Poll: Are You Ready To Return To Your Favorite Dine In Restaurant?

[Midpack]

We had carry out from Carrabba’s last night. It was the first night restaurants in our state were allowed dine in at 50% capacity etc. So I looked in to see how many takers, only 4 tables occupied on a Saturday night (of 30-40 tables?). One data point, but no mad rush back on day 1. There were still lots of curbside pickups while I was there, so lots of peeps aren’t in a rush to dine in. Management was telling all the carry out customers “we hope you’ll come back and dine in soon.”

 

[pb4uski]

A bit off topic, but I'm struggling to see how reataurants will survive at 50% capacity if restaurants were only marginally profitable at 100% capacity.

 

[Midpack]

A bit off topic, but I'm struggling to see how reataurants will survive at 50% capacity if restaurants were only marginally profitable at 100% capacity.

We’re all wondering the same. But as you know not all restaurants operate on thin margins, and some have cash reserves, others none. Margins vary with restaurants just like any business, and there are certainly some wealthy restaurant owners and some well paying restaurant jobs. We’re about to find out which restaurants had strong balance sheets and not where each of us live.

When looking at the industry as a whole, the average restaurant profit margin is around 3-5% but can broadly range from 0-15%.

https://upserve.com/restaurant-insider/profit-margins/

So what’s a good benchmark for profit margins? If food and labor costs take up about 60% of your revenue, controllable costs take about 5%, fixed costs take 10%, and fixed costs take up about 20%, that leaves about 5% profits for you in the end. If you’re doing better than that, great – 5% to 15% is a good place to be. If you’re making less than 5% profits, you need to start looking for changes to make.

https://www.delaget.com/2019/05/restaurant-profit-margin-calculator/

There are many industries that operate at margins similar or below restaurants.

 

[jcretire77]

Lunch again at golf club yesterday. Only one other table occupied. Sad to see.

 

[audreyh1]

I think the point was why would seniors be safer among seniors only? I don’t see why seniors would be safer with senior hours at grocery stores, restaurants or anywhere else. IME seniors are no better or worse than younger folks about wearing masks, wearing them correctly or observing physical distances.

I don’t feel safer around seniors in general which is why I haven’t gone to senior hours at any store - expecting a mob anyway. But I notice seniors here are far more likely to wear masks in public which does make me feel safer if they get close to me. In a restaurant - mask wearing is impossible while dining and diners are probably talking with your tablemates.

 

[statsman]

A bit off topic, but I'm struggling to see how reataurants will survive at 50% capacity if restaurants were only marginally profitable at 100% capacity.

They won't. Many will go under. Quite possibly a majority of them, to be replaced by unhealthy fast food joints that can profit mainly with drive-thru and take-out business. Swell.

DW wants to go to a restaurant this evening that opened up a week or so ago. Can't wait to eat in an environment akin to a hospital cafeteria. /s

 

[molly312]

I enjoy eating out. That being said - we will not see the inside of a restaurant, or any other public gathering place until AFTER a tested, proved, and safe vaccine is released to the public. Why takes risks and jeopardize not only your health but also that of your friends, family, and the public? It makes no sense. I hate to cook (73 --- and retired from cooking) but, it is now the odious task I have added back into my routine. Take-out from restaurants we trust is a"once in awhile" treat. We also do grocery "pickup", where they place the groceries in the rear of the SUV. How can we lower the numbers if----we aren't willing to work at it. I am very sorry for all be small biz owners however, people really better evaluate "WHAT is ESSENTIAL" to continue living? One year out of your life to stay safe is really not that great in the scheme of things.

 

[W2R]

A bit off topic, but I'm struggling to see how reataurants will survive at 50% capacity if restaurants were only marginally profitable at 100% capacity.

Here, I have heard that they are getting some partial aid from various government sources (state? local? federal? I have no clue). Also, most restaurants here seldom operate at 100% capacity except on rare occasions. A wild guess might be that in normal times, most of our restaurants are usually at 50% capacity with no waiting for a table. Even so, in our community 25% is the maximum allowed right now so they are all operating in the red, still.

Our world known, expensive, top-of-the-line restaurants normally operate closer to full capacity and have always required reservations. Some of these high end restaurants have chosen to not re-open yet even though they could. They have a reputation to maintain. We have always preferred the cheaper mom-n-pop Creole Italian places and most of them have re-opened.

Still, the restaurant business is extremely competitive here and most are right on the edge of failing even during good times. There is a saying here that the way to find a really, really good New Orleans restaurant is to find one that has been operating for over five years, has local owners, and is not a chain restaurant.

