Tough Times

Things are looking bad for the restaurant industry, in fact, some of the leading indicators are at their lowest levels on record. But the trend doesn't seem to be affecting everyone equally: I was listening to a couple of chefs talking about Thanksgiving recipes on the radio the other day, and when the announcer asked how their restaurants were doing, both said their sales were actually up a bit compared to the same period a year ago.

My own storefront has been incredibly slow, in fact, this has probably been the slowest period we've had since we opened 4 years ago. I'm not sure it's entirely because of the economy, though. I have just one more year left on my lease, and I've mostly decided that after the next year I'll set up a new kitchen closer to where I live, and just do markets because that's my main business anyway. It's always been my experience that when my energy goes out of something people pick up on that on a subliminal level, so that may be contributing to the slow sales as well. I am committed to keeping the store open for the remaining year, though, if only to provide work for my wonderful employees. It's tough keeping good people when all you can offer them is seasonal work.

The Ballard Farmers' Market, on the other hand, has been doing well enough to carry the rest of the business. It may be because I've finally seen the light and realized that it's worth having two people in the booth most of the day even during the slow season, or maybe because the market is open an hour longer this winter, or maybe it's just that it's a great market that keeps growing in spite of obstacles.

One trend that I have been noticing is that I'm selling more half size quesadillas, and fewer full size ones. A half costs $4, and a whole costs $6, so when I sell two halves I actually make more money for the same amount of ingredients. Many people are also splitting full quesadillas, which means that two people are able to eat lunch at my booth for $3 each. Maybe I'm having a good fall at the market simply because I'm offering some very affordable options.

In any case, I think that it's important in this day and age for a business--like a stock portfolio--to be as diversified as possible. That way if some aspects aren't going well, others have the potential to pick up some of the slack.