Appetite Stimulus

   According to informed sources, people are starting to go out to lunch more often. This is good news for the local economy, at least as one out-of-town restaurateur of our acquaintance sees it, particularly if lunch-goers happen to be good tippers. This is probably also true in other areas of the service sector, where in most cases a gratuity in hand goes directly back into circulation. If there is a more expedient way to get dollars to where they are needed most, short of outright charity, we don’t know what it is.

    The part of the breakfast, lunch, or dinner tab that goes toward food can have a stimulative effect as well, if a restaurant gets supplies from nearby vendors who, in turn, hire local workers. According to a restaurant-industry association, 98 cents of every dollar spent in a New York restaurant remains in the state. About 8 percent of all employment in New York State is in the restaurant business, where about a third of all workers had their first job experience.

    Everybody needs to eat. It’s good to know that heeding one’s appetite can have a stimulating effect.