In article >,
George > wrote:

> > Tell everyone you know, Maxine and pray they'll stay afloat. Around
> > here, it's one chain after another. We've got most of them. People
> > gripe about nothing but chains but don't support the high quality
> > independent places frequently enough to keep them going.
>
> I always patronize a great small business first. I think the main reason
> why small, good restaurants struggle is lack of mind share. The
> industrial chains do constant advertising and a lot of people begin to
> think they are the only option.

That certainly is some of it, but many also suffer from a lack of
capital and/or an inability to hire and keep good help (cooks as
well as servers and hosts).

Then there are the customers. Many people are simply risk-averse.
They are not curious about foods they've never tried before. They
want to know what to expect when they walk into the restaurant.
They're willing to settle for singles and doubles because those who
swing for home runs often strike out. For those people, walking into
an Applebee's in a new city is the best way of avoiding anything
unexpected or truly inedible. :-(

sd