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Add The New York Post on Google The forecast calls for a dry Fourth of July in the Hamptons, at least for young partygoers.
As in New York City and beyond , young people are shunning bottle service, with local proprietors scrambling to come up with suitable food and drink alternatives.
Bagatelle Restaurant Group CEO Aymeric Clemente has seen that first hand.
“Back in the day when we used to go out, it was about how many places we could go to in a night and how drunk we could get, but that time is gone,” he told Side Dish.
“We still like to go out, but it’s different and we take our time.”
At LDV At The Maidstone in East Hampton and Barlume Beach in Montauk, both run by LDV Hospitality, tables run from $3,000 to $20,000 this weekend.
“I don’t know the last time I saw someone doing shots in the Hamptons. It isn’t the same dynamic as when I was a kid running around 25 years ago,” said John Meadow, founder and president of LDV Hospitality.
To tempt guests into imbibing, Calissa in Water Mill has actually dropped its alcohol prices. The average price of a bottle now runs $650 to $850, down from $700 to $1,000, according to restaurateur James Mallios. Depending on the night, bottle service can run from $1,500 to $2,500 for six to 10 people.
While mocktails are available, too, Mallios has held off on giving them their own section on the menu.
“I’m not against mocktails, but I make a living selling food and beverage. That’s how I pay my mortgage,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to play into the idea that alcohol in moderation is a bad thing.”
Mallios is also hoping to get a boost from cannabis-infused drinks and has applied for a license to do so. He already runs a dispensary in Southampton called Charlie Fox.
Jayma Cardoso, the owner of Surf Lodge in Montauk, has also taken note of Gen Z’s abstemious ways, saying, “Maybe they’ll have one bottle of champagne, but the 27-year-olds just order fresh juices and zero-proof beer.”
Surf Lodge charges up to $1,000 per person for table service.
“They’re paying no matter what and I want to make sure they enjoy their experience,” Cardoso said.
Toward that end, she has come up with some creative new offerings. Those include tins of caviar from Caviar Kaspia costing up to $595 for a 125-ounce portion. The restaurateur is also going out on a limb, selling popular towers of Popeye’s chicken tenders for $150 each.
A new weekly supper club at Surf Lodge features drinks like a non-alcoholic sparkling “elixir” designed to replace champagne. It comes from actor Waris Ahluwalia, known for appearances in a number of Wes Anderson movies.
As for dinner, “deck tables” have a minimum spend for food and beverage that varies between $500 and $1,000 per person, Cardoso said.
Proving that youth is wasted on the young, the hardest-partying people in the Hamptons this weekend may be Gen X or older.
“While a whole world of younger people are drinking less, older people are still spending money on high-end wine and spirits. I maintain our optimism, focusing on our loyal clientele with the propensity to drink — unlike the little kids drinking water,” said Meadow.
He explained that diners are paying more for cherished experiences than drinks.
“What we are selling is real estate. We are offering space for an experience, and that experience comes at…