By Susan

May 1, 2008 10:31 AM | Link to this

The economy has certainly been the decider in the times and where my friends and I are eating out. What used to be a weekly occurence, is now more likely a monthly outing. Even casual dining out has been curtailed. I think local businesses should be supported; however in “good time” restaurant owners need to be aware of their role in doing whatever it takes to get that customer coming back again and again even in hard economic times - many become too comfortable with their success.

By Matt

May 1, 2008 10:31 AM | Link to this

We eat out a lot less. The argument that we must support these establishments is decent, but if people don’t have it, they don’t have it. It is what it is. There are very few industries that are recession proof. Restaurants are not one of them.
There is no way I can justify spending hundreds of dollars on a meal when we don’t know how bad it is going to get. When it gets better, I’ll be back.

By Me

May 1, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this

When I even think about going out, I think about how much I am going to spend. My next thought is how much could this buy at the grocery store. I then end up going to the grocery store. I never thought this way before, but things have certainly changed.

By Getreal

May 1, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this

When people are facing losing their homes, maybe their jobs, eating out is a luxury item that will fall to the wayside first. Whereas I understand the argument that we need to support our hometown “artists and craftsmen” we first of all have to take care of ourselves…and if that means giving up certain “luxuries” until things get better, that’s just how it has to be.

By Jesse's Girl

May 1, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this

I have some friends who just about lost their house due to the arm they were trying to get out of. Now that that is fixed, they have had to take their children out of every activity they were previously in due to the gas prices. Forget fine dining. Heck…forget McD’s and Chick-Fil-A! Until gas prices become our nation’s number one priority and not just our number one gripe….it may be dinner on the wedding china for most of us!

By Ron

May 1, 2008 11:13 AM | Link to this

My family and I have cut back on going out to eat as well as the Movies. It now cast $50 to take a family of four to a movie and Another 50-70 dollars to eat out. All the extra money is going to Exxon.

By Mark

May 1, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this

I have some very influencial frinds that believe a Great Depression is coming and very soon. No one is talking about it to avoid a run on the banks. This Depression will make the Great Depression of the 1930’s look like a Tea Party. Get ready for a ride of our lives folks!!!

By One

May 1, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this

I completely agree with all the comments so far. I used to eat lunch out almost everyday……..wow, that seems like it was eons ago. Now, I wonder how in the world I ever afforded it. My daughter (high school sophomore) and I, both take our lunches from home every day. Even though she gets free school lunch, the only edible items are the ones that they “sell” extra. So no to that too!!! I’m considering going out for my birthday this month, but even then I’ll be weighing prices.

And don’t even get me started on the grocery store prices………..woosah!

By One

May 1, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this

Ron, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT buy Exxon gas!!!!

By Martha

May 1, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this

I feel bad that as a whole I can no longer afford to go out and do anything with my family. I know this hurts out local restaraunts, but I need to take care of my family first. For the first time in 56 years I cannot afford to drive to South Florida for our annual family reunion. These are hard and very very sad times for many people. I fear this is only the start of a very long and painful slow down.

By One

May 1, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this

Jesse’s Girl, lots of folks are having to sell the wedding china to cover normal expenses! Paper plates all the way……

By Ron

May 1, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this

One— I will stop buying Gas from Exxon!!! At this point I may be buying a Bike and riding to work!!! I got paid today and all of it is gone!! I make 75K a year (no credit card debt, just a honda civic and my wife has a corola) We live simple lives and I have nothing left over for my family. The Govt steals $1600 a month from me. At least I have a loving wife and my two wonderful children. Also a sweat my sweat chocolate lab Mia:)

By Ellen

May 1, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this

I agree with you all!! These are very hard times and getting harder. Hey look on the bright side at least we are speding 2 trillion dollars in Iraq on people that hate us. Gotta Love it!!!

By Thurston Howell, the third

May 1, 2008 11:47 AM | Link to this

It’s true - even Lovie and I have had to cut back on our fine dining - we now patronize Chops instead of Morton’s and Wahoo instead of Atlanta Fish Market. I don’t know how much longer I can take it - why just last night we decided to get the $50 bottle of Central Coast Chardonnay instead of the pricier Napa Valley - might as well have ordered vinegar - it was almost unpalatable. And drinking regular coffee with our creme brulee instead of capuccino with a snifter of B&B on the side - unthinkable!

By One

May 1, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this

Ron, good! I wish I worked close enough to ride a bike to work. Not that lucky though. And I feel ya on the “no paycheck left at the end of the bills”, same here, and it’s not getting any better. I need a drink, this is sickening….

