Booming

Where have all the diners gone? The disappearing middle class economy (encore)

September 9, 2026·18 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

We’re working hard on some exciting upcoming episodes and we’ve got some busy weeks ahead, so here's one of our favorite episodes from this past year. It's about why companies that cater to the middle class are disappearing, and what that means for the businesses we love.   This episode originally aired last spring. You can read the original story here: The K-shaped economy: Why diners are dying but yachts are booming. Thank you, as always, for listening to our show. We’ll have a new episode out next week.  Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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