Restaurants have gotten so expensive……also recycling and phone apps (1 Viewer)

[Terminalxylem]

And on that note @General Malaise of a great server, I fully understand accepting a higher cost for the food is easier with a great server.

I find that interesting for the folks that prefer minimal or even no interaction if possible.

I'm guessing for those folks, a great server wouldn't impact the way they see the cost of the meal. Which is bad news for the restaurant.

I prefer minimal interaction, but still recognize good service, and tip accordingly.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

That's understandable. Craft Beer in a 22oz is going to be expensive.

Yeah, $10 seems “cheap” to me for that. Pints are around $7-$9 dollars now for craft beers by me.

 

[Grahamburn]

I would suggest stop visiting these places that have out of whack prices

This.

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Since we don't have 1 where I live I dropped into a Long John Silvers last night for "nostalgia" as it's been decades since I've been there. 1 fish and chicken combo with a small drink, $18+. That'll be my last visit to LJS.

Long John Silvers is one of the few national fast food chains I've never stepped foot in. Fast food fish never struck me as something I must have. Have yet to order a Filet-o-Fish either

Arthur Treacher's was the creme de la creme of the fried fish chains - but there are only 2-3 left in the country ...1 of them is only a mile or so from where I used to live in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. I still dream of that fish and those greasy crispies ...could take or leave the fries.

that said, at a good LJS (some will be sloppy and/or use old grease, poorly run, etc.) they can be prettay, prettay good for fried fish. Decent hush puppies too. We have a couple where I live now and I make it a point to hit one of up a few times a year when I need that fix. Dunking everything with malt vinegar and tartar sauce ...making me hungry now.

Arthur Treacher’s ! Great pull. Almost forgot about them. We had one in crappy Temple Hills, MD about ten minutes from where I grew up.

Opened in 1975, closed May of 2014.

RIP hush puppies

 

[Joe Bryant]

I will gladly and repeatedly pay $100 to hang with a good friend and eat some mediocre food and have a few beers. Seriously

Sure. That's what he's saying and for people in that economic situation, others will also do that.

My point is I worry for restaurants if "pay what the customer described as an incredulous amount for wings and beers in a unique situation" is a sustainable customer base.

 

[Joe Bryant]

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

Agreed. This also seems to be true.

 

[McBokonon]

McDonald’s did report their earnings last week and said consumers have finally started to resist their price hikes so they were going to moderate. One of the quotes from the transcript as an example: “…particularly among the low-income consumer, there's some transaction size reduction that we're seeing. We're also seeing some trade down there.”

So they have basically passed the limit of what their customers are willing to pay. Chipotle, on the other hand, has a customer base that will pay whatever.

 

[General Malaise]

I will gladly and repeatedly pay $100 to hang with a good friend and eat some mediocre food and have a few beers. Seriously

Sure. That's what he's saying and for people in that economic situation, others will also do that.

My point is I worry for restaurants if "pay what the customer described as an incredulous amount for wings and beers in a unique situation" is a sustainable customer base.

Ehhhh, Buffalo Wildwings is owned by the same hedge fund that owns and operates Arby's (which is a place I've never understood for its popularity or ability to thrive). I think they've got the blueprint for sustainability down, even if it's a bit of a head-scratcher.

 

[General Malaise]

I would suggest stop visiting these places that have out of whack prices

This.

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

I feel like we (the Royal We) have complained about the cost of stadium foods and beverages for as long as I've been alive and yet, games are well attended and folks keep ordering concessions.

And then complain about it before we do it all over again.

 

[General Malaise]

McDonald’s did report their earnings last week and said consumers have finally started to resist their price hikes so they were going to moderate. One of the quotes from the transcript as an example: “…particularly among the low-income consumer, there's some transaction size reduction that we're seeing. We're also seeing some trade down there.”

So they have basically passed the limit of what their customers are willing to pay. Chipotle, on the other hand, has a customer base that will pay whatever.

