The newest economic indicator: the Jean-Georges Index. How full is the restaurant at 2 PM on a weekday? The fabled three-martini lunch died a long time ago, but restaurant owners are reporting that business lunching in general appears to be declining. Businesses want to spend less money in bear markets and business people are simply discovering that they can do the same amount of business in 20 minutes on the phone as over a two hour lunch.
For power lunchers, an entree of malaise [NYT]