Pete Wells is stepping down from his popular role as restaurant critic at The New York Times. In an essay published today on the paper’s website, Wells confirmed that he will continue to work at the paper but in a different role. Wells will finish his role as critic in early August, a spokesperson told Eater.
“The search for our next restaurant critic will open shortly. Melissa Clark and Priya Krishna will serve as interim critics in New York, alternating between recording both restaurant reviews and critical notes,” a memo circulated to Times staff said. Tejal Rao will continue as The Times’ California food critic. Emily Weinstein, editor in chief of cooking and food, told Eater that details about Wells’ next role will be announced “soon.”
Sam Sifton handed the baton as Times critic to Wells in 2011, who took up the role in 2012. At the time, Wells had been the section’s dining editor since 2006. Over the years, as restaurants have made a dramatic transition into pop culture, Wells has become one of America’s preeminent critics.
Wells has written many noteworthy reviews during his 12-year tenure, notably at Guy Fieri’s Peter Luger restaurant and steakhouse in Times Square. His 2017 review of Locol, a small California chain, drew some pandering. In recent years, especially during the pandemic and with the loss of his “Hungry City” column, which focused on family-run establishments, Wells’ best articles have often focused on smaller, less well-funded establishments. He has especially recently seemed to address the role of today’s fine-dining scene. “Almost every big city has a restaurant like this now, an imitation pearl on a string that circles the world. If you close your doors, you can go anywhere, or you can go nowhere,” he wrote about a Manhattan restaurant earlier this year.
In a New Yorker profile of Wells, he described his “disguise strategy” as “being the least interesting person in the room,” adding, “That’s what I was for a long time. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that.”
Wells recently spearheaded the launch of New York City’s 100 Best Restaurants, an ambitious project now in its second year, and more recently contributed as a contributing writer to several issues of The Times’ “Best Restaurants in New York City” newsletter, giving readers more personal insight into Wells’ eating habits and sense of humor.
In his resignation letter, Wells pointed to his health as a major factor in his decision to step down from his position, but there were more existential reasons as well. Writing about the omnivorous nature of being a critic, Wells compared himself to the late Jonathan Gold: “His knowledge inspired me, but at the same time tormented me, because there was no way I could ever keep up with him.” After recovering from hernia surgery in May, Wells made the final decision to step down. “And then, at some point during those two weeks, I realized that my job wasn’t my job.”
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