How a Natural Disaster Changed the Face of the Restaurant Industry in Southern Mississippi: A Katrina Story

Abstract

This study provides a comparative evaluation of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the restaurant industry in southern Mississippi through an examination of revenues generated in the fiscal years immediately preceding and following the storm. Results suggest that restaurant revenues lost in the areas of the greatest catastrophic damage were redistributed to other areas of the southern Mississippi region and less damaged areas on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Considered in aggregate, the storm slowed the growth rate of the regional restaurant industry but did not result in an aggregate loss.

KEYWORDS:

• natural disaster
• restaurants
• Hurricane Katrina