Restaurants on a Roll

I've written alot about how restaurants are hurting during the economic recession, but I read an article recently that led me to realize that some restaurants are profiting during these hard times and in a big way.

The eateries that customers are flocking to are those with large portions, comfort food, skyscraping burgers and all you eat fries. The National Restaurant Association's performance index shows that the industry has been shrinking for 23 months in a row. High end bistros have fared the worst, with sales at fancy restaurants like Ruth's Chris and Morton's Steakhouse off by 20% or more. Casusal and family dining places have suffered too, as people eat out less, order more takeout or cook at home.

Still, a few survivors stand to benefit from the widespread pain. Here are a few of the winners. BJ's Restaurants, with many of it's restaurants in deep recession states like California, Arizona, and Florida, has somehow managed to flourish. Homemade ales, Chicago style pizza, and deep dish cookies seem to offer some comfort from the gloom, and nine new restaurant openings in 2009 (one just opened in Carlsbad, and it's gorgeous) have helped drive net income up 41%.

Chipotle Mexican Grill has also expanding like crazy and profits are up 55% this year. They have increased prices during the recession, something that is rarely done.

The Olive Garden offers more food for less money, and that hits the sweet spot in this economy. The family style portions at this casual Italian chain are a hit with diners. Overall earnings are up 15% this year, with about 35 new outlets being opened in the past year.

Panera Bread Company, Peet's Coffee and Tea and P.F. Chang's, are other chains showing double digit profits this year. In Carlsbad, the new P.F. Chang's recently opened, and the line is out the door.

It's great to see that someone is making a profit in these tough economic times. Value is what gets people in the restaurant, and large portions keep them coming back. We have two new restaurants in the Carlsbad area to try, BJ's and P.F. Chang's. I'll let you know when I try them. I know one thing for sure. They are both beautiful to look at.

The Counter-A New Twist on an Old Favorite

Ron and I went to the new burger joint in the Forum last week to see what the line out the door was all about. It's a new twist on everyone's favorite, the hamburger.

As you can see from the pictures, it's got a very casual, contemporary style, and is very crowded. Tables are so close that some heavier customers have trouble getting into their seats. Pretty embarassing. You'll find lots of families, young 20's and 30's singles, and many older folks too. I would call this a trendy restaurant. It made me feel like I was was back in L.A. I'm not sure why, maybe it was the well dressed young girls or the very demanding customers. I didn't like that feeling.

The food is very good. The twist is that everything, and I mean everything is a la carte. You decide on a 1/3 or 2/3 pound burger, then you have options, and every add on is another 50 cents. Lettuce, 50 cents, tomato, 50 cents, russian dressing, 50 cents, you get the picture. By the time you're done your burger could be $11-12 depending on what you add. Actually, I just went to their web site, and although they don't have prices, they say that you get a few toppings for 50cents. I think it may differ at various locations, but in any event, toppings are extra. And then come the fries. A combo of onion strings and french fries is $4.95 for a large portion. Ron and I spent $34 for the two of us, before the tip. Pretty pricey burger, if you ask me.

The burger was good, so were the fries. One criticism, other than that everything is extra, is that the tomato slices were so thin and the lettuce was not a nice big piece of crispy iceberg, but a lettuce blend all cut up, that kept falling off the burger. Additionally, they serve chicken burgers, shakes, fried dill pickles (delicious- we had them) and a turkey burger.

It's certainly a restaurant you will want to try once, just to see what everyone's talking about. The Counter www.thecounterburger.com) has 22 stores in the Western U.S. They have crayons for the kids to keep them busy and a children's menu. One other negative for me, is the noise level. It's noisy with music playing in the background to make it even louder. I guess they think that's what people want. So give The Counter a try and let me know what you think. Good food, pricey but different enough that people may like it. You be the judge.

