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Restaurants set the table for a resurgence

Pine Club owner sees it in rise during the early week business on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Ron Alvey Maury Johnson of Springboro has lunch at Artisans Cafe in Clayton while Abby Morris takes orders.

Tom Dykstra of Union gives his order to Crystal Eberly on Thursday, April 29, at Artisans Cafe in Clayton. Restaurant owners say they feel consumers are more willing to spend money on extravagances, like going out to eat.

Ron Alvey Tom Dykstra of Union gives his order to Crystal Eberly on Thursday, April 29, at Artisans Cafe in Clayton. Restaurant owners say they feel consumers are more willing to spend money on extravagances, like going out to eat.

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By Mark Fisher, Staff Writer 9:39 PM Thursday, April 29, 2010

David Hulme, owner of The Pine Club, said he can measure his customers’ growing optimism by what’s going on in his Dayton restaurant’s dining room.

The traditionally slow early week business — those Monday and Tuesday night diners who typically make a spur-of-the-moment decision to go out to eat — is up, which Hulme described as “an important sign.” The average amount of diners’ checks is rising, meaning customers are ordering more expensive steaks and better wines. And Hulme said he is seeing his regular customers more often.

“After being in the restaurant business in Dayton for 35 years, all of these indicators taken as a whole tell me that there is growing confidence in our community — and the Dayton restaurant industry is beginning to feel that confidence,” Hulme said.

It’s a resurgence being felt nationwide. The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) — a monthly barometer that tracks the health of and outlook for the country’s restaurant industry — jumped 1.4 percent from February, rising above 100 for the first time in 29 months, a level that signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators.

“The RPI’s solid performance in March was driven by improvements among both the current situation and forward-looking indicators,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association. “Restaurant operators reported net gains in both same-store sales and customer traffic in March, the first time in 31 months that both indicators stood in positive territory.”

The enthusiasm isn’t unanimous, and the recession inflicted plenty of pain both locally and nationally through restaurant closings and job losses. The most recent victim is Barbie’s Bistro in Kettering, which is scheduled to close on Monday, May 3 for what owner Barbie Marks said is lack of business. Chains such as Fuddrucker’s and Ruby Tuesday closed Dayton-area locations, although in yet another sign of renewal, Osaka Japanese Restaurant opened last week in a former Fuddrucker’s at 2476 Commons Blvd. near the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, and another Japanese steakhouse has signed a lease to open in a former Ruby Tuesday in Huber Heights.

Pam Heintz, co-owner of Artisans Café in the Randolph Plaza in Clayton, shared Hulme’s positive outlook. Customers who had cut back on their visits to once a month or so are now coming in more frequently — some once a week, Heintz said.

But customers are still looking for value, or for something a little different from the regular dining experience, Heintz said. Artisans Café has launched a fine-dining Tuesday special, gourmet pizza Wednesdays, monthly beer-and-cheese tastings and other special events to keep customer traffic flowing, the restaurant owner said.

Miami Valley Restaurant Association President Amy Haverstick has seen business improve at the restaurant she owns — Jay’s in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District. She agreed that diners’ expectations have changed. “They’re still looking for that great deal,” she said.

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