Da Vinci has the Dow Drop Dessert. Chatham Bars Inn features the Dow Jones Panini. Vox Populi has Recession Busters at the bar, and bookstore Rhythm & Muse hosts a monthly recession party.
If you can't avoid the bad news, you might as well profit from it. And across Massachusetts, crafty companies are trying to capitalize on the sour economy with their own version of recession branding.
Da Vinci, an Italian restaurant in Boston, has given out hundreds of souffles, cheesecakes, and apple crisps (usually $8-$10) as part of its Dow Jones dessert promotion, which offers free dessert whenever the index drops (at right is the "Souffle Al Cioccolato").
Paul Zuest, general manager of Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod, tries to lure customers in on bad days with a special stock market lunch deal. The Dow Jones Panini, as it's known, is priced according to the closing number of the index the previous day. These sandwiches, including warm turkey and brie and shaved roast beef and Vermont cheddar, typically around $12 each, have sold for as little as $6.72 at the tavern.
"Obviously, it's the number one seller on the menu," Zuest said.
