Restaurateurs across the nation are conducting focus groups, cooking up promotional campaigns and generally struggling in vain to get their old diners to start eating out again. Then there is Mary Harrigan, whose small local chain of five Stonefire Grill restaurants seems to be operating in some alternate world where there is no recession, no burst housing bubble and plenty of disposable income in consumer wallets. A recent Friday in West Hills was typical, with a sizable lunchtime crowd of old regulars and relative newcomers. For the full story visit www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-stonefire17-2008nov17,0,2450156.story
