In upscale restaurants, they prep most of their ingredients and components (sauces, etc.) onsite, and tend to have more experienced kitchen staff, meaning a lower food cost (fraction of the item's menu price that is taken up by buying ingredients from the distributor), and a higher labor cost per item. Dry goods tend to be relatively stable in price, their usage is stable and if anything they get relatively cheaper over time. Also, even without counting tips from waitstaff and correcting for direct (cook) and indirect (food cost) labor inputs, the upscale restaurant is less affordable for working-class people to eat at, largely because of higher profit margins. The people who eat there are the least squeezed people in the economy, and the least vulnerable to price shocks.
Established restaurants are lying out of their ass if they say they're "barely making it".
"Boohoo we can't survive if we can't cut our employees' real wages after inflation year after year"
Nah you got everything right, upscale restaurants typically have higher margins and higher labor costs. Even at the restaurants that do actually get higher quality ingredients, they usually make up for this by serving smaller portions.The area where they squeeze the most out of you is alcohol. Get served 2 shots of pinnacle or McCormick's in a drink and pay $10 for each one.
There are 2 types of restaurants, ones that exist just to make people happy and ones that exist to make money. The ones that exist to make money are pretty much always doing fine. Petit bougois usually end up making some terrible deal with an investor and making it everyone else's problem instead of their own
These are well established and well known amongst Colorado rich people. Frasca has a Michelin star and is very well known (and good if you can afford it, so I've heard) and Tavernetta has a James Beard award and is perpetually packed. These are well known places that are regularly recognized for their quality. At least Tavernetta is at a train station so that's cool.
Paging @LeylaLove@hexbear.net to correct me if I'm wrong.
In upscale restaurants, they prep most of their ingredients and components (sauces, etc.) onsite, and tend to have more experienced kitchen staff, meaning a lower food cost (fraction of the item's menu price that is taken up by buying ingredients from the distributor), and a higher labor cost per item. Dry goods tend to be relatively stable in price, their usage is stable and if anything they get relatively cheaper over time. Also, even without counting tips from waitstaff and correcting for direct (cook) and indirect (food cost) labor inputs, the upscale restaurant is less affordable for working-class people to eat at, largely because of higher profit margins. The people who eat there are the least squeezed people in the economy, and the least vulnerable to price shocks.
Established restaurants are lying out of their ass if they say they're "barely making it".
"Boohoo we can't survive if we can't cut our employees' real wages after inflation year after year"
L + Skill issue + Good riddance.
Nah you got everything right, upscale restaurants typically have higher margins and higher labor costs. Even at the restaurants that do actually get higher quality ingredients, they usually make up for this by serving smaller portions.The area where they squeeze the most out of you is alcohol. Get served 2 shots of pinnacle or McCormick's in a drink and pay $10 for each one.
There are 2 types of restaurants, ones that exist just to make people happy and ones that exist to make money. The ones that exist to make money are pretty much always doing fine. Petit bougois usually end up making some terrible deal with an investor and making it everyone else's problem instead of their own
These are well established and well known amongst Colorado rich people. Frasca has a Michelin star and is very well known (and good if you can afford it, so I've heard) and Tavernetta has a James Beard award and is perpetually packed. These are well known places that are regularly recognized for their quality. At least Tavernetta is at a train station so that's cool.