Dining
Since the dawn of civilization, the enjoyment of food has played a major role in the celebration of special occasions or major events. And things haven't really changed much at all over the centuries. Just think how many of us celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. by dining out in local restaurants--in addition to just eating out regularly for the sheer pleasure of it.
Enjoying the cuisine of a region is also a big favorite among vacation and business travelers. Dining out shares the top spot with shopping as the most popular visitor activities, according to a recent study by the Travel Industry Association.
Where to dine has become a billion-dollar question in today’s globetrotting society. Never before in history have people of all ages and economic backgrounds flocked to restaurants in such great numbers. Then again, never before has there been such an abundant selection of dining establishments.
According to the National Restaurant Association, there are more than 831,000 dining establishments nationwide with new venues sprouting up every day. The economic impact of the nation’s thriving restaurant industry is staggering: when sales in related industries such as agriculture and manufacturing and transportation are factored in, the estimated economic impact for the year 2000 should reach $1 trillion!
The San Diego region, which has expanded to more than 6,400 eating establishments during the past year, is keeping pace. According to the local chapter of the California Restaurant Association, San Diego restaurants generate $2.7 billion in annual taxable sales and $209 million in sales tax revenue. The local industry is also a major employer providing approximately 77,000 jobs.
A booming economy coupled with rising tourism is fueling this nationwide feeding frenzy. Nationally, travelers account for half of all sales at table service restaurants with average checks of $25 or more.
Locally, for every dollar visitors to our region spend on lodging, they spend nearly an equal amount on dining out. For example, the most recent San Diego Visitor Profile indicates that 28 percent of the $5.1 billion in visitor spending in 1999 can be attributed to dining out while 30 percent was spent on lodging. Among other favorite tourist activities, 18 percent was spent on shopping and nine percent went for entertainment. Palates obviously rule the pocketbook.
While all this dining activity is going on, San Diego County restaurants--which have long taken a back seat to other well-known West Coast culinary capitals--have reached a pinnacle of excellence that has recently garnered quite a bit of national press.
For example, it’s been a banner year for San Diego chefs Bernard Guillas of the Marine Room in La Jolla, Tom Dowling of the Rancho Bernardo Inn, Riko Bartolome of 150 Grand Café in Escondido and Michael Stebner of Azzura Point at Loews Coronado Bay Resort.
Thanks to well-deserved reputations as four of the hottest culinary talents in San Diego, the chefs were all invited to demonstrate their extraordinary cooking skills at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. Beard, a celebrated chef, author and teacher, established a cooking school in his Greenwich Village brownstone. Following his death in 1985, Beard’s brownstone was converted into a small, but chic restaurant where outstanding guest chefs whip up culinary masterpieces nightly. In September, the culinary “Dream Team” received a standing ovation from Beard House customers and staff for their collaborative effort, “A Taste of San Diego”.
Recently, the four chefs and their respective restaurants were the focus of a feature segment on the “Best of Wine & Food”, a nationally televised series that reaches more than 60 million households. The show, which also included stunning shots of our beaches and attractions, aired recently on the Food Network, CNBC and 132 syndicated markets--exposing San Diego to the nation as not only a beautiful vacation spot, but a fine dining destination as well.
As part of the City of San Diego's millennium salute to its leading industries, we celebrate San Diego's incomparable dining scene throughout the month of November. In doing so, we might take a look at our favorite restaurants as more than just a place to have a good meal. We might want to see them as part of a major industry in San Diego that dishes up a powerful economic impact on our entire region.
