Reality Check for the Hospitality Crowd
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
(Image: Martin Godwin)
According to a new Harris Poll, roughly two-thirds of those surveyed remain wary of the sputtering economy and expect to continue cutting back on restaurant and entertainment spending for the foreseeable future.
That’s probably not the forecast restaurant owners want to hear as we head into the holiday season.
As such, I’d like to conduct a mini-poll about personal spending in NoVA:
* Diners: Have you loosened the purse strings when it comes to eating out locally? Or would stepping out for a bite torpedo your fiscal reorg?
* Restaurant owners: Are patrons beginning to trickle back in? What are your plans for filling the seats this fall/winter?
–Warren
Tags: discretionary spending, economy, Gut Check, Harris Poll, Northern Virginia Magazine, restaurants, Warren Rojas
2 Responses
Veronica Says:
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:18 am
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:18 am
I go out to eat a lot (too much) and have definitely cut back over the last six months or so. I mean, when Restaurant Week restaurants are stil charging almost $40 (with upcharges at some places!) I feel like they are a bit out of touch with the current economic climate. I am all about the cheap eats like pho, Indian food, Crips and Juicy and that sort of thing.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
My family still goes out to eat at least once a week, but we are definitely avoiding the higher priced restaurants we used to frequent. I also agree with the previous poster about Restaurant Week. This year was a joke….didn’t feel that the value was there in the large majority of the participants.