Signs Of The Time, Part 13

Posted In: Consumer Prices, Economy, Food, Recession, Signs Of The Time

Remember those days when you would go to a local eatery like Chili’s or Applebee’s, and leave feeling like Violet from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory? They may be gone for quite some time. David Segal of the Washington Post wrote Sunday:

Pinched by soaring food costs on the one hand and a recession-fearing public on the other, the restaurant industry is getting crafty. Chefs are tinkering with recipes, swapping out expensive ingredients for cheaper ones. Managers are using behavioral science research to retool menus—putting high-profit items in the top right-hand corner, for instance, where diners tend to look first.

And many restaurants are putting the great American portion—a monstrosity by international standards—on a diet, as surreptitiously as possible. Many restaurants are buying smaller plates to make the reduced servings look just as large, or lighter silverware so that even if there are fewer bites per serving, each bite feels heavier than usual on the fork. A la carte portions of high-priced dishes are getting pared back and surrounded by low-cost starches and vegetables.

Segal explained that restaurants aren’t doing this on behalf of their patrons’ health. Rather, they’re cost-cutting measures. He wrote:

There is little risk that portion shrinkage will cause anyone to lose weight any time soon. That’s because the point isn’t to slim us down or lower our cholesterol. It’s to save money in a business that many think is already in recession. A recent National Restaurant Association survey found that 46 percent of members reported declines in traffic in February over the previous month, not to mention “a record-low reading in restaurant operators’ outlook and expectations.”

Great. I hate waiting to be seated anyway…