Why are we eating so early? 6:30 is the new 7:30, and Fort Worth restaurants respond

Dinnertime in restaurants used to be 7:30 p.m.

Now it’s 6:30 p.m., and nobody is quite sure why.

Local restaurateurs say almost unanimously that dinner crowds of all ages are booking tables earlier, except in late-night zones such as Mule Alley or University Drive.

“We used to fill up at 7:30, and it’d stay full until 9:30,” said Vance Martin, owner of 15-year Near Southside anchor Lili’s Bistro, 1310 W. Magnolia Ave.

“Now, 6:30 is our 7:30. By 8:30, that crowd is gone.”

A recent report in The New York Times blamed the nationwide trend on customers working at home and wanting to go out immediately after work.

But dinner crowds show up earlier on weekends, too; maybe because customers have more to do or have shows to stream and games to watch.

“Our dinner crowd at Bonnell’s likes 7 [p.m.] and 7:30, and that’s pretty much it,” chef Jon Bonnell wrote in a text message about his restaurant, a 20-year favorite at 4259 Bryant Irvin Road.

But his Waters restaurant downtown near convention hotels has a late-night crowd. So do chef Tim Love’s Lonesome Dove and Paloma Suerte in the Stockyards, face-to-face across Marine Creek in Mule Alley.

Felipe Armenta of Fort Worth-based Far Out Hospitality reported the same trend. His Tavern and Le Margot restaurants on South Hulen Street draw crowds earlier, but customers come out later at Maria’s Mexican Kitchen and Pacific Table on busier South University Drive.

Neighborhood restaurants get crowded early, a trend reflected in online reservations at OpenTable.com, Resy.com, Tock.com and Yelp.com.

“I have definitely seen the change,” chef Ben Merritt wrote in a text message about his Fitzgerald seafood restaurant, 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd.

Customers start coming at 5 p.m. and the last diners show up at 8 p.m., Merritt said. He said he thinks it’s because Fitzgerald is in a neighborhood, not in a late-night setting.

Even burger grills see a switch.

Fred’s Texas Cafe was a late-night bar hangout when it was located in the West 7th area.

Now, with locations at 7101 Camp Bowie Blvd. and 2730 Western Center Blvd., Fred’s is more of a restaurant and sports bar.

Both locations now open for lunch earlier at 10:30 a.m.. That way, they get a weekday jump on nearby restaurants, fill takeout orders and get customers seated in time for 11 a.m. weekend football games.

They close at 10:30 p.m., partner Quincy Wallace wrote in a text message.

None of the restaurateurs suggested a reason for the switch. Several said they do see more customers coming from their workday at home instead of downtown or in an office park.

“Fort Worth has never been a late-night town,” Martin said.

His Lili’s Bistro has restored lunch service Mondays and Tuesdays to serve midday diners. It’s now open weekdays for lunch and Wednesdays through Saturdays for dinner.

“You’d think with all the population growth, it would change the other way,” he said.

So if you don’t want to wait — go late..