Skyway News has an article by Ellen Nigon about the increased number of chain restaurants in Downtown. You can find the article at http://www.skywaynews.net/display/inn_news/news01.txt.
This issue, that is, the issue of chain restaurants vs local restaurants, troubles me. I am pleased that both Minneapolis and St. Paul have a fair number of independent local restaurants. I believe these restaurants give and offer local flavor that chain restaurants can not. I am concerned about the homogenizing affect that the continued patronizing of chain restaurants may have on our local culture. Will we become like every other place when we lose our local, independent restaurants? I must admit that chain restaurants have a certain appeal to them. Once you have figured out what they have to offer, you know what you will be getting, no matter what city you are in. But, there is less safety when you chose to visit a new-to-you local restaurant. Will I like what they have to offer? For me personally, the answer is almost always 'yes', whereas chain restaurants have a stultifying effect upon me. I wonder what would happen to Minneapolis if we were to lose our local, independent restaurants. About once a week, I eat at the Modern Cafe in NE Minneapolis. I go to NE Minneapolis because of the Modern Cafe. I do not go to the Modern Cafe because it is in NE Minneapolis. When it comes to chain restaurants, there is a lot of similarity and a lot of duplication, so location becomes much more important. That is, I chose the Chevy's in Downtown because it is conveniently located in Downtown. I chose the Chevy's by the Mall of America because it is conveniently located near where I work. That is, I chose the particular Chevy's because of the location. If Minneapolis becomes like every other city, why chose Minneapolis? I do not think we have to be too fearful of Minneapolis losing its local, independent restaurants, but I believe something irreplacable would be lost if they were to close their doors. Scott McGerik Hawthorne/Minneapolis http://www.mcgerik.com/scott/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
