Recently, DelwareO started a discussion on Facebook about how Delaware needs to have more restaurant options.
When will Delaware, Ohio get its share of the chain restaurants? (Ove Tøpfer/sxc)
It started with a basic discussion about restaurant options, but quickly became a “wish list” of what we need to have coming to town — and why can’t we get them when Marion can.
My favorite is the Chipolte and Giant Eagle rumors. While I understand that Chipolte is currently interested in Delaware and does have plans to be in town this fall (from a good source), however we’ve been hearing that they’ve been coming to town for at least seven years. When Gretchen and I bought in Locust Curve, we were being told that Chipolte would be in the yet-to-be-built business area that was proposed for Houk and Central Avenues. Isn’t there supposed to be a Giant Eagle at the intersection of Houk and William Streets? Or a Lion King in the downtown Kroger?
Like a lot of people, I’ve often wondered why Delaware is “jumped” on US 23 when it comes to these chain restaurants. This past weekend, I was able to have a discussion with a “restaurant broker” – he’s actually a commercial real estate agent that has specialized in assisting restaurants with finding locations – about what it takes to bring restaurants to Delaware, Ohio, and why we aren’t attracting them to town.
The entire part comes down to the restaurant market analysis. Period.
Basically, the concept goes like this.
- Pizza Joints – they are the “cockroaches” of the restaurant industry. Pizza is the top ordered food in America and a pizza shop will continue to survive even when the market struggles.
- Burger Joints – We’ve got enough golden arches, red-haired maidens, and kings in town. So obviously Delaware has passed this test.
- Roast Beef Joints -This is slightly above the burger joints, but I don’t know that because we don’t have any that it is a sign of our location on the map. We drive to I-71 and 36/37 to eat at one of these joints.
- Chain Restaurants – While moving from pizza shops to roast beef joints is a step-up, the step to chain restaurants is an elevator ride. They are more expensive to build, operate, and keep in town and don’t like to make mistakes. But, the ironic thing is that while they fall lower on the chain than the big-box retailers the chains usually follow in the big-box retail establishments.
- Big-Box Retailers – These folks need the largest amount of traffic and are the top of the restaurant market analysis food chain. When these guys arrive and set-up shop it is basically a “green light” to those in the restaurant industry.
While he isn’t familiar with Delaware, Ohio, and we didn’t get into the discussion too much. He essentially explained the ground work for the development of these type restaurants.
Climbing the food chain in Delaware, Ohio. (Miguel Saavedra/sxc)
Those that think we’ve got Kohl’s and Meijer so when will they arrive? According to him it will be when the development’s big boxes are complete. Hence, it will be when Home Depot is built. The fact that Home Depot has put a temporary stop on building is a red-flag to these restaurants.
Of course, this discussion was totally theoretical and we didn’t talk about any particular issues with Delaware. So, we could see a new “TGIF” restaurant or an apple-a-day restaurant popping up out at Glennwood Commons at any point and make this entire post a waste of time.
But the numbers don’t support it.
