Reductions in retail foot traffic may signal continued tough times ahead for restaurant chains, which are mainly dependent upon shopping mall exposure for gaining customer volume. Many large restaurant chains, including Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin, and Ruby Tuesday, have significant presence in retail shopping malls. These dining establishments are certain to experience continued weak sales figures as consumers restrain their discretionary spending.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, ShopperTrak RCT Corp. indicates that sales figures for restaurants declined over 12% for the month of October, in comparison to last year.

Although restaurant sales projections appear fairly grim, the food service sector is not nearly ready to give up the fight.

Run right over to Restaurant.com, do not pass go, do not collect $200. But you DO get great restaurant certificates almost FREE. Normally the site sells $25 gift certificates for $10. Through tomorrow, you can get a $25 certificate for only $2 with the coupon code SURPRISE.

It's easy to find certificates if you search by your zip code. Be sure to read the fine print though... Many of the restaurants require minimum purchases or restrict the days on which you can use them. Even still, it's a great deal! And getting your certificates is easy: You simply print them out at your convenience.

Beware... The site is slow because of heavy traffic. And make sure you opt out of any offers at checkout, because consumers have reported finding charges on their credit cards for these special offers. But I completed a purchase today, so I know the site is still working and the deal is still valid. What a great way for those who have cut back on eating out to have a little fun!

Consumers have complained of bits of blue hard plastic in Lean Cuisine chicken meals, so the Utah-based company, Nestlé Prepared Foods Company, is recalling approximately 879,565 pounds worth of frozen meals. The action extends to the following food packages:

• 9.5-ounce packages of "LEAN CUISINE PESTO CHICKEN WITH BOW TIE PASTA" brand frozen meals. Printed on each side of each package is a production code of "8280595912" as well as a use-by date of "Best Before MAY 2010."
• 10.5-ounce packages of "LEAN CUISINE CHICKEN MEDITERRANEAN" brand frozen meals. Printed on the side of each package is a production code of "8231595912" or "8241595912" as well as a use-by date of "Best before SEP 2010"; a production code of "8263595912," "8269595911" or "8274595912," as well as a use-by date of "Best before OCT 2010"; or, a production code of "8291595912" or "8301595912" as well as a use-by date of "Best before NOV 2010."
• 12.5-ounce packages of "LEAN CUISINE CHICKEN TUSCAN" brand frozen meals. Printed on the side of each package is a production code of "8234595911" and a use-by date of "Best before SEP 2009"; a production code of "8253595911" or "8269595912" as well as a use-by date of "Best before OCT 2009"; or, a production code of "8292595911" or "8296595911" as well as a use-by date of "Best before NOV 2009."

Additional information about the recall can be found by calling the Nestlé Consumer Service Center hot line at (800) 227-6188.

Spam, the wonderful meat in a can that is inexpensive yet tasty, is seeing its sales increase, according to a recent story in The New York Times. Blame the economy, where diners are looking for cheap ways to put meat on the kitchen table. Or on the restaurant table.

Other thrifty foods that are selling well across the country, many of which will fill you up, according to the Times story, include rice, beans, macaroni and cheese, pancake mixes, instant potatoes, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, fruit and vegetable preservatives, and beer.

At the Hormel Foods Corp. plant in Austin, Minn., two shifts of workers have been making Spam seven days a week since July, and they've been told the busy work schedule will continue indefinitely.

Tyson Foods is mailing out free booklets on giving thanks at dinner. Just click here to fill out the form.

According to Tyson, "This unique booklet is designed to help you discover (or rediscover) the joy and power of saying a word of thanks at mealtime. It's a wonderful way to celebrate the sharing of good food with family and friends."

It shouldn't be a surprise that the future of beer prices in America should depend on Buffalo, New York. After all, Buffalo brought us the Buffalo wings, and ... some other stuff having to do with beer.

Most importantly, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse are all big fans of European-owned brew Labatt Blue (and its low-calorie sibling, Labatt Blue Light). Such big fans, it turns out, that they are responsible for 50% of the Labatt Blue consumption in the U.S. Upstate New York is also a big fan of Budweiser brands, including Bud and Bud Light.

Why does this all matter? Because the U.S. Justice Department is uncomfortable with the people of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, New York having to pay more for beer. Yesterday a judge ruled that InBev SA, the owner of Labatt Blue and the hopeful suitor of Anheuser-Busch, would have to sell Labatt USA if it wanted to buy Budweiser.

People of Buffalo, New York, take heed: the U.S. Justice Department cares about how much you have to pay for your beer!

If you're looking for a way to save money at the grocery store, shopping for a Thanksgiving meal is a good way to find deals that you normally won't find the rest of the year.

Turkeys are historically less expensive in November and December than in other months, so now is the time to clean out your freezer to make room for as many turkeys as you can. And as a high-protein, low-fat food, it's a healthy meal.

And some Thanksgiving side dishes, such as cranberries, are cheaper now than they are the rest of the year.

Today is National Diabetes Day, and the folks at Webvet are trying to make people aware that dogs and cats are facing their own mini-epidemic of diabetes. It's not anywhere near as severe as the human spread of the disease. About one in 400 dogs and cats now has diabetes compared to one in 12 people.

