Paul Emmett, Owner, Duffy's Sports Grill

BY: ALLISON ROSS
DATE: June 16, 2008
PUBLICATION: Palm Beach Post

Personal economic indicator: In one weekend, Duffy's received 152 responses to an ad seeking a restaurant manager. The opening of the Jensen Beach location in April garnered 1,000 applicants for 150 job openings.

"Five years ago, we were begging for people to work for us," Emmett said. Duffy's even used to mail postcards to parents in an effort to find teens and young adults to apply for jobs. "We can just put an ad in the paper now."

As the number of job applicants has soared, turnover has dived. "Employees are not leaving their jobs," Emmett said. "Normally, Duffy's has a lot of turnover, but employees now are aware it's dangerous to switch jobs in this economy."

Customers are more discerning than ever - comparing prices and "scanning the restaurant environment for value," Emmett said. For instance, the number of customers eating at his restaurants between 2 and 4 p.m. has increased about 25 percent when Duffy's offers a 40 percent discount.

"People come in at 3:45, get a meal at a discount and then wait until 4:05 for the drink specials to start," Emmett said. "People play it, play the discounts. I've never seen that before."

Last big purchase: Plasma televisions for the restaurants.

Outlook: "For the next year to year and a half, it certainly looks quite bleak. Florida in particular will be suffering in an outsized fashion due to the significant importance of the real estate market. ... But that may not be bad for (Duffy's)," with its moderate prices. "If you go out to any of these high-end places, you're about to spend $40-50 per person, and people would rather spend $15 a meal."

- Allison Ross