Another one bites the dust.....
Jan. 31st, 2013 11:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1I heard on the local news this past weekend that a long-standing Dayton restaurant -- The Grub Steak -- is closing its doors at the end of February. I was there once, last summer. Both the food and the service were good (I ordered their signature "Royal Ribs"), but it was a little on the pricey side. I'm sad to see this restaurant go by the wayside, as they've been in business for nearly 50 years.
This is only the latest in a string of local restaurant closures. Benham's. L'Auberge. The Peerless Mill Inn (which never really recovered after their fire several years ago). The Stockyards Inn is still open, but the building has been for sale for nealy a year. And other places -- the King Cole. Olivia's. Anticoli's. Pacchia. Chicken Louie's.
The restaurant business is risky. It is even more so now, with the state of the economy, and the presence of franchised restaurants, also known as "the chains". And it's not just Dayton, Ohio that is feeling this pinch.
If I had a choice, I'd prefer to direct my business to a local restaurant than a chain. First, the people who work at a local restaurant have (in my opinion) more of a vested interest in their place of employment, whereas the typical chain restaurant employee thinks "It's just a job". Second, local restaurants tend to put more money back into the local economy -- chefs buying their ingredients from local merchants, etc.
If I'm traveling, I'll usually choose a local restaurant vs. a chain. My battle cry is "I didn't travel all this way to eat at a place I can eat at back home!" When I worked in Indianapolis in the summer and fall of 2011, my favorite restaurants were local standalone places -- Don Hall's Castleton Grill, The Journey (steak & seafood buffet), Shapiro's Deli. I went to the local Hooters once, and BD's Mongolian Grill a couple of times. Didn't think I could afford Peterson's (upscale steak house), and so, never went there.
But chains aren't all bad. Some are good, and some are not so good. And sometimes, chains do go under, but it's rare. Chi-Chi's. Casa Lupita. China Coast. But some recent visits to chain restaurants left me a little cold and wanting -- the Applebee's in Kettering, the Hooter's in Springdale, and the local Beef O'Brady's in Centerville.
I am wondering what will be the next local restaurant to close.
This is only the latest in a string of local restaurant closures. Benham's. L'Auberge. The Peerless Mill Inn (which never really recovered after their fire several years ago). The Stockyards Inn is still open, but the building has been for sale for nealy a year. And other places -- the King Cole. Olivia's. Anticoli's. Pacchia. Chicken Louie's.
The restaurant business is risky. It is even more so now, with the state of the economy, and the presence of franchised restaurants, also known as "the chains". And it's not just Dayton, Ohio that is feeling this pinch.
If I had a choice, I'd prefer to direct my business to a local restaurant than a chain. First, the people who work at a local restaurant have (in my opinion) more of a vested interest in their place of employment, whereas the typical chain restaurant employee thinks "It's just a job". Second, local restaurants tend to put more money back into the local economy -- chefs buying their ingredients from local merchants, etc.
If I'm traveling, I'll usually choose a local restaurant vs. a chain. My battle cry is "I didn't travel all this way to eat at a place I can eat at back home!" When I worked in Indianapolis in the summer and fall of 2011, my favorite restaurants were local standalone places -- Don Hall's Castleton Grill, The Journey (steak & seafood buffet), Shapiro's Deli. I went to the local Hooters once, and BD's Mongolian Grill a couple of times. Didn't think I could afford Peterson's (upscale steak house), and so, never went there.
But chains aren't all bad. Some are good, and some are not so good. And sometimes, chains do go under, but it's rare. Chi-Chi's. Casa Lupita. China Coast. But some recent visits to chain restaurants left me a little cold and wanting -- the Applebee's in Kettering, the Hooter's in Springdale, and the local Beef O'Brady's in Centerville.
I am wondering what will be the next local restaurant to close.
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Date: 2013-02-01 06:11 am (UTC)However, it looks like a place that hasn't changed their menu in a while, especially in terms of adding menu items that might appeal to younger and more health-conscious diners. It's really kind of a throwback to the 1970s, at least by Boston standards, and Boston's not really a "foodie" town.
That really doesn't bode well for a restaurant's success. :-(
Ditto the inclusion of an "early bird" menu--another clue that senior citizens compose a large part of the restaurant's customer base. The problem with targeting that demographic is that they tend to (1) be on fixed incomes, with not a lot of money to spend, and (2) they tend to die, retire elsewhere, or come down with one health issue or another that precludes them from eating out. If you don't replace them with newer, younger customers, you're really kind of stuck.