Some of our restaurants have most definitely shut down for good. It's sad! Those that are open for inside dining right now are struggling and appreciate whatever business they have these days.

 

[audreyh1]

I think there are opportunities for catering, and delivery as well as pick up. Ready to heat meals - heat at home.

Grocery stores will offer more of these ready-to-heat type meals if restaurants don't, but it will take longer for them to increase offerings.

 

[Moemg]

We are going once a week for outside dining . It is not about the food . It is about having a small sliver of normalcy in our lives .

 

[gwraigty]

It makes sense that restaurants in a college town may be struggling right now because of their unique dependence on college students and the associated visitors for business.

When schools close and students leave: Inside America's empty college towns

In another measure of the massive economic toll of the pandemic on higher education, the shutdowns have devastated the towns in which these campuses are situated.

As many as 50,000 visitors usually flock to Ann Arbor for the spring commencement ceremonies. Instead, this month, “Sorry, we’re closed” signs hang on the many storefronts shut in response to the statewide lockdown to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

No celebrating diners filled tables that had been reserved as much as a year in advance; just a few people in masks picked up to-go orders at the handful of restaurants that offered them.

In Ithaca, New York, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, the city and surrounding Tompkins County are grappling with the sudden departure of 25,000 college students and the $4 million per week they contributed to the local economy.

In Ames, Iowa, students at Iowa State University account for about half the city’s 67,000 population.

In Athens, where students account for nearly three-quarters of the 24,000 people normally in town,

Data USA provides some interesting demographics. In my small rust belt city with a local community college, detailed data shows that the biggest age group is 5 to 17. That's a lot of potential future earners and spenders lurking in the wings. The next highest age groups range from 25 to 54, in about equal numbers per group. 18 to 24 is 10% of the population. Overall, 85% of my local population is under 65. We're most heavily weighted with the working class population. Despite our rust belt status, manufacturing is still considered our largest industry, followed closely by health care. Retail and food services are both ahead of education. When manufacturing and other related support services were allowed to reopen, it explains why our local restaurants recovered such a large part of their business so quickly. Our community college being closed to in-person learning, while not good, is barely a blip on the local economic radar.

In contrast, the college town DD was at for awhile shows that the biggest age group is 18 to 24 at a whopping 45% of the population. No other age group even comes close. Overall, 90% of that college town population is under 65. The local population is most heavily weighted towards the college students. The college university is the main industry. Many other industries are heavily dependent on it, restaurants especially, but even the grocery stores get large traffic from the college students. When the campus residence halls closed in mid-March, most of the 18 to 24 age group probably returned to their hometowns and home countries. Without in-person learning, there is no healthy economy there.

That explains somewhat how the restaurant industry is experiencing something vastly different in different places. It's bad timing, too, for college towns. If the pandemic had hit just a couple of months later, everything else being equal, the shutdowns would have taken place near the end of the college semester and the restaurant industry may not have taken such a severe hit in those towns.

Going to the opposite extreme, here's an article with a list of places that have the highest populations over 65:

These are the States with the Oldest Population

#1 is Maine with 30% over 65 in the state and 24% over 65 in one county.
#2 is Florida with about 30% over 65 in the state and about 57% over 65 in one county. That's a big difference right there. I'd agree that 65+ in those locations might be a major economic force in the restaurant industry.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maine ranks first in the nation for the highest proportion of residents over the age of 65. This statistic may come as a surprise to some, given Maine’s harsh winters and reputation for remote, isolated communities. Yet, with its flourishing art and food scenes and countless opportunities for outdoor recreation, this state has become increasingly popular among retirement-age Americans seeking a less traditional retirement lifestyle. Unlike Florida’s older populations, which are concentrated within a small handful of counties, Maine’s older populations are integrated into each county overall.

BTW, Data USA is a site useful for all sorts of info.

 

[gwraigty]

Oh no.... Waffle House is wonderful.... not dining per se, more just eating... but good food IME.

We don't have any locally, but I've seen them while on vacation. Next time I have the opportunity, I'll think of you and consider giving them a try.

We had carry out from Carrabba’s last night. It was the first night restaurants in our state were allowed dine in at 50% capacity etc. So I looked in to see how many takers, only 4 tables occupied on a Saturday night (of 30-40 tables?). One data point, but no mad rush back on day 1. There were still lots of curbside pickups while I was there, so lots of peeps aren’t in a rush to dine in. Management was telling all the carry out customers “we hope you’ll come back and dine in soon.”

