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[quote=Anonymous]It's three things happening at once, and it's a problem for restaurants:

1) Inflation and other economic factors pushing up operating costs by a lot (labor costs more and is harder to come by, ingredients cost more, real estate costs more);

2) Post-Covid social issues make the dining out experience less pleasant. Some blame this on rude customers, some blame it on lackluster customer service and over-reliance on Covid-era tools like QR code ordering to avoid more personable service (and also reduce staff). I tend to think both are at play and create a race to the bottom. But no matter how you slice it, eating out doesn't feel as much like a treat as it used to, even aside from the bill. QR ordering is easier but impersonal, and I've had more truly bad service in the last year than in the previous 10 years combined;

3) Covid force many people, including me and my family, to cook at home more, which led us to become better, more efficient cooks and feel less "need" to go out or even order take out.

Five years ago, we went out 2-3 nights a week. Now we go out 2-3 nights a month unless we go on vacation. And even on vacation, we have changed how we dine out and do less formal sit down dinners -- instead we'll grab inexpensive take out and head to an outdoor location at our destination, or get a rental or hotel with outdoor seating and eat there, or just do an AirBnB and eat most of our breakfasts and some of our dinners there.

It's sad for the restaurant industry and it's not all their fault -- they didn't cause Covid. But I do think the industry has reacted to the shifts it caused poorly, and many restaurant owners have taken a combative stance on issues like pricing and staffing. Well, you can't be combative in the hospitality industry and expect to stick around. So a lot of restaurants haven't.[/quote]

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