By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-24 20:56:31 | Updated at 2024-11-24 23:35:07
2 hours ago
Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel has reported a surprising dramatic surge in restaurant sales within 24 hours of the US election results.
Gruel, 44, who owns the Slapfish Restaurant Group and American Gravy Restaurant Group, said his establishments saw sales numbers skyrocket - doubling from week to week following Donald Trump's victory.
'The very next day when Trump won, our sales doubled almost from week on week,' he told Fox Business.
The successful restaurateur, speaking on 'The Big Money Show,' revealed that he wasn't alone in experiencing this dramatic uptick, and that fellow restaurateurs across the country have reported the same boom.
'I spoke to restaurant owners all over the place because I posted about that. They were like, "Us too, Us too, Our catering [has] gone up, This has gone up."'
Gruel insisted that dining establishments serve as the ultimate barometer for public sentiment.
He told viewers that restaurants are the 'best index' for people's emotions.
The celebrity chef also attributed the surge to a collective 'sigh of relief' among diners.
'I think it's just the mere sigh of relief that, okay, this is over,' he said.
Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel has reported a surprising dramatic surge in restaurant sales within 24 hours of the US election results
Gruel, 44, said his establishment saw sales numbers skyrocket - doubling from week to week following Donald Trump 's victory
'We do know what we saw from the Trump administration. And whether people want to say it publicly or not, they know it's going to be a stronger economy.'
He also claimed people are beginning to 'wake up' to California's woke policies.
'It's not going to go from blue to a hard red [state] overnight. But people are opening up their eyes. They're waking up,' Gruel concluded.
'Newsom's coming to the end of his tenure. So that will be curious to see how that shakes out in regards to not just him leaving, but also the way in which he addresses policy [on] his way out.'
The successful restaurateur, speaking on 'The Big Money Show,' revealed that he wasn't alone in experiencing this dramatic uptick, and that fellow restaurateurs across the country have reported the same boom
Gruel insisted that dining establishments serve as the ultimate barometer for public sentiment. The celebrity chef also attributed the surge to a collective 'sigh of relief' among diners
Gruel is the Founder of Slapfish Restaurant Group, which has 27 locations, as well as American Gravy Restaurant Group, which comprises Calico Fishhouse, Big Parm Pizza, Two Birds Chicken, Butterleaf, Lolo’s Tacos and 101 Burger.
In July, the celebrity chef vowed to stop opening restaurants in California until the state 'fixes things' for the industry.
Gruel, who is behind a number of successful restaurants in California, said that he will not open another until crime, tax and regulation has been 'sorted.'
Gruel told Fox Business that the restaurant industry is still suffering from the effects of the pandemic but that ongoing issues are continuing to exasperate them.
'I'm going to keep my restaurant in California but I'm going to franchise out of the state moving forward,' Gruel explained.
'I will not open another business in California until they actually fix things on a go-forward basis.'
When asked about the impact of 30 percent of restaurants being forced to close after the pandemic Gruel said 'the pandemic, obviously, kicked off this astronomical firestorm of chaos that now we've seen reverberate and grow.'
'There are all these restaurants and retailers and small business owners that haven't recovered.
'Things are constantly getting worse every single day' for the industry, he cautioned.
In September last year California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers, up from $16 for other sectors.
Gruel said this means restaurants must be more 'efficient' with hiring or raise prices to meet the spiraling cost of labor.
