Boneless Lamb Stew (photo courtesy of Great Midwest Lamb Company)

The stress of an uncertain economy “has changed the way people eat and dine out, and restaurateurs are scrambling to accommodate it,” according to an article by Pervais Shallwani in the Wall Street Journal.

Comfort foods vary across regions, but orders for stews, chowders, and meatloaf are finding their way onto menus more noted for “truffled lobster or dry-aged rib eye steak.” Chefs and customers alike are looking to cut expenses. In an effort to cut costs Chef Morou Ouattara of Farrah Olivia in Alexandra, Virginia has “has begun buying entire animals, or large sections of them, instead of choice cuts.” Whole animals can be turned into filets for entrees, with the bones used for stocks, and less choice cuts used for stews and hearty soups.

More affordable options may not generate big profits, but they are “keeping the doors open” at many eateries. The WSJ article does offer a caveat about cost-cutting, quoting New York restaurateur Danny Meyer. "You don't want to turn your white table cloths into paper mats to save cost," Mr. Meyer says, "because that changes the sense people have of who you are as a restaurant."

If you’d like to read the Wall Street Journal article cited above go to: Restaurants Adapt to Downturn