Ranch dressing has appeared in unexpected places this season. Last weekend, a traveler at LaGuardia, questioned by T.S.A. about a suspicious bottle, admitted it was ranch. She was not the only one. Several city delis report increased requests for ranch packets from out-of-towners, particularly near Penn Station and the Port Authority bus terminal.
At East Village grocer Commodities, manager Linda Chow says, “People are asking for cold ranch to go with their pizza slices more than ever.” Ranch, typically associated with suburban chains and Midwest diners, has become a small obsession for some visitors, especially during peak tourist weeks.
Some New Yorkers have responded by making their own versions. On Thursday evening, a group of recent college graduates gathered in Astoria with a tray of homemade ranch, citing online recipes and the lack of consistency in bottled options. Fresh herbs and yogurt replaced the typical shelf-stable bottles.
Outdoor barbecues across Brooklyn and Queens have started to feature ranch as a staple condiment. In Prospect Park last Sunday, a birthday party table held two squeeze bottles labeled “house ranch” alongside sriracha and ketchup. The ranch was finished before the hot dogs.
While restaurants are not adding ranch to their menus in large numbers, a few Lower Manhattan pizzerias now offer it by request. For visitors and locals alike, homemade ranch is becoming a quiet fixture of the summer.