Restaurants Slipping on Soap

Restaurant business on Pearl Street is down 20 percent, according to a reliable source. The source being an industrial soap salesman.

While sitting down for lunch with an area chef, the soap rep came in and showed the numbers. It’s rough operating eateries on Pearl these days, he surmised.

His theory goes something like this: Restaurants use soap to wash dishes, when soap sales are down it means the eateries aren’t washing as many dishes. If you put a little logic into that thought, you could guess that the drop in dish washing has nothing to do with a dip in sanitary standards.

Less people are eating out, less dishes are being used. The soap guy’s business isn’t as hot as it once was.

Here’s my advice: Don’t let a slow economy steer you away from a nice dinner out. Culinary adventures make our culture thrive.

Support the local restaurants so they don’t close up before you start spending your extra cash on meals out again.

—Jacob Harkins