Translation, please....

[MossRoad]

I met my wife working at Dairy Queen as a teen. It is a national chain, but that store was owned by a local couple that worked in the store every day and night. They purchased the franchise from another couple that had two Dairy Queens, as I recall, and wanted to retire. The wife opened the store and ran it through dinner time. The husband worked at Miles Labs in Elkhart, IN and would come to the store after dinner, work the evening shift and close the store down. Plus, he was a football coach at a local Catholic grade school. Hardest working man I ever met. Two full-time jobs, plus volunteering. The store was located in a bad neighborhood. Fortunately for them, they were able to move across town and open a brand new store near Notre Dame. They are mostly retired now and one of their sons owns and operates the new store. But the mom and dad still put in time there. The dad has to be pushing 80 now. We still see them a few times a year when we eat lunch there. Anyhow, local franchises of national chains do indeed put a lot of money back into the local economy. They also provide employment, usually of a few full time and many part time positions. Those jobs are important to local people. So don't laugh at locally owned and operated businesses.... they are the backbone of your community.

 

[Gem99ultra]

As much as I love Denny's - I have on one occasion gotten bad service at one. On a m/c ride while passing through Columbus, TX we stopped in for breakfast at that Denney's. The service was so bad with the sarcastic waitress, etc. that we vowed to complain to their management.
What we discovered was that that restaurant was owned by Hakeem Olajuwon (a basketball star back in the '80s, not a local) who also owned a string of Denny's restaurants. Our complaint went totally on deaf ears - no response, period. That totally takes away the local ownership draw.
We have the same thing with the Poppa John pizza outlets. Thirty something of their outlets are owned by 'something Peyton', a football player. In today's world, it's hard to know who owns what.
On the other hand, we still love Denny's, only because of their food, not because they are a part of the local community.

 

[MossRoad]

Superbird!!!

620 calories of goodness!!! :licking:

 

[MAN IN BLACK]

Why should I send my money to someone that wants to shut down a farm because of a little dust.[/QUOTE]

X2
I always try to work with and buy from local businesses.
Keeping our rural communities alive is VERY important.
Black

 

[jinman]

I think if it's the local donut shop or the local IHOP, the ownership and management control the quality of food and service. A bad pizzia from Pizza Hut is not a condemnation of the whole chain, but rather the local store. Like auto and tractor dealers, the people and management are key to good service and success. Just because a store has a nationally recognized name does not mean it is not locally owned and operated. Many stores have owners who may have foreign names or accents, but they all have families in our local schools and have similar wants and needs of people named Smith or Jones. I know the value of my community is the values and needs of every member, even if they don't speak English without an accent. As long as they pay taxes and add to our community, they are welcome to buy and open businesses that I will look forward to supporting.

 

[cqaigy2]

Locally owned, employing local people and when possible, locally produced, and I pay more when necessary, to buy local.:thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

I think if it's the local donut shop or the local IHOP, the ownership and management control the quality of food and service. A bad pizzia from Pizza Hut is not a condemnation of the whole chain, but rather the local store. Like auto and tractor dealers, the people and management are key to good service and success. Just because a store has a nationally recognized name does not mean it is not locally owned and operated. Many stores have owners who may have foreign names or accents, but they all have families in our local schools and have similar wants and needs of people named Smith or Jones. I know the value of my community is the values and needs of every member, even if they don't speak English without an accent. As long as they pay taxes and add to our community, they are welcome to buy and open businesses that I will look forward to supporting.

Good point about the accents.... my relatives on my father's side all had accents. Turned out to be good Americans, as did their children.

 

[radioman]

I would have to say that - a chain store that is owned locally is a good thing for local scouters and local sports teams in need of donations. Many times it really doesnt matter if it a national chain store or a mom/pop place, if they can donate, then its a good thing. they get my business. Quite often you get to know the people who work in the local national store as a personal; friend if you can spare a few moments to say hello. I have done it at my local Mcd's, tractor supply, etc.