Curious which place has better margins.

 

[Joe Bryant]

McDonald’s did report their earnings last week and said consumers have finally started to resist their price hikes so they were going to moderate. One of the quotes from the transcript as an example: “…particularly among the low-income consumer, there's some transaction size reduction that we're seeing. We're also seeing some trade down there.”

So they have basically passed the limit of what their customers are willing to pay. Chipotle, on the other hand, has a customer base that will pay whatever.

Curious which place has better margins.

That would be interesting.

McDonalds is squeezed on price but has near unmatched buying power.

Chipoltle can charge much more but likely don't buy raw materials nearly as well.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I will gladly and repeatedly pay $100 to hang with a good friend and eat some mediocre food and have a few beers. Seriously

Sure. That's what he's saying and for people in that economic situation, others will also do that.

My point is I worry for restaurants if "pay what the customer described as an incredulous amount for wings and beers in a unique situation" is a sustainable customer base.

Ehhhh, Buffalo Wildwings is owned by the same hedge fund that owns and operates Arby's (which is a place I've never understood for its popularity or ability to thrive). I think they've got the blueprint for sustainability down, even if it's a bit of a head-scratcher.

I don't know. Big companies can still fail.

 

[McBokonon]

McDonald’s did report their earnings last week and said consumers have finally started to resist their price hikes so they were going to moderate. One of the quotes from the transcript as an example: “…particularly among the low-income consumer, there's some transaction size reduction that we're seeing. We're also seeing some trade down there.”

So they have basically passed the limit of what their customers are willing to pay. Chipotle, on the other hand, has a customer base that will pay whatever.

Curious which place has better margins.

That would be interesting.

McDonalds is squeezed on price but has near unmatched buying power.

Chipoltle can charge much more but likely don't buy raw materials nearly as well.

McDonald’s by a lot. Despite that, you’d be waaaaay better off with CMG than MCD in your portfolio for the last 5 years at least.

 

[massraider]

McDonald's stock price also fell when they announced they would become more affordable.

A good thing to keep in mind when people wonder, golly, why does this publicly traded company not lower their prices?

 

[Chemical X]

I would suggest stop visiting these places that have out of whack prices

This.

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

i agree. places are packed. people complaining about everything (but americans do literally complain about everything) the economy is crap, this and that, yet everywhere i look someone is willing to drop $30 on a pizza pie and $15 on a spritz. i expected more restaurants to go under due to pricing and staffing, but i appear to be way off. we do well and have the money disposable, but i’ve reached a limit. i just don’t know how people regularly hit a bar and grab multiple drinks knowing the up pricing.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Picked up 4 ribeyes (~8 oz each) and 4 thin chicken fillets, some green beans and a loaf of some sort of cheese bread
Add in some potatoes we already had and I’ve got dinner for the family for $30

 

[General Malaise]

I will gladly and repeatedly pay $100 to hang with a good friend and eat some mediocre food and have a few beers. Seriously

Sure. That's what he's saying and for people in that economic situation, others will also do that.

My point is I worry for restaurants if "pay what the customer described as an incredulous amount for wings and beers in a unique situation" is a sustainable customer base.

Ehhhh, Buffalo Wildwings is owned by the same hedge fund that owns and operates Arby's (which is a place I've never understood for its popularity or ability to thrive). I think they've got the blueprint for sustainability down, even if it's a bit of a head-scratcher.

I don't know. Big companies can still fail.

Oh, all the time. Just making mention that this one is no longer publicly traded as it was 4ish years ago and the hedge fund that runs and operates BWW answers to nobody. If they're seeing pushback from consumers on pricing and sales are down, we won't know it the way we did or the way we do with McD or Yum Brands who have to issue quarterly reports and offer guidance.

Guessing these guys care about their customers as Montgomery Burns does about his Springfield nuclear power consumers.

