Yeah, yeah, money is going to be tight this month (Pluto in Capricorn in the 8th house, if you care to get technical about it). But if the accommodation of that sorry fact is your sole operating principle right now, someone else is going to eat your lunch. Or is not going to eat your lunch, might be a better way of putting it here. The cosmic truth is that people are going to be very oriented towards dining at home in this period (as Sun, Venus and Mercury in the 4th House clearly attest). It would, however, be a mistake to consider this only a cash conservation move. People are not stupid and they know that, excluding the cost of beverages, it is very often cheaper to eat out in a restaurant than to shop and prepare a meal at home.
What smart restaurateurs will recognize is that people are eating at home because these are stressful times and people are bunkered in. The precious few who are coming out to your restaurants do not prize comfort any less. They just appreciate that their favorite restaurants serve up sociability and care, along with the discount menu. Anyway, this is a month when your message must be that you are a welcoming neighbor and, if you can pull it off, an actual extension of the family. Take-out works (with a little surprise extra treat in the bag). So does a sincere smile.
By Steven Mark Weiss, author of astrologically themed books include Signs of Taste and Signs of Success. He cosmically blogs on business matters at blog.stevenmarkweiss.com.