Down About the Economy? So Is Emeril

Are the poor economy and Obamacare leaving you with a grim outlook on the future? You’re not alone. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse is right there with you. He tells The Week that the current economy makes it challenging to be even a successful average restauranteur.

"I have nowhere to go, really — other than broke," Lagasse said while promoting his new TNT reality series On the Menu.

Lagasse says he hasn’t change his ingredients or level of service, but "I can't charge $300 a person in my restaurant or I would not be in business."

Contributing to his woes, Obama ("the government should stay out of things. [...] Pretty soon, they're going to wipe a lot of the middle restaurateurs and restaurant cooks. [...] If it continues, then watch: you're going to have high-end, and you're going to have fast food, and you're going to have chain restaurants.") and the poor economy, especially in Las Vegas.

"I don't have the solution. If I did, I could run for president. But I don't have the solution. All I can tell you is that the balance of the economic cycle is out of whack."