As the recession casts its pall over the restaurant scenes in many cities, the scene in Dallas, the host city for the 2009 Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference Oct. 4-6, continues to shine.
Given a comparatively vibrant local economy and a public that regards dining out as a serious avocation, Dallas remains the site of numerous restaurant openings as well as a testing ground for innovative new concepts.
“I think we are faring better in Dallas than in many metropolitan areas across the United States,” says Jamie Green, director of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association. “It has a lot to do with a stronger economy in general here.”
From January to May, the latest time frame for which figures are available, 837 new restaurants opened in that four-county metropolitan area, which includes Dallas, Denton, Rockwall and Tarrant counties. That number is only down slightly from the 901 opened during the same period in 2008, according to The Virtue Group, an alcohol beverage and restaurant marketplace research firm based in Austin, Texas.
“Dallas is unique,” Green says. “We don’t have a mountain range or a beach. For entertainment in Dallas, we go out to eat and shop. I think that’s why the dining industry is so strong here in Dallas, because everyone sees that as part of the lifestyle and the quality of life. We don’t have a bay or a beach, so we dine out and create our own draw.”
In this special pre-MUFSO section, we look at why the Dallas-Fort Worth economy is holding up, what it means for the restaurant business, what new projections are on the boards and why the region has fueled innovation through the years.
The above story is part of a preview special report for the 2009 Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference. This year’s conference will take place Oct. 4-6 in Dallas. Click here to purchase a downloadable PDF version of the full preview with other news stories about the Dallas dining scene and a schedule of MUFSO events.
