Restaurants and bars tend to increase hiring during the busy holiday season. In the D.C. area, jobs at restaurants and bars in the area rose by 5,000. Although this rate is slower than the previous year, it does suggest that people are still eating out. The National Restaurant Association predicts that restaurant sales nationally will rise 4.9 percent.
See "Restaurant Jobs Still Growing", Neil Irwin, The Washington Post, December 19, 2004