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An interview with New York restaurateur Danny Meyer about the impact of the U.S. recession on restaurants, is presented. He believes that discounts offered by restaurants amid lower demand have no long-term benefits. When asked if he could recover once the economy improves despite offering discounts, he says he will because of discounts being offered on meal that costs lower and the tendency of people to spend money on products with high quality. Some of the trends he predicted for 2009 are proliferation of bistros, trattorias and luxury menu offerings.

The article discusses controversial remarks about the U.S. banking industry made by celebrity chef Mario Batali. While serving on an awards panel for the periodical "Time," Batali compared bankers in New York City's financial district to the late dictators Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Some bankers say they will no longer patronize his New York restaurants.