Quality vs. Sustainability

We are learning at Culinary College that the area in which one opens a restaurant must be able to sustain said restaurant. This means that the income level and disposable income must meet or exceed a set limit based on the pricing of your menu. Quality products are not cheap by any means. This is reflected in the price that must be charged for any given item. Can inferior product be purchased and enhanced? The answer would be yes to an extent. There is only so much you can do before the flavor or texture is affected. The choice that must be made is quite simple. An Inferior product at a cheaper price with a higher customer base, or high quality product with a much lower customer base. Yet I have found a third alternative, a combination of the two, which allows me to keep rising above my competition and yet cater to those with less income. Problem solved.