Served: Good and Bad Times for Restaurants
I blog by day and wait tables by night. I'm excited to bring you Served, dispatches from the front of the house. Enjoy!
When I bring the dude at Bar-10 a menu and a wine list, he is talking intently on his cell. When I come back to pour him a glass of spicy Portuguese red, he is again parleying tense, intense conversation loudly into his phone.
So I go talk to someone else, then return to B-10. The man dramatically snaps his phone shut. "Whew, sorry. That was my ex-wife."
I splash some wine into a glass for him to taste.
"She still loves me." Uh oh. A bit too much information from a perfect stranger.
"Do you like the wine?"
"Yes. My girlfriend wants me to stop talking to the ex-wife. But we used to be married! And my ex-girlfriend is back in the picture. She still loves me, too. But I have a girlfriend. And we're living together."
This man wants nothing more than to deliver a gory play-by-play of his soap opera life. There's no stopping him. I learn all about the girlfriend, who loves nothing more than to cook for him. She makes quality pasta.
He goes on. His ex-girlfriend is in desperate need of cash. Yesterday, he left a few hundred bucks in an envelope with her name on it with his doorman. She came to pick it up and had a breakdown in the lobby of his building—tears, screaming, and all. Her heart was broken. She was broke. What a sad story!
The man at B-10, according to his tale, is rich as can be. His troubles are with this trio of women vying for his heart, not with his bank account. But I, like the rest of the world, am thinking about money more than usual these days. And of course I'm thinking that this guy is nuts.
Good Luck
No one talks about the economy at my place, really. It's depressing. Instead, we talk about our new boar sausage, and what pairs best with the pumpkin oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich. I vote for Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale, hands down. We chat about which jerky wine director got the boot at a place across town, and J.'s great new playlist, and Obama.
We're lucky. My place is thriving.
Last weekend, we didn't just beat our record for money made in a night—and for most pieces of cheese and glasses of wine sold—we smashed it. If you walk by my place, you will most likely find it packed, people spilling out the door and into the unfriendly cold. In these shaky times, we might worry, but we have nothing to complain about.
As of late, we have seen an interesting shift in our business. There are more people coming in. But the multitudes of drinkers and diners are spending a bit less money. With more checks and slightly lower check averages, we're holding more than steady.
If you believe general sentiment, my restaurant is an ideal sport for scary economic times. It's reasonably priced and comfy. Not exactly a spot for two buck beers, but there are no forty dollar entrees on our menu, either. You can buy yourself a great glass of wine and a sandwich without making a major financial commitment. You can have a night out without doling out a month of rent for several courses that still leave you wanting a slice of pizza and/or a giant bowl of spaghetti.
Getting Nervous
Last night, I talked with a couple who had just finished work at their respective fine dining restaurants. He is a maître d'; she, a wine director.
"How's business?" I asked.
His place has been crowded, he said, and people are still spending plenty of money. But they are tipping less. A lot less.
Her restaurant, even fancier, was really suffering. The weekends still rocked, but weeknights were uncomfortably slow. "It's awful," she said, "we're scratching at the walls."
Everyone who has worked at a restaurant knows that the only thing worse than being in the weeds is having nothing to do. An empty restaurant is an unnerving place, both for diners and for staff.
They stayed for a second bottle of wine, and dessert. They were the last to leave as we closed things up at 3 in the morning. "If you want a three hundred dollar truffle tasting," she said by way of goodnight, "come on by. I'll hook you up."
The Party's Off
At the spot where I used to cook, bar business is at an all-time high. This was confirmed when I came by for a drink the other night and had to wedge myself between disgruntled businessmen to order a glass of prosecco.
This place makes a sizable chunk of their money from special events and private parties, and that's where they're feeling the pain. The plug is being pulled on holiday celebrations left and right. No one wants to throw a lavish bash. Those who can still afford it worry their soiree would be in bad taste.
So people are left on their own to drown their sorrows in food and drink. And trust me, there is still plenty of revelry going on. I see it every night in my place.
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8 Comments:
I think good booze is the last thing I would cut back on if I had to. I think the places that cater to a young crowd will suffer but places for grown ups will get by okay.
redfish at 10:42AM on 11/25/08
you wonder why restaurants don't just run a special for slow nights?
foodinmouth at 12:24PM on 11/25/08
foodinmouth, restaurants do run specials. But when every night, or almost, is slow, we can't run specials that often, or they stop being specials. It's not a few slow nights here and there, it's an all around dropoff in business.
thepictsie at 5:15PM on 11/25/08
Scary times out there. I know for myself when I am stressed or worried about things I tend to stay home and cook comfort foods. Needless to say, I have been cooking in a lot more and eating out less.
I almost feel guilty going out to eat when so many of my friends and neighbors are out of work or losing their homes.
I did go a local place last night for "Trivia Night" and it was packed. Hopefully with the holidays coming things will be merrier soon!
floridayaya at 7:49AM on 11/26/08
Don't restaurants use specials to move ingredients they have too much of or has been around for a while?
wunami at 5:19PM on 11/26/08
Well, I know I used to frequent a place in my early 20s that was in the middle of the business/government offices district in downtown Ottawa (capital of Canada!). It did a booming business at lunch, but at that time, Ottawa stores closed at 6 pm except on Thursdays and Fridays. So the place was dead in the evening. Rather than give up on a night time crowd, they sold all food at half price in the dinner time. It was an Italian place, made its own pasta, so I think this was a way to use up some ingredients that might not necessarily make it the next day at top quality. I can tell you that every student and senior who liked good pasta kept that place going in the evenings. I loved it!
Maureen at 9:03AM on 11/29/08
@hannah--you're right...certain types of restaurants are being hit harder than others. Private parties are down, budgets for holiday parties are down, people are willing to book holiday parties on Sundays to get better pricing and in hopes that the guests won't drink as much if they know they will have to work the next day. People are spending less. Business diners, the bread and butter of some places during the week, are spending less or not at all. Worse still is the business person looking to leverage the promise of their future business for something free right now. Worse still is the really rich guy, who is wanted by all kinds of women and has to make sure everyone knows it. Nice post.
wookie at 2:11AM on 12/01/08
@wunami--I'm sure that happens. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, if you are going to places that are well run and that you trust. Restaurants can get fresh product daily or every couple of days, so a good chef/kitchen manager won't bring in more than s/he can use within a few days. For the most part, "specials" are a daily occurence, like a fresh fish, entree special, soup of the day, etc. Some places change out the specials daily, others run the same special until it's gone or the chef is tired of making it or the ingredients are no longer in season. And some "specials" are a way to drum up business, like the early bird specials, or date night specials, or pre-post-theater deals, etc.
wookie at 2:23AM on 12/01/08