Restaurants Also Have a Big Black Friday

We all know Black Friday sets the tone for retail sales of TVs, handbags, clothes and other consumer goods for the holidays, restaurants can get a sense of how their year will close out based on Friday's traffic, said Angelica Pappas of the 20,000-member California Restaurant Association.

But Black Friday business can offer a misleading economic indicator. Restaurants located in or around major shopping areas typically do better on Black Friday, such as Pizza Antica which sits in the middle of Santana Row within walking distance of Westfield Valley Fair.

But even restaurants located in ground zero of the Black Friday chaos can struggle during the height of one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

It all depends on price point and the time it takes shoppers to refuel and recharge.

For instance, while the tables were full at Pizza Antica, where Torres and Montero ordered a $60 meal for four -- including cocktails for the moms -- only three tables were occupied just a few doors down at the much fancier LB Steak restaurant at the height of the lunch hour.

As he stood in front of an impressive display of marbled and aged meats in LB Steak's entrance, general manager John Hanrahan said, "We market to the savvy diner looking for quality."

The California Restaurant Association does not have specific Black Friday sales numbers for its members. Nationally, however, Black Friday restaurant sales account for $1.3 billion in revenue and rank 134th out of 365 days based on data from MasterCard Advisors, Pappas said. (Mother's Day remains the No. 1 busiest day across the country).