Support independents!
Buzz’s Emma Way has some thoughts about the plight of independent restaurants in a chain-choked post-lockdown landscape – and she took to the streets to see what others reckoned, too…
The battle of chains versus independents is a tale as old as time and you’d be mistaken thinking chains weren’t at all bothered by the little guys. Statistics show there were 5.5 million small UK businesses at the start of 2021 alone, whereby chains such as Yo Sushi! and Zizi progressed into creating supermarket ready meals and frozen food ranges.
Independent restaurants stand for what chains can’t give. The personal touch and the consideration for each and every customer’s needs; extra hot water to make your drink last longer or a treat for your four-legged friend, the local running society posing outside the store front, encased for a split second inside a photograph saved out of pride for the business its management have built from nothing.
Independent restaurants also stand for considerable yet worthy risks, not just a job but a career, a livelihood. Sometimes taken between family members, best friends or eager to do-it-themselves colleagues.
Speaking to shoppers on the streets of Chepstow, there was an admiration for independent businesses – like word-of-
mouth hits and award winners Chatterbox, or pizzeria Stone Rock. Locals such as 62-year-old Stuart chose the independent option for “a better selection of food and better service.”
It’s unlikely you’ll find a large specials board, or one at all at a chain restaurant. “At least you know what you’re getting,” said Maria, 66, of Chepstow, when I asked her what she thought chain restaurants had at their advantage. She would happily choose a chain over an independent business.
With that in mind, many small businesses, particularly cafes and restaurants, found themselves halting trading through 2020 and 2021 for the safety of their staff and customers. These members of staff finding themselves either made redundant or placed on a furlough scheme. After two years of unease, the sector seems to be standing back up on its feet once more, but it’s hard to ignore the knock taken due to closures and trading restrictions.
Not only that, but there’s now another obstacle for these self-starters to overcome: today people are less likely to eat out due to rising inflation. Takeaway service Just Eat was recently found to
be considering selling its stateside right arm GrubHub after witnessing a 1% drop in orders in the first quarter of 2022, alongside a fall of 5% in North America.
With the heat-or-eat war becoming even more apparent, and costs on the supermarket shelves appearing more like reels of a slot machine than a fixed number, who does the fate of these small cafes lie with? Hospitality is one of Wales’ major priority sectors alongside tourism. UKHospitality found that pre-pandemic, the sector contributed £3.6bn per year to the Welsh economy, making it the third- largest employer in the country. That accounts for around 10% of employment here in Wales.
The recently opened Newport Market is just one example of the expansion and backing of homegrown independent eateries: highlighting a selection of food and drink including Port Talbot’s Burger Boyz and the specially crafted, health- driven Jamieson’s Juice Factory, founded by Eugene and Natasha. Visiting these ideas – that is, after all, what they were first before they became fully fledged businesses – is personal and inviting. These are people who care about their food and the person that consumes it.
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