Published: Monday, July 26, 2010
Hurting restaurants means it's a diner's market in Snohomish County
Snohomish County restaurants continue to have a tough time.
But that can be good news for consumers.
Restaurants are dealing with customers watching their spending as the economy continues to sputter, and that generally means either lower prices or lower priced options, said Anthony Anton, president and chief executive of the Washington Restaurant Association.
"They may be busy on Friday and Saturday nights and not so busy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday," Anton said. "People are trying a lot of things, (to lure customers) either lowering prices or focusing on things that have a lower price."
Two years ago, a restaurant may have pushed Angus prime beef cuts, now it's probably promoting the rib eye, he noted.
Anton said restaurants are really focusing on their slow days or the slow periods of the day. That means you may see early-bird dinner specials and happy hours that last all evening or come back at 9 p.m.
Anton said that people are still going to restaurants, but are looking more closely at prices since the recession. "Until 2007 and 2008, they were focused on rewarding themselves," he said. "Now the focus is on value and price point, and if they get quality and uniqueness, too, that's fantastic."
In addition to watching prices, restaurants also are looking at new ways to find customers and to convince them to come in when business is slow.
Anton said many are using social media sites such as Twitter to offer instant specials "so their servers can get tips and the cook doesn't get bored."
Recent sales figures show that Snohomish County restaurants were down about 9 percent from the previous year, Anton said. He noted that Everett eateries have been particularly hard hit, down 13.5 percent from a year ago.
Noting that Renton restaurant were down 11.4 percent and that Auburn restaurants also were down more than average, Anton added: "All the Boeing cities are down."
He also noted that county residents have more choices of different restaurants than most counties. For example, Asian restaurants amount to about 16 percent of the total in most regions but make up 20 percent of total restaurants in Snohomish County.
Anton said he expects the restaurant business to improve with the economy. More and more, he added, people are viewing dining out as a necessity.
"It used to be just a special occasion," he said. "Now its an essential part of our lives."
He said that before the recession, about 50 percent of the population's food dollars went to restaurants.
"I'm anticipating that once we recover, those numbers will grow," he said. "As restaurants learn more about being green it will make more sense, especially when you're on the road."
By the numbers
Snohomish County restaurants:
Number: 1,289
Annual sales: $857,807,317
Employees: 18,122
Wages: $272,983,108
Source: Washington Restaurant Association
But that can be good news for consumers.
Restaurants are dealing with customers watching their spending as the economy continues to sputter, and that generally means either lower prices or lower priced options, said Anthony Anton, president and chief executive of the Washington Restaurant Association.
"They may be busy on Friday and Saturday nights and not so busy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday," Anton said. "People are trying a lot of things, (to lure customers) either lowering prices or focusing on things that have a lower price."
Two years ago, a restaurant may have pushed Angus prime beef cuts, now it's probably promoting the rib eye, he noted.
Anton said restaurants are really focusing on their slow days or the slow periods of the day. That means you may see early-bird dinner specials and happy hours that last all evening or come back at 9 p.m.
Anton said that people are still going to restaurants, but are looking more closely at prices since the recession. "Until 2007 and 2008, they were focused on rewarding themselves," he said. "Now the focus is on value and price point, and if they get quality and uniqueness, too, that's fantastic."
In addition to watching prices, restaurants also are looking at new ways to find customers and to convince them to come in when business is slow.
Anton said many are using social media sites such as Twitter to offer instant specials "so their servers can get tips and the cook doesn't get bored."
Recent sales figures show that Snohomish County restaurants were down about 9 percent from the previous year, Anton said. He noted that Everett eateries have been particularly hard hit, down 13.5 percent from a year ago.
Noting that Renton restaurant were down 11.4 percent and that Auburn restaurants also were down more than average, Anton added: "All the Boeing cities are down."
He also noted that county residents have more choices of different restaurants than most counties. For example, Asian restaurants amount to about 16 percent of the total in most regions but make up 20 percent of total restaurants in Snohomish County.
Anton said he expects the restaurant business to improve with the economy. More and more, he added, people are viewing dining out as a necessity.
"It used to be just a special occasion," he said. "Now its an essential part of our lives."
He said that before the recession, about 50 percent of the population's food dollars went to restaurants.
"I'm anticipating that once we recover, those numbers will grow," he said. "As restaurants learn more about being green it will make more sense, especially when you're on the road."
By the numbers
Snohomish County restaurants:
Number: 1,289
Annual sales: $857,807,317
Employees: 18,122
Wages: $272,983,108
Source: Washington Restaurant Association
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