According to the article:<p><i>The restaurant chains insist they have not downsized their portions, and will make up for cheaper prices by raising efficiency.</i><p>This may also be simple captitalism at work.  Restaurants are being forced to become more efficient and competitive to attract customers.<p>People save money on food and therefore have more disposable income to spend in other areas of the economy.  So it's not necessarily a lose-lose situation.