Every day, Luke Fortney, a freelance contributor to The New York Times’s Food desk, wakes up with one question top of mind: Where am I going to eat today?
Mr. Fortney moved to New York City after graduating from Oberlin College in Ohio in 2018. He soon became known as an “office food nerd,” he said, visiting restaurants mentioned on Eater during his lunch breaks while working at a financial news site.
This status became a through line in his career, carrying over to a stint at The Atlantic, where his colleagues would ask him for restaurant recommendations.
“I started to think, oh, maybe this could be a job,” he said.
By 2020, he was reporting for Eater. Ever since then, Mr. Fortney has consumed countless calories in the name of journalism; he ate more than 200 slices of pizza to update The Times’s list of the best pies in New York City. He also contributes to Where to Eat: New York City, maintaining an abnormal eating schedule to bring readers restaurant recommendations.
His recent work includes coverage of a much-talked-about $40 half chicken; bathhouse eateries; and the favorite restaurants of Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York. “Anything can be a food story, really,” Mr. Fortney said. “Food is always at the heart of the matter.”
In an interview, he discussed the challenges of a mostly restaurant-based diet and his favorite little treat. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
For those not in the know: How do you describe food reporting?
Food reporting is the most fun beat. You meet the most interesting people. When I moved to New York, I really wanted to get into local journalism. I wanted to interview my neighbors and talk about things that were happening in my neighborhood, and food became a pretty convenient way to do that. We all have the experience of walking to the subway and noticing that there’s a new restaurant. The good part about food reporting is that I get to pop in and ask them what their story is.
What steps did you initially take to immerse yourself in the local food scene?
So much dining out. In New York, we have a fast-moving food scene. It’s a blessing and a curse. Early on, I felt like to understand this city, I needed to eat at the places that have nourished New Yorkers for generations. I found myself sitting at the Keens Steakhouse bar alone, for example, having a small portion of mutton and a Guinness.
What is your connection to the city’s food scene now?
I interact with a restaurant in some way every day, whether I’m going to a coffee shop or eating over a dozen remixed bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches in a week, which no one should ever do.
Where does your passion for food come from?
It’s definitely an obsession and a compulsion. There are so many restaurants in New York City, and, in the digital media world, we hear about such a small percentage of them. So I love to try and put people on to places they maybe forgot about or have walked by a hundred times. Truly, every restaurant and menu in the city has a story to tell.
How do you find the restaurants you recommend, and where do you find your article ideas?
Sometimes a restaurant is just a place that I walk by and will look at the menu in the window. I spend so much time on TikTok or Instagram, and I find those can be helpful starting places. But the best restaurant tips still come from word of mouth.
I find story ideas in conversations I have. Usually it’s just something I notice out in the world when I’m eating. When you eat as often as I do, you start to see common threads. I have this crazy, messy Notes app of thoughts and possible headlines for the newsletter.
Other than occasionally eating enormous amounts of food, what are some challenges you face in your reporting?
Deadlines are always tricky. You could eat and research some things, like fusion food, for years. I just want to make sure I’m really putting forward the best recommendation.
One of the biggest difficulties is keeping in mind my health. No matter how many Sunday dinners I cook at home, it’s not going to offset the restaurant food I’m consuming. There’s a reason restaurant food tastes so good: butter and salt.
You have a knack for writing viral articles. Why do you think topics like food influencers wearing Meta glasses to restaurants resonate with readers?
As dynamic of a city as New York is, it can be really hard to watch your city change. And I think stories that get at that tend to generate conversation.
Have you ever been in a restaurant gap relationship?
Yes — I’m currently in one. I tend to visit restaurants while she’s at work and sometimes will bring home leftovers.
What’s your favorite little treat?
The salted pickled lemon soda from Ba Xuyȇn in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
To any food writers reading this: Eating kimchi and yogurt every day can really offset some of the onslaught of calories that you consume — that’s what dietitians have told me.