I think that will be the trend for awhile in some restaurants. It actually makes it "safer" for anyone who would rather not be around many people. DD said that customers are doing a really good job of social distancing on their own. Normally people would tend to choose tables near other people, but they're doing the opposite right now. Inside capacity of 54 with a max of only 3 tables taken throughout the day. That would mean about 6 to 12 customers at 2 to 4 per table for 11% to 22% of the new reduced capacity.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We are going out to eat twice a week for outside dining. We really enjoy it and it makes life somewhat normal. No place is crowded.

 

[harllee]

It makes sense that restaurants in a college town may be struggling right now because of their unique dependence on college students and the associated visitors for business.

When schools close and students leave: Inside America's empty college towns









Data USA provides some interesting demographics. In my small rust belt city with a local community college, detailed data shows that the biggest age group is 5 to 17. That's a lot of potential future earners and spenders lurking in the wings. The next highest age groups range from 25 to 54, in about equal numbers per group. 18 to 24 is 10% of the population. Overall, 85% of my local population is under 65. We're most heavily weighted with the working class population. Despite our rust belt status, manufacturing is still considered our largest industry, followed closely by health care. Retail and food services are both ahead of education. When manufacturing and other related support services were allowed to reopen, it explains why our local restaurants recovered such a large part of their business so quickly. Our community college being closed to in-person learning, while not good, is barely a blip on the local economic radar.

In contrast, the college town DD was at for awhile shows that the biggest age group is 18 to 24 at a whopping 45% of the population. No other age group even comes close. Overall, 90% of that college town population is under 65. The local population is most heavily weighted towards the college students. The college university is the main industry. Many other industries are heavily dependent on it, restaurants especially, but even the grocery stores get large traffic from the college students. When the campus residence halls closed in mid-March, most of the 18 to 24 age group probably returned to their hometowns and home countries. Without in-person learning, there is no healthy economy there.

That explains somewhat how the restaurant industry is experiencing something vastly different in different places. It's bad timing, too, for college towns. If the pandemic had hit just a couple of months later, everything else being equal, the shutdowns would have taken place near the end of the college semester and the restaurant industry may not have taken such a severe hit in those towns.

Going to the opposite extreme, here's an article with a list of places that have the highest populations over 65:

These are the States with the Oldest Population

#1 is Maine with 30% over 65 in the state and 24% over 65 in one county.
#2 is Florida with about 30% over 65 in the state and about 57% over 65 in one county. That's a big difference right there. I'd agree that 65+ in those locations might be a major economic force in the restaurant industry.



BTW, Data USA is a site useful for all sorts of info.

I live in a college town but it is also a big retiree town. In my experience the restaurants that my friends and I frequent are very different from the restaurants that most college kids go to. I usually eat at high end fairly expensive restaurants that rarely have any college aged customers. On the other had the college kids mostly eat at pizza and burger joints that I don't frequent. So in my town the restaurants have a double whammy--the pizza and burger joints are hit hard because no students. The high end restaurants are hit hard because no older folks are going. I think some of the high end can restaurants can survive if they are smart and creative. The pizza joints and hamburger places are in big trouble if school does not resume. Some of them have already gone out of business. Right now the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is saying students will come back early in August and leave before Thanksgiving but there are going to be different types of classes and the dorms situation will be different. Everyone on campus will be required to wear masks.

 

[gwraigty]

Some of our restaurants have most definitely shut down for good. It's sad! Those that are open for inside dining right now are struggling and appreciate whatever business they have these days.

It's good to have an appreciative spirit. Not like this guy. One local independent restaurant owner recently announced he was temporarily closing and going back to Vegas where he'd supposedly be able to operate better. There's a story behind the whole thing that made the local paper and that may be all it is. His employees were too afraid of having customers come inside his full service restaurant for carryout, so he severely cut his menu offerings and started operating out of a food trailer in his parking lot only 4 days a week for a few hours each day. Drive thru service only that required customers to wait in a long line while each order was freshly cooked. No phone or online ordering. He didn't want to pay his credit card terminal fees, so he said plastic was more unsanitary than money anyway. He rounded his prices up to whole dollars and had his employees spray the bills with Lysol. None of that was working well. He then posted a long rant on his website about not being able to get the exact specialty cuts of meat he used at the prices he wanted to pay. So since he lived and worked in Vegas before, he's taking his commercial kitchen trailer to Vegas to wait for the casinos to reopen and the thousands of tourists to "drink and party their worries away". That's a direct quote, I kid you not. He expects to return next year and be welcomed back with open arms, despite his rant that basically gives the local community the bird and throws all of his employees out of work.

My friend gets pizza from an independent shop. I think I posted before about how angry the owner got because he was so busy he kept running out of stuff before closing time, yet he didn't have the sense to make sure he had enough dough and sauce made in future. He felt the customers were just using him and wouldn't be back after restaurants reopened. Imagine being one of his customers and hear him swearing and talking trash about customers. Or try to place an order a couple of hours before closing time and he's gone already because he won't make enough dough and sauce. That's no way to keep customers.

