With a relatively small population and few ZIP codes, as
compared with large metropolitan areas, we considered the
city of Boulder to be a good target for studying restaurant
failures. Secondary data on restaurant failures from large
metropolitan places come with embedded noise from the
tourism arrivals resulting from socio-political activities,
professional sports, conventions, and large meetings.
Restaurant failures in major metropolitan cities can be
affected by various social, political, and cultural activities that often take place within larger cities, but are less common
in medium-size markets.