It seems that the restaurant trade is suffering from the recession in much the same way as pubs, with over 100 closing each month. However, given some of the examples quoted of £10 starters and £40 per person for a meal, it’s not exactly surprising that they have become the victims of people economising. In fact the general experience of pubs serving food, and of restaurants at the lower end of the scale, is that trade is holding up reasonably well as people forgo big-ticket purchases but are still willing to treat themselves to affordable pleasures.