According to a news report from daytondailynews.com, “It’s better to be a diner than a restaurant owner these days.”
“Miami Valley restaurants are getting slammed by the poor economy and rising costs, and they’re hungry for customers. They’re slashing spending in sometimes-painful ways and hoping the cuts are invisible to diners. At the same time, they’re offering deals and special promotions they hope customers will find irresistible — including, but not limited to, this week’s Miami Valley Restaurant Association Winter Restaurant Week Promotion, which runs through Friday, Jan. 30, at 57 eateries and offers diners a three-course meal for $20.09. (For details, go to www.dineoutdayton.org.),” said the story. “The promotion has generated substantial customer traffic in previous years, and restaurant owners are looking forward to the surge and to a robust Valentine’s Day business next month, when the romantic holiday just happens to fall on a Saturday — usually a recipe for big restaurant crowds.”
“But Restaurant Week and Valentine’s Day are bright spots in a bleak landscape. The National Restaurant Association reported in early January the outlook for the industry fell to a record low in November. The association’s Restaurant Performance Index, which measures the health of the industry based on surveys of restaurateurs from across the country, sagged as many restaurant owners told the association their sales were down and they were pessimistic about the next six months,” according to the article.
