51–60 of 498 posts
Amazing. 11 USD for a döner! A döner is between 2.5 and 5.0 EUR in Berlin (roughly 2.75 to 5.5 USD). That's takeaway or eat in at a place with a few tables but w/o table service. Meraba, which uses high quality organic meat from the region, comparable to the quality of the protein stated in the article, asks 4.5 EUR. A whole plate is 10 EUR.[1] If order to your doorstep it's 6.5 EUR.[2] [1] https://www.top10berlin.de…
11 dollars is probably in SF or NYC where average pay is 2 to 3x the one in Berlin.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The issue is not 'why they have thin margins' - the issue is their inflexible operating ability mostly due to fixed costs, specifically rent. If restaurants had 20% margins they would still be facing collapse. Rent is a huge portion of costs vis-a-vis most other businesses that can be run 'anywhere' whereas restaurants need prime locations.
My great-grandfather was in the restaurant business back east, but my grandfather saw how unprofitable it was and became a mechanic rather than continue the family business. (He got fired once as a short-order chef in the 50's from a Howard Johnsons for cooking too well. ) Restaurants must relocate to cheaper areas like warehouses and shift to a delivery-first distribution model, which Uber, Lyft, and Google Express…
Yes. Let's just kill all community space. Great idea. I too enjoy being a pod person.
If restaurants in general raise their prices, what’s to stop landlords from doing the same and raise rents to match?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The bizarre thing is that even before the pandemic I've seen popular Bay Area restaurants close down due to huge rent increases and then the spaces are still vacant years later. I don't understand what commercial landlords are thinking?
> The bizarre thing is that even before the pandemic I've seen popular Bay Area restaurants close down due to huge rent increases and then the spaces are still vacant years later. I don't understand what commercial landlords are thinking? If its anything like what I saw in Boulder, most are held by large companies (TEBO) who can write off the losses come tax year because they have other more profitable locations/site…
That’s not how taxes and “write-offs” work. You deduct your expenses from your income, and pay tax on a percentage of what’s left. Having more income is always better than having more expenses.
A $20 kebab is not going to fly. The only other option is to optimize whatever costs can be optimized.
Unfortunately it's not looking good for people who are currently employed in the more manual roles. It was only a matter of time before that became the case in the food industry.
In NYC a huge percentage of restaurant workers are already dead, so whether or not the owners remain solvent is kind of moot at this point.
> It’s very simple: let’s reset our expectations and restore respectable margins. If restaurants in general raise their prices, what’s to stop landlords from doing the same and raise rents to match?
People love food, but eating out at restaurants to the extent that happens in the modern world is a historical aberration. It’s not just other restos you’re competing with but a home-cooked meal too. I get the sense from the tone taken here that this owner is going to be in trouble down the line. It’s good to be passionate but their objectivity is clouded. The restaurant with the really expensive donair is indeed lik…
Home-cooked meals are actually the aberration. Back in the old days (before the 1950s), the poor didn't have kitchens, hence the proliferation of street foods such as pizza and their ancient Roman antecedents.
People love food, but eating out at restaurants to the extent that happens in the modern world is a historical aberration. It’s not just other restos you’re competing with but a home-cooked meal too. I get the sense from the tone taken here that this owner is going to be in trouble down the line. It’s good to be passionate but their objectivity is clouded. The restaurant with the really expensive donair is indeed lik…
Home-cooked meals are actually the aberration. Back in the old days (before the 1950s), the poor didn't have kitchens, hence the proliferation of street foods such as pizza and their ancient Roman antecedents.