By Blah Blah depressing Mark

May 1, 2008 11:53 AM | Link to this

Find dining is not what it is made out to be - it is just food. Folks have other priorities right now. The two of us can still eat out cheaper than doing Publix. We use coupons and split entrees b/c restaurants give you too much food anyway. We now drink water b/c we will not pay $2 or for tea or soda. As for tips, I have not cut back as these folks need to make a living. I do cut back for bad service, but that has nothing to do with the economy. I believe we are headed to reality more than another Great Depression, blogger Mark. Reality is that anyone who bought a house in the last 5 years bought into a balloon market and many took on risky loans. Prices are coming down, as this is where the prices should be and one should have gone with an attractive fixed price loan at an amount living below one’s means. Many Americans bit off more than they could afford. As for gas, the price increases are bad, but are still under inflation based on the rates my parents paid in the 1970s. The best thing is to get a smaller car with better MPG rather driving the SUV tanks many Americans drive. We have to change folks or things could be bad later. We also need to remain positive and stop buying into what the news is telling us. I vote for another Boston Sea Party against the gas prices, but we all have to participate. We as Americans, have to speak up. The tax rebates are a joke - if only they could look at the real problem that bothers everyone: gas prices. High gas prices seems to be driving a lot of aggravation lately.

By Jesse's Girl

May 1, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this

Hold on boys….whats the deal with Exxon?

By momtomax&alex

May 1, 2008 12:05 PM | Link to this

You know, I don’t really fell bad for most of the upscales restaurants. They forget that while times were good, they got away with rude service, when you could get service at all. Now that times are tough, they are complaining? I am very sorry, but I have not forgotten how I was treated in the past. (Not to name names, but there’s a restaurant at Perimeter mall whose name rhymes with “dish” that was beyond rude, told me that a 3 hour wait was to be expected w/o a reservations, and that next time I should be better prepared—that was during the good times—now they can just suck it.)

And yeah, what’s the deal with Exxon? Inquiring minds want to know!

By 2AFan

May 1, 2008 12:19 PM | Link to this

Jesse’s Girl:

I think folks are upset at a related story on ajc.com saying Exxon’s profit is up 17%. Their profit margin (if you do the simple math) would be 9.3% which is comparable to many other industries (industries in which I’m sure many of the complainants work).

Some people think oil companies shouldn’t make any profit and want the federal government to “seize” their profits (see either Democrat candidate’s recent speeches).

I’d rather buy Exxon gas than from Hugo Chavez’s Citgo. Chavez seized the assets of worldwide companies operating there—leaving investors holding the bag.

Unfortunately, many citizens who make decisions on emotion would throw in with Hugo in one second flat.

Those in that category should consider wind- or solar-powered automobiles.

By One

May 1, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this

HOUSTON — Exxon Mobil Corp., the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, says record crude prices helped its net income grow 17 percent in the first quarter.

ExoonMobil said Thursday its earnings for the first three months of the year rose to $10.9 billion, or $2.03 per share, up from $9.3 billion, or $1.62 per share, a year ago.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial were looking for a slightly larger profit of $2.13 per share.

Revenue rose to $116.8 billion from $87.2 billion a year earlier.

Given record oil prices, some had speculated Exxon Mobil would top its own record for the biggest quarter profit for a U.S. company. But the latest results fell short of the record $11.7 billion profit Exxon Mobil earned in the final quarter of 2007.

Talk about greedy azz parasites!!! I will NOT buy their gas, period!!

Oh, and I’m all woman!! lol

By Lan

May 1, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this

I cant even buy Ice Cream for my kids anymore. how sad..

By Tamika

May 1, 2008 12:51 PM | Link to this

I am having a hard time with my Booze and Cigareets stocks. All these hading times make me want to drink heavily!!!

By One

May 1, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this

Oh, and I don’t buy Citgo gas either!!

By meridith ford

May 1, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this

Well, it sounds as if hard times have already hit. And it just goes to show how a question about dining out can turn into a rant on the price of gas. Prices stink. What an understatement.

By WTF

May 1, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this

I see the troll has found this blog……..

By Ron

May 1, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this

I wonder if there will ever be an end to this— Are we all on our way to the poor house? We all could be living in shanty towns like in Rio if the Dollare continues to collapse. I am really concerned about what kind of world my children will grow up in. I hope stability comes soon. However, I hear the third world is going to give us 3 Billion more babies. How wonderful is that. They need to castrate those people. They cant afford to feed themselves and they are always preganat. They will end up bring us all down!!

