Part Three
Value Joins the Restaurant Business
This is the third and final article in the This is Not the Restaurant Business I Grew Up In series. By Paul G Fetscher
At the turn of the century, a new word came into vogue: “VALUE. ”It preceded the word “menu.”Burger King had 11 items on its $1 value menu. McDonalds and others followed. Darden Restaurants initiated Seasons 52. That followed the trend of having fresher menu items in the hopes of better nutrition. The consumer clearly was embracing the concept of more sophisticated dining and better fare. Seasons 52 had a decent wine list; a first for a chain restaurant. Nutrition became the buzzword. President George Bush called for nutrition labeling. Three out of four consumers said they were trying to eat more healthfully in restaurants. Restaurant sales continued to grow and increased to $500,000,000. Ruth’s Chris emerged from the deep south and led growth of high-end dining as a chain. In Providence, RI, Ned Grace answered with Capital Grill.
New York City passed legislation that any restaurant with 12 or more units had to display calorie counts on its menu. To avoid compliance, Houston’s restaurant changed the name of their Manhattan restaurants to Hillstone.
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