Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area in the 1970s and 80s, there were tons of fast-food choices.
In fact, there were too many. When the Gino’s restaurant chain was sold to Roy Rogers, we noticed fried chicken on the menu before we picked up on the name change.
Whether we would have a Hardee’s nearby was hardly a dilemma we pondered on a daily basis. We agonized over the new stoplights and traffic more than we thanked leaders for new businesses.
Living in midwestern highway towns shows me a different existence. Much hinges upon whether city and county leaders can help develop new businesses in the area — whether that’s homegrown local flavor or familiar national or regional brands.
While I was surprised to hear and see so much enthusiasm for plans to bring a Hardee’s restaurant to Newton, I wasn’t surprised the reaction was positive. Not only does the chain do particularly well at creating tasty breakfast biscuit sandwiches and filling hamburgers, but also will bring in tax profits.
Yes, we want local businesses, and, of course, we’d like to see every city with a large square to focus first on helping fill any empty storefronts in that square. It should aggravate any conscientious leader to see empty, highly visible buildings.
The American system is not currently set up well to grow small businesses. Between regulations and paperwork, unfavorable loan situations and the lack of support most business owners receive in this climate, it’s no surprise so many Americans choose to feed their families by working for someone else — myself included.
However, an important element of “shop local” is this is set of civic goals as well as, in some cases, a daily choice. Cities need the tax support and highway traffic that Hardee’s can bring in — even if it’s on the same site where a business and many powerful family memories were made. Those memories can be made again in a new way if cities keep small businesses in mind as an ultimate goal.
I don’t pretend to know enough about architecture or building safety to know why a paper-mâché-looking structure is solid after 150 years, while the sturdy-looking one next door is ready for the wrecking crew after only a few decades. I suppose money and attention to routine and major maintenance are important, but the uncontrollable factors range from weather to ground settling to what the neighbors are doing, so the useful life of each building seems to be based on a combination of diligence and luck.
Since there are many people working strictly on bringing more economic development to the county, I hope it’s the goal to have more locally owned businesses. At this point, every American community seems to need at least some help from larger companies based in faraway lands, but we should be gradually moving away from that.
Let’s also remember how important crime and safety are with economics. Law enforcement’s recent re-iteration of “See something, say something” is an important component of maintaining a strong local business climate. The owner of a chain next to the interstate might appreciate a population that reports suspicious activity. A prospective owner of a business owner on the square has a very personal stake in preventing “Get to Know Newton” from being pronounced “Ghetto Know Newton” due to lack of citizen involvement.
I support bringing more national or regional chains to the area as part of a mission to create more local commerce — even if the chain’s slogan used to be something as terrible as “Best eatin’ in town, up and down, all around.”
Contact Jason W. Brooks
at jbrooks@newtondailynews.com