So I’m at the batting cages with my son the other night, letting him get some work in before baseball season start. Yeah, it’s already time to start thinking about baseball. And it seemed I’m not the only person to be doing so. I ran into a lot of other dads that had the same idea. While the boys were taking turns hitting 65 m.p.h. fastball, a couple of us guys were shooting the breeze. The conversation eventually came around, as it usually does, to work. After a little commiserating, one of the dads mentioned that they had taken his family to supper at Applebee’s.
This makes me crazy. Let me tell you why. Applebee’s is a chain. The way that the chain insures that the food is consistent is by not really cooking anything. That’s right. The kitchens in most chains do not feature skilled chefs (t.v. ads to the contrary), the also don’t contain open flames. No flames= no cooking. Then how is it done? By shipping in packaged foods, especially sauces, fabricated in one location, and then re-heated in microwaves. MICROWAVES!
It also means that on average, for every dollar spent by the locals in one of these chain restaurants, approximately 86 cents leaves the market. In other words, only 14% of the money you spend at the chain restaurants stays in the local market.
And, have you ever tried to get a donation from one of the chains? Good luck. As a matter of fact, think about who was working the booths donating their food and time at the last charity event you attended.
So the next time you are willing to spend your hard earned cash for a meal, think about where to spend it. Do you want to support a local business? Then vote for your neighbor with your dollars. It will help keep the local guy in business.
