The usual rule of thumb for a restaurant: lunch pays your rent, dinner pays for labor and profit. If you don't have any lunch business because everyone eats at

The usual rule of thumb for a restaurant: lunch pays your rent, dinner pays for labor and profit. If you don't have any lunch business because everyone eats at work, you're done. If your dinner seatings are empty before 8PM because nobody leaves work until 6:30 and the traffic is terrible, you're done. If the rent keeps going up because the real estate market says so, you're done. What survives: takeout, with low service overhead, small footprints and fast turnaround. High-end, where the money from a few tables each night pays for everything. I think SV and SF are heading for a Shoe Event Horizon.