Purely about profit

I have always been fascinated by business and how various ventures make money, so this feature in New York Magazine had my rapt attention.

As you can see from the logo above, it is called "The Profit Calculator" and it consists of a series of inside looks at New York businesses ranging from a taxi driver to the Yankees.

My curiosities about profitability were certainly entertained as I read each short profile. Among the more interesting findings:

Making the rent is usually the foremost concern if you want to make it in NYC. The rule of thumb for a restaurants is that you need to pay the lease with a week's worth of business. For a bar, Friday night's need to bring in the rent money.

Small copy centers are everywhere and are very lucrative, making a big percentage of their profit printing fliers for area restaurants.

A Hamburger that sells for 5.45 at one small diner, costs the restaurant $1.75.

Most taxi drivers lease their vehicles for 120 bucks a day and hope to finish their 12-hour day with a profit of 150-300 dollars.

Sex-toy stores see their business tied very closely to the rise and fall of consumer confidence in the economy.

A private investigator has lost most of his locating business to the Internet, but still has plenty of $100-an-hour work to do following suspicious spouses around.

Publishing companies make about 50 cents on the sale of a book.

These are just a few of the items of interest to me. I just eat this stuff up. It was written in a format that made for quick reading, with lots of charts and graphs.

I didn't even say anything about the drug dealer (you'll be surprised), the pharmecuetical company, the four-star restaurant, or the dollar store.

Tell me which one you find most interesting!