New York City Consumers Spend More on Dining Out in October

A New York City restaurant operator gives you the texture and flavor of consumer confidence in this unique barometer of the local economy. New Yorkers are spending more when dining out, treating themselves to pricier meals and drinks. Bar business is buzzing, and discretionary spending is flowing. But the long term effects of the recession are still playing out, and lunch traffic is off with the comeback of brown bagging. From this Brooklyn-based, family-run diner's perspective, customer confidence has come back, if not at a runaway pace, and receipts are heading in the right direction.