Dining out replacing Labor Day weekend travel - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco -- With folks feeling a bit queasy about the uncertain state of the economy, it's hardly a surprise to learn that they have less of an appetite for travel this Labor Day weekend. But while Californians may have little stomach for high gas prices or crowded and costly flights, they're still hungering for some holiday fun, and appear to be replacing holiday road trips with dining out.

"All trends in the industry are showing even more people eating out the last couple of months," said Frank Klein, a national restaurant consultant in Palo Alto. "It's going to hit a good peak for Labor Day, which is sometimes a slow period for restaurants, especially in the Bay Area."

An annual travel survey by AAA of Northern California shows the number of Californians planning to travel more than 50 miles from home over the three-day weekend is down 2.6 percent over last year.

"California travelers are reacting to the most recent economic downturns, and that is having a significant effect on discretionary spending," said Cynthia Harris, AAA spokeswoman. "Nonetheless, with a pent-up desire to get away for the last holiday of the season, we could see an increase in last-minute weekend travel."

But many travelers will stick close to home, visiting with friends and relatives - and dining out, according to the survey. Other popular activities include sightseeing, visiting historic sites and biking.

"People are taking day trips, holding parties in their backyards, going out to dinner with groups of friends," said Clark Wolf, a national restaurant consultant in Sonoma County and New York.

Labor Day, in addition to honoring the American worker, has always been associated with food, Wolf said - including picnics and harvest festivals. Restaurants featuring seasonal foods will be most popular, he said. Klein said many people will simply gravitate toward their favorite restaurants, though many will seek out good old traditional American cuisine.

"Comfort food," he said, including grilled and rotisserie-cooked dishes.

Food doesn't get much more comforting - or American - than macaroni and cheese. And at Oakland's Homeroom, where customers queue up for its all-mac-'n'-cheese (and a few vegetables) menu, co-owner Allison Arevalo is catering to the staycation crowd with Labor Day specials and is prepared for a busy weekend.

"You never know what to expect on holidays," she said, "but we're staffed up for the weekend."

Many Californians will still travel over the three-day weekend. According to the AAA survey, more than 3.7 million will venture 50 miles or more from home. Most - about 3 million - will take road trips, a dip of about nine-tenths of a percent over last year. Air travel is down about 1.5 percent compared to last year.

But that doesn't mean there are empty seats or cheap airfares available. With airlines scheduling fewer flights, planes were already carrying heavy loads. Rebooking passengers from flights canceled because of Hurricane Irene has left very little room for spontaneous travelers.

People looking to book restaurant reservations instead of flights and hotels will probably have better luck, though tables may be hard to come by at many popular restaurants. OpenTable, an online restaurant reservation company that is publicly traded, is legally precluded from discussing the volume of weekend bookings, said spokeswoman Tiffany Fox. But a look at the site shows a dearth of open tables, especially on Saturday and Sunday, at many restaurants. Wolf, who plans to spend the weekend at a cook-off, dining at a favorite cafe, then participating in a bring-your-favorite-heirloom-tomato BLT party, said the end-of-summer holiday is an appropriate time to savor the Bay Area's culinary riches.

"We are so fortunate, in a troubled world, here in the Bay Area," Wolf said. "If ever there is a time to celebrate what we have hanging on our trees and jumping out of our creeks, this is it."

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle