8 Ways Eating at 5PM is the Ultimate Life Hack
The best life advice you’ll ever get, royalties welcome
I grew up eating dinner at 5PM. Willingly. That’s right, the idea didn’t make me want to set myself on fire. I loved it — still do, and I think you could too.
It would be remiss not to acknowledge that eating so early can create some social tension. A byproduct of not being 70 years old is that most of my friends still like to eat between 7 and 8pm. The mere suggestion of eating earlier never fails to elicit howls. “What are you, a grandma?” “Oh, is this because you have to finish dinner before your 8pm bedtime?” Believe me, I’ve heard it all. There have also been instances in which I am finishing dinner at 4:30 only to look over at my phone and see a newly-formed group chat buzzing about a 7PM dinner that night. So it’s true, you will not always be on everyone else’s schedule by eating early, however, that’s the beauty of it. It’s like waking up at 5AM when everyone else wakes up at 8. People who do this know what I’m talking about. You get much more out of your day. You can exercise, meditate, or otherwise work to get ahead while everyone else sleeps. It’s like a secret way to level up that no one else knows about. This is the feeling of eating at 5PM.
Let’s dive into why this makes sense.
1. Eating early makes it easy to get reservations 🗓
Ever hear of people clamoring over 5pm reservations? Yeah, no one does it. Research reveals that 86% of dinners in the U.S. happen after 5PM. These early reservations are usually the last to go, which means they’re yours for the taking. If you ever find yourself looking for a way into the latest urban hot spot, this is your golden ticket. Even restaurants that are consistently booked up almost always have cancellations during the 5/5:30PM time slots, particularly during weekdays, since not everyone ends up being able to leave work and arrive at the restaurant so early. For places that don’t take reservations, walking in at 5PM provides the highest likelihood of getting seated.
2. The food is just better. It’s fresher, well prepared, and never sold out 🥦
One of the worst dinnertime feelings is drumming up internal excitement about a delicious menu item, only to order it and discover that it’s sold out for the night. Eating at 5PM ensures that you’ll never miss out on a dish available in limited quantities.
Moreover, you get the freshest version of the dish, since ingredients tend to be sourced at the beginning of the day and are depleted over the course of mealtime. Nothing says “ew” more than soggy spinach that’s been laying out all night, waiting to be used. The difference in freshness at 5PM vs 8PM can be colossal, particularly at restaurants serving meals involving lots of fruits and veggies.
At 5PM, the beginning of dinner service, the kitchen staff is at its best. The chef is sharp and meticulous. Sous chefs and line cooks are at the ready, eager to start tossing ingredients together. There are also fewer customers at this time, which means fewer orders coming in, less food to prepare at once, and more time to focus on ensuring your meal is perfect. Think about the same kitchen at 8PM. The chef is wiping his brow, a his face burning from a mixture of sweat and grease. The line cooks are exhausted, now three hours into the service and deserving of a break. The cooking is more prone to mistakes. There are so many orders coming in at once that the dripping oil on the side of the plate being wiped up earlier now becomes acceptable. Compromises are made on presentation. Now, which kitchen would you rather have? 5PM. It’s a no-brainer.
3. The service is top notch since no one else is around 👩🏼🍳
Not only does your food come out faster when the kitchen isn’t 50 orders deep, but having fewer customers to tend to means waiters are unlikely to forget that you wanted manchego, not bleu, and an extra bowl to split your salad with. Just as the kitchen staff is freshest at the beginning of dinner service, the same goes for waiters and waitresses. They’re are much more pleasant and accommodating at 5PM than they are when they’re kicking you out as the restaurant closes.
4. Because more space is available, you get better seating 🪑
If you get to a restaurant at opening, a world of seating possibilities reveals itself. Instead of arriving at 7PM and being relegated to bar seating, you can arrive at 5PM and pick your table. Who doesn’t crave that type of flexibility? Date night at that table next to the window with the view of the sunset? At 5PM, it’s yours. Have a child and need some extra space? That’s right, 5PM.
5. When restaurants aren’t crowded, you can actually hear your own voice and converse with others 💬
Everyone is familiar with the feeling of eating in a restaurant that’s just a touch too loud. Your vocal chords ache and splinter just so you can hear yourself. You constantly have to repeat yourself so that the person across from you can hear you, not to mention the waiter, who is standing at a much higher altitude, compelling you to project more forcefully. The truth is, restaurants are getting louder. Sparse, modern decor with high exposed ceilings are a feast for the eyes, but a nightmare for the ears. Contemporary, high-end surfaces like cement walls and other hard materials serve as sonic mirrors, reflecting sound around the room. As we have it, the ambience most in vogue today also renders speech unintelligible. However, this problem disappears at 5PM. With fewer patrons in the room, there are only a handful of other voices to compete with. Plus, if you take advantage of #4 and choose your own seat, you can also lead your party to an emptier part of the restaurant to make it even easier to carry a conversation.
6. You can take cuter Instagram Stories when it’s light out 📸
Anyone that has ever taken a good selfie knows that lighting is everything. More importantly, natural light is everything. Lucky for you, at 5PM, the sun is still shining, providing ample opportunity to snap and share your feast on social media. There’s no shame in the game, people. And even less shame when there’s no one else in the restaurant to judge you for standing up to take your photo or re-arranging your food to create the best flat lay.
7. Eating early eliminates the pre-dinner snack we all fall prey to 🍕
If you eat lunch at 12PM and eat dinner at 7PM, you’re bound to feel hungry within the 7 hour interval between the two meals. According to the Journal of Food Distribution Research, the average snack time in the U.S. is 4:06PM. This makes sense if you eat dinner like most people. At 4PM, an empty stomach may bring about the realization that you need something to tie you over for the next 3 hours before dinner. Having a light bite is a great way to stay satiated without going overboard. But if you’re like most people, these snacks probably aren’t all that healthy. We’ll forego what should be an apple for chips, sodas, and cookies. Don’t even get me started on how a small snack can start a tornado of snackage and turn itself into a full blown disaster. But when we eat dinner at 5PM, snacking at 4PM means you’re just ruining your appetite. At 4PM, you’re probably already sorting through reviews, looking for a restaurant to eat at. Better yet, you’re already getting dressed to leave for dinner. Eventually, you learn to wean off snacks and just eat dinner instead, eliminating the unnecessary snack calories for the day. Beyond this, there’s just tons of literature supporting weight loss that stems from eating early.
8. You get better sleep without being bloated 💤
Ever get into bed feeling super full? You can hear your stomach sloshing around as you lay down, praying your horizontal position doesn’t make you yak. The uncomfortable nature of sleeping in this state also prevents you from falling asleep or getting great rest. Eating earlier gives your body much more time to digest your food. As a result, you feel awesome by the time you need to sleep. Instead of being the human incarnation of a chorizo cheese ball, you’re light as a feather.
There you have it, people. 5PM as the ultimate life hack. The next time you get flack from your friends for the suggestion, send this article their way. I’ll put away my soapbox for now, but before I leave — did I sway you? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
