In the past few years, CSU East Bay has seen a shift from independently branded food services toward nationwide chains.
This pattern is not isolated to any college campus, but is the result of a problematic preference among many people for chain restaurants over locally operated establishments.
Supporting unique, family-owned eateries has several advantages over opting for fast food type chains.
First, your money is more likely to stay local with an independent restaurant than with a chain operation. The ingredients are more likely produced locally, thus support California farmers.
More importantly, supporting a multinational corporate superstructure is removed. Management is allowed to focus on serving the patronage rather than meeting standardized quotas.
Supporting local businesses also leads to a heightened sense of pride in one’s community. It is important to promote the positive aspects of the community and appreciate its uniqueness.
There is a higher level of accountability present for the quality of the food when the reputation at stake is personal and not of a national brand identity.
National chains have advertising campaigns to create buzz and lawyers to control consequences of negative hype, but reputation is all some restaurants have to sway public opinion.
Word of mouth is crucial – if you think back, you probably heard about your favorite restaurant from someone else who loves it, not from a commercial.
While chains must operate under a corporate superstructure, they also receive support from it. This support might keep them open amongst independent restaurants that do better business but still cannot remain in competition due to increased operating costs. The incentive to create a higher quality product to stay competitive is removed and the quality of the product suffers.
Food quality is also related to health concerns, as food shipped in from far away is more likely to be processed and contain artificial preservatives, or require artificial coloring or flavoring. Unprocessed fresh food is more nutritious for the body, contains less sodium and saturated fat and is usually more filling.
The consumer is able to ask questions about pesticides or growth hormones, or any other farming methods that may be of concern and get those questions answered honestly.
Yes, at times fast food is the most convenient option, as busy students and members of the community feel the demands of a hectic and fast-paced economy to buy meals on the go.
On a long road trip, drive-thrus preserve precious momentum. If you avoid the combo meals, fast food can be the less expensive choice. At times, it can be the only way to satisfy an urgent craving. But these perks come at the cost of the more important advantages offered by local restaurateurs.
In the end, nutritious high quality foods that sustain a vibrant local economy are more important than an easy, cheap, guilty pleasure.
Perhaps the most important advantage of eating at local restaurants over chains is the preservation of regional cultural traditions.
Standardized ingredients and practices in chain kitchens erase generations of carefully protected family recipes. Standardized menus offer items that are out of season or non-local, therefore, must be shipped in frozen from elsewhere.
Take the first Mexican restaurant that comes to your mind. If it’s Taco Bell or Chipotle, consider the amount of Mexican heritage in their food, or lack thereof. Compare it to your local family-run carneceria or taqueria. Chances are you’ll be able to tell where the cooking practices originated, whether it was Puebla, Michoacan, Oaxaca or even Irvine. Now, doesn’t that sound like it tastes better?
Preserving culinary culture and securing a healthy local economy through healthy bodies in the future are all very logical reasons to visit a hole-in-the-wall instead of a chain, if not just for fun.
Trying new things is a rewarding experience. Branded food guarantees that you know what you’ll get, but it’s never an adventure.
