A quick diversion from southern Utah is in order whilst I sift through hours of tape and pages of notes to better distill that experience into briefer, easier-to-digest posts. In the meantime, here's a tale of deliberately choosing local:
It’s worth reiterating a point from Local First’s mission statement: “we are not anti-chain, we recognize that there’s room for all types of business in any thriving community. But we also know instinctively that, since local business owners live here, do their hiring here, operate their stores and offices here, buy most of their supplies and products here, pay all their taxes here, and spend their profits here, they obviously contribute far more to our local economies than do chains.”
And yet, driving by a chain restaurant this evening, seeing a group waiting outside for a table, I couldn’t help but wonder: “Why would one wait for that?” What is it about the canned, recreated chain experience that is worth waiting for? One can argue that consistency is a guarantee with the products of large corporations.
Some days, consistency is, indeed, a virtue.
But when it comes to dining out, there are so many great local options delivered by passionate people, it has become increasingly more difficult to accept meeting a group of friends or coworkers at a chain for whatever reason, when I know I can be spending my meager income on a restaurant that I know directly supports the local economy (or better still, directly supports a local farmer). And, the proliferation of online consumer review websites has helped arm the public with a system to hold all service industries accountable in the same way corporate secret shoppers and customer surveys are meant to ensure the delivery of a consistent product.
Tonight’s example does a lot of one, and a little of the other. The Pub Group (Desert Edge Brewery, Stella, Red Butte Café, and Martine) has some passionate, well informed people who do their best not only to support local agriculture, but to nurture the local economy.
(Incidentally, the team from Local First Utah also recently choose Desert Edge for its post-Neighborhood Business Conference meeting with the city staff and interns who helped organize the event, and thanks are hereby shouted out to Trina and the rest of The Pub staff who made our rather large group feel very welcome! And by the way, things are already looking good for next year’s conference! Please let us know if you have any other input about the 2nd annual.)
Now, thanks to challenging liquor laws, only major national and international brewers compete for draught space at restaurants and bars (renowned smaller breweries won’t ship to Utah because of the 3.2 ABV limit on draught beers), meaning that next to the Budweisers of the world are only local draught beers. At the Desert Edge at Trolley Square, commonly known as “The Pub,” the proclamation “3.2 and Proud” adorns both the servers shirt and the wall. That’s a local brewery embracing the challenges and making the most of limitations.
Many have said that the alcohol limitations imposed by state law have forced brewers to be better at their craft, unable to cover flaws with higher alcohol. It’s worth mentioning.
Meanwhile, supporting the Pub Group in some cases means supporting local farmers, and always means supporting the local economy by ensuring much more of every dollar spent stays in the local economy. In all cases of the Pub Group, it means better food that isn’t prepackaged and prearranged to ensure the same meal is served the same way at every restaurant across America. It is then packaged and presented in a way to feel authentic, but it isn’t. It’s an outdated mode of the American dining experience rooted in the novelty of convenient, yet highly processed food that comes out of a box and is meant to make our lives easier by eradicating the drudgery of cooking—at the expense of health and real flavor.
Oh, and one need not enjoy beer to patronize Desert Edge, or any of the “Pub” Group restaurants. One need only appreciate locally crafted food, good service, and the sense of community that only comes with locally owned businesses.
But you’ve heard that one before.
Author! Author!: Andrew Dash Gillman
