Welcome to a new year for NETWORK and business in St. Louis. We are starting the year with a fresh new look for our cover, and a few new things inside as well, including The Network Calendar on page 17. Also, NETWORK’s new home on the Internet – www.networkstlouis.com – is now up and running. Please stop by when you have a moment.

In this issue we take a look at restaurants with a Who’s Who of restaurant owners, and with a random sampling of interesting places around town for a business lunch. St. Louis has a rich and diverse culinary community, with flavors and prices to suit any palate.

Restaurants are also a very significant contributor to the economy, both locally and nationally. For 2004, the National Restaurant Association projects the restaurant and foodservice industry to reach a record $440.1 billion in sales. This would be the 13th consecutive year of growth in the industry, which in 2003 chalked up $420 billion in sales. Accounting for 6.6 percent of all U.S. economic activity, the restaurant industry employs 11.7 million workers nationwide. And, of the 300,000 new jobs created since August of 2003, 18 percent of those were in restaurants.

It is not an easy thing to start or maintain a restaurant in this town. Patrons in St. Louis are notoriously fickle, and competition is fierce. Those that establish a solid reputation become cherished members of the community, while others open to much fanfare, only to fade away just as quickly. Those that stand the test of time need a perfect combination of elements – location, staff, service, food quality … did I mention location?

As always, I am interested in your comments about NETWORK, the changes we are making, the Web site, or anything else that is of interest to the St. Louis business community. I am available at 863-3737 ext. 109, or email me at slindsley@laduenews.com. Maybe we can do lunch.

Regards,

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