More Money Saving Ideas

One of the most expensive monthly items women have is their hair. A cut and color can cost upwards of $130 depending on where, and whether you have special processess, like highlights. Add to that an occasional facial, a manicure now and then and you could be over $200 a month. Well, thank you Lynda, for reminding me about cosmetology schools.

I should have thought of it myself, as my neice is just finishing up cosmetology school in Los Angeles. I have had her do my hair several times and I let her color it too. I know I'm brave to do that, but I figure hair grows quickly, and if the color was not good I could always have it redone. Well, she actually did a very nice job on both the cut and color. When you go to a cosmetology school to have hair or nails done you will get someone who is just finishing their training. Obviously these are the girls or guys to get to work on you. The only thing you will notice is that they work much slower than a seasoned hairdresser. In any event, it's a good idea to try if you want to save big bucks. Below are the prices and services for the Palomar Institute of Cosmetology in San Marcos. There are many beauty schools around, so try one near you. I had forgotten about this until Lynda reminded me, but I plan to go get a facial in December. How about a day at the cosmetology school, facial, manicure and pedicure for $42 plus tip? I'm going, so let me know if you want to go too.

Palomar institute of cosmetology, 355 Via Vera Cruz, San Marcos
Open 6 days a week
Day and night appointments available
Deposits required for parties
Credit cards accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, ATM Debit cards
CUTS & STYLING
Women's Cuts $10, $15, $20--cut only is $5.00
Men's Cuts $5, $10
Kid's Cuts $5
CHEMICAL SERVICES
All Over Color $25 & up
Touch Up's $15 & up
Highlights $25 & up
SKIN & SPECIALTY SERVICES
Facials $25
Waxing $10 & up
Microdermabrasions $35
Back & Body Treatments $30 & up
SERIES SERVICES (Call for pricing)
Hair Club
Facial
Microdermabrasion
NAIL CARE
Manicures $5
Pedicures $12
Gel Nails $17
Spa Treatments $12, $18

No More McDonald's in Iceland

I wrote a while back about tourist destinations where your dollar went a long way. One of those countries is Iceland, which has had one of the worst collapses of any country in the world. Iceland's three biggest banks collapsed at the height of the global credit crisis, slamming the nation's economy, sending its currency tumbling and forcing it to rely on a $10 billion aid package led by the International Monetary Fund.

One by product of their terrible situation has been the closing of their three McDonald's Restaurants on October 31. Vertu blessadur to any future cravings for a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets. McDonald's would have to raise their prices by 20% to get the margin needed on their products. That would price a Big Mac at $6.36.

Of the 120 countries that produce the McDonald's Big Mac sandwich, Switzerland and Norwary currently sell the most expensive ones, at about $5.75, while South Africa and China sell the cheapest, at $1.68 and $1.83.

The managing director of McDonalds, Magnus Ogmundsson plans to reopen the stores under a new brand name, Metro, which will use local materials and produce. This will definitely keep the cost lower and provide Icelanders with their fast food fix.

Iceland is in bad shape. The IMF estimates that Iceland's economy will shrink 8.5% this year, with consumer prices rising 11.7%, both of which would be the worst performances among the world's 33 advanced economies. Very bad news for Iceland, but good news for those foreigners who travel there. If you go, just don't expect to find McDonald's any time soon.

Junk in Your Trunk

If you're like me, your trunk is full of unnecessary junk. Well, it's not really junk, but it's stuff you don't need in there all the time. My trunk is a perfect example. I have the following items in my trunk at all times: golf clubs, golf cart, boogie board, wet suit, 2 yoga mats, several canvaas bags, a sweatshirt and lots of assorted stuff I have no need for. This is weighing down my car and reducing the good mileage I should be getting. According to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/, for every extra 100 pounds you carry in your care, you effectively reducing its gas mileage by 2%. While this doesn't sound like much, over time the cost certainly will add up.

There are numerous other steps you can take to improve gas mileage and by following just a few of these you can improve your gas mileage by 10%. That will certainly make a difference. Here are a few more tips to increase your mileage.

