Restaurants Are Not an Extravagance.

During a recent broadcast, Oprah Winfrey stressed the need to live simply during these challenging economic times. In hopes of helping people live on less, Ms. Winfrey cited three steps from Suze Orman's money pledge:

*Don't spend any money for a day

*Don't use your credit card for a week

*Don't eat out in restaurants for a month

Ms. Winfrey's charitable work is admirable. So are her efforts to help people improve their lives by spending responsibly. But Suze Orman's money pledge deserves a bit more attention. Eating in restaurants is not a major monthly expense for most people. Moreover, eating out is not necessarily an extravagance. Let's look a few additional ways Ms. Winfrey might have counseled her fans about dining out.

First, the restaurant industry is among the largest employers in the U.S. and in most local communities. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) projects the industry will employ 13 million people in 2009. Furthermore, 2008 was the 17th straight year of job growth in the restaurant industry. That means a large number of Ms. Winfrey's fans are undoubtedly supporting their families through growing the food restaurants offer, preparing it, serving guests, parking guests' cars, managing the restaurant, doing the accounting, or serving as a supplier to these businesses in communities all over the country--including our hometown, Greenville, SC. The NRA estimates that 57,000 jobs would be lost if Ms. Orman's proposal were to be followed by Americans. Conversely, every $1 spent in restaurants translates into $2 re-spending--providing a boost to the economy.

When you dine out, you only see a few of the people responsible for providing an hour's welcome relief from the stress of the day. You may see two or three servers moving from table to table. If the restaurant features an open kitchen, you see three or four more people in the kitchen. It would be easy to think, "Oh, it might require a dozen people to run a restaurant." Did you know Table 301, which operates Soby's, Soby's on the Side, The Lazy Goat, and Devereaux's, employs 160 people in Greenville, SC? And that figure doesn't include Table 301's wonderful suppliers and their delivery people, as well as staff at local publications, advertising agencies, and other businesses that support your local businesses.

Second, local restaurants thrive on direct contact and close relationships with their guests. That means restaurants respond to economic trends long before the general economy. Even before the depth and extent of our current economic challenges were apparent, the restaurant industry realized the top draw in 2009 would be value. Look at the efforts your local restaurateurs have already made to provide value for Upstate South Carolina: Table 301 launched its "Stimulus Plan," bringing several hundred additional guests into our restaurants just during the month of January, by making dining our more affordable. The Stax restaurant group is regularly offering coupons that reduce dining costs. Other restaurants are featuring value-priced prix fixe menus and theatre specials.

Finally, eating out is not just about the food. In fact, in many cases--even as hard as we restaurateurs work to make each visit a memorable visit--dining out is far less about food, and much more about families and friends! Think about it. Why do people eat out? It's not because they can't make food at home. People dine out for convenience (they "buy back" their valuable time by allowing someone else to prepare their food). We dine out occasionally to reward ourselves or to celebrate a special occasion. We dine out to be with family and friends. We even dine out because many of us don't have expensive hobbies, and a great meal is our form of entertainment. Compare the cost of eating out with the costs of purchasing food and cooking at home, with going to the movies or attending a concert, and you'll find there's not a big difference. And in many restaurants, you can even linger over you dinner and enjoy live music for no additional charge.

Finally, let's all remember that restaurants are "first responders" in times of need. In New York City after the horrible terror attacks of 9/11, the restaurant community was one of the first to set up commissaries and facilities to feed the thousands working to find the living and comfort the grieving. In New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina, once again it was restaurants that were "first responders" to the needs of the community, organizing benefits and feeding those who came to help. Restaurants are called on time and time again to support local non-profits with food, labor, and gift cards for hundreds, maybe even thousands of worthwhile causes.

So let me add my challenge to Suze Orman's: In these difficult times, be wise--but don't stop living. Don't stall your local economy by ceasing to support restaurants. Do something positive. Be a "first responder" to the challenging economic times we are all living through. Show support for your community, your local businesses, and your neighbors and friends. Enjoy a meal out tonight. It WILL help the economy. It WILL make you feel better. And that IS living simply . . . but it is also continuing to LIVE!

Carl

Carl Sobocinski
Table 301

Carl is also a National Restaurant Association Board Member, representing the state of South Carolina. His work with the NRA has the goal of making the industry better and dining out more enjoyable, locally, statewide, and nationally.