August 14, 2008 |
Short Order
Anticipating hard times ahead one year ago, Le Bernardin owners Maguy LeCoze and chef Eric Ripert doubled this year’s budget for marketing and public relations. Other New York restaurateurs, upscale, mid-range, veterans and ingénues, have been complaining that business is off. Fifteen per cent is the figure I hear. Nation’s Restaurant News headlines tell of chains debuting discounts to draw cost-conscious diners. But pricey four star Le Bernardin is full, Ripert says. “I’m surprised. It’s better than last year. Lunch is packed, packed, packed,” he reports. “Maybe I shouldn’t brag. But dinner is the same.” (And he’s selling a $109 four course prix fixe with the chef’s special tasting at $185). “In an economic slowdown, every dollar counts, and restaurants have a tendency to cut back on PR,” Ripert observes. “We’re doing everything to make a bigger presence for ourselves in magazines, on television, with blogs, in charity events, offering items to live auctions.” In an economic meltdown when even the very rich feel poorer, the affluent may be choosing a luxury they know rather than a whimsical what’s new.
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