Wasn’t that when Empress Pavilion closed down?
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Yeah I’ve got to imagine the hardest hit places will be high-end Japanese. Of course, America has seafood. We can start our own seafood market to replace Toyosu. Or start eating more hamburgers. USA USA!
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Now with all the chaos and Stock Market crashing with no end in sight, it might make some diners cut back or think twice about dining out…
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I think high-end Japanese may do fine as anyone who can afford to eat there will still have plenty of money.
Or if they don’t, the tariffs are toast.
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If these tariffs hold, I think it’s game over for a lot of restaurants. The long term of a new global trade order is tbd but the short term is gonna be very painful. Prices up and then who eats the cost? Especially when consumers likely to pull back? Stagflation is a bitch…
That said, I’m not convinced the tariffs hold.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/dining/middle-class-restaurant.html
I liked this article and this particular point (didn’t read the research mentioned).
I feel like it’s getting harder to find appealing places to stop in and spontaneously sit for food after a hang/meetup with someone and not feel like it might be an imposition or be awkward. (Something special, not fast-casual or Chipotle or office-lunch kind of places). Similarly, more special restaurants are also not inclusive for typical group hangs. Sure, for special occasions. But not everything is a special occasion …
Yeah, there’s tacos everywhere, but it doesn’t have the seating to stop and chat.
I mean on this front, grabbing a slice at Purgatory Pizza was actually perfect. No line, quick bite, still get to sit down, casual enough to be a spontaneous add-onto another hang.
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I just realized that I tipped on a counter service Cheeseburger and Burrito in San Diego.
They cost $20 each after tip.
Is tipping expected in these cases? I thought tipping is for table service.
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This is one of those where it’s up to you imo. Sometimes I’ll tip 10-15 % but not always
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I tip for counter service, too.
I tip whenever there is a prompt for me to tip. Sucker.
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Jonathan Gold said 10% for takeout. I find myself closer to 15% these days
I do 15% not only as a carry over from COVID, but staffing levels have not returned and people are doing way more.
That being said, I also find myself doing the custom option because sometimes you aren’t given anything lower than 20%, I will tip less for drinks heavy/only order and then you have those cafe/markets that will do the tip percent based on total purchase. If I’m not tipping on the fancy soy sauce I am also picking up (happened recently at Little Fatty).
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Im sure I’m a jerk there are times I’m just not going to tip, like if you are re heating a slice of pizza for example and I’m ordering from the counter. Come on. Where as of in ordering to go from a sit down restaurant then birth the kitchen and service staff are really going out of there way to get me that order then I’ll to higher
I do like Fatty Mart btw! And I wouldn’t tip on groceries either but to be fair I’ve had nothing but good service there and never felt pressured to tip extra
I agree I don’t tip generally at counters. I feel like tipping is for service. Ordering things myself, standing in line, and bussing my own tables shouldn’t be a tippable event and I hate how every restauant asks nowadays.
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If it’s a tablet type “register,” can restaurants even turn off the tip option?
Yes you can on all that I have seen.
I was at the dodger game and there was literally a peanut kiosk. Woman slaps us with two bags of peanuts, I put the phone out for payment and out pops the tip screen.
I literally laughed (I really could not help myself)
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How much did the peanuts cost?
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A couple more data points
- Danger dog outside of Shrine on a Saturday night was $10 dollars NO TIP NO DRINK.
- e by Jose Andres - was just under $300 in December 2024. Is now $490.
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Another interesting datapoint:
Resy 300$ credit for amex plat and Infatuation x Chase Sapphire Preferred 75$ credit for spending 150$ are basically stimmy checks for the restaurant industry at this point. (And I guess for bougie coupon cutters?) Like a responsible citizen I contributed my part 
Still bleeding out the wazoo. 
We ate at antico nuovo on the infatuation credit (it turns out it does not go very far at AN) in between some middle-aged folks on a date talking about their aspirations for the next decade and a 4-top of gen-z’ers talking about the infatuation credit (among other things).
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I got a $75 off $225 offer for KinKan. After credit, dinner for 2 is still $440 after tax/tip no drinks.
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