track of them all!

2. TRADITIONAL FOOD MEDIA
A few food media publications like Eater, Infatuation and Thrillist post some great recaps and listicles every so often about pop-ups that are gaining traction in NYC. Keep an eye out for their new pop-up focused articles as they get published. It helps to sign up for their newsletters as well.

3. USE THE 8it APP
If those first two options feel inefficient or time consuming, then you should download the 8it app. Over the past couple years, 8it has become the #1 source to discover food pop-ups in NYC. The team at 8it curates NYC’s food pop-ups in real-time, so you can see what pop-ups are happening near you based on your location, including the date, time, and type of food served at each. If pre-orders or reservations are offered, they’re always linked to the listing via the “DIG IN” button.

Whether you're a chef looking to start your own pop-up or a food-lover looking for the most poppin’ culinary creations, food pop-ups are a trend that's here to stay. Now go DIG IN!