As is the case with other small businesses, restaurants play
a vital role in job creation and economic growth. The
National Restaurant Association’s (2012b) 2012 Restaurant
Industry Forecast estimated that total restaurant-industry
sales would reach a record high of $631.8 billion in 2012,
with 970,000 food-service operations employing over 12.9
million people nationwide. On average, the National
Restaurant Association estimated industry sales to be $1.7
billion on a typical day in 2012. In addition, it is expected
that 1.4 million jobs in the restaurant industry will be added
in the next decade (Facts at a Glance, n.d.). In Colorado,
restaurant sales were expected to reach $8.9 billion in 2012,
which is a 3.5 percent increase from 2011. In addition, it is
expected that restaurant jobs will increase by 12.5 percent
over the next decade (National Restaurant Association
2012a). By the same token, because restaurants are small
businesses, they are subject to the vicissitudes of the U.S.
economy. Just as small businesses experience a large number
of job losses during tough economic times (SBA Office
of Advocacy 2010), so are they also a driving force in a
recovering economy (Dun & Bradstreet 2011).