By Crybabies

May 1, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this

Hey, Lan - do you have a cell phone? I know you do. Get rid of it and use the money to buy your kids some freakin’ ice cream!

By Lan

May 1, 2008 1:10 PM | Link to this

Crybabies — No as a Matter of fact I do not have a cell phone, Nor do I have cable, I have 4.95 dial up Internet and a 19.95 basic phone with no long distance. I am not on food stamps either!!— I am retired on my small pension after working 47 years as a baker. I was just saying I find it really sad that I can’t do the small fun things with my grand babies (even Ice cream). Times are not the same when I was young.

By Lan

May 1, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this

O yeah — I am also Paying for my own health insurance and not taking from others (that is costing me $742 a month!)

By Tamika

May 1, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this

Lan babies its gonna be Ok!! Hang in there.. Hillary Clinton is about to be elected as our Next Greatest President ever!! and the goodin times will be back so soon. We all will get through this mess — We all are great Americas and I love you all so much!!

By Crybabies

May 1, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this

So - now the “kids” became “grandbabies” and you suddenly became an old retiree. Nice try at making up a pity party story. Liar, liar, pants on fire!

By Lan

May 1, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this

Excuse me??

By Crybabies

May 1, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this

Why? Did you fart?

By Tamika

May 1, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

Farting is so darn funny:)

By John

May 1, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this

Oh don’t get me started on Bacchanalia…one word…OVERRATED!!

Yeah, money may be tight but that’s not the only reason this particular place is slowing.

Went there on our anniversary, an hour later and $250.00 poorer I was very disappointed.

The service is very good, no question, but almost too good…I don’t want to rush when I’m paying that much, but everything came out too fast, lots of little tidbits of this and plenty of bread and water but it was almost annoying. But the biggest disappointment was ordering the scallops…every high end place I’ve ever ordered scallops has sent out huge well cooked scallops…but what did I get at Bacchanalia?…a small bowl of puny little rubbery things I assumed were scallops..it wasn’t any different from Red Lobster.

We Atlantans aren’t as naive as many Restaurant owners think and we aren’t going be conned into loving a place when it is sub par. Maybe we went on an off night and should order something different, but for that much money you don’t expect an off night…

By I'm starving

May 1, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this

Do not eat out at all anymore. It’s a totally economic decision. I’d like to, but will not.

By Lucia

May 1, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this

I think it will be interesting to see how the fine dining restaurants respond to the current economic situation (crisis?). Can they maintain their standards of quality and artisitic vision and continue to make money? I hope smart chefs will find ways to appeal to those of us on increasingly limited budgets.

By Becky

May 1, 2008 2:29 PM | Link to this

John, I have to agree with you about Bacchanalia. We went there with two tother couples and could not even talk for the waiter hovering over us. Finally, when he had interrupted a story over and over, one of our party asked him to go away.

By bbb

May 1, 2008 2:36 PM | Link to this

We are feeling the crunch as my huasband works as a server in one of the top restaurants and his income has decreased considerably. Where he was making $200-400 a night, 5-6 nights a week, he is only working 3-4 shifts a week and lucky to bring home $200. The rich can still come in and eat but the people who do it on special occasions just cook at home. If we cannot buy gas from Exxon or Hugo, does that leave BP?I need to buy oil stock!

By JJ

May 1, 2008 2:53 PM | Link to this

Gas prices, an impending recession, losses to personal investment portfolios and 401 K plans — all these threats make it hard for a family to justify spending a couple of hundred bucks on dinner, no matter how incredibly good it is.

A couple hundred bucks for DINNER? Are you insane??? A couple hundred bucks will feed my family at home for a month!!!

Do people really pay this much for one meal? I suppose you put it on the credit card too, huh? And you wonder why you can’t get out of debt?

By Tamika

May 1, 2008 3:20 PM | Link to this

I have a gas solution— Come to my house and I will fart in your gas tanks to fill them up for FREE!!

By John

May 1, 2008 3:26 PM | Link to this

JJ, we’re talking about fine dining…not Denny’s. It’s not unusual to spend $100.00 apiece at a high end place (although not in Atlanta..which is why Bachanallia was so disappointing)…and doing it once a year doesn’t break the bank for everyone. Yeah, I use my credit card for such purchases, and when I get home I pay it off on-line. My total balance on two cards is $20.00. I’ve also paid off one mortgage.

Sorry, some of us make more money than you..or maybe we just manage it better.

By Lynn

May 1, 2008 3:35 PM | Link to this

And Bush wants to give 770 million for food to the under privilaged???? WTF, what about us GW?

By JJ

May 1, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this

John, there was no need to be nasty at the end of your post. You have absolutely NO idea of my finances.

