A contrary explanation may be that high-income families
are, in fact, supporting the industry, but are doing so by
traveling to high-end, formal, destination restaurants
located away from town. We make this suggestion in part
because most of Boulder’s high-end neighborhoods restrict
the locations of restaurants and other commercial activities,
so the city has only a limited number of high-end, formal,
destination restaurants. Given the absence of nearby suburban
restaurants, one could argue that high-income families
are forced to drive to a destination restaurant, and it appears
that once they are in the car, their disposable incomes are
mostly benefiting the restaurant business outside the city.