Illustration by Claudia Chinyere Akole
On a recent Sunday afternoon, chef Samuel Yoo stood behind the counter of the self-described Asian diner he owns on the edge of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Each of the eight swiveling stools inside Golden Diner remained empty, as they had since New York City mandated that restaurants close indoor dining six months earlier. Though now, about a dozen eager eaters are able to sit in a sectioned-off sidewalk area, pass plates of kale-and-parmesan biscuits smothered in gravy, and wash down their brunch with glasses of orange wine.
Outside the front door, a masked waiter attended to a growing number of people Yoo never expected would become the focus of his small business: the handful of hungry New Yorkers, a few European tourists, and a slew of…