 

[Doug B]

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

While there’s some overlap between “complainers” and “people who keep going to restaurants as often as ever” … there are a lot of people who have just dropped out of dining out altogether. If that’s not hurting the overall restaurant industry’s bottom line, so be it. Seems to me they’re drawing from a diminishing pool of people, but perhaps enough people of means remain in that pool that few industry-wide effects are felt.

 

[Joe Bryant]

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

While there’s some overlap between “complainers” and “people who keep going to restaurants as often as ever” … there are a lot of people who have just dropped out of dining out altogether. If that’s not hurting the overall restaurant industry’s bottom line, so be it. Seems to me they’re drawing from a diminishing pool of people, but perhaps enough people of means remain in that pool that few industry-wide effects are felt.

I tend to agree with this. It's a dangerous game to ignore criticism thinking business still feels pretty good.

 

[Eephus]

We rarely go out to restaurants but had occasion to eat dinner out twice this week.

Celebrated a friend's birthday at a German place in the neighborhood. It's a local favorite where we've eaten at many times. Food was good and service was excellent as usual. Prices seemed a couple of bucks more than the last time we went there in 2022. The place was pretty busy for a Monday night.

Last night we went to a Japanese Curry house that just opened down the street. Enormous portions including meat, curry sauce, rice, salad and pickles for $16 seemed reasonable by SF standards. It's brand new so they didn't have their license yet so we had yuzu lemonade for $3.25. Each table had a little buzzer to ring for service but we never had to use it because they weren't very busy early on a Friday night. Our table had a little rack of six different types of pepper ranging up to 350K Scoville units but we didn't use that either. We'll definitely go back.

No dogs at either place.

 

[Doug B]

I tend to agree with this. It's a dangerous game to ignore criticism thinking business still feels pretty good.

If there’s no recalibration in the near future — and not just with restaurants, but lots of other goods & services, energy , healthcare, etc. — it will mean that for better or worse the percentage of “have nots” in America is continuing to climb sharply upwards. Dollars are driftwood as more and more American consumers get dumped into the ocean.

 

[Desert_Power]

I will gladly and repeatedly pay $100 to hang with a good friend and eat some mediocre food and have a few beers. Seriously

Same. But BWW is below mediocre

 

[guru_007]

Crawfish season starting up in Texas. When I moved here 20ish years ago you could usually find these things on special in bars for $4-$6 per pound. Remember many a time going to lunch or happy hour getting 2 lbs a few beers and spending less than 25 bucks. Well these things have surged in popularity over the years (similar to wings) and prices have gradually gone up. $7, $8 per pound.
I like ‘em don’t love em more of a social thing for me to go to a boil or local communities will have events. Over the past 5 years or so it’s generally been 20 bucks for 2 lbs. comes with some corn on the cob and potatoes. Fine, it’s for community organizations and chamber of commerce’s and gets us out for the day. This is where I’ll draw the line at this price point though.
Saw today most places are charging $13-$15 per pound. Guess no more crawfish for me. Ridiculous.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Crawfish season starting up in Texas. When I moved here 20ish years ago you could usually find these things on special in bars for $4-$6 per pound. Remember many a time going to lunch or happy hour getting 2 lbs a few beers and spending less than 25 bucks. Well these things have surged in popularity over the years (similar to wings) and prices have gradually gone up. $7, $8 per pound.
I like ‘em don’t love em more of a social thing for me to go to a boil or local communities will have events. Over the past 5 years or so it’s generally been 20 bucks for 2 lbs. comes with some corn on the cob and potatoes. Fine, it’s for community organizations and chamber of commerce’s and gets us out for the day. This is where I’ll draw the line at this price point though.
Saw today most places are charging $13-$15 per pound. Guess no more crawfish for me. Ridiculous.

Crawfish are the latest chicken wings. What used to be cheap is now expensive.

The "cause" is also a thing. It's one thing when it's for a local charity. Another when it's a regular item on the menu.

