Economy Raises the Heat in the Kitchen

Some less-expensive restaurants are reporting higher foot traffic, perhaps as people trade down. Moby Dick's House of Kabob, which has 12 locations in the region, has 5 to 10 percent more visits but is contending with higher costs. The rice that it imports from India is up 60 percent. The prices of some dishes have been raised up to 5.5 percent.

"We try to keep the price as low as we can so we can do more volume," said Moby Dick's owner Mike Daryoush.

To cope at his restaurant, Marzano stopped buying many food supplies through vendors because they were adding steep fuel surcharges. He goes to restaurant stores and wholesalers himself.

Jeff Black, the owner of four restaurants in Maryland, including the popular Black's in Bethesda, makes sure he pays his vendors within seven days of accepting an order -- a rarity in an industry that often pays up to 180 days later -- so he can use that as leverage to keep his food costs down.

"We are a good customer to our vendors, so they try to look out for us," Black said.

Cafe Deluxe, which has three locations in the region, is adding more seafood dishes because those prices haven't risen as much as have beef and chicken. Sure, fishermen need fuel to go fishing, but the fish don't eat grains like cows and chickens do. Grains are more expensive because corn is being used to make ethanol, forcing meat prices higher.

"Honestly, people like fish," said Kevin Wilcox, the restaurant chain's director of operations. "We seem to sell more fish than meat lately."

At Equinox, Kassoff-Gray and her husband/chef Todd Gray are doing more catering and are focusing on inexpensive items on the restaurant menu to help offset the $2 or $3 they have added to some entrees. In particular, they are leaning on side items, but to avoid cheapening the experience of fine dining they are describing the side items as "for the table." Waiters are encouraging guests to order a couple of side items -- err, for-the-table selections -- as a meal.

One popular selection is macaroni and cheese with black truffle. It is $9.

"It is such a great recession dish," Kassoff-Gray said. "It's filling and it has truffle in it. It's luxurious and it's cheap."

But creative side dishes won't solve the economic problems the industry is facing. They are a stopgap measure.

"It is going to take us all adjusting for a while," she said, noting this wasn't the first time the restaurant industry has dealt with an economic downturn. "We've gotten through this before and we will again."

For Marzano, this is a rough patch he never quite expected. He is an Italian immigrant who came to the District 19 years ago with $200 in his pocket and the desire to learn English, become a chef and open a restaurant.

"People still like my food, they like coming in here to eat," he said. "I like to cook and make people happy. When bad things happen, you say, 'Why me?' This can be scary. It is scary. But I'm going to let this play out. I'm going to be smiling on the other side of this."