Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Kevin Schwartz, president of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, weighs in on the ongoing discussion of how to support local restaurants. Here’s Schwartz:
This is the worst economic climate of our lives. I’ve stated the obvious, but times are tough and each person decides how they will make it through these tough times. As you make those decisions, remember your community. We will make it through these times better by sticking together. I serve as the President of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR) and my full time job is the Assistant Food & Beverage Director of The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa. I just want full disclosure so it’s not an issue for anyone.
AIR (http://airasheville.org/) exists because local restaurateurs banded together to help promote each other over the alternative – chain restaurants. The mission of AIR is to support and market our local member restaurants. Dining at a locally owned restaurant delivers more money back into your own community. Chain restaurants send the majority of their money somewhere else. Local restaurants are more likely to use local food and to give back more to their community than their chain counterparts. Local restaurants offer the Asheville experience rather than the same one you get across the nation.
But I don’t think anyone here is arguing any of the above. The question is: How to support Asheville restaurants? Dine at them. Choose them over the chain experience. That’s the easy answer. Also, encourage them to join AIR and to get engaged. We have lost some from our list also, but the restaurants that are the most involved locally seem to find a way to survive. The community involvement goes hand in hand with networking and promoting themselves. AIR helps show restaurants how to do just that.
Finally . . . a sales pitch, but also information about a great value for you. AIR offers the Main Course Dining card that offers buy one get one free entrées at 18 AIR restaurants valued at over $600.00 – your price $50.00 – go to http://airasheville.org/page/3105-AIR-Dining-Club.
If you do have a bad experience tell the manager or owner – don’t just leave and never return. We do not have the big budget training available to us that the chains do – help us to improve if that’s why you don’t dine with us. We want to serve you.
Remember to dine local independents when you go out for dinner.
Thank you!
Kevin
The Asheville experience really means the same thing at every other resturant that is "Local" in town, Loud colors, microbrew, horrible service, and attitude from the staff, no thanks. There are local places I frequent but these are true different then chain experience, not just cookie cut outs of "Local" places.
As a potential customer, I do not know which chains in Asheville are locally owned. I do know though that if I walk into say a Chillis here in Asheville it will feel exactly like a Chillis in Ft Lauderdale. As Kevin stated, with a local, independent restaurant I get the "Asheville experience". I love how the independent businesses support each other here in Asheville by carrying each other’s products. I go to Pomodoros and I can have Ultimate ice cream. Do any of the chains buy from the farms here in the area? When I eat at certain local restaurants I know where my food is coming from and I am not supporting corporate farming. Its just my preference to stay with local, independent businesses.
My family and I own several chain restaurants here in Asheville. We are locally owned and operated. Only a small percentage of sales go to support the larger chain. The majority of our money stays right here in WNC, where I was raised.
I also give tens of thousands of dollars in donations of food and cash to local charities and schools yearly.
I believe in supporting all locally owned and operated restaurants, regardless of being part of a chain or not. I am sure that are many "local" restaurants owned by seasonal residents and people who rarely step foot into their establishments.
I take great pride in being able to provide a quality product to our customers via a chain that they love and appreciate.
While supporting independent restaurants is very important, lets not forget the value and impact on the community that chains have as well. Many chains are locally managed and employ locals in our community just as independents do and these employees need our support just the same. These chains may send some of their money elsewhere but they also play their part in supporting our local community (we recognize some do this better than others). Support our local independent businesses, yes; but lets not be so hard on chains or franchises because when you dine at a chain, a lot of your money stays local by putting money in the pockets of their employees.
In the interest of full disclosure, I do not work for nor am I affiliated with any restaurant in the area, local or chain. As a family, we dine regularly at both local independent and chain restaurants with the preference being local independent. I am employed by a small locally owned business and my extended family does own an independent restaurant in the Northeast.
What, I wonder, does our local chamber of commerce have to say about this?