Seating at the restaurant, which had been limited strictly to Metropolitan Opera ticketholders, is now open to ticket holders for any Lincoln Center event at the New York State Theater or Avery Fisher Hall as well. In addition, the restaurant's opening hours have been extended: seating will now begin at 6 p.m. (Previously, the restaurant only opened 45 minutes before each Met performance.)

"The Metropolitan Opera is reaching out to a wider audience, and we are proud to be supporting that effort with our restaurant," said Nick Valenti, CEO of RA Patina, provider of food service for The Grand Tier. The restaurant's chef is the Sea Grill's Ed Brown, known for creative American contemporary cuisine.

The Grand Tier restaurant is located, naturally enough, on the Grand Tier level of the Metropolitan Opera House, with a view of the famous Marc Chagall paintings on one side and of Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza and fountain on another. Pre-ordering is available so that patrons may arrive at intermission to find their freshly-prepared meals waiting for them.