BusinessWeek reports that many diners are increasingly seeking independent restaurants when they go out to eat. Here’s why:
Consumers tired of the chains’ clinical atmospheres, indifferent service, and mass-produced products are returning to small specialty stores where they can find unique products and know the face behind the counter.
In a sense, it’s something of a return to the time when mom-and-pop shops dominated the retail business landscape. “People are tired of the Wal-Mart effect and department stores, [where] they see exactly the same thing,” says Michael Levy, professor of marketing at Babson College in Babson Park, Mass. Levy adds that higher income and widespread travel abroad also have driven Americans’ interest in shopping small.
The article gives an old Route 66 establishment as an example of eating out going full circle:
In 2004, Irv’s Burgers, a West Hollywood (Calif.) institution, faced extinction when developers planned to raze the 57-year-old burger joint and put up a Peet’s Coffee in its place. But Irv’s, an enduring example of post-WWII roadside architecture (not more than a tiny shed, with a patio and a few stools and counters) located at the end of the old Route 66 on Santa Monica Boulevard, had a fierce customer base that refused to see the spot turn into another chain store. “The idea that a corporation was going to muscle in and use this place disturbed me and a lot of people,” says Don James, a semiretired movie composer and an Irv’s regular.
James and fellow regulars banded together and fought to preserve the place rockers Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison used to frequent, and which singer Linda Ronstadt once used as the backdrop for one of her album covers. It’s also a place where the current owners, the Hong family, work the tiny grill and know the regulars by name. In fact, they can usually anticipate orders before the regulars can open their mouths. In 2005, Irv’s loyalists succeeded in getting the city to give the burger spot historic-landmark status — ensuring the institution’s future.
If you seek independent restaurants along the Mother Road, click on the restaurant tab at the top of this page. If you’re not on Route 66, I suggest Roadfood.com as an excellent guide. Better yet, hit the independent restaurant in your town.