1. Keep your tires properly inflated. As simple as this sounds, most of us don't check inflation regularly. Underinflated tires require more energy to roll. Properly inflated tires will add about 3.3% to your fuel economy.

2. Don't drive aggressively. Braking hard and accelerating fast will reduce your mileage. Keep your acceleration even and your braking steady. Keep your speed even.

3. Take extra weight off the car. Besides cleaning the trunk, take off the roof rack and remove miscellaneous item from the interior of the car. Heavy books, boxes of cd's, and toys all add up and add weight.

Asside from getting all of the excess items out of your car, there's one more thing you can get rid of to help increase your car's gas mileage-removing the spare tire..around your waste. Considering it doesn't matter how you get rid of the extra weight your car is carrying around, if you can drop a couple of pounds yourself, it'll be good for both your car's fuel economy and your health. My first job this weekend is to clean out my trunk, then I'll go to work on my spare tire.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used to dislike Martha Stewart. I thought to myself "Nobody can know how to do so much." Well, I think I was wrong. She really can do all the things she says she does, and for that I have to admire her. Anyone that can throw a gourmet party for 200, grow and can their own fruits and vegetables, measure and make drapes for the house, make crafts with the kids, and decorate elaborate cakes can't be all bad. Although I don't read her magazine or watch her show, I occasionally catch snippets of her show while waiting for something else, and am always amazed at the breadth of her knowledge. Recently I ran across her recipe for soft and chewy chocoalate chip cookies, and since that's the way I like them, I kept it and tried them. They are delicious. Add them to your cookie recipe collection.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Martha Stewart

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a asmall bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars, beat on medium until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixutre, mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablesppon size balls of dough about 2 inces apart on baking sheets line with parchment paper.

Bake until cookies are golden aroud the edges, but still soft in the center, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

So What's Everyone Blogging About?

As a blogger myself, I thought it might be interesting to find out who's blogging and what they're blogging about, so I did a little research. There are over 184 million internet users who blog. That sounds like alot, but when you consider that this is worldwide, well, it's still alot. China is an emerging leader with more than 42 million bloggers. And they're just getting started.

It's a myth that technology is the item people blog about the most. 30% of all blogs are diaries, which are personal entries on people's own life, environment and interests. My blog definitely falls into that category. Entertainment (movies and tv) are number two, with only 5%, sports and politics closely follow.

Why do people blog? It's another way of staying connected and sharing your life or a major interest with others. It's also very rewarding to know that some people are really enjoying your writing. It is also very cathartic, especially if you are writing a personal blog. It's a great stress reliever, and it's also a good learning experience. I love it when I think about a new topic, research it, then write about it. It's very fulfilling. Finally, there are those who blog for profit, and sell products,etc on their blog.

So what kinds of blogs are out there in cyberspace? There's the usual things you'd expect: personal experiences, travel, food, recipes, restaurants, organic products, your new baby, your family tree, books, environmental issues, knitting, you get the idea. One of my favorites is one for new moms http://www.lamomsblog.com/
They also have http://www.rockymountainmomsblog.com/
This the go to site for new moms for every question from real people that you could ever think of. One of my young friends told me about it, and I have passed it on to my kids.

Other blogs I found interesting are the self happiness blog, blogs about world hunger, poverty and homelessness, and so many blogs about religion and non religion. Blogs about traditional religion, cults, sects, friendly atheist blog, Christian right blogs. And would you belive the U.S. Supreme Court has a blog? Can you picture anyone on that court blogging? Of course every news outlet, journalist, and political reporter has a blog. The list is endless. One thing to remember is that bloggers are not journalists, and that many bloggers do not check their facts, so you must take all blogs with a grain of salt.

One of the reasons that readership of magazines and newspapers has declined so much is that people are reading their news online, either on blogs or online editions of magazines and newspapers. It makes you wonder what's in store for us next.