Trends in the Restaurant Business
The high-end restaurants are in trouble, and smart restaurateurs find ways to survive...
San Francisco's Michael Bauer talks about trends in the Restaurant Biz and quotes owners of the Lark Creek Inn, Michael Dellar and Bradley Ogden explaining the decision to change the name and format of the venerable Lark Creek Inn restaurant in Larkspur, CA:
And while the prim and proper Lark Creek Inn was our vision some 20 years ago, we now have a new vision. One prompted not only by the world economic crises, but also because the dining environment has changed of its own volition. Today, the emphasis is on neighborhood versus destination, lower prices versus higher ones and simplicity versus complexity.
Elsewhere, bars and small plates are the alternative, see "Bar Wars: To attract cash-strapped diners, restaurateurs from Alain Ducasse to Daniel Boulud are making dramatic bids to ramp up their bar business -- even if it means serving hot dogs and deviled eggs."
