While the expected bloodbath of restaurants in the first few months hasn't really materialised, there are signs that the recession is beginning to bite.
The French restaurant market has been hit especially badly, with turnover at Michelin-starred restaurants dropping by as much as 50% in the first three months of this year.
And Mintel research this week revealed that the prospects are not great on this side of the Channel either, with three quarters of consumers cutting down on restaurant visits and a further six in ten opting against trips to the pub.
But the industry is nothing if not resilient and foodservice operators are adapting, with Horizons research showing that chicken breast has overtaken sirloin steak as the UK's most popular main course as business look to trim overheads.
Help is at hand for restaurants struggling with the recession. Those kind folk at Allegra Strategies are offering Caterersearch users a £100 discount on tickets to its inaugural UK Restaurant Summit on 9 June in London.
The pub sector expressed its dismay at the decision by Oldham Council to order a blanket licence review of all 22 pubs and bars in the town centre, a move described as "beyond belief".
More positive news from Marston's, which revealed that it has seen an uplift in sales over the past eight weeks.
The pub industry awaits next week's Budget with baited breath to see if the chancellor has been listening to its pleas over beer tax. Latest research shows that the majority of MPs are against plans to raise the tax by 2% above inflation for the next four years.
Plenty of activity on the contract catering front. Compass Group continued its good run of form by picking up a £40m deal with Goodwood Estate - first predicted by our very own Kitchen Rat back in December. It followed hot on the heels of a £48m contract at Cardiff City's new stadium.
Elior's Azure division won a £3m deal at Murrayfield, the home of Scottish Rugby, while Initial's Autograph signed a five-year contract with Macmillan Publishers.
The general manager at the Savoy played down reports that the hotel was up for sale, but admitted that the re-opening date had been pushed back again, with doors set to open on the refurbished property some time in the final quarter.
Finally, there was some poetic justice in Wales as a former home of Dylan Thomas was saved from collapse and re-opened as a hotel.
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