Eat, drink and, well, eat some more.
That’s what Orange Countians did in 1999, continuing the trend of the last five years, according to the Business Journal’s list of the county’s 25 busiest sit-down restaurants.
These restaurants dished up 7.2 million meals, a 4% increase from last year’s list of the biggest 25. (Comparing the restaurants on this year’s list to their own performances of a year ago, the group reported a 14% year-to-year increase in meals served.)
The 25 restaurants on this year’s list reported total employment of 2,661, up 3% from last year’s list of 25 and up 16% from their own staff levels of a year ago.
Big changes on this year’s list included:
n The Cheesecake Factory’s Irvine location, which opened in August 1998, posted its first full year of sales in 1999, boosting its meal count by 52% to 470,000 and moving it up from No. 6 to No. 4. The Cheesecake Factory at Fashion Island remains No. 1 on the list for the fifth consecutive year with 680,000 meals served last year, up 3% from 1998.
n The Clubhouse, which replaced the Riviera at South Coast Plaza last August, debuts at No. 6 with a hefty 357,200 meals served last year.
n Hook’s Pointe and Wine Cellar, a freestanding restaurant at the Disneyland Resort which replaced the Shipyard Inn, began operations in March 1999 with an expanded menu and longer hours that resulted in quadruple the number of meals served and helped it debut at No. 21.
n Also debuting on the list this year, at No. 25, is The Cottage Restaurant, a 50-year tradition in Laguna Beach. It reported 152,200 meals served.
According to California Restaurant Association data, 1999 food and beverage sales within the state accounted for $28.67 billion in sales in 1999; the organization projects that figure will grow about 6% to $30.4 billion this year.
Let the Good Times Roll
Industry sources point to good economic times and the growing preponderance of dining, retail and entertainment complexes as traffic boosters for some restaurants. The California Restaurant Association estimates that a growing percentage of today’s food dollar, now 45%, is spent at restaurants.
“It’s a sign of the economic times,” said Nate Franke, a partner at Deloitte & Touche in Costa Mesa. “People are eating out more and spending more.”
Franke also said he thinks Orange County outpaces national trends for dining out.
Biggest gains in meals served among OC restaurants were at Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach, up 11%, and Watson Drug and Soda Fountain in Orange, up 9%.
Jim Ulcickas, general manager for Bluewater, attributed the growth to “hard work,” adding that the restaurant had no significant changes in menu or seating to account for the increase.
“We just offer good food, good service, a good price,and a smile,” Ulcickas said.
At Watson Drug, manager Steven Parker said much of their increase in meals and employees was a result of last year’s 100-year anniversary celebration that attracted a lot of media attention as well as old and new customers. He said 1999 was their “best year ever,” but the increases have continued.
“We’re ahead of last year,” Parker said.
Despite a tight job market, Parker said his diner had no problem increasing the staff by eight people, or 20%. He said part-time help is attracted to the popular landmark eatery. “People love to work here,” he said.
Three restaurants reported a decrease in business last year: Rainforest Caf & #233; (which is being acquired by Landry’s Seafood Restaurants, the parent company of Joe’s Crab Shack), Birraporetti’s at South Coast Plaza and JT Schmid’s in Anaheim.
Back Bay Rowing, also at South Coast Plaza, reported no growth in meals served. The other South Coast restaurant on the list, The Clubhouse, was not open in 1998. If Clubhouse numbers are counted in the equation, South Coast Plaza restaurants on the list saw an increase of 18% from 1998 to 1999, but without the Clubhouse, meals were down about 3%.
Dropping from the list were Planet Hollywood and Windows on the Bay, which closed, and the Cannery in Newport Beach, currently closed but expected to reopen under new management before summer.
The caveat to all this, though, is that restaurants don’t hire employees to hover over tables with little counters chalking up each meal as it’s served. In fact, given a wide array of variables in how many meals a restaurant can be expected to serve in a day, measuring meals is a somewhat imprecise science that makes it difficult to gauge the actual performance of local eateries (for another perspective, see related story, page 20).
In fact, this list, along with temporary employment agencies, is among the most difficult for this paper to compile each year, with various entries on the list accusing others of inflating their numbers. n
Looking at It Another Way …
Here are the 10 busiest OC restaurants, in terms of meals-per-table in 1999 (rankings according to total meals served are in parentheses)
1.Cheesecake Factory, Newport Beach (1)
2.The Cottage (25)
3.Back Bay Rowing & Running Club (13)
4.Cheesecake Factory, Irvine (4)
5.Sam Woo Seafood Restaurant (3)
6.Joe’s Crab Shack (8)
7.Las Brisas (9)
8.McCormick & Schmick’s (7)
9.Watson Drug (23)
10. Rainforest Caf & #233; (2)
