LAT: Gas Costs Eat Into Restaurant Sales

[DeepModem Mom]

Gas Costs Eat Into Restaurant Sales
Consumers are dining out less as pump prices climb. Cheesecake Factory and Chili's are among the chains reporting declines.
By Jerry Hirsch, Times Staff Writer
August 3, 2006

Angela Pierce and husband Nicolas used to enjoy a dinner date once a week. Now the Culver City couple patronize restaurants just twice a month, thanks to gasoline prices that are more than 70 cents a gallon higher in Southern California than a year ago.

Unfortunately for the $175-billion U.S. sit-down restaurant business, the Pierces aren't the only ones staying away from their favorite eateries. In the last few months, restaurants such as Chili's, Cheesecake Factory and Applebee's — what analysts call the "casual dining" category that offers table service and alcoholic beverages — have recorded small but discouraging sales declines.

They are responding by offering discount burger specials and new menus featuring lower-priced items with smaller portions and by pushing the gift card business.

The culprit, restaurant chains say, is soaring gas prices. But rising interest rates and increases in the minimum payments that consumers must make on credit card debt have added to the problem.

"The Chili's and Applebee's of the world — some of their customers don't have all that much money," said Michael Smith, an analyst with Oppenheimer & Co. "They get startled when they fill up their SUVs, so they stop dining out or they trade down to fast food."...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-restaurants3aug03,0,929161.story?track=mostemailedlink

[uppityperson]

1. my business is suffering due to increased gas prices

people do not have as much discretionary funds and are not able to meet insurance deductible.

[RamboLiberal]

2. I know it affected my eating out

I'm single so I eat out almost every night. Since the high gas prices I try to limit the meals over $10 and where I have to leave a tip. I'm trying to eat healthy so I will order a take-out salad, or eat at Panera's or a Boston Market. I also will order takeout from Applebee's where I can just give the wait person bringing out (usually a salad or rice bowl) a $1 instead of the higher tip. I don't even order a drink since it's cheaper just to grab a can of pop out of the fridge at home. I also found I can get a nice salad, breadsticks(or a personal pan) and soft drink at Pizza Hut eating in for less than $6. And as a bonus I buy the Pizza Hut gift cards at a local grocery chain that offers $.10 or more off a gallon of their gas for every $50 purchased. I tend to frequent the restaurants that sell those gift cards more than other chains.

I'm trying to limit any meal over $15-20 to maybe once or twice a month at most.

So definitely I'm among those that are costing the restaurants the money I used to spend with them.

BTW, I applaud any restaurant that offers smaller portions for less of a price. IMHO portions had gotten too big and not everything heats well the next day. Smaller portions helps me with my diet and my wallet.

[roseBudd]

6. Hey Rambo I can give you some great cheap easy recipes...

Buy a whole chicken and bake it at 350 for 1.5 - 2 hours. There are lots of things you can do with your chicken as you eat it for days at a time so as to not get bored.

Buy a bag of barley and cook 1 cup barley with about a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice & 3 cups H2O for an hour and have it all week for breakfast warmed in the microwave.

[midnight]

7. I will have to try the barley and pumpkin pie spice.

sounds very nutritious.

[roseBudd]

8. Actually that is the easy version for someone who doesn't cook much...

I actually add cinnamon, fresh ground nutmeg, cardamon and a small amount of brown sugar to the boiling water. Twenty minutes before it is done I add either Quinioa or Amaranth, both seeds rather than a grain which are really high in protein. I prefer the Quinoa but of the two, it is the most expensive and the harder to find. It has a hard coat that opens when it's done and looks like a crunchy tail.

When it is finished and has cooled a bit I sometimes add craisins or dates.

Morrocan Pasta or Grain salad

8 oz. Orzo rice shaped pasta or 1 cup wheatberries or 1 cup sweet brown rice cooked

Whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cardamon, 1/8 tsp mace, 2 TBSP lemon juice

Add chopped sweet onion, or green onion, or shallot, chopped red or yellow pepper, roasted or not, some corn, 1 drained can garbanzo beans

Top with sliced almonds and craisins.

Serve cold.

Wheatberries are unground wheat. They take a really long time to cook so I only cook them in a slow cooker

[TexasLawyer]

3. Something's gotta give

When gas prices skyrocket, people must adjust their spending accordingly.

Unfortunately for the people who don't have any surplus money, who were frugal to begin with and who didn't dine out, go to spas, etc... there's no spending they can easily trim and they have to draw on their savings.

It's sad that people with a little extra income can't dine out but much sadder for the folks who will have no money to retire on.

[Lindacooks]

4. I'd agree they have to draw on their savings, but chances are

they don't have any savings. So what they're doing is using credit cards. It's either that or go without food or meds, or housing.

[LiberalFighter]

5. Offer share a ride to the customers