Suppose the restaurant industry is perfectly competitive. All producers have identical cost curves and the industry is currently in long-run equilibrium, with each producer producing at its minimum long-run average total cost of $8.
a. If there is a sudden increase in demand for restaurant meals, what will happen to the price of a restaurant meal? How will individual firms respond to the change in price? Will there be entry or exit from the industry? Explain.
b. In the market as a whole, will the change in the equilibrium quantity be greater in the short-run or the long-run? Explain.
c. Will the change in output on the part of individual firms be greater in the short-run or the long- run? Explain and reconcile your answer to part (b).