Just like in people, lousy diet and exercise habits are causing more diabetes all around. The difference is dogs and cats aren't the ones deciding how much food they get and how many times they exercise. We are. Yeah, I know they have those irresistible eyes. That's why one-quarter of our cats and dogs are now clinically obese, according to Webvet. PetClubUK says overweight cats are four times as likely to get diabetes.

To be fair, diabetes isn't just caused by being fat, in either humans or animals. Genetics plays a huge role. In dogs, females and certain breeds, such as miniature Pinschers and cairn terriers are more likely to be afflicted with diabetes. No gender has an upper hand in cats, though some think Burmese are more susceptible.

So you already pack your lunch and you've cut back on that latte habit. You still have to get dressed every day, get to work and stay there all day long, and that means you're most likely spending a few dollars here and there. How can you cut back even more? Here are ten suggestions you probably haven't heard a thousand times before:

Tupperware It
You want to update your wardrobe, but don't want to spend any cash. What do to? Trade. There are surely plenty of items in your closet that are perfectly fine, but maybe they don't fit right at the moment or you are simply bored with them. So fix up a little swap party with your pals. Everyone can bring some mix-and-match items to the party and you can try things on and swap. Then, if you have buyer's (or seller's) remorse, all it will take is a phone call to set things right.

Got Milk?
You may not work for a company like Google, which supplies full meals and snacks to its employees, but it's likely that your company supplies items like milk, sugar, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Just think of the possibilities! Add a container of oatmeal or grits to your cubicle stash, and you've got a hearty, filling snack for just pennies. Heck, you can even spring for a 39-cent box of instant pudding and have an afternoon snack (or four). Or you can go a little gourmet if you bring in a few ingredients from home and make a steamed chocolate pudding in the microwave.

This week, until Sunday, November 16, you can get two triple cheeseburgers for $3.00 at McDonald's. (Or, as a smarty pointed out, you can get three double cheeseburgers for the same price -- that is, until the price goes up to $1.19, as it may soon according to McDonald's management comments.)

I wouldn't suggest it, but it seems many consumers are turning to fast food to fix their economic blues. McDonald's this week reported same-store sales were up sharply (compared to its many depressed restaurant competitors, that is) in the U.S. and worldwide. The picture that is rapidly emerging in America is one in which hungry, time-strapped folks are turning away from spendy fast-casual restaurants like Chili's and The Cheesecake Factory and riding the value menus at McDonald's and Wendy's.

Here's why that's a bad idea, financially struggling people: all this food is nutritionally bereft. Save money now on your stacks of corn- and soybean-fed beef patties with imitation cheese, and chances are you'll be racking up thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of expenses down the road for heart conditions, early-onset diabetes, and other diet-related illness.

It turns out, you can eat just as cheap as McDonald's if you spend a little time planning meals and cooking from scratch -- and maybe eat organic too. We have lots of ideas here at WalletPop on how to eat like a peasant; it's better for your wallet (short-term and long-term), your health, and the planet!

Valentine's Day is a long three months away, but what would you rather have: the American classic Hershey's Kiss or the Swedish treat, a Lindt chocolate truffle?

For my money, I'd rather have a chocolate truffle. But if price is an issue, then a Hershey's Kiss chocolate will still satisfy my sweet tooth.

But in an experiment on consumer psychology, a group called Research and Markets in Dublin, Ireland, found that more people wanted a free Kiss over a discounted truffle, but chose the truffle over the Kiss when the Hershey chocolate cost a penny and the Lindt truffle cost 14 cents. In other words, they took free stuff over a more costly item, but when both items cost some amount of money, even 1 cent vs. 14 cents, they picked the more expensive item.

I once viewed organic produce with budget-conscious skepticism; is it really worth it? Then one day, I started reading books about sustainable food, starting with Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and ending with Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. At the beginning of my reading marathon I started going to the farmer's market more often; by the end, I was ignoring the produce aisle at the grocery store unless it said both "organic" and "local" (or I personally knew the story behind the grower).

But: organic isn't cheap, and I'm not made of money. Inspired by these tips at Alternet, here are some ideas on how to afford organic food even if you have a limited budget:

• For staples like flour, oats, rice, and dairy, buy in bulk, preferably through a buying group. It's no secret that bulk prices are cheaper; but I'm talking real bulk, like 25-pound bags of organic whole-wheat flour and sharing 50 pounds of organic pinto beans with your friends. You'll need to figure out ahead of time how much you'll use, and try planning your meals to use your staples wisely.
  
