Technically Not Tech: Midtown Lunch invades Philadelphia

Update: Added blogger interview.
Let the record show that Technically Philly has two immediate reactions to MidtownLunch.com, the blog that aims to showcase cool places to eat during your lunch break for under 10 bucks:

1. Wonderful idea, a man can only go to Wawa so many times for lunch.
2. “Midtown?” C’mon now.

The site, originating from The 67th Ward, first expanded to downtown Manhatten and on January 13th expanded to Philly. The site is popular among Manhatten-ites, even landing coverage in The New York Times . According to Compete.com data, Midtown Lunch’s traffic (which is presumably is mostly due to its NYC content) is more than most of its new Philly competition, even the ones with an established presence in The 67th Ward.
The site author, Jamie (she prefers not to give her last name) is from Flushing and has taken the trip down the turnpike to go to law school (though she won’t disclose which one).
“I just really dislike going to generic [lunch] places,” she said in a phone interview with Technically Philly.
Jamie did her undergrad in the state and said she was always visiting friends in the city while at college. She maintained her own food blog and was profiled by Midtown Lunch before becoming the site’s Philly writer. She said hopes to make Midtown Lunch an outlet where people can find a “more fun lunch for people that work in the city for under ten dollars.”
But will the site’s Philadelphia section catch on here, where food blogs are as abundant as Phillies hats?
We explore using the same +/- rating system that the site uses in reviewing restaurants:


THE (+), (what someone who likes the restaurant blog would say):

• The city’s growing reputation as a “restaurant town” leaves us all with dozens of options for eating lunch.
• The site places a cap of $10 when profiling a new lunch stop. We all know that 10 New York dollars is like 18 Philly dollars.
• Midtown Lunch has a strict “no salads” policy.
• Jamie, the Philadelphia author, has just moved to Philly, so we all get a fresh perspective on the city.
• They didn’t go right for the cheesesteak debate.

THE (-), (what someone who does not likes the restaurant blog would say):

• Despite the efforts of Midtown Village, there is no “Midtown” in Philadelphia. Perhaps a separately branded “Center City Eats” would have been the better option here.
• Site founder Zach Brooks has since pulled a Chris Krewson and moved to LA, so he is not even on the same coast anymore.
• Brooks has confessed: “I don’t know nothing about Philly, except you should eat a pork and rabe sandwich at least 3 times a week.”
• First the NYC took the World Series, now they want our food blogosphere?
• Jamie, the Philadelphia author, is not a Mets fan. Or a Yankees fan. She said the only sport she follows is competitive eating. “I’d rather see people taking part in pure American gluttony,” she said.

Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly’s tech scene, but aren’t necessarily technology focused. See others here.