The Days of the $12.00 Martini are over!

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

I was in Laguna Beach yesterday enjoying the great weather here in so cal.
My wife and I had a couple of tacos each ($10.00) and took a nice walk.
The upper scale restaurants were empty. I say good! One restaurant in particular offers martinis at $12.00

I say these days are over. These places need to wake up and offer deals if they want to survive. Its my belief that people that can afford these prices are simply not indulging. In this economy people are feeling guilty indulging.
I stopped at Trader Joes ( store in so cal) and bought 750ML of Vodka for $6.00.
I also noticed lots of folks at parks and on hiking trails.

This economy is waking people up to "reality"?

onlycafe · 10-12-2008, 01:13 PM

now go and run your $6 vodka through a brita filter six or seven times. add practically no vermouth........
voila... a $12 martini.

Hugh R · 10-12-2008, 03:12 PM

I'll tell you how slow it's getting. Yesterday, I got a call from a copper re-pipe company asking if I was still interested in getting my house redone. I called them twice, two years ago, and they never returned by calls. Guess they're slow now.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

I hope you told them that they work at your convenience as the paying customer - you don't work at theirs.

LakeCleElum · 10-12-2008, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I'll tell you how slow it's getting. Yesterday, I got a call from a copper re-pipe company asking if I was still interested in getting my house redone. I called them twice, two years ago, and they never returned by calls. Guess they're slow now.

Now that really is slow Hugh. Maybe all those contractors I called in the past few years will come crawling to my door????

Zeke · 10-12-2008, 04:53 PM

I bought the TJ's vodka one time. Nasty stuff. Martinis are made from gin anyway.

The fact that expensive restaurants are vacant is silly. 90% of the population got the same paycheck last week as the same week a year ago. Go ahead and make things worse by hording your money. When the businesses you enjoy are no longer there, go suck a cactus.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

My wife and I went to PF Chang's last Wed. (only because we eat for free, since she works at their corp. office). That place was empty. There's often an hour wait to get a table. We walked in and wondered if they were closed. It was depressing. We asked our server how it had been the previous weekend and she said pretty slow. Last night, though, we went to our favorite pizza place and there was a 10 min. wait to get a table. However, the fancy restaurant next to it, which usually has its front valet lot full of exotic cars, didn't even have all the spaces filled, let alone filled with exotic cars.

artplumber · 10-12-2008, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I'll tell you how slow it's getting. Yesterday, I got a call from a copper re-pipe company asking if I was still interested in getting my house redone. I called them twice, two years ago, and they never returned by calls. Guess they're slow now.

That's sweet. Did you tell them their competitors got the job?

mcuozzo · mcuozzo's Garage

No such slow down here in Northern NJ. Went to eat last night and most places had a 30 - 45 minute wait. Ended up going to a diner (which in NJ is a step up from the chain restaurants. In some cases a big step).

Movies were packed as well.

There was less traffic and noticed some of the night club type places were slower.

Went to a regular place o' mine and a bartender reminded me it was columbus day weekend, Yom Kippur and foliage season up north. Lots of people are out of town. To enforce this point I went into NYC around 1am and made it over the GWB in 5 minutes. That never happens and I mean never! So yeah a lot of people are out of town.

Although I did make a reservation at Del Frisco's steakhouse in NYC (one of the best if not the best steakhouses!) for two weeks from now. I seem to remember having to make reservations furhter ahead of time back in the day.

Let's see what next weekend brings us.

vash · vash's Garage

tito's vodka at trader joes ROCKS!!!

restaurants in the bay area are still very busy.

Evans, Marv · 10-12-2008, 08:48 PM

Hey, for all you guys contemplating having construction or remodeling done, now might be a good time. I've had two subs redo contracts at a lower price and, like Hugh, had several others/come by call to see if I had any work for them. Right now lumber and drywall prices are down - at least in SoCal. I haven't looked at prices for other things lately. They obviously can't get down to a price where they can't eat, but lots are looking around and dealing.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

Hmm. I have been in Denver since Thursday at a high end consumer audio show. We were displaying our new $180,000 speaker in a $600,000 stereo system. I installed a pair of them last Wednesday on Long Island. I have another pair to install in Guyana in December. Focal can't build them fast enough to meet demand. We are backordered until February.

We went to 2 steakhouses over the last couple of days - Del Friscos and Capitol Grill which were both packed with diners.

People with money still have money.

Ian

Jim Bremner · 10-12-2008, 09:36 PM

what are they offering $$$ per square foot on add ons?

Langers · 10-13-2008, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkoff

I stopped at Trader Joes ( store in so cal) and bought 750ML of Vodka for $6.00.

Feck me.

The absolute cheapest Vodka we can get here is ~$US20!

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

I drove to my corporate office in Novi, MI last Friday and was stunned by the number of businesses that had closed in the 6 months since I was last in that area. Businesses of all kinds are suffering in my area (SE MI), especially anything that is "high end". Many of the home improvement/cabinet shops that sell to the contractors are shuttered as few home projects are going on now. Lowe's is slower than usual, but still has customers streaming in and out all day. Fast food is booming as people seem to want high fat, high calorie, low price food.

onlycafe · 10-13-2008, 10:34 AM

here in downtown vernon in the last couple of months we have seen four restaurants and the true value hardware all close down.
on the other hand, the casino never has less than a full parking lot.

scottmandue · 10-13-2008, 10:43 AM

Call me when pitchers of beer drop below $10... and I don't mean those little girly half size size pitchers! And not friggin domestic lite beer either!

I don't make martini's at home any more... got tired of waking up on the couch in the middle of the night... or on the floor in the hallway... or in bed with my cloths on.