Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel has reported a surprising dramatic increase in restaurant sales within 24 hours of the US election results.
Gruel, 44, owner of the Slapfish Restaurant Group and American Gravy Restaurant Group, said sales at his establishments skyrocketed — doubling week over week after Donald Trump’s victory.
“The next day, when Trump won, our sales almost doubled week after week,” he said Fox Business.
The successful restaurateur revealed while speaking on ‘The Big Money Show’ that he wasn’t the only one experiencing this dramatic upturn, and that fellow restaurateurs across the country have reported the same boom.
“I’ve been talking to restaurant owners everywhere because I posted about it. They said, “Us too, us too, our catering [has] increased, this has increased.”
Gruel emphasized that dining experiences serve as the ultimate barometer of public sentiment.
He told viewers that restaurants are the “best index” of people’s emotions.
The celebrity chef also attributed the increase to a collective ‘sigh of relief’ among guests.
“I think it’s just a sigh of relief that this is over,” he said.
Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel has reported a surprising dramatic increase in restaurant sales within 24 hours of the US election results
Gruel, 44, said his establishment saw sales skyrocket – doubling week-on-week after Donald Trump’s victory
“We know what we’ve seen 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 that people are starting to “wake up” to California’s woke policies.
‘It doesn’t go from blue to hard red [state] at night. But people are opening their eyes. They’re waking up,” Gruel concluded.
“Newsom is nearing the end of his term. So that will be curious to see how that plays out in terms of not only his departure, but also the way he approaches policy. [on] its way out.’
The successful restaurateur revealed while speaking on ‘The Big Money Show’ that he wasn’t the only one experiencing this dramatic upturn, and that fellow restaurateurs across the country have reported the same boom.
Gruel emphasized that dining experiences serve as the ultimate barometer of public sentiment. The celebrity chef also attributed the increase to a collective ‘sigh of relief’ among guests
Gruel is the founder of Slapfish Restaurant Group, which has 27 locations, as well as American Gravy Restaurant Group, which includes 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 he won’t open any new ones until the crime, taxes and regulations are “sorted out.”
Gruel told Fox Business that the restaurant industry is still suffering from the effects of the pandemic, but the ongoing problems continue to irritate them.
“I will continue to keep my restaurant in California, but will franchise out of state in the future,” Gruel explains.
“I won’t open a new business in California until they actually get things sorted out on a proper basis.”
When asked about the impact of 30 percent of restaurants having to close after the pandemic, Gruel said, “The pandemic obviously created this astronomical firestorm of chaos that we’ve now seen reverberate and grow.”
“There are all these restaurants, retailers and small business owners that haven’t recovered.
“It’s getting worse every day” for the sector, he warned.
Last September, California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers, compared to $16 for other industries.
Gruel said this means restaurants will have to be “more efficient” in hiring or raising prices to accommodate rising labor costs.