Quote Originally Posted by Kerry View Post
So many on here seem to have very very little knowledge of how restaurants work. Do you think the owners of "local" eateries are buying the supplies from Albertsons? No. They are buying them from food suppliers. Just look at all of CISCO trucks driving around. Most fruits and vegetables are bought from the exact same place no matter what restaurant it is prepared in.

Just because some place is part of a chain doesn't mean anything, almost all are locally owned. It is called franchising. Do you think Applebee's owns every store? Most chains own very few of their own locations. Here is a quote from Applebees for example:

"As of Dec. 31, 2006, there were 1,930 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants, of which 1,409 were operated by franchisees and 521 were operated by the company."

For those of you who can't do the math this means about 75% are locally owned.

Good thoughts, but a bit off. Even though a large number of chains or multi-unit restaurants are franchised, they still are not locally owned. Oklahoma does not have a local franchisee of Applebee's, Chilis, etc. We do have a franchisee of Johnny Carinos in town. This argument can go on forever. HSRG (Hal Smith Group) is a LOCAL group that has done well and has created demand for more units. I am an independent (3 restaurants) owner who 100% supports local operators.