One small restaurant wouldn't open for dining because he only would have 12 tables open and didn't see the point. Another small restaurant opened with only 8 tables open and she's welcoming back many dine in customers she hasn't seen in 2 months and it's working out fine so far.

Some people create more problems beyond what has been thrust upon them through no fault of their own.

 

[davebarnes]

Way more than 2+ months.
We did buy $400 worth of gift cards at our 'local' (HopsandPie.com) that we plan to use in 2021 (most likely).
We are not 'dining in' until we are 99% confident we won't contract Covid-19. At my age, it is just too dangerous.
Besides, I like dining on our front and back patios. The back is especially pleasant.

 

[rk911]

Oh no.... Waffle House is wonderful.... not dining per se, more just eating... but good food IME.

dining vs eating. we’re more “eating” people, we rarely dine. Waffle House es muy bueno!

 

[gwraigty]

I live in a college town but it is also a big retiree town. In my experience the restaurants that my friends and I frequent are very different from the restaurants that most college kids go to. I usually eat at high end fairly expensive restaurants that rarely have any college aged customers. On the other had the college kids mostly eat at pizza and burger joints that I don't frequent. So in my town the restaurants have a double whammy--the pizza and burger joints are hit hard because no students. The high end restaurants are hit hard because no older folks are going. I think some of the high end can restaurants can survive if they are smart and creative. The pizza joints and hamburger places are in big trouble if school does not resume. Some of them have already gone out of business. Right now the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is saying students will come back early in August and leave before Thanksgiving but there are going to be different types of classes and the dorms situation will be different. Everyone on campus will be required to wear masks.

Yes, college kids probably aren't going to eat at high end restaurants. Things should improve when some return to campus. BTW, here are your demographics:

https://datausa.io/profile/geo/chapel-hill-nc#category_age

18 to 24 (college age) is 31% of your population. It looks like 65+ is 11% of your population. That's less than in my city, where about 15% is 65+. I definitely don't live in a big retiree town. Maybe all of your retirees live in the same part of town. They're spread out all throughout the city here.

 

[Dtail]

Way more than 2+ months.
We did buy $400 worth of gift cards at our 'local' (HopsandPie.com) that we plan to use in 2021 (most likely).
We are not 'dining in' until we are 99% confident we won't contract Covid-19. At my age, it is just too dangerous.
Besides, I like dining on our front and back patios. The back is especially pleasant.

Beautiful.

 

[harllee]

Yes, college kids probably aren't going to eat at high end restaurants. Things should improve when some return to campus. BTW, here are your demographics:

https://datausa.io/profile/geo/chapel-hill-nc#category_age

18 to 24 (college age) is 31% of your population. It looks like 65+ is 11% of your population. That's less than in my city, where about 15% is 65+. I definitely don't live in a big retiree town. Maybe all of your retirees live in the same part of town. They're spread out all throughout the city here.

The biggest chunk of retirees here are outside the city limits in the county at a big gated community called Governors Club. I don't live there.

 

[unclemick]

Free range meat. Soil grown organic non GMO everything else. Vetted vaccine available.

Gone but not forgotten - 50% of meals eaten out. 4 to 5 VRBO or hotel trips a year. Two one week family reunions - one each side 20 plus people each.

Brave new world at age 76. Reasonable health BUT?

heh heh heh - my crystal ball is foggy. So isolating with my Curmudgeon Certicate and getting down with my INTJ bad self.

 

[Doribe]

My town is planning on outside only dining. If the CV19 spread doesn't escalate, I would likely stop at an outdoor cafe, with proper distancing in about two months. We are opening up next week, so I want to wait and see how it goes for my braver neighbors.

I do take-out once a week with curbside pickup now. I really want to see all the independent restaurants and retailers make it through this.

 

[Tom57]

Our local restaurant reopened 11/16/2020 at 50% capacity (Nevada). We have been there twice already and will go again 5/26/2020.

 

[Dtail]

2 outdoor meals so far. Will not inside a restaurant for now.
Spacing of outdoor seating was more than 6 feet, plus not crowded.

 

[lucky penny]

Way more than 2+ months.
We did buy $400 worth of gift cards at our 'local' (HopsandPie.com) that we plan to use in 2021 (most likely).
We are not 'dining in' until we are 99% confident we won't contract Covid-19. At my age, it is just too dangerous.
Besides, I like dining on our front and back patios. The back is especially pleasant.

Beautiful.

TWO nice patios! (Sigh.) Wish I could join you.