I wrote this blog back in January 2014 while we still had the restaurant. Unfortunately it is still relevant now!
No More Mr. Nice Guy
I am very passionate about what I do and what I believe in. I haven’t done any posts in a while because I always tried to be level headed and not upset people. Well not anymore. It’s 2014 and I am coming out swinging. I’ll call it like I see it! Looking for clean talking and “fluffy” posts? Then this post isn’t for you!
Something that is really starting to piss me off is the whole “local” thing. I go to many restaurants that say they are “local”. Buying and supporting local is something that I really believe in. In fact, it is the idea that drives our business. It is NOT a buzz word that we use to get asses in seats. So many restaurant say they support local. But what is local? Is it buying inhumanely raised animals from a nearby animal factory? Or buying produce from a big international food distribution company that buys “local” produce from large producers who sell genetically modified products? Or is ” local” meeting farmers, learning about their practices, and supporting them directly? As you can see, “local” means a lot of things to different people.
I like the restaurants that support “local” but after reading their menus have nothing local on their menus. There is the odd vague mention of Fraser Valley this, or local that. But no one can tell you a farm name or producer. This kind of B.S. hurts businesses like ours. These “local” restaurants can charge minimal prices because they are buying from large producers that don’t produce things in a sustainable or ethically manner. After dining at these restaurants, customers come to restaurants like ours and complain about the prices, saying that this other restaurant is local and they charge a lot less. Well bull shit! I can tell you who I buy from, I can tell you how it was produced, I proudly list my suppliers on the wall of the restaurant, and have started putting their pictures up on our wall! Can many of these other “local” restaurants tell you that?
Perhaps in this time of PR and marketing specialists, its time for customers to start asking questions when they dine out. A few key words on a menu or an add doesn’t make it true. For years now, I have told people to get to know your farmer, well maybe its time to get to know your restaurateur!