The Hamptons are in the middle of a cold war between its famed old guard and a new generation of influencers, with both sides aggressively carving out territory to avoid the other.
From secretly entering restaurants through the backdoor to having their own restrooms, the old guard want to dine in peace without ending up in the background of a 20-something’s TikTok video. They will do whatever it takes to avoid tacky influencers with their tripods, obnoxious behavior and indiscretion.
For one restaurant owner, Zach Erdem, the disruptions have got so bad he has made a drastic decision. Erdem has split his restaurant in two to preserve the balance between longtime wealthy customers and those enticed to try his 75 Main from viral social media videos of people dancing on tables.
‘I want a Hamptons for everyone,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘We don’t want to be exclusive for only the one percent.’
When customers walk in the door, Erdem ensures they’re asked if they want to sit outside, in the back garden or the main dining room. He has a plan for every answer.
Most of the monied residents opt for the garden. It’s private, has its own entrance and bathroom. Guests can wash their hands without a young influencer next to them touching up the Rhode peptide tint on their lips while they talk to a camera.
‘They can come without seeing anybody,’ Erdem said. ‘Just walk and eat and leave via the back door.
‘They don’t need to see anyone or be seen by anyone.’
Zach Erdem, the owner of 75 Main in The Hamptons, had to split his restaurant in two to maintain the delicate balance between longtime wealthy customers and influencers
Monied customers often opt for the back garden or outside front seating to avoid the flashy influencers with phone cameras and rowdy ways
Influencer Mariella Gregoria pictured outside of 75 Main in the Hamptons
And influencers come with outrageous requests, such as asking Erdem to compensate their expensive meals in exchange for an Instagram or TikTok video.
He denies them every time because no matter what, a video will be made about his establishment. He has owned it since 2010 and it’s one of the most visited restaurants in the Hamptons.
‘People want to come to the Hamptons, and they want to come in and just not spend too much money. The Hamptons are not cheap,’ Erdem said.
Even his hotels are full every day, with people on a waitlist to get in. If anyone gets lucky enough to swoop in on a cancellation they’re paying triple the price – and gladly so, Erdem insists.
Influencers come strutting into his businesses – which include two hotels, two nightlife spots and three restaurants – with Chanel bags, designer fits and, crucially, their cash.
He recently saw a family visit his restaurant and stopped to remark that he had seen their daughter a staggering six times in one week.
‘I’m like: “Oh, your kids come here more than you!” he said. ‘So, it’s basically that the kids are taking over the families, their credit cards, and they come in more than their families.’
The young crowd also enjoys getting a table in the back dining room near the DJ booth, and they’re willing to wait hours in line to secure a spot.
Unlike another Hamptons business, which put up a ‘no influencers’ sign, Erdem has embraced the need for the scrappy, phone-heavy crowd
Kai Trump pictured on a visit to Erdem’s popular 75 Main in The Hamptons last summer
‘All the people dancing on tables and chairs all night, it turns to really a fun place,’ Erdem said. ‘And the younger crowd stays longer, spending more money than the old crowd.
‘The old crowd will be coming in – professional dining, sitting down, spending an hour and a half, or two hours max. You know their limit and they know what they’re looking for, either a piece of steak or fish, little appetizer sharing, having espresso and going home.
‘The young crowd will not be doing that. They will be staying and keeping the table, fighting with the maître d’ manager, they will not leave the table. The check average goes three times more than their father.’
It’s because of that, he says, that he had to split his 225-seat capacity restaurant, in half.
The younger crowd wants the back dining room, which at night becomes a rowdy club with people dancing on the tables and swinging their napkins around.
Due to the high amounts of cashflow they’re bringing into 75 Main and the area in general, Erdem doesn’t think the stiff-collared Hamptonites should exclude the ever-growing younger crowd.
‘The one percent don’t go out every night. The one percent don’t shop every day. The one percent doesn’t do the young crowd, the tourists, all the people that come in and bring the money to our village,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘I know Montauk used to be known for all the young crowd and everything else, but now it’s not just Montauk, it’s just all over the place.’
The older generation prefers ‘professional dining’ and only wants to stay one to two hours and only comes in a few nights a week
They often opt for the outdoor seating out front of the back garden, which has a private entrance and bathroom
But not everyone shares the same sentiment as Erdem as the Four Winds Craft Guild, a basket store located in the ritzy Massachusetts island, recently put up a ‘no influencers’ sign.
The immediate reaction from many influencers, with follower counts in the hundreds of thousands, was outrage.
Many labeled the sign as out of touch and even sexist, claiming that it discriminates against a profession dominated by young women.
But ritzy coastal towns have had enough of blonde girls with tripods upsetting their peaceful villages.
However, Erdem has chosen to embrace the need for the scrappy, phone-heavy crowd.
‘No one reads the paper,’ he said. ‘No one’s going to magazines: “Oh, where should I go eat today?” Everyone goes on the phone, or go to TikTok, or go to Instagram, put #restaurants, everything will pop up, all the influencers post all the beautiful content that brings the people in your door.
‘I mean, if I want to invest, I will definitely invest in an influencer.’
But there is one crowd Erdem does want to keep out of the ritzy Hamptons: The people of Jersey Shore.
Sorry, Snooki!
