The Recession and Casual Dining

The recession that America is facing today raises many questions about how lives are affected both personally and in the work place. Retail stores and casual dining have been significantly hit by the recession. This is mainly because with so many of these restaurants around and the quality of food the same, people are beginning to branch out to other types of restaurants. Employees at a local TGI Fridays are being hit hard by the recession.

“The recession is definitely going to get worse before it gets better,” says Sue Buckley, the server manager at Fridays. One of the many jobs Sue is in charge of at Fridays is the server schedule, which she says she has had to make changes to. Lately, scattered timing has begun because of later business. Sue has also had to schedule less people on the floor and make earlier cuts to ensure that everyone can make as much money as possible.

Also, at once it was OK for a server to work overtime. Now Sue must make sure that no server goes over 40 hours a week. When asked whether or not the recession has effected business, Sue replied with, “Yes. Sales are already down. A usual Saturday night would pull in $16,000. Now, we average out between $12-14,000. Managers are now taking 5-6 shifts in the kitchen to save money”.


Bartenders at TGI Fridays are usually the ones who see the most money. Bojan Gavric has been a bartender for about two years. He works four days a week, and although he has not seen a decline in his amount of shifts, he has definitely seen a decline in business.

“People don’t have money so they cut out things they don’t need, such as going out to a bar and drinking”, says Gavric. Gavric currently owns his own condo and finds himself worrying about his ability to pay for it on his own in the next year. He says that living on his own is “very difficult due to the fact that my job is not something stable and secure. I could make good money one week, and the next make nothing. And my bills are always constant, always there”.


Servers at TGI Fridays are also experiencing a hard dose of reality from the recession. Megan Hand is 22 years old, lives in her own apartment, loves to shop and is currently feeling the heat from the decline in business.

When asked how the decline in business has affected her, Megan responded, “I have to be more careful about my expenses. I can’t impulsively buy anymore. Every dollar counts. The less money people have, the less they’re willing to give away”.

Megan also commented on the large number of coupons she has been receiving from customers. Fridays has been sending out lots of coupons to keep people coming back for a low price. Megan is trying to make the best out of the situation by “being wise about my spending habits. Less shoe shopping! Sadly, I cannot contribute to Jessica Simpson’s bank account right now. I have to save money and prepare financially for the future”.


Chad Williams, age 23, is also a server at Fridays and has seen dramatic effects. He has had to work more hours and not necessarily make more. He lives in Methuen, goes to school in Worcester and works in Woburn, and traveling to these three locations on a daily basis have made it difficult to save extra money.

Chad has noticed tip and check averages have decreased. “Peoples attitudes and dispositions are not as pleasant as usual”, says Chad.

These four employees of Fridays all have one thing in common. They are all hopeful for the future. They are well prepared for the future and know what they must do when the worst of it comes. In the meantime, servers should stay positive, save as much as possible, and know that things will begin to change eventually.