Posts Tagged ‘recession’
Baum + Whiteman’s No. 1 Food and Dining Trend for 2010? Lots of Economic Fear.
Baum + Whiteman has been a restaurant consulting group since the ’70s. The dudes know a few things about the hospitality biz, so when the company releases its annual food and dining trends for the coming year, restaurateurs tend to listen. (Or razz B+W for predicting “tongue” meat would become huge.)
Restaurateurs may want to hide under the covers after reading the No. 1 predicted trend for 2010: New priorities for beaten-up consumers. Check out this strong language:
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One Method to Save Money in a Recession? Encourage the Staff Not to Break the Stemware.
Jeffrey Buben is a glass act.
Jeffrey Buben’s an old pro at examining every inch of Vidalia and Bistro Bis to find cost savings. He’ll review phone bills, ordering imbalances (too much product for too few customers), and overtime costs, anything to save cash and keep his staff employed in a bad economy. But one trick he’s currently using really caught my attention: It’s a contest to encourage the staff to be more careful with glassware.
As in please, please, please don’t break those long-stemmed wine glasses that can cost $4 each to replace.
A Good Investment? Craft Beer Proves Recession-Proof
Times are tough all around, right? Almost. Sure, you’ve watched your salary stagnate and your 401K disappear. The banks are bust, war is everywhere, and, heck, add a global pandemic to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for real, lasting despair. If that makes you want to crack a beer, you’re in luck. The beer industry is doing alright and, true to the populist spirit of the age, it’s craft beer that’s growing the most.
From the Downers Grove Reporter:
The Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association defines craft brewers as those with annual production of less than two million barrels, that have less than 25 percent ownership by a non-craft alcohol beverage company, and that avoid the use of adjunct ingredients to lighten flavor.
The industry has enjoyed steady growth over the last five years, as craft beer’s share of the $100 billion U.S. beer market rose from 2.7 percent in 2003 to 4 percent in 2008. The Brewers Association estimated craft beer sales last year at $6.3 billion in 2008, up from $5.7 billion the previous year…
Craft beer sales appear to be holding up during the recession, boosted by customers’ strong demographics…
For the 52 weeks that ended on March 9, craft beer sales rose 12.6 percent from the previous 52-week period, compared with 3 percent for all beer, according to data from market researchers the Nielsen Company.
So fear not. As bad as things might still get, it doesn’t appear you’ll be caught without some hoppy relief… so long as you can pay for it, that is.
Photo used under a Creative Commons license from dullhunk.
American City Diner Is Printing Its Own Money!
In my wallet right now is a quartet of familiar faces: one Washington, four Lincolns, a Hamilton, and a wow, how-did-this-get-here Grant.
Although increasingly scarce in these hard times, the four still effortlessly come to mind when conjuring currency: the one-dollar Washington with that iconic wig (or is that really his hair?); the five-dollar Lincoln, with that craggy face and jawbone beard; the ten-dollar Hamilton, less recognizable because he’s less known; and the fifty-buck Grant, all save-the-Union stern with his just-this-side-of-Castro beard.
All four gaze out seriously in shades of faded green.
Also in my wallet is a fifth face, instantly recognizable, to be sure, but less familiar as far as greenbacks go. Everything is different about this guy. First off, unlike the others, he’s smiling. Second, unlike the others, his likeness is in color, his background a pale blue, his shirt white, his suit black. Third, very much unlike the others, he is not white.
Yes, we’re talking President Barack Obama.
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This Week’s Greatest Hits from the Young & Hungry Blog
The Best of D.C. issue dominated readers’ attention this week on Young & Hungry, including my mea culpa about Best New Restaurant. It’s nice to see that teeth-gnashing confessionals haven’t lost their power to attract attention.
NYT: Candy Has Become Our Recessionary Pacifier
According to the New York Times, Americans seem to be coping with the economic downturn by gobbling down obscene amounts of Necco Wafers and other sugary treats. I read this piece with great interest, since my own candy intake appears to be rising. ‘Course, I blamed it on blogging, which is probably worse on your health (and the environment) than red meat.
Reports the Times:
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Bourdain: Recession Will Cause An ‘Apocalyptic Shakeout’ of Nation’s Restaurants
Leave it to Anthony Bourdain to cut through all the PR crap about the economy’s effect on restaurants. He tells Nation’s Restaurant News that the recession is a serious wake-up call for operations that still think they can soak diners with overpriced wine and liquor. Says Bourdain:
On the other hand, there’s going to be a very rude awakening for a lot of types of restaurants if they’re not aware yet how drastically things have changed.… There is going to be an apocalyptic shakeout. On the plus side, the bullsh** will be the first to go.
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Daily Food Blog Roundup: Late Edition
So where the hell has this day gone? Why is it after 8 p.m., and I have only four blog items posted, none of them named Daily Food Blog Roundup? And why am I thinking like an editor when I should be sneaking out the door, hoping the editors are too busy with the Best of D.C. issue to notice my lack of production? Tough questions.
Easier solution: A late edition of the roundup.
- Capital Spice gives some love to Sidamo, which is one of my absolute favorite coffee shops in the District. I really hope the ugly street construction down there doesn’t do to H Street NE businesses what it did to some along P Street NW near Dupont Circle.
Daily Food Blog Roundup: Cured Meats or a Cure for Meat Eating?
Sometimes Y&H doesn’t know how he ever lived without food blogs. How else would he learn about the rotten-egg alternative to Viagra or read with fascination one woman’s campaign to avoid meat for five weeks? You’re not gonna find this stuff on CNN, people!
- Gut Check surveys the meat mongers popping up in Northern Virginia. Must…control…breathing…lest…I…hyperventilate…
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More Fun Recession News: Cutting Back on Food Spending May Make You Fat
Reuters has just published this bit of delightful news: The recession may make you poor and fat. Reports the news service:
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