Exclusive | Waiting in line for meals is latest NYC trend with eager diners starving for hours-long queues

In a city that prides itself on moving fast, nothing’s slower — or suddenly trendier — than waiting in line.These days, it seems that New Yorkers will stand around and wait for just about anything — a bagel, a buzzy bowl of noodles, or the vague promise of “vibes.”From hours-long lines for dinner at downtown hotspots to pancake-loving crowds rising early for brunch all over town, one of the world’s quickest-paced places has fallen in love with standing still.Why, exactly? Did a New York minute suddenly get a whole lot longer? Experts say that the slow-moving trend isn’t just about the food.“Restaurants are more than just a place to eat right now — they’re a place to show how high you rank on the status totem pole,” NYC food scene insider Andrea Strong of The Strong Buzz told The Post.“Lines in the restaurant industry have to do with status — the status that the restaurant holds in the diner’s mind and the status the restaurant gives the diner when they post it on social media,” the long-time local critic explained.Like it or not, says Queens-based culinary consultant Joe DiStefano, the “big, dumb line” has become a fixture of city dining.

Like that classic “Seinfeld” episode “The Chinese Restaurant” — where Jerry, George and Elaine spend the night waiting for a table that never comes — New Yorkers are turning the agony of waiting into an unexpected badge of honor.“Lines have been a fact of New York City dining life at old-school places like Katz’s and Emilio’s Ballato, but post-pandemic, they’ve exploded — bakeries, restaurants, you name it, in almost every borough,” DiStefano said.

The gasoline on the fire, he told The Post, is social media.“Social media and influencer hype have a huge impact on people lining up — look at what happened to Ceres Pizza after Dave Portnoy gave it a rave review,” he explained, recalling one of downtown’s biggest viral hits in recent months.The waiting, Strong sai...