I went to a South Texas Ice House today for my birthday. Super cool vibe. Didn't have crawfish yet but had a Shrimp Boil in same format. 18$ for a pound of shrimp. They were excellent and the company was awesome. 4 people with drinks for lunch and it was $140 before tip. I was fine with that.

 

[Eephus]

Crawfish season starting up in Texas. When I moved here 20ish years ago you could usually find these things on special in bars for $4-$6 per pound. Remember many a time going to lunch or happy hour getting 2 lbs a few beers and spending less than 25 bucks. Well these things have surged in popularity over the years (similar to wings) and prices have gradually gone up. $7, $8 per pound.
I like ‘em don’t love em more of a social thing for me to go to a boil or local communities will have events. Over the past 5 years or so it’s generally been 20 bucks for 2 lbs. comes with some corn on the cob and potatoes. Fine, it’s for community organizations and chamber of commerce’s and gets us out for the day. This is where I’ll draw the line at this price point though.
Saw today most places are charging $13-$15 per pound. Guess no more crawfish for me. Ridiculous.

There used to be Vietnamese crawfish in a bag places in SF but I think they've moved almost exclusively to shrimp due to availability and cost. Shrimp are easier to eat as well.

 

[Da Guru]

That's understandable. Craft Beer in a 22oz is going to be expensive.

Yeah, $10 seems “cheap” to me for that. Pints are around $7-$9 dollars now for craft beers by me.

Local pub by my daughter's home has 22oz domestics for 2.50 7 days a week. Miller, Bud, Coors product

By me there are a couple places that have 3.00 pints and 4.50 22oz domestics.

I stopped getting the crafts when out. A friend of mine runs a sports bar, said they make a killing on the craft margins.

 

[Zigg]

I will gladly and repeatedly pay $100 to hang with a good friend and eat some mediocre food and have a few beers. Seriously

Same. But BWW is below mediocre

Went to BWW in Vegas(I’m Canadian and like to go to chains we don’t have here). Got a lunch special. 10 wings, fries and drink for $15(I think). Pricey, but thought the food was good.

 

[Drunken knight]

@Joe Bryant
Hbd

 

[Major]

McDonald’s did report their earnings last week and said consumers have finally started to resist their price hikes so they were going to moderate. One of the quotes from the transcript as an example: “…particularly among the low-income consumer, there's some transaction size reduction that we're seeing. We're also seeing some trade down there.”

So they have basically passed the limit of what their customers are willing to pay. Chipotle, on the other hand, has a customer base that will pay whatever.

Curious which place has better margins.

That would be interesting.

McDonalds is squeezed on price but has near unmatched buying power.

Chipoltle can charge much more but likely don't buy raw materials nearly as well.

McDonald’s by a lot. Despite that, you’d be waaaaay better off with CMG than MCD in your portfolio for the last 5 years at least.

Crazy that McDonalds used to owned something like 90% of Chipotle. I forget why they sold out but they sure were responsible for the initial growth of the chain.

 

[Major]

Crawfish season starting up in Texas. When I moved here 20ish years ago you could usually find these things on special in bars for $4-$6 per pound. Remember many a time going to lunch or happy hour getting 2 lbs a few beers and spending less than 25 bucks. Well these things have surged in popularity over the years (similar to wings) and prices have gradually gone up. $7, $8 per pound.
I like ‘em don’t love em more of a social thing for me to go to a boil or local communities will have events. Over the past 5 years or so it’s generally been 20 bucks for 2 lbs. comes with some corn on the cob and potatoes. Fine, it’s for community organizations and chamber of commerce’s and gets us out for the day. This is where I’ll draw the line at this price point though.
Saw today most places are charging $13-$15 per pound. Guess no more crawfish for me. Ridiculous.

There's a huge crawfish shortage this year so it's near impossible to get them at a reasonable price. A few of the cajun places down here haven't had any for sale the times I've been.

