Decline of Casual Dining - What Wall Street Cannot Measure

Every person has their own point of reference in life, or perception, that colors how they see and experience life. Here is my point of reference on the shift happening right now in which I see our culture moving towards social consciousness.

I read an article the other day about the decline of the casual dining segment, which includes Olive Garden, Chili's, Red Robin, Cheesecake Factory, etc. The article outlines the continuing decline of sales in this segment over the last few quarters. And they are losing sales to the fast-casual segment, which includes Panera, Garbanzo, Noodles, Five Guys, and Qdoba, just to name a few. Interestingly enough, my husband have been having this same belief that the casual dining segment is in the tubes, and that the Fast Casual segment is becoming more and more relevant to society.

"The big question is whether these restaurants are going through a brief dry spell, or are they suffering a permanent trend downward? There's a few different ways to look at the problem."

The article was based around a typical Wall Street ideology that the reason is because of the economy. The author of the article also points out that the decline has to do with the outdated menus, and that these big chains need to reconnect with their customer base, but again, he only mentions using natural, locally sourced ingredients.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/01/11/why-red-lobster-olive-garden-and-their-casual-dini/


But I have a different theory, and it goes a lot deeper than these restaurant chains.

I think people are developing a social consciousness. I think people want to go to a restaurant, coffee shop, clothing store, whatever, that makes them FEEL good about being in said establishment and spending their money. The great thing today is we have so many choices in just about everything we buy, and we can cast our vote for the type of society we want with how we choose to spend our money.

In my opinion, people are opting out of the casual dining segment because of something Wall Street cannot measure. And yes, food quality is a big factor, obviously, but what about the subjective stuff, like the genuine positive energy, transparency, and being truly valued as a customer? People are becoming more and more aware everyday of the gap between a "canned" and "corporate" feel versus a "unique" and "local" feel. People are becoming increasingly loyal to establishments that can "walk the walk". They want to go to a restaurant/coffee shop/store that gives them a positive EXPERIENCE. They want the place to have good energy, with employees that are happy and genuine, and they want said establishments to have a sense of community. What we are seeing is that it takes more than good food to be a good restaurant.

I am not saying all corporations are bad. Look at Starbucks. They have managed to create a company, and a large one at that, with a "soul". Howard Shultz, the guy behind Starbucks said in a recent interview, "A great, enduring company must have a conscious; a balance between profitability and social conscientiousness."

Think about it like this: Families prior to the 1970s ate predominately homemade meals, as a family. Then, in the late 60s/early 70s, the casual dining boom began and really caught steam in the 1980s.  I believe that originally these institutional pioneers wanted to create a positive experience, a place of human connections, around an endearing social ritual, eating. These restaurants grew at a massive rate, thus becoming what we call today, 'chain restaurants'. And in that growth, some people saw the possibility of massive profits, and Wall Street got on the bandwagon. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-profit, but I think there is line we cross when we take much more than we need, and cause suffering for those that aren't strong enough to take what belongs to them.

Wall Street is blinded to the things that matter like people, by the endless pursuit of yield and profit. I hope I am right about this shift in our world. I hope that a connection, social awareness, transparency, passion, and love are all going to eventually trump profits.

Drama in the Carpool Lane

Everyone close to me knows that my latest plight is to learn to not take things so seriously and personally when others are rude, hateful, jealous, and downright mean.

You see, I am the type that when I get cut off in traffic or snubbed by an acquaintance, I take it sooo personally. I try (but am by no means perfect) to be nice to others, and when others aren't always nice back, I get my feelings hurt. I always thought that I needed to say something about their rudeness, which obviously just escalates the situation. So again, here I am in my vulnerability, trying desperately to learn this lesson, and fast.

This morning, at the drop off car line at my daughter's school, I was given an opportunity to exercise patience and understanding with someone who was not-so-nice.

Let me paint the picture for you. The elementary school has a two-lane, one-way road in the very front of the school. The far right lane is for stopping and letting your children out, while the left lane is for thru traffic to get to the parking lot, and exit the school. Most people will drop off their children and move over to the left lane to leave the school. Seems pretty simple, right? Some people have more than one child or take longer, and there is really no process of "waiting your turn", as there is 100 feet of sidewalk on which you can drop your child off.

