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The state of the restaurant industry

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Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#231

I can't understand why would somebody think that putting latest data on the left is a good idea.

We did it because we've got quite a few days in there, and would prefer not to have people scroll when we update the data on a daily basis.

I saw it before and like it this way better.

Anyway graphs would be nice eventually but the heatmap works pretty well.

Thanks for doing this. It's a very interesting perspective into the impact this is having.

Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#232
post #223
post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many grocery stores have major shortages, short-term grocery deliveries are fully booked, and where I am, normally 1-2 day Amazon food/medicine mail-order deliveries are presently at 5+ days. I stocked up a month ago when everything was still running to ensure my household has food 12 weeks (I always have 30 days, but wanted to be on the safe side), but I know many people did not, and it’s going to be a while before…

Especially when you have people who already have 4 weeks of food going out and buying another 2 months worth.

There were no stock or supply issues when I stocked up; plenty for everyone who wished to buy at that time and for some weeks after. Stores had multiple restockings following when I did so. I flattened the curve in a different way: I have not been to the store at all in the last 2 weeks of peak demand.

You will also note that I was following the guidance that the national military provides to its own staff under these circumstances:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/nsa-corona...

Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#234

I'm always a little surprised that so many people never picked up the ability to even do basic cooking. Of course, as recently as Sunday people like Nunes were telling people it was important to support their local businesses by eating out as if it were their patriotic duty. It might be different now that even Fox and Trump are saying the same thing as the CDC finally. Maybe not if people literally cannot feed themse…

> I'm always a little surprised that so many people never picked up the ability to even do basic cooking. I'm not, unfortunately. For years now, cooking has been marketed as a waste of time and effort like hand-washing clothes (think fast food advertising). Just like anything else, cooking takes time, patience and structure to learn, which many people don't ever have naturally. I was lucky to grow up in a household t…

> For years now, cooking has been marketed as a waste of time and effort like hand-washing clothes (think fast food advertising).

Maybe that's the marketing message that hits some demographics, but there's also plenty of marketing push in the other direction: All the food channels on cable & youtube, amateur cooking competitions, prosumer kitchen renovations, gourmet grocery stores, dozens of cooking magazines and thousands of cookbooks. Not to mention emphasis that cooking skills are desirable for those in the dating scene.

(Now I'm looking forward to a competitive clothes-washing show... no, that's too absurd. Maybe competitive tailoring.)

Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#235
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In today’s world Uber eats, Grubhub, etc take 30% of the gross on an order. No way it’s more profitable than having people in house buying alcohol.

The one time I bought on Grubhub I had trouble getting the price to something reasonable even with the coupon I had (only reason I was trying it) because all the menu prices were way higher than at the actual restaurants. Even with (IIRC) the delivery fee waived and a significant % off (I wanna say 20 or 30?) it was about the same as going in. Does Grubhub do the menu-price adjusting part, or do the restaurants? Unli…

This is US-specific. Some companies like Just Eat (UK, Canada, Mexico and others) specifically say that the price has to be the same. To avoid the situation where you use their service as a convenient menu/opening time check, and then call the restaurant directly.

Restaurants lose margin on those orders with the expectation that it's made up by more people ordering.

https://www.just-eat.co.uk/pricepromise

Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#236
My wife an I opened a nail and wax salon 6 months ago. Really don't know what to do, so far they haven't asked us to shutdown. Business had been steadily growing and we are about break-even. No idea how this will play-out, what if anything the building owner can do to help out, or how the federal help might work for a small business like ours.

The rent and payroll are our biggest expenses naturally, we can of course cut hours and even close entirely; no idea what our staff will do with no income.

If this lasts more than 3-4 weeks (which is likely), yeah it's hard to say how any business is going to survive.

Only good thing is I have a full time job for a major health company and our mobile app usage this week has sky rocketed... so my day job is quite secure at least.

Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#238
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there's a silver lining, it's that takeout is higher margin for restaurants and I'm sure takeout revenue is spiking during city shutdowns.

In today’s world Uber eats, Grubhub, etc take 30% of the gross on an order. No way it’s more profitable than having people in house buying alcohol.

I know the owner of a restaurant who stopped delivery after the apps took over.

It literally wasn't worth it, and his drivers all switched over. He tried to find other folks to deliver, but, well, delivery folks aren't exactly known for being long-term employees and most of them deliver for the apps.

I still don't understand what a multinational adds to local pizza delivery. Prices went up, pizza doesn't taste any better or get here faster, and my local restaurant makes less. Do not want.

Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The restaurant industry is brittle and consolidating, and the the American middle class might not be strong enough to support it anymore. Recent events just magnify the weaknesses of the existing system. We could talk about things like the expansion of government programs, or we could talk about your theory of how I'm stripping people's humanities away. You would also presume quite poorly if you thought I haven't wor…

Whats more remarkable is that no one has made a peep about RENTAL PAYMENT DEFERRALS or SUSPENSIONS to even COMMERCIAL LANDLORDS of APARTMENTS / SINGLE FAMILY HOMES yet somehow sit-down restaurants and their health are a top concern. These priorities are lop-sided at best. Restaurants are not a critical component of your basic sustenance. They never were, in the course of human history. Heavy dependence on them for on…

[deleted]

Re: The state of the restaurant industry

#240
post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is like CPR. It is better than doing absolutely nothing and gives extra time for more extreme measures, but on its own it is just delaying the inevitable.

It is not delaying the inevitable. There will be many profitable restaurant businesses who find their business lacking liquid cash over the next few months. Being thrown a credit lifeline means that they can make it through this period of time and come out on the other side as a profitable business again. Paying down the debt is a common business practice that people do all the time. Throwing out a credit lifeline ca…

>There will be many profitable restaurant businesses who find their business lacking liquid cash over the next few months

Like I said in my earlier comment, the best hope for these businesses is to return to normal revenue numbers. They aren't going to make up for the business they are currently losing. They don't have a liquidity problem. They have a lost revenue problem. They are still accruing costs without accruing revenue. Delaying those costs doesn't fix that disconnect.

>Paying down the debt is a common business practice that people do all the time.

Taking on debt to allow you to make investments and improve future outlook is a smart business decision. Taking on debt in order to meet recurring operating costs rarely works out when there is no hope of future growth.

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