Even though forecasters are soothsaying somewhat of an easier time here in Canada, I can’t help but quake for what the next few months will bring. Christmas parties and Dine Out might assuage the pain for a bit but ask around and you’ll hear that what happens after Valentine’s Day is anyone’s guess.

Is a total disaster on the way? I don’t think so. We’ve witnessed unprecedented growth in our restaurant scene over the last decade. The past few years alone have seen Vancouver positively boom on the openings front, and of the 150+ new restaurants almost all are still with us (I mention that only because it makes me feel better). We’ll likely see a few closures in 2009. It’s my hope as a diner that these signal more of a natural adjustment in the marketplace than anything symptomatic of a financial apocalypse. It’s entirely possible that we might just have too many restaurants per capita. Go figure.

If I were to make a prediction, I’d still say things will be very tough from February until the Olympics. One year, after which those who’ve been able to ride out the storm will likely endure thereafter (restaurant Darwinism at its best/worst). Of course, some restaurateurs are looking at their numbers against last year’s right now and feeling particularly nauseous, but it should be remembered that some are weathering just fine. I don’t think the coming doldrums will be a terminal affliction for more than a handful, but that’s the optimist in me, fighting off shadows. Those who are hurting may just have to adapt and bob and weave for a while. Such is business.

For sure, a quick tour of my global bookmarks from the last few days hasn’t left me with much of a warm fuzzy feeling (see below). On the bright side, we’re a different animal up here in Canada. The links might be a tad scary, but fear begets resolve in the best of us and no one ever went broke by reading.

PS. if the egg lady in the video above doesn’t cheer you up, you’re probably doomed already.

A record 100 restaurants open in London just as the crunch bites – The Evening Standard.

The launches of nearly 100 restaurants have been recorded in the past three months, if outlets at the Westfield shopping mall are included. Even if these are stripped out, at least 39 restaurants opened in the run-up to Christmas, according to the Hardens guide to eating out. However, there are growing fears about how many will survive next year and beyond as the recession takes a hold on London’s economy.

More elbow room at tables as business lunches drop off – Chicago Tribune

Restaurant sales, when adjusted for inflation, declined in the first nine months of the year, a first since the recession of 1991, said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president for research at the National Restaurant Association. And October was the fourth consecutive month of restaurant job losses, the longest string of cuts in 45 years.

Recession puts damper on parties for the holidays – Maryland Gazette.

Nationally, fewer employers are planning holiday parties, according to a recent survey by Chicago outplacement consulting company Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Challenger found that 77 percent of companies are planning holiday parties, down from 90 percent in 2007.

Recession White, What Took Them So Long? – Slashfood

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s $3.99, it has a plastic cork, and it’s totally decent. It’s a mild, dry California chardonnay; gentle oak without too much vanilla (why do all the chardonnays I’m tasting lately have so much vanilla?). I would recommend pairing Recession White with bold, stinky cheeses or, you know, ramen noodles if you’re in this for the price tag.

The Restaurant is Dead – Jaunted.

Restaurateurs appear to be doing everything to avoid calling their new openings restaurants. Café, bar, bar and kitchen, bistro, bistrot de luxe, canteen, trattoria, osteria and lounge are now far more common names than “restaurant,” either alone or in some kind of combination associated with a place name or that of a well-known individual. Nobody today, it seems, wants to proclaim that they are opening a restaurant. Various reasons explain this. One is that the word “restaurant” is associated with expense.

Table Stakes – CFO.com.

As the economy slides deeper into recession, casual full-service restaurants, which were among the first businesses to feel the tremors of impending collapse, are hungry for customers. Brinker’s same-store sales, the key metric for the casual-dining industry, declined across its brands in the latest quarter. Practically everyone else’s same-store sales have dropped too, according to Technomic, a Chicago-based restaurant consultancy. Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, Ruby Tuesday, P.F. Chang’s Chinese Bistro — these and other chains have seen a dramatic falloff in their “guest counts” during 2008, not to mention their profits and stock prices.

Sector Snap: Restaurant Spending – Forbes.com

Miller said 49 percent of consumers surveyed in November said they were planning to spend less at restaurants over the next 90 days. In addition, 42 percent said they plan on cutting back on future visits to restaurants.

Restaurants offering holiday deals to boost sales – CNN Money.

Restaurants have been hurting for months as consumers have cut back on eating out to save money. Fast-food restaurants have been somewhat insulated from the slower spending because they offer food at far lower prices. But at casual dining chains, where menu prices are higher, consumers’ new spend-wary habits have led to falling sales and profits.

16 Top Chefs Go Retro – Crains New York

Mr. Zagat said that the goal of the series is to “revive some of the grand recipes and theatrical presentations of food,” that have been lost over the past century. It will no doubt also create buzz and excitement in an industry that has been hard hit by recession.

Q&A with Jean Georges Vongericten – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Q: You’ve been opening restaurants at quite a fast clip. Is the recession forcing you slow down your plans?

A: We’re continuing with everything that was in the pipeline through ‘09. As far as 2010 and 2011, we’ll have to wait and see.

The Essential Ingredient for Restaurants Struggling to Survive Crunch – Restaurant Diary

Mike Conyers, Restaurantdiary director, explains: “For restaurants facing bleak trading times, the first instinct can be to offer cut-price menus and to cull any marketing. This may keep the wolf from the door for a while but, like most diets, it’s not sustainable. Taking control of your table booking system – and capturing information about your customers to customise any special offers – is the recipe for riding out the recession.”

London Clubs Look To Ride Out The Recession – City AM

As the glasses chinked and the small-talk flowed, the uninformed observer would not have been able to tell that, outside, the world was bracing itself for a winter of redundancies, high-street closures and penny-pinching. While most people are reigning in their spending, it seems that at least some of London’s bon viveurs show no sign of slowing down.

Restaurants, bars next to suffer credit crunch – Stuff

Even in good times the industry had a fairly high failure rate, although so far it was no higher than normal. “But I think it’s something we’ll see more of next year,” he warned.

Area Residents Spending Less On Alcohol – Herald Tribune

From Russia to Brazil, South Africa to Denmark, in Germany, Poland and the U.K., budget beers are the only ones to see a surge of sales in recent months, according to Information Resources Inc.

and lastly, for my friend Jamie Maw…

Heineken to shut Cork brewery – Miami Herald

Heineken gained control of the Beamish brewery only in October after a six-month investigation by Ireland’s Competition Authority ruled — to the disgust and disbelief of many Irishmen — that it wouldn’t be a conflict of interest for Heineken to produce both stouts. Business and political leaders warned that the takeover would mean the death knell of the 210-year-old brewery. Few expected the announcement so soon.

So sorry.

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