The Fall Dinning Scene
Dinners are returning from their summer vacation and heading back into restraurants.
Restaurants scrapped printed menus and told diners to scan QR codes. Plexiglass partitions were installed between tables. Restaurants began selling more merchandise and even kitchen goods.
- scrapped： 报废/弃用
- plexiglass partitions: 有机玻璃隔板
- kitchen goods： 厨房用品
餐馆为扩大业务，开始销售商品，甚至厨房用品。这个我倒不知道! 😕
Diners will continue to encounter these changes this fall, which is typically a boom time for the business. New places open, and foot traffic picks up as the weather cools off.
- foot traffic: 人流量
- weather cools off: 天气变凉
Outdoor dining is still here
What was once a temporary solution to help restaurants has become a long-term setup.
- temporary solution: 临时解决方案
- long-term setup: 长期设置
Owners are investing heavily in making their outdoor spaces look as nice as their dining rooms, bringing in plants, colorful awnings and artificial grass.
- investing heavily: 大力投资
- bringing in: 引进
- awnings：遮阳篷 / sunshade, blinds, shades, shutters
Some cities have stopped short of allowing outdoor dining year-round.
这句有点别扭。short of allowing是不允许的意思，stop是不允许，那么这句话的意思应该是，“一些城市已经允许全年后户外用餐”
And so is inflation
Restaurant checks are getting more expensive, and they may continue to. Don’t be surprised to see $15 French fries. Even ice cream truck owners are dealing with higher costs for sprinkles and cones.
贵！什么都贵！碰到炸薯条一包卖15美金不要惊讶！
- deal with: 面临 （甚至冰淇淋车车主也面临着更高的糖屑和甜筒成本）
That’s because food costs are rising — 10.9 percent in July compared with a year earlier, even though the pace of overall inflation has cooled. Energy costs were up 32.9 percent, too.
- 食品成本7月份与去年同期相比上涨了 10.9%
- 能源成本也上涨了 32.9%
Charlotte, N.C. The owner, Bruce Moffett, said he was having to pay more for wine because of inconsistent grape harvests resulting from climate change. Flour prices are up because of grain shortages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- 葡萄酒贵，因为气候变化导致葡萄收成不稳定！
- 面粉价格上涨， 因为俄罗斯入侵乌克兰导致粮食短缺！
这两个原因估计你没有想到吧？
More volatility
- volatility: 波动性
I quickly realized that open hours posted on websites weren’t always reliable. I’d show up to find a sign on the door that said the restaurant was closed because the owners didn’t have enough employees to work that day.
- 找不到工人，只好关门
Others just want to give their staff members time off to recharge.
- to recharge: 调养休息（没电了，充充电）/ self-care and rest
I had many incredible meals during my travels for our restaurants list, and I don’t take being able to dine out for granted. But the reality is that dining is more expensive and less predictable than it once was.
- take it for granted - "it" 可以替换成“被想当然的东西” - being able to dine out