Local independent restaurants tell a story
When I tell people that I travel for a living, I mean I really travel. In the first four months this year, I have been to 11 states, 20 cities and three countries, and wherever travel I ask the same question: “Can you recommend your favorite local restaurant?”
Certainly, there are chain restaurants that I enjoy, but when I travel I like to dine like a local.
There is a special “flavor” when you dine at independent local restaurants. Sometimes that flavor is food-driven, like scrapple in Pennsylvania, red beans and rice in Louisiana, dry rub ribs in Tennessee, tri tip beef in California and so much more.
The people bring flavor, too. I enjoy the server who grew up in the town, is proud of the food they serve and enjoys having real conversations not with the guest but their guest.
Diners tell their own stories
I travel extensively with my great friend and interior designer, Tom Ullo, and we live for the classic diners of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Early morning or late at night, we love the feel, the food and especially the servers.
We love that you can get a great burger at 6 in the morning or incredible omelet at midnight. Whether we’ve been there many times or this is our first time, the servers always seem to know us. My name at every one of these diners is “Honey.”
The best was in Long Island last month when I got in late at night and told the server that I was thinking about having a sandwich. She immediately took my menu said “got it” and walked away. She came back with a classic tuna melt and told me, “This is what you wanted.” She was right — it was great!
Restaurants that serve trust
Numerous times, I’ve gone to restaurants in the South that don’t have a bar but do have a beer/wine on/off license. There are three to four coolers on each side of the hallway into the dining room and, if you plan on having a beer with lunch or dinner, you grab one and sit at your table.
When I was ready for my second beer I just got up and got my own. Throughout the night I watched a full dining room of guests doing the same thing. Some of the tables told the server that they wanted to grab a six pack on the way out as well. The servers just counted what was on the table and put it on the check.
The owners said they have been doing business this way for more than 30 years. I’m sure some folks have grabbed beer and not paid for it, but not enough for the owners to ever change this self-service concept.
How COVID changed a restaurant for the better
Typically, I talk about the negative effects that COVID has had on restaurants. One pretty large steakhouse restaurant on the East Coast lost 100% of its servers and could not find replacements. They had a few bartenders and that was it.
The owner came up with a great idea: The bartender comes to the table, takes our drink order, hands us menus and says, “When you know what you want, write your order on this check, then go into the kitchen hand it to the chef. He’ll bring it to you when it’s ready. If at any point the table needs to be cleared, the bussing station is over there.”
We wrote our own orders, walked them to the chef, bussed our own table, paid steakhouse prices and had the best time.
In a cookie cutter age, it’s refreshing to find restaurants with independent streaks. I’d love to hear about your favorites.
• Izzy Kharasch is the founder of Hospitality Works, a consulting firm that has worked with 700+ restaurants and small businesses nationwide. He is offering Daily Herald restaurant owners a free consultation by contacting him at Izzy@HospitalityWorks.com.