Posted by: th (report)
April 4, 2008, 7:57 p.m.
When it comes to dining out, supporting your local restaurateurs is the way to go. Not to say that I will never try McCormick & Schmick's--but on the other hand, I would have to be pretty hard-pressed to do so. When we have such great places to choose from in town such as Sandford, Osteria, Crazy Water, Tess and now Hinterland (which some might call a chain, but that seems a stretch, since the only other one is in Green Bay), picking a chain restaurant over one of these just feels wrong. Here's why: All of the places I just mentioned--and those are just a few--offer very special menus, venues and service. These restaurants were not created under the simple notion of one day becoming restaurant giants; expanding to other cities and for the most part, catering to the masses to rake in the bucks. On the contrary; they are special because there is real passion, care and artisanal craft behind what they do--and the end result shows it. The market is saturated as it is, and if our truly great local restaurateurs continue to be faced with an onslaught of competition these big chains present--they face undue financial stress and threats--and doors sometimes close because of these threats, and that is sad. And the truth of the matter is that it isn't even REAL competition. Real competition exists amongst the locals, themselves. That's fair competition. But the competition coming from places like Maggiano's, PF Changs, The Cheesecake Factory--and now McCormick & Schmick's is unfair for several reasons: Because these are large corporations that have more money to spend and frankly, to lose, they are better able to take risks, offer good benefits (and therefore attract better employees) and snatch up choice locations. All right. So you might be thinking, "What's so unfair about that?" And in some ways, you might be right. But the other part of why the competition is unfair is that when it's something you can find in every major city--i.e., a chain restaurant--IT JUST AIN'T THAT SPECIAL. Period. Just as an example, I have unfortunately been to Maggiano's--barely a step above the Olive Garden. No flavor. No thank you. For a perhaps just a little more money--or for even about the same amount, you could check out one the other places I mentioned--a good local restaurant--and have a truly magnificent dining experience. Maybe it's a bit more of a drive for you. Maybe there will even be things on the menu that you will not recognize, but hey--if you like really good food, then for crying out loud, give yourself the treat and the adventure that you deserve. Enjoy something truly special rather than wasting your money on something that is just so-so. Support your local restaurateurs.
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