This year's U.S. Open tennis tournament has a new food sensation: a $38 French Dip sandwich from Salt Hank's, a West Village eatery founded by chef and content creator Henry "Salt Hank" Laporte, which became popular on social media. It joins other new food vendors, including Mexican-inspired Cosme and Mediterranean-influenced Miznon, as tournament organisers look to reflect New York's diverse dining scene and give restaurants a high-profile platform, albeit one with major logistical challenges due to enormous daily crowds.

Salt Hank's, topped with onions, aioli, provolone and a side of au jus, has drawn long queues and was recently acquired by food hall Wonder, with expansion plans in the works. To meet demand, the team temporarily closed its West Village site and relocated staff and equipment to Queens, producing 1,500 sandwiches daily compared with 300 at the restaurant, amid competitive, chaotic conditions vendors likened to "Lord of the Flies". Other offerings include COQODAQ's $100 caviar-topped chicken nuggets and traditional staples like the Fuku fried chicken sandwich, as organisers cater to more than 70,000 daily attendees from over 100 countries.