Bartender Beau Arnold rushes between the kitchen and the dining area at Taco Mamacita during dinner service. The restaurant is one of several to experience growth through the down economy.After about three years of battling the effects of an ailing economy, the restaurant business appears to be picking up steam, according to industry experts.
Years of high unemployment and low levels of disposable income caused many families to turn to their own kitchens instead of those of restaurants.
Chattanooga, however, wasn’t hit as hard as other parts of the country, local restaurant owners said, making the turnaround slightly less noticeable here.
“It’s not that people really quit eating out, they simply dropped down in their budget range a little bit,” said Lawton Haygood, who owns and operates Sugar’s Ribs, Canyon Grill and The Boathouse. “I don’t know if that’s true throughout the country, but in Chattanooga that’s what has happened.”
Haygood said price has been a driving factor in the effects restaurants have felt from the economic downturn, with lower-priced eateries typically faring better than those in the upscale category.