1 Exploring Chain and Local Restaurants

Running Head: EXPLORING CHAIN AND LOCAL RESTAURANTS

Exploring Chain and Local Restaurants: The Pros and Cons Megan Tafoya University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Fall 2013

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Introduction: The Dining Out Phenomenon It is no secret Americans love to eat, more importantly we love to eat out. Our fast paced society and never ending lists of daily demands makes the choice to eat out an easy one. Clearly Americans of all types, families, friends, young, old, everyone eats out. The restaurant industry is projected to make $660 billion dollars in 2013, and there are almost a million restaurant locations (National Restaurant Association, 2013). Society has become used to having options, when you go to a store of any kind there are always multiple variations of the same products, multiple stores of the same kind. Restaurants are no exception. Our cities are flooded with options, take-out, buffets, fast-food, and sit down restaurants are scattered through the streets, but what factors play into the decision of where to go? I am going to explore the pros and cons of chain versus local restaurants and show why local is better though my research and own experiences. The fast pace of our daily lives makes it hard to consider the behind the scenes practices of where we get out food, even though these methods impact multiple aspects of our lives in a much bigger way than one would think. Literature Review: The Pros and Cons I went and researched the pros and cons of local and chain restaurants. After reading articles and watching videos, I found common factors that consumers accounted for when deciding where to eat. With food comes nutrition, with so many people counting calories and watching their weight deciding where to eat out can be challenging. Chain restaurants have more detailed menus with calorie count sometimes next to each option. Also, there are symbols to distinguish light options, vegetarian options, and even gluten-free options. If not displayed directly on the menu chain restaurants all have a website containing all nutritional information.

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Local restaurants on the other hand do not, although in general they use local fresh ingredients. Even if the calorie count may not be less all ingredients are less processed and have much less salt, butter, and sodium. Local restaurants do not have a set menu. Items can change frequently and are seasonal. Vegetarian and gluten-free options can still be ordered as long as you ask. Local restaurants can also cater to even more diet needs such as allergies since their menu items can be changed dramatically and they can even create a whole new dish on the spot. Along with health and nutrition, another factor to consider when eating out is atmosphere. Chain restaurants are themed and have a certain type of cuisine. Employees dress in uniform and have to uphold certain standards. These standards guarantee a certain level of professionalism which is always appreciated but lacks the personal touch of local restaurants. Local restaurants have fewer restrictions and can have a very inviting feel. A lot of local restaurants are family owned as well and make customers feel at home. Chain restaurants are constantly hiring and replacing employees but at family owned restaurants you can get to know who is there on a personal level. For example, when I went to Olive Garden on three separate occasions to research and observe I had a different server every time. Not just dining environment is taken into consideration when deciding where to eat, but also environmental concerns. Chain restaurants use processed ingredients and animal products that are made in factories or in fields with crops covered in pesticides that are not only bad for the environment but our bodies. The food prepared in these kitchens are less processed, they can even be organic. Recently there has been a trend in sustainable restaurants that partake in catering their menus to dishes made from ingredients specifically for this cause. My Position: Eat Local

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Chain restaurants have many appealing qualities, cost, taste, and atmosphere; these qualities however are selfish ones. The more informed decision would be to always eat locally. Wanting to save money, eat delicious unhealthy meals, and be surrounded by a hip atmosphere do not in any way help the food epidemic challenging today or make any effort to stop the degradation of the environment and our health. In my opinion the best way for consumers to take control of the ethical problems facing the food industry today is to eat locally. Eating makes a moral statement what we eat affects how the earth is treated, and thus, reflects our personal ethics. Whether we think about it or not, eating is a reflection of character (Ikerd, 2005). As more and more Americans become aware of the harmful effects of farming methods used today they are seeking alternative ways of getting their food. The sustainability movement arose from a growing realization that economic development alone does not increase overall quality of life, but instead, often leads to its degradation. To be sustainable over time, development activities must be ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible (Ikerd, 2005). Eighty percent of American adults say they are concerned about the safety of the food they eat. They worry about residues of pesticides and fungicides (Prentice, Wing, Sampson, & Maiser, 2010). Chain restaurants buy ingredients from large industrial style farms which are cheaper for them but not pesticide free whatsoever. Pesticides have been linked to a wide range of human health hazards, ranging from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption (Toxics Action Center, 2012). Eating at local organic restaurants is the easiest way to avoid these health hazards.

