How to Support Local Restaurants

Local restaurant patronage supports local economies in multiple ways, with the majority of restaurant expenditures being spent in the business owners' communities. Chain restaurants, by comparison, funnel the majority of their profits back to an out-of-town corporate headquarters, and have national contracts for supplies, goods, services and advertising. 

Becoming a regular patron at local restaurants also supports and celebrates unique, personalized culinary expressions, which may be steeped in local traditions, rather than supporting homogenized and mass-produced chain outlet fare. Here's how to support the local restaurant owners who have a vested interest in the communities they live and work in.

• Visit and try out as many local restaurants as possible, particularly newly opened and fledgling eateries, and return to your favorites on a fairly regular basis. Restaurants need customers to survive, and regular, repeat clientele can be the difference between a restaurant succeeding or folding, particularly in a smaller city or town where restaurants can't rely on a steady stream of first-time visitors.

• Smaller cities and towns rely not only on repeat patronage but also on positive word-of-mouth. The more a local restaurant is talked about in a positive manner or with an air of curiosity, the more likely that others will visit to see what all of the discussion is about.

• Give gift certificates from local restaurants to others on holidays and birthdays. Since the restaurants you'll be giving certificates to are local, gift recipients have the added convenience of not having to travel far to use the present. Most restaurants have some form of formal or informal printed gift certificate.

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