Is the Recession Over for San Francisco Restaurants?

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Full tables, full bellies.

The national unemployment figures may be dropping at the speed of glacier erosion. But in one segment of the San Francisco economy, at least, the recession may be over. The Bay Area restaurant industry's sales figures are returning to their pre-2008 levels, the Chronicle reported late last week. And this after a drop of 40 percent in 2008, and a restaurant closure rate double the nation's average.