To boost sales, area eateries turning to gamesBy KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS / The Dallas Morning News The economy's impact on the restaurant industry is no laughing matter. But some restaurant operators are turning to games to try to lift the mood – and elevate sales. Nationwide, 2008 restaurant sales, when adjusted for inflation, dipped for the first time since the economic slump of 1991, according to the National Restaurant Association. Locally, names such as BLT Steak, Bice and Nove Italiano went dark. At Tillman's Roadhouse in Oak Cliff's Bishop Arts District, 2008 sales were a smidge higher than 2007. But for the first half of the year, midweek sales at the 15-year-old eatery were soft. "We focused attention on creativity" for those slow weekdays and launched game night on Tuesdays, said chef Dan Landsberg. The program – traditional board games such as dominoes and Scrabble, along with a finger-foods menu – launched last January. But it didn't really take off until the summer, just as the economy began its spectacular swan dive. "I think it was part of the whole trying to get more for your money," Landsberg said. "You just come, sit, have a meal and combine entertainment with food." Tuesday sales, which had been below budget, are now up 30 percent, he said. "With this campaign, we're right where we want to be, making Tuesdays profitable," he said. "Tuesday is now better than Wednesday," when the restaurant offers half-price wines. At the Belmont Hotel in Dallas, Tuesday's game night has more than doubled food and drink sales since it was launched two months ago, general manager Susan Alarcon said. "We picked a night where there wasn't a lot of activity," said Alarcon, whose personal favorite is the Celebrity guessing game. "I was pleasantly surprised." The event has become so popular, she said, that the hotel had to buy more games. |
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