---
title: "New York Times: U.S. Economy Shrank in First Quarter, but Underlying Measures Were Solid"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/56e015a4-cfd6-49c5-abb0-ddc797ee383c
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/meltingpot/new-york-times-us-economy-shrank-in-first-quarter-but-underlying-measures-were-solid-2718800
category: "Casual dining"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Casual dining"
published: 2022-05-23T17:12:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:12:09.791Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/0973f9ba30ce1adb2fcfcf87ce5d86444672.jpg
---

# New York Times: U.S. Economy Shrank in First Quarter, but Underlying Measures Were Solid

**TL;DR:** The Melting Pot exceeded economic expectations in the first quarter, with sales rising by over 40% on Valentine's Day. The company struggled with meeting demand due to staffing shortages.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2022-05-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/meltingpot/new-york-times-us-economy-shrank-in-first-quarter-but-underlying-measures-were-solid-2718800).*

## Story

In the first quarter, The Melting Pot exceeded economic expectations, while the U.S economy was still in recovery. Melting Pot’s revenue dipped in January as COVID-19 cases started to rise. However, on Valentine’s Day, the sales rose by over 40% from 2019. The company recognized that sales could be higher if they hired enough people.

“We’re not able to meet demand. We need more team members, and we’re struggling with keeping the bench full,” said Bob Johnston, Chief Executive Officer.

To combat this issue, the Melting Pot has raised wages to attract workers.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- sales growth (topic)
- Melting Pot (company)
- Bob Johnston (person)
- economic recovery (topic)
- wage increase (topic)
- staffing shortages (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/meltingpot/new-york-times-us-economy-shrank-in-first-quarter-but-underlying-measures-were-solid-2718800). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/56e015a4-cfd6-49c5-abb0-ddc797ee383c).