Good night for restaurants

Sure, they’ll be packed on Valentine's Day (in my opinion the absolutely worst night of the year to go out), but for restaurant owners the business is only a mixed blessing. Any Saturday is the busiest night of the week - much better to have Feb. 14 fall in the middle of the week, especially during a recession. From the OC Register:

Annika Stensson, a spokeswoman for The National Restaurant Association, said the weekend is shaping up to be a good one. "I believe we'll see full dining rooms on Feb. 14, which is a good thing on any day in this economy," Stensson said. Still, some restaurants with a more loyal following see the weekend as a bust. "Having Valentine's Day on another day would have been better," said Thad Foret, general manager of Antonello Ristorante near South Coast Plaza. "It is what it is."

[CUT]

The full-service sector, hardest hit by the recession, reported 2008 sales of $148.6 billion, a 2.5 percent drop compared to 2007, according to Chicago-based Technomic. For 2009, revenue at sit-down restaurants is expected to decrease 6 percent as diners continue to trade-down to cheaper eats. As a result, Technomic stated that "2009 will be the worst year for foodservice" since 1972 — the first year the consulting firm began tracking restaurant industry sales.