Well anyhoo, I had pulled up to the school with my kid and the neighbor kids in tow. I was 3 cars back from the front door of the school. I let the kids out and proceeded to get over to the left, so I could go home. Well a lady in front of me started honking at me as I passed her while she was parked in the right lane. She obviously thought I was being rude and not letting her over. Now, I am not a mind reader, and didn't know she was trying to get out. 

Now, I knew my intent was not bad! And I didn't expect so much drama taking the kids to school at 8:30. I haven't even had time to brush my teeth yet, let get into a fight at my daughter's school!

Ok, so to the part that I was "tested" in this lesson... when I was next to her as we were trying to exit, she started waving her hands and yelling at me through her window (its snowing). The old me would have immediately engaged in this not-so-nice behavior, and very easily been brought down to the same level. I would have yelled at her back through my window, I would have gotten on my phone to call my best friend to tell her about the "bitch" in the carpool lane, and it would have ruined several hours of my day. Honestly, it was almost like I witnessed the scenario from a third party perspective, and I almost laughed! But I didn't, as that would have been disrespectful. Obviously, this woman was having a bad day, and I didn't need to add fuel to the fire.

So you know what I did? I made the "I'm sorry" hand gesture, smiled, and kindly waved. And I secretly hoped to myself that she is shown kindness and love today.

xo,
K

Never Gonna Be a Supermodel

There is something I have just got to say, as we as a society have created a GIANT monster. I am so tired of people, especially women, hating and berating themselves. It is absolutely ridiculous that we live in a day and age in which we collectively believe that only certain people are worthy or beautiful, that you have to be a certain size to be valued, or you have to look a certain way to be attractive.

I was at the airport the other day, and I saw this woman that looked so sad. I was there for a while, as my daughter's flight was significantly delayed, so I was around this woman for about 45 minutes. I happened to see her smile at one point, and she was so lovely in that moment, so at peace. This strange woman at the airport did not look like Cindy Crawford, and she was not 5'11'', nor was she a size 2. But you know what? This woman was gorgeous, her spirit was beautiful. And her husband looked at her like she was the only woman on earth. I have a sneaky suspicion, however, that she does not realize her full value in life and that she could not see her own beauty, and that broke my heart.

I have so many lovely woman friends, and I think they are all so beautiful. Sadly, most of them are so freakin' hard themselves! Ladies, I wish you could see what I see in you. I wish you could see that true beauty is about grace and strength, and that the women in my life are strong and graceful beyond words. I watch you ladies work in or outside of the home, be loving mothers, be giving wives, and be loyal friends. You have so much on your plates, and are at times, underappreciated. You ladies are fiercely stable, holding everyone's life around you together. And you do it with a smile on your face and love in your heart.

It took me a long time to really grasp that the women society idolizes on TV seem perfect because they have TEAMS of people to help them. And I am so not trying to downplay these women, because I think there are a lot of great examples of women to follow in the public eye (and some not so great examples) but my point is that we cannot begin to compare ourselves to anyone, especially people that have a staff of trainers, nutritionists, personal assistants, accountants, and nannies. We all have a completely different load to carry, and we have got to stop comparing ourselves to celebrities, or even to our neighbors. Our purpose isn't to try and fit a mold, but to be ourselves in all of our glory in the way that we were created.

I came to grips with the fact that I will never be the best, prettiest, best dressed, most attractive, smartest person on earth, and I am OK with that. And guess what, you won't be either... Do you know why? Because every one of those qualities is subjective. Every single person on earth has a unique definition of what those words mean to them. So stop giving away your power by letting other people define you, judge you, and place you where "they" see fit. Our worth has got to stop coming from external sources, like your boyfriend, husband, parents, and friends. We have got to find value in ourselves, and love ourselves exactly the way we are. That is beautiful! 

My hope is that you see your value and beauty today.

xo,
K