Our company is for sale. When the news came out, the buzz in the hallways and coffee rooms was: What about my job, my seniority, my pension? Very quickly, though, we received e-mails from our parent company, Reed Elsevier; the CEO of our division, Reed Business Information, which publishes Chain Leader; and the head of the U.S. division, telling us the reasons for the decision and its timing.

Soon after, executives spoke to their direct reports, who spoke to their direct reports, until everyone had the chance to talk about their concerns and ask questions. Since then, we can check our company's intranet for FAQs and regular updates. Some people are still anxious about their positions, but they're probably the same people who were anxious about them before the announcement.

I'll bet that some of your employees are nervous, too. If they don't pay attention to the news about the housing market, credit crunch and devalued dollar, they see the impact when they fill their gas tanks, pay their utility bills and shop for groceries.

Workers in the restaurants see that there are fewer customers coming in and their paychecks show that they worked fewer shifts. Employees in the home office gossip about possible layoffs.

Staff at every level look to their direct supervisor for cues on how to respond to uncertain times. Depending on how high up you are in the organization, there might be quite a few people watching to follow your lead. Like all parts of the company culture, it starts at the top. If you're negative and nervous, don't be surprised when they are too. I'm not suggesting that you play Pollyanna, but be optimistic and realistic about the situation. And be open and answer questions the best you can. Like our co-workers, your team might just want someone to know they're scared.

Watch out for naysayers in the line of command. If there's someone between you and the people who deal with customers who thinks the sky is falling, it's hard for them to share your optimism and your guests will notice.

You might be a bit anxious too. We'll try to help. In this issue, you'll find pointers on helping your staff deal with transitions in “Change Agents.”

“Theoretical Math” looks at how menu developers have had to adjust the way they create new items and balance cost restrictions with value perceptions.

And our Cover Story, “How to Survive a Recession,” shows how casual-dining marketers are driving traffic for the long term by promoting value rather than “discounting.”

Just as we don't know who our company's new owner might be and how that might affect Chain Leader, we don't know when the economy will pick up and customers will loosen their purse strings and come back to restaurants. I prefer to assume we'll all get through this year stronger for the steps we've taken.