 

[massraider]

Each table had a little buzzer to ring for service but we never had to use it because they weren't very busy early on a Friday night. Our table had a little rack of six different types of pepper ranging up to 350K Scoville units but we didn't use that either. We'll definitely go back.

That place sounds cool.

No dogs at either place.

I spoke too soon. These soul-less monsters will be out of business in a year.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

That's understandable. Craft Beer in a 22oz is going to be expensive.

Yeah, $10 seems “cheap” to me for that. Pints are around $7-$9 dollars now for craft beers by me.

Local pub by my daughter's home has 22oz domestics for 2.50 7 days a week. Miller, Bud, Coors product

By me there are a couple places that have 3.00 pints and 4.50 22oz domestics.

I stopped getting the crafts when out. A friend of mine runs a sports bar, said they make a killing on the craft margins.

Even Miller Lite, Bud and Yuengleng are now $6 in some places. Can find $5 or $4 for a happy hour.

 

[Grahamburn]

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

While there’s some overlap between “complainers” and “people who keep going to restaurants as often as ever” … there are a lot of people who have just dropped out of dining out altogether. If that’s not hurting the overall restaurant industry’s bottom line, so be it. Seems to me they’re drawing from a diminishing pool of people, but perhaps enough people of means remain in that pool that few industry-wide effects are felt.

If you go out on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll know the pool is not diminished. Tons of people are out. They just keep running their credit cards. Complaining about the cost instead of changing their lifestyle. Then doing it again and again as they go deeper into debt.

Until ultimately they ask someone else to pay the tab for them.

 

[Doug B]

If you go out on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll know the pool is not diminished

Restaurants being full doesn’t counter my point. I grant that many restaurants can remain full even if a certain cohort of people drop out of the dining-out scene.

EDIT: I also think we’re talking about different socio-economic classes, besides. High-end places likely enjoy inelastic demand at virtually any price point. Go a few steps down the chain, and see how things are going.

 

[Ilov80s]

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

While there’s some overlap between “complainers” and “people who keep going to restaurants as often as ever” … there are a lot of people who have just dropped out of dining out altogether. If that’s not hurting the overall restaurant industry’s bottom line, so be it. Seems to me they’re drawing from a diminishing pool of people, but perhaps enough people of means remain in that pool that few industry-wide effects are felt.

If you go out on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll know the pool is not diminished. Tons of people are out. They just keep running their credit cards. Complaining about the cost instead of changing their lifestyle. Then doing it again and again as they go deeper into debt.

Until ultimately they ask someone else to pay the tab for them.

Perhaps you are right. I've never looked at it like this- but my situation allows me to pretty much eat out guilt free. I guess I would like to think others are in the same boat,

 

[Instinctive]

And to add to @Chemical X post about servers being pointless, I disagree completely and think they matter a ton. And even beyond servers, other folks in the service part of the restaurant can make a big difference in the overall experience.

i’ll agree to disagree. my recent experiences are someone takes your order, maybe or maybe not you see them again. someone runs the food. someone will return maybe for a check-in. dessert or coffee, bring check. i guess nowadays in the service industry i expect nothing. it’s kind of a rotational job, where you may see someone in march and they are gone by april. without a personal connection or seeing the same folks time after time, staff has little impact on me.

You guys are both correct. If I’m at a more casual place with quick orders, the server doesn’t matter much and I’d be fine with a little kiosk to order. If I’m at a nice place like a good steakhouse, a server can make the experience great. I remember one anniversary dinner where the manager came over multiple times and the server brought out extra chef special hors d’oeuvres and deserts. Everything was amazing and timed perfectly. I still talk about that as it was one of a handful of best eating experiences in my life. Another time at chain steakhouse more recently with my sons was awesome in part due to a fantastic waitress. We closed down the place and just had an amazing evening. When I go to Chili’s, I’m not expecting anything close and I’d be fine with no server as long as the food came out fine.

