The Lombardi Viewpoint
Recent Posts
- Could the Phrase “I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Help” Be True?
- Try Random Acts of Kindness
- Is Your Web Site Up to Snuff? Part 2
- Norman Brinker, Industry Icon
- Is Your Web Site Up to Snuff?
- Do Restaurant Design Trends Suggest Better Days Ahead?
- The Text Revolution: R U Missing $?
- How to Prepare for Online Crisis Management
- Counter Attack
- When Does It End?
Recent Comments
- Drew@leeroyselmons on The Text Revolution: R U Missing $?
- Pett on Could the Phrase “I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Help” Be True?
- Hossam aboueissa on Try Random Acts of Kindness
- Carl Howard on Is Your Web Site Up to Snuff?
- Dan Smith on Is Your Web Site Up to Snuff?
Most Commented On
- Employee Free Choice Act is anything but (15)
- Consumers Rank Necessities (4)
- The Text Revolution: R U Missing $? (4)
- Is Your Web Site Up to Snuff? (3)
- Millennials, Take Two (3)
Archives
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- May 2007
Blog
Another Sign of the Times
November 20, 2008
The unique economic environment we are facing seems to have new ways of presenting itself. I looked at the top five gainers and losers in the market yesterday (Nov.19).
The “gainers” caught my attention. The top two were barely positive, third place had no change in stock price and the last two were NEGATIVE. In other words, they just did not drop as much as all but three of the other restaurant stocks!
Right now, it is hard to find anything positive to hang onto, but in terms of other retail categories, we do have two things going for us. First, restaurants tend to be a leading indicator for the economy. While we are the first to feel the pain, we also will likely be the first retail segment to see customers return.
Second, unlike many other retailers, we do not have the high seasonality around the Holidays. If customers start spending again in May or June, they are not going to go out to buy the Holiday presents they would have bought in the next 6 weeks. Retailers will still have lost their biggest sales season.
But people are still going out to eat—even though it’s not as frequent, and they are not spending as much as before. There are still a lot of dining room chairs being used. You need to be able to attract them to your dining room chairs. Don’t be timid about tactics.
Posted by Dennis Lombardi on November 20, 2008 | Comments (0)
