FSR November 2022

FirstCourse

TIPPING FATIGUE? Na . STUDY AFTER STUDY showed that customers were generous with their tips throughout the pandemic—off-premises amounts even reached all-time highs at the height of shutdowns. Now, even as prices increase across the board, consumers are showing no sign of tipping fatigue. According to POS platform Toast , same-store tipping grew 10 percent in the second quarter of the year compared to Q2 2021. Full-service restaurants averaged a 19.6 percent tipping rate while quick serves hit 16.9 percent. In comparing tips across all 50 states, consumers in Indiana tipped the most (21 percent) while California diners were the most conservative, tipping an average of only 17.5 percent.

ONE BEAR OF A BUSINESS Usually it’s reality shows like “Top Chef” or “Hell’s Kitchen” that lead viewers to flock to restaurants for dishes they’ve seen on TV. But this time around, it’s FX’s “The Bear” that’s whetting appe

tites. The half-hour show follows the high-octane world of a fine-dining chef who returns to Chicago to run his fam ily’s sandwich shop. Now, restaurants specializing in Chicago cuisine are wel coming hungry hordes. According to The New York Times , full-service con cepts like Gino’s East of Chicago in L.A. and Emmett’s in New York watched their Italian beef sandwich orders double over the summer . “The Bear’’ was picked up for a second sea son, meaning these Chicago-centric restaurants might soon face another feeding frenzy.

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FSRMAGAZINE .COM

NOVEMBER 2022