Yeah the server thing totally depends on the restaurant.

If I'm at most normal-ish restaurants where there's not a tasting menu and I'm expecting mains under like $50 each, I just want a server who is effective and efficient. I don't need you to ask about my day or strike up conversation - I'm there with my wife or my friends or both, and am there to talk with those people! Great service means my water isn't empty (even better if they leave a big carafe at the table), if we order drinks they don't sit much before there's a quick "can i get you another?", the food order is correct and comes out in a timely manner, and I don't have to sit around waiting for the bill. And I didn't have to sit around waiting to order, or for an eternity between apps and mains.

At a nice place? I want some history of the restaurant, I want to learn how you make the food, I want you to tell me the best way to eat the food (e.g., go here then here, or try to get a little of everything in one bite, etc). I want you to recommend things based on what I'm ordering, or what I say we like. I EXTRA expect the waters stay full. And of course the food should be consistently on time, no big wait between courses, and I don't want to wait for the bill, or be rushed (so after we order dessert, drop it off and say take your time or whatever).

I have worked in food service, and contrary to some of the posts here I gotta say - it's not that hard for a reasonably competent person who cares to do a great job. That's what is so disappointing when I'm in Europe or I'm not getting the best service here. It actually isn't that hard and so many people just seem to suck at it.

 

[the moops]

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

While there’s some overlap between “complainers” and “people who keep going to restaurants as often as ever” … there are a lot of people who have just dropped out of dining out altogether. If that’s not hurting the overall restaurant industry’s bottom line, so be it. Seems to me they’re drawing from a diminishing pool of people, but perhaps enough people of means remain in that pool that few industry-wide effects are felt.

If you go out on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll know the pool is not diminished. Tons of people are out. They just keep running their credit cards. Complaining about the cost instead of changing their lifestyle. Then doing it again and again as they go deeper into debt.

Until ultimately they ask someone else to pay the tab for them.

Is there an uptick in restaurant induced bankruptcies? I’m not buying it

 

[JohnnyU]

People continue to complain, and yet, they’re still going out in droves.

While there’s some overlap between “complainers” and “people who keep going to restaurants as often as ever” … there are a lot of people who have just dropped out of dining out altogether. If that’s not hurting the overall restaurant industry’s bottom line, so be it. Seems to me they’re drawing from a diminishing pool of people, but perhaps enough people of means remain in that pool that few industry-wide effects are felt.

If you go out on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll know the pool is not diminished. Tons of people are out. They just keep running their credit cards. Complaining about the cost instead of changing their lifestyle. Then doing it again and again as they go deeper into debt.

Until ultimately they ask someone else to pay the tab for them.

Is there an uptick in restaurant induced bankruptcies? I’m not buying it

It seems to me restaurants go in and out business these days as often as thrift and novelty shops do.

edit, oops, you meant individuals, sorry about that.

 

[Doug B]

If you go out on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll know the pool is not diminished. Tons of people are out.

I’m going to tie this in, as well, to an impression @Joe Bryant shared in the other dining thread:

But I see what feels like the average restaurant here in the US hanging on by a thread with razor thin margins. I don't see the average restaurant as greedy or living to work. I see them as trying to survive. And mostly failing as the closure rate is high.

Maybe individual restaurants are like individual people. When it’s going great, there’s no need to worry—so go on increasing the prices! Go on spending the money!

But then … it’s not always going great for everyone all the time. Some (many, really) restaurants go under. Some people cut way back on dining, and some drop out altogether. And you really won’t see this if you’re just looking at the busy restaurants or at the trappings of wealthy people.

 

[Doug B]

It seems to me restaurants go in and out business these days as often as thrift and novelty shops do.

I thought moops meant individual people going bankrupt due to dining out on credit.

I would respond that bankruptcy is not typically a single-factor event. Overspending of many types can be part of the puzzle.

