"...restaurants almost invariably sink or swim based on how good a real estate deal they've been able to get..." This. One of my online contacts was the genera

"...restaurants almost invariably sink or swim based on how good a real estate deal they've been able to get..." This. One of my online contacts was the general manager of the world famous Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, and that ended in 1983 because they lost their lease. That's not exactly a restaurant, but it's close enough IMO for comparison.