And why put it on a credit card, when you go home and pay it on-line? Kinda redundant don’t you think? Why don’t you just pay with cash? Or is it more impressive to your snobby friends to whip out the credit card….????

I too have paid off a mortgage. And I’m a single parent. Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it you Moron!!!

By Lynn

May 1, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this

LOL JJ….his mortgage is probably for a double wide too.

By John

May 1, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this

JJ,

Oh c’mon..you’re the one that started off being judgemental..you have no idea of anyone else’s finances either. Pot meet kettle!!

You made a snide suggestion that someone that spends the money at a fine restaurant is living beyond their means and probably in uncontrollable debt..I responded with an example disproving that..myself.

Using a credit card?..gee, I would think that would be a no brainer but here’s why..SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY CASH!! Don’t have to go by the ATM..don’t have to pay any ATM fees..etc. Ever here of the word CONVENIENCE!?

Snobby? You seem to have a pauper complex..or you are just an old fart that’s out of touch..”Put that in your pipe and smoke it”??? No one says that anymore..

By One

May 1, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this

It’s both sad and funny that we can’t come together and gripe about the high azz food and gas prices without someone trying to look down their nose at someone else!!! I guarantee you that none of us (me included) are that great or grand!! Of course, we all are from behind the keyboard, though!! Oh, and rich! Sad, just sad……

By Noelle

May 1, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this

I don’t eat out less — I never did eat out a lot — but do I pay more attention to where I eat and how much I spend. I’ve had some wonderful meals in my life, at some very high-end restaurants. The most expensive were around $80 including drinks, dessert, and tip (and I didn’t pay for those). In most cases, though, I’d rather spend half that much to make a meal at home. It’ll likely be just as good, and I’ll have much more control over what goes into it.

By WTF?

May 1, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this

Well we see that having more money definitely does not mean having more class/intelligence!!

By One

May 1, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this

Noelle, that’s exactly why I prefer to cook at home, and it helps that I can cook about anything. And I know exactly how much salt, fat, sugar, etc. is in my dishes. I don’t have to worry about my order being wrong, or taking too long. I don’t have to worry about over-priced, watered-down drinks, or some angry server spitting in my food because I sent it back. I don’t have to worry about anyone scratching various body parts, picking their nose, or their hair falling into my plate. Home sounds like the best restaurant to me!!

By BPJ

May 1, 2008 6:52 PM | Link to this

Bacchanalia, in my experience, is wonderful! We have eaten there 6 or 7 times, and have never been let down by the food or service.

I agree with Meredith: our best restaurants are part of what define our city, and I’m not taking them for granted. I remember the Atlanta restaurant choices of 30 or 40 years ago!

We’re doing well these days, so we’re headed to Bacchanalia (& other favorites) soon.

By CarolinaGirl

May 2, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this

2AFan: The problem is not that they are posting profits, it’s that they are posting record profits and they are doing so at a time when people are havign to cut back on everything.

By Elizabeth Moore

May 7, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this

My firm works primarily with restaurants — about 30 or so on a monthly basis…whether it be graphic design, public relations or marketing. We have been in the business going on 11 years.

We started with great luxury places like Seeger’s, Aria, and Spice and have gradually seen a shift in our clients — more to casual concepts.

Sure, we still like fine dining and have several clients in this market but the ones that are making their numbers are more or less casual concepts - one step from the QSR market.

We are challenged on a daily basis to come up with new and exciting ways to get “butts in seats” — Now, more than ever before, we are relying on tertiary markets such as tourism. Concierges have a great impact on luxury dining. Like it or not, we depend on our “guests” to the city.

Traditional methods of marketing restaurants are not working. As marketers and branding agents, we have to redefine our scope and sacrifice, to a certain degree, how we go about our business.

I have read all of the posts above…I agree with some but overall I see that Atlantans are not ready for the caliber of food we find in NYC or SF or Vegas… I have said goodbye to great clients and Lord knows we have tried to keep them here — Seeger, Joel, (I will be very careful here not to mention a few others with plans to exit in the works…)I talk to chefs around the East every day - Charleston, DC, Richmond, Savannah, Orlando — and Atlanta, they are all saying the same thing — “I want to open a place in NYC — where I can serve what I want, for fair prices, and have a relationship with my guests.”

I do think that a few of the chefs mentioned in the entries above have failed at actually acknowledging guests who have been loyal - who have spent significant sums of money at their restaurants. We are in the south — good manners goes a long way. I encourage and even help my clients get to know their guests - to thank the people who make their business possible. Karma can be a powerful thing.