 

[JohnnyU]

It seems to me restaurants go in and out business these days as often as thrift and novelty shops do.

I thought moops meant individual people going bankrupt due to dining out on credit.

I would respond that bankruptcy is not typically a single-factor event. Overspending of many types can be part of the puzzle.

Oops, you are correct, sorry.

 

[massraider]

Maybe individual restaurants are like individual people. When it’s going great, there’s no need to worry—so go on increasing the prices! Go on spending the money!

But then … it’s not always going great for everyone all the time. Some (many, really) restaurants go under. Some people cut way back on dining, and some drop out altogether. And you really won’t see this if you’re just looking at the busy restaurants or at the trappings of wealthy people.

I am not sure why attending restaurants in whatever town one lives in gives people a good idea of the nationwide health of the industry as a whole, but it apparently does.

 

[Brownsfan]

Back to McDonald's hash browns. I run a small establishment and while I am in a purchasing group, my prices aren't as low as bigger accounts.
I can buy the triangle hash browns patties for 22 cents each. I know McD's are rectangular, but I would hazard a guess they are 2ounces as well.

 

[HomerSimpson]

I will gladly and repeatedly pay $100 to hang with a good friend and eat some mediocre food and have a few beers. Seriously

Sure. That's what he's saying and for people in that economic situation, others will also do that.

My point is I worry for restaurants if "pay what the customer described as an incredulous amount for wings and beers in a unique situation" is a sustainable customer base.

Ehhhh, Buffalo Wildwings is owned by the same hedge fund that owns and operates Arby's (which is a place I've never understood for its popularity or ability to thrive). I think they've got the blueprint for sustainability down, even if it's a bit of a head-scratcher.

The two closest BWWs to me. Both went out of business in the last year. (SF Bay Area) Rent was probably astronomical. Both buildings are still empty.

 

[Joe Bryant]

The two closest BWWs to me. Both went out of business in the last year. (SF Bay Area) Rent was probably astronomical. Both buildings are still empty.

I truly don't know how restaurants make it.

And the pressure continues to be higher quality/lower price/fewer table turns.

I'm glad some people will continue to try it as I very much enjoy eating out. But it seems like a brutal business.

 

[Doug B]

Maybe individual restaurants are like individual people. When it’s going great, there’s no need to worry—so go on increasing the prices! Go on spending the money!

But then … it’s not always going great for everyone all the time. Some (many, really) restaurants go under. Some people cut way back on dining, and some drop out altogether. And you really won’t see this if you’re just looking at the busy restaurants or at the trappings of wealthy people.

I am not sure why attending restaurants in whatever town one lives in gives people a good idea of the nationwide health of the industry as a whole, but it apparently does.

A good time to drop in the “Blind men and an elephant “ parable.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Back to McDonald's hash browns. I run a small establishment and while I am in a purchasing group, my prices aren't as low as bigger accounts.
I can buy the triangle hash browns patties for 22 cents each. I know McD's are rectangular, but I would hazard a guess they are 2ounces as well.

That's interesting. Can you tell us more about your business?

In the boat industry, we had a Buying Group as well where we teamed up wtih about 20 other boatbuilders to pool our purchasing power. It was super important for us.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I am not sure why attending restaurants in whatever town one lives in gives people a good idea of the nationwide health of the industry as a whole, but it apparently does.

. He opened the post with "maybe". I don't see much allknowingness in the discussion here.

Most all the discussion I think is understood people are sharing their personal experience and opinions.

 

[massraider]

. He opened the post with "maybe". I don't see much allknowingness in the discussion here.

I was agreeing with him.

 

[Joe Bryant]

. He opened the post with "maybe". I don't see much allknowingness in the discussion here.

I was agreeing with him.

Understood. Overall, I don't see much allknowingness in the discussion here.

Most all the discussion I think is understood people are sharing their personal experience and opinions.