One restaurant for every 664 people ...

The Wall Street Journal has reported that according to the National Restaurant Association, “as of 2003, there was one restaurant for every 664 people in the U.S” compared to “one for every 1,029” only 30 years before.

I’ll think about that next time I’m standing in line for a long period of time in front of my favorite restaurants.

Unfortunately, some of my favorites had no line ups — and they’re now out of business.

Why should farmers and ranchers care about what’s happening with restaurants?

Whether it’s fancy restaurants or fast food places, some of the restaurants that might have been successful a decade ago might be struggling now.

With all the competition, there will continue to be more research into consumer trends and tastes. Ultimately this will affect what food ingredients are used, what methods are used to cook the food, and what size will be offered in these food establishments.

In the past, farmers and ranchers thought their job was to produce the crops and animals needed, and let the marketplace figure out how to get the customer to buy and eat the product.

Now the consumer has a bigger choice but is more selective: The customer has become the controller of the fates of restaurants as well as back to the farmgate, and anyone who doesn’t stay tuned to the trends may find the business exists no more.

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