Meal Assembly Watch

It looks like restaurants might be on the verge of feeling the pinch too…

Until recently, Tim Wirth, a St. Paul fire captain, and his wife, Diane, dined out at least once a week at places such as the Bungalow in Lakeland, or Mama Maria’s in North Hudson, Wis. “Going out to eat is our favorite form of entertainment,” he said.

But as the economy has worsened, the Wirths have cut back. “We go out to dinner maybe once a month. We discovered we could make a pretty good meal at home and save a lot of money,” he said.

Eating at home increased last year for the first time since 2001, according to a federal government report. In addition, the National Restaurant Association found that 54 percent of restaurants reported declining traffic in January, and 15 percent of restaurant operators said the economy was their No. 1 challenge, up from only 4 percent six months earlier. Another study, by restaurant research firm Technomic, said 59 percent of consumers expect to cut back on how often they dine out.

http://www.startribune.com/local/17144596.html

Other Articles of Interest:

• Restaurant Performance Index Declined for the Fourth Consecutive Month
• Economy Continues to Take Toll on Restaurant Industry
• Kid and Young Adult Restaurant Visits Are Down
• Ground-Breaking IRI Study Delivers Unprecedented Insights on Transforming Economy
• Restaurants Bound to Suffer from Financial Crisis, Finds Technomic
• Restaurant Activity Remains Sluggish for 18th Month Running
• International Association of Meal Prep Business Survey: Meal Assembly Stores Save Customers Money
• Consumers Cut Restaurants over Apparel, Movies
• Restaurant Performance Index Declined in June
• Rising costs of food, fuel and home energy spur inflation on to 2.2%