• Eat only seasonal produce. You love asparagus, I know, but you're just going to have to wait until spring. Even if you can get organic asparagus this time of year, it's shipped from Chile, and trust me, it's not worth it. Even better than buying in season is buying at the end of the season, when the end of the harvest is overflowing market bins. On my shopping list this week: green tomatoes, which I make into jam and chutney; enormous heads of cauliflower, which I use along with potatoes in shepherd's pie and in soups; and pears, which I chop up on my oatmeal, bake into pies, and cook into preserves for the winter months.
• Join a CSA. In Community Supported Agriculture, you pay upfront (or a monthly amount) for a season's worth of produce. If the growing season is abundant, you share in the wealth (and vice versa) -- but you almost always end up with very well-priced organic produce at far less than you'd spend in the market.
• Preserve. Buy in-season; collect apples from a neighbor's tree; offer to help weed your friend's garden in exchange for her excess tomatoes; and freeze, can, and jam your wealth for the rest of the year. I'm looking forward to very low costs in January thanks to my busy preserving summer!
• Grow it yourself. If you're not yet an urban farmer or don't have much land, start small, with pots of herbs (those are super-expensive to buy and easy to grow), sprouts, lettuces, and fun crops like garlic (which can still be planted in most areas). If you really get into it, maybe you'll start using your garden to save in other ways, like garbage hauling costs; I now compost all my kitchen scraps and am reducing my garbage pickup to twice a month (and I've only been at this gardening stuff for a year and a half).

The grocery industry has been set on its ear by the recent economic crisis, as shoppers seeking to wring more from their food budget abandon the upscale markets such as Fresh Market in favor of price-first merchants like Wal-Mart. Playing to the shifting buying habits is upscale grocer Wegmans, which has announced it will lower prices on hundreds of items.

Wegmans, with 72 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland, states that it will eat the cost of lowering prices on items on which is has locked-in contracts with its suppliers, the culprit in the delay between commodity price drops and the price on the shelf. The price cuts will be seen first in its house brands, over which it exercises more control.

Wegmans finishes near the top of Fortune Magazine's annual list of the 100 best companies to work for, and claims a "nearly telepathic level of customer service," a claim that brings many amusing possible scenarios to my mind, none of which I can share here. The company pledges that "Every Day You Get Our Best." It might want to add the word "Price" to that pledge, if it intends to lure back the WalMart shoppers.

Thanks, The Consumerist

My mom always loved beets, and, as a picky child, I disliked so many of her favorite dishes (yams with butter and tomato slices with mayonnaise spring to mind) that beets were only one more mystery of adulthood. Why? Would I, too, like beets one day? Impossible! I thought then and well into my twenties (after which I had turned onto tomatoes, mayonnaise, yams, and a raft of other foods the six-year-old me thought "yucky") that beets were just terrible.

I was not alone in my dislike of beets. 99.9% of people in the U.S. today have a loved one who hates beets. [Note: I made this statistic up. But it's true, I swear, my husband says they taste like mold and I'm a freakin' awesome chef.] Beets are probably the most-maligned vegetable out there. But as I have learned in my quest for local, seasonable deliciousness, beets are underrated for a number of reasons:

Don't miss the rest of our series on Underrated In America!

• Beets grow virtually year-round, so you can find them fresh in the middle of winter at your farmer's market.
• Beets are pretty, cooked and sliced, and come in a variety of gorgeous colors so your salad looks like Chagall seen through a kaleidoscope.
• Beets are easy to grow in the garden, so you can save major cash on your veggies.
• Beets are really good for you.
• Beets are a snap to cook (and no peeling!). Cut off the tops, stick 'em in a crock with a little water, put 'em in the oven and wait an hour. Slide the skins off, slice, eat.
• Beets taste great with goat cheese. I love excuses to eat more goat cheese.
• Beets are economical; you can eat the root and the greens.
• Beets are an essential ingredient to borscht, which is delicious.
• Beets are trendy!

Beets will always be hated by the vocal majority. But that's no reason you have to hate them, too. Just try to resist a plateful of reds, oranges, and golds, sprinkled with chevre, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar... I'll be eating beets while the rest of you are ordering tasteless salads with romaine trucked in from California and mealy, watery tomatoes shipped up from Chile, and I'll be smirking a bit.

'Tis the season for giving! At least, the calendar says it is... but all the latest report indicate that charitable giving is on the decline now as the economic downturn forces us to tighten our purse strings more than in years past.

To try to combat that trend, Kraft Foods is teaming up with Feeding America, the largest hunger relief charity in the United States, to launch a new fleet of mobile pantries. Kraft is providing the charity with money to purchase 25 refrigerated trucks that will bring food to rural and urban areas where grocery stores and food pantries are difficult to reach. With three trips per week, the mobile pantries should be able to distribute the equivalent of 1.1 million meals per year.

This should set a spark under all of us as we prepare to shrink our holiday budget. We are still, after all, buying presents for our kids and pets. And while me may not feel we can afford to be as generous as usual when it comes to charities -- particularly food as prices keep going up -- we need to remember that there are people out there suffering from starvation. The donation of a couple cans of soup were easy to spare in past years, but it's not so now. Donations to food banks and soup kitchens is at a low point and demand is at a high, which is just a vicious circle as those who used to donate to the food kitchens are now turning to them for help instead, and charities across the country are struggling to keep up with demand.

In all, Kraft is putting $180 million into their efforts to combat hunger. If you have the means to help, think of your local food banks and soup kitchens this holiday season. These establishments can always use more volunteers to sort and serve food, and every donation helps, no matter how large or small.