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Not only do these pesticides have negative effects on human health but the environment in many ways. The presence of pesticides can be found in ground water, surface water, soil, and air. After a set of studies done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on major river basins across the country in the early to mid- 90s yielded startling results. More than 90 percent of water and fish samples from all streams contained one, or more often, several pesticides. At least 143 different pesticides and 21 transformation products have been found in ground water, including pesticides from every major chemical class. Also heavy treatment of soil with pesticides can cause populations of beneficial soil microorganisms to decline. When pesticides are sprayed drift into the air can account for a loss of 2 to 25% of the chemical being applied, which can spread over a distance of a few yards to several hundred miles (Akter, Sengupta, & Chowdhury, 2009). All aspects of the environment and our health are compromised by the use of pesticides which are used on crops which travel to the kitchens of chain restaurants around the country. Pesticides are not the only harmful chemicals restaurants in-directly release into the environment. Another big pollutant is fossil fuels. Our food travels over 1,500 miles from farm to plate burning tons of fossil fuels (Pollan, 2010). Buying locally grown organic foods decreases dependence on petroleum, a non- renewable energy source. One fifth of all petroleum now used in the United States is used in Agriculture (Prentice et al., 2010). By simply choosing a local restaurant over a chain can have dramatic reductions on the use of fossil fuels. Many Americans that have been exposed to these issues would argue that even though eating locally is beneficial, it is expensive. In response to this common thought I would in turn argue that the benefits of eating locally greatly outweigh the slight increase of prices for local organic foods and with further research it is very easy to see. Researchers from the Department

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of Economics at the University of Essex put the annual cost of environmental damage caused by industrial farming in the United States at $34.7 billion (Grace Communication Foundation). Americans have a tendency to respond in crisis situations instead of spending a little more time and money on preventative measures which in turn would save a very large amount of money in the end. Conventional food processes don't reflect the hidden costs of the environmental, health and social consequences of predominate production practices- of, for instance, correcting a water supply polluted by agricultural runoff, or obtaining medical treatment for pesticide induced illness suffered by farmers or consumers (Prentice et al., 2010). If Americans had been eating locally all along, even though more expensive, it would be so much cheaper than having to invest so much money into fixing often times irreversible damage to ecosystems and waterways. Conclusion: Think Before You Eat After exploring both sides of each restaurant type, the evidence of negativity chain restaurants have on our health and environment show how much better it is to eat locally. The pesticides polluting our water supply, soil, and air are not worth the few dollars saved from eating at a chain restaurant. There are so many simple improvements that can be made to decrease these issues. Instead of having our food shipped thousands of miles around the world, it is as easy as eating food produced and prepared from your community. Just by supporting local businesses you are actually decreasing the amount of fossil fuels being burned in the atmosphere, decreasing pollution, and helping your local economy. Not only are you taking progressive actions towards changing the way you make decisions but you are declining unhealthy habits. Locally-grown organic fruits and vegetables are usually harvested within 24 hours of being purchased by the consumer (Prentice et al., 2010) Since chain restaurants ingredients are not

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locally grown, but grown thousands of miles away, Nutritional value declines, often dramatically, as time passes after harvest (Prentice et al., 2010) Not only do local restaurants care more about the environment but the customers as well. I think local restaurants have more care for the health and quality of food they serve to each customer than chain restaurants that have their own sales and interests to attend to. Even personally as a vegetarian, it is harder for me to order at chain restaurants. I am always limited to a few options that do not contain meet. At Olive Garden I had a few options of meatless pastas and sides. I have noticed at that local restaurants can take the meat out of any dish or replace it with something else. In general they are also more vegetarian options as well. It may be persuading to go to your favorite restaurant but I urge consumers to be conscious and educated about where they chose to eat, and also about any type of product they wish to purchase, research the company and see if you agree with their ethics. Spending your own money on something is like casting a vote. By continuing the demand for a certain product you are saying you support how you get it and where it comes from. When you buy locally produced organic food you cannot help but raise the consciousness of your friends and family and the life of your community; and about how this basic act is connected to planetary issues (Prentice et al., 2010) After being exposed to these issues through this assignment it has really opened my eyes to ways in which we get all of our goods, not just food. This research has sparked other thoughts in my mind, are the processes by which we get manufactured goods just as harmful? Not just to the environment but even to workers around the world. Being so shocked by something I never knew was an issue has changed my mind about what it means to be a consumer in the US. But

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since I have spent time on the topic of local sustainable eating I would like to further research solutions to these problems. Finding small ways to slowly change and make a difference would give me a better feeling of control, like I and others can have a say in matters many feel are out of their hands.

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References

Md. Wasim Aktar, Dwaipayan Sengupta, Ashim Chowdhury. (2009, March) Impact of pesticides use in agriculture: their benefits and hazards. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2984095/ Grace Communication Foundation. Environment. Retrieved from http://www.sustainabletable.org/265/environment Michael Pollan. (2010, October 20). Why Eat Local? [Food journalist Michael Pollan encourages buying local food to conserve energy, support farmers, and preserve the natural landscape]. Retrieved form http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhaG_Zi6izU Toxics Action Center. The Problem With Pesticides. Retrieved from http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/pesticides Jessica Prentice, Sage Wind, Dede Sampson (2010, December 2). Top Twelve Reasons to Eat Locally. Retrieved form http://www.locavores.com/how/why.php John Ikerd. The New American Food Culture. Retrieved form http://www.kerrcenter.com/nwsltr/2005/spring2005/food_culture.htm National Research Association. Facts at a glance. Retrieved from http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/Facts-at-a-Glance