302688 Sun Oct 30 17:10:07 -0800 2005 4 29 Not About Food 0 1696384 Interesting article in today's NYTimes. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/magazine/30food.html Sun Oct 30 17:10:07 -0800 2005 0 Chino Wayne 1 1696389 Interesting, especially when combined with the apparent labor shortage in CA's central valley. A recent article (I think in the Chronicle) said that due to population growth, the migrant/immigrant labor force is taking higher paying construction jobs instead of working the harvests. Independent farmers aren't able to bring their crops in, and some are considering swithching to less labor intensive crops. Peaches can't be picked by machine, but corn can be, so goodbye peach trees. So imagine paying the real cost of paying people a living wage to harvest produce, then paying the actual cost of shipping it. Yikes. Sun Oct 30 23:30:59 -0800 2005 1696384 0 babette feasts 2 1696392 how do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business? you start with a big one. Mon Oct 31 05:39:42 -0800 2005 1696389 0 byrd 3 1696395 Amen. Mon Oct 31 12:56:41 -0800 2005 1696392 0 suzannapilaf 3 1696399 It is hard to make money with just one restaurant. My husband has been a successful restauranteur for the past 35 years and is now a consultant (Culinary degree and a BS in Biology). There are constants in the industry such as non union wait and bar staff still get paid a whopping $2.13 an hour and combined with inflation have actually gotten a decrease in pay. He is in the process of opening three restaurants at the same time in different locations. It is almost impossible to make money on just one restaurant any longer. Mon Oct 31 16:28:07 -0800 2005 1696392 0 BlueHerons