MORE COVID, LESS MENU OPTIONS

Restaurants across the U.S. are looking for ways to survive COVID-19 mandates that have impacted the entire industry, ranging from occupancy limitations to spacing requirements.
The Wall Street Journal, citing Datassential, reported that in 2021, about 60 percent of restaurants polled said they reduced their menu size in an effort to “keep the quality, not quantity.”
The Trends Journal has reported extensively on the disastrous past two years for restaurants due to the virus outbreak, see:

• “RESTAURANT INDUSTRY: MORE SHUTDOWNS, MORE BANKRUPTCIES,”
• “RESTAURANT BIZ STRUGGLE,” 
• “WORKER SHORTAGES, VIRUS HOBBLE RESTAURANTS’ RECOVERY.”

As we had forecast, with the media’s non-stop spreading of variant fears and hysteria, COVID-19 is among the reasons cited for the decline and for the gloomy outlook.
Only 64 percent of U.S. adults feel comfortable dining at a restaurant; see:

• “WORKER SHORTAGES, VIRUS HOBBLE RESTAURANTS’ RECOVERY” (14 Sep 2021)
• “DINERS AVOIDING RESTAURANTS FOR FEAR OF COVID” (17 Aug 2021)
• “RESTAURANTS FACE BLEAK WINTER” (21 Sep 2021)

The Journal said Datassential studied nearly 5,000 menus in U.S. and found that offerings at fine-dining establishments were hit particularly hard, with the number of items on the menu dropping by 23 percent. 
TREND FORECAST: As winter sets in across the U.S. and more Omicron variant fear and hysteria is spread by the media—plus more vax passports and other COVID War mandates imposed by politicians—restaurant sales will continue to decline. 
States across the U.S. have imposed new COVID-19 restrictions, and major corporations have canceled holiday party plans, throwing a wrench into hopes of ending 2021 on a high note. Besides COVID-19, about 77 percent of the 3,000 restaurants polled in a recent survey said they did not have enough workers to meet the demand, the Associated Press reported.
Jada Sartor, who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, told the AP that she left her restaurant job despite making $16 an hour, which represented a $6 raise. “The cost of living is just so high you can’t afford to really live,” she told the outlet.
Another problem for the industry is a jump in costs for ingredients. One restaurant owner from Salt Lake City said some of her ingredients increased by 40 percent.
“The margins on food are never going to be astronomical, even in good times. But paying 40 percent more for protein? I can’t pass that along to the customer.”
And, the further equity markets dive, the higher inflation rises and the deeper the economy sinks, more restaurants will go bust and overall sales across the industry will decline. 
And according to the OpenTable website of reservation service, restaurant seatings were down 12 percent from 2019 levels in the week ending 12 December.