Tracy Hall and her husband, Josh, used to love a decadent dinner out - cocktails and appetizers, wine with dinner and dessert.
But for their five-year anniversary in June, what would have typically been a culinary blowout, the Canton couple ended up at a neighborhood tavern, trying to keep their bill under $70. With only one salary to support the family of three and layoffs happening everywhere, the Halls are holding tight to their wallets.
"We really wanted to splurge," she says. "But we are gun-shy about spending the money on things we don't need to spend it on."
Perhaps it's no surprise that two of the Halls' old favorite places were the Brass Elephant, which closed last week, and Ixia, another upscale Baltimore restaurant that folded in the thick of the nation's recession.
The Brass Elephant, Ixia, Dogwood, Jordan's Steakhouse, Brasserie Tatin, The Spice Company, Vin, Boccaccio, Pisces, Fin Steak & Seafood, and Bicycle are just a few of the area's finer dining establishments that couldn't weather the economy - not on top of the intrinsic pressures of the restaurant trade and diners' fickle tastes.
"The phone doesn't ring - what can I tell you?" says Randy Stahl, one of the owners of the Brass Elephant. "People still want to go out and be pampered but they can't afford it as frequently. That's what we've been running up against."
Stahl certainly tried to lure in customers. He offered a deal where all entrees cost $25 or less. He tried to extend the winter Restaurant Week with a $30 prix-fixe special. He tried advertising, direct mail and hanging big colorful banners. He switched out filet mignon for more economical rib-eye, salmon for halibut and added vegetarian and pasta dishes.
Nothing worked. At least not for long.
"You try to make ends meet by reinventing yourself on a daily basis. You get a little positive feedback, then two weeks go by, and it's the same old soft business," Stahl says. "It's sad and frustrating."
At Gertrude's, a restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art, chef and owner John Shields says customers are still coming in, they're just spending less.
"Instead of the expensive bottle of wine, they might go with a more moderate one. Instead of getting two desserts, a couple will order one and split it," he says, adding he's noticed more people responding to deals and specials - like Tuesdays with Gertie, where 12 of the entrees cost $12.
