Why Dine Out?

In these days of economic downturn - read: diminished dining out for most of us -- local restaurants are obviously suffering. As our production crew visits these spots that will be featured in the upcoming season of Check, Please! South Florida, it's especially sad to see young, promising South Florida chefs with empty dining rooms and quiet kitchens. Even in this tourist town, the trend of frugality over frivolity, and home-cooked meals over on-the-town treats, can be witnessed in restaurants across South Florida -- from the large, corporate celebrity-chef-driven spots to local family-run joints.

As we produce these brand new episodes of Check, Please!, we are hopeful that restaurants will stick it out. We know that once word gets out about their incredible food, viewers will throng to the place, in search of a truly unique (and sometimes unbelievably bargain-priced!) dining experience. We're talking about places where the owners and chefs truly appreciate the fact that you chose to patronize and support their restaurant.

And if we value the 'dining destination' that South Florida has become....if having innovative cuisine that is also fresh and homemade is of any importance to us...we need to view 'eating out' as not just a way to drop a few bucks, but as a way to support our culinary community. It's taken decades for South Florida's cuisine to finally reach a point where it creatively reflects its melting pot of residents. But, as we witness restaurant doors closing at an ever-increasing rate, it becomes clear that all of that progress could quickly disappear, leaving us in a wasteland of "chain restaurant mediocrity," as one of our recent Check, Please! guests so aptly put it.

So, soon we will be unveiling ten new episodes and thirty restaurants that need your support, especially during the slow summer season. And we hope that all you devoted diners out there will respond. The quality of the South Florida food scene depends upon it.

-- Joyce in Production

Comments

[Chuck Ternosky, Calypso Restaurant]

One of the ways I encourage my customers to enjoy a reasonably priced night out is to eat a little lighter just as you would at home, some nights you may eat some leftovers or just have a tuna sandwich. What I mean by that is you don't have to order this large entree that most restaurants serve (incuding my own). Order an appetizer if desired and then a sandwich or a specialty salad. You still get to experience what the restaurant has to offer without the expense of a full dinner. It goes easy on your wallet and perhaps even your waistline. Order a bottle or glass of inexpensive wine or a domestic beer. Going out to eat doesn't have to be a night "out" it can just be a brake from the kitchen and then home early to relax. In other words don't confuse eating out with dining out I don't expect my patrons to spend a lot of money every time they visit. Just the fact that they thought to come see us makes my day.

[Julie W]

I thought you might be interested in a non-restauranteur comment on this subject. Current economics aside -- everyone is being or will be soon hit by some sort of effect of this -- summer has always been a tough time for restaurants in our community. Suffice it to say that the restaurant business is not a given. I mean it's a business and just because some one is a good cook (chef) doesn't mean they can conquer the challenges of running a restaurant as a business. The truly good places survive because locals continue to support them year round -- we take advantage of special summer meals, the dine around plans (in Dade and Broward) with featured/promoted prices -- and we get to try places we've wanted to go to during the winter "season" without the long lines or having to make reservations. Yes, some may cut back on dining out. But to us "foodies" eating out at a restaurant is our form of entertainment. We might cut back on that extra dress at the department store or some such, but I don't think we'll totally give up dining out.

[michelle Bernstein]

Dearest Kenneth,
I am a native and a chef/restauranteur so i figured i would share my view and experiences with you.
Miami is not becoming a tourist town, it has always been one. Growing up here, I remember the importance of downtown (to reel in and sell the tourists cheap goods), bayside, the emergence of south beach (only news cafe and a couple of others)
today, we (as business owners) realize the importance of locals...and those people that live here only part of the year. This is the business most of us (nearly all of the folks i speak to) want to capture.
You are the ones that will fill our restaurants in the summer and remember us throughout most of the year. we want your business, need it. I desperately drive everything i do towards the locals.
I think a lot of owners have realized from past mistakes, gearing their businesses towards tourist will be beneficial only for about 4-6 months out of the year.
Of course, there are large commercial expensive eateries that bring in mediocre product. they turn em and burn em as we love to say. They exsist in all cities around the world...not just our lovely town.

YOu are correct, your families are what we should consider our driving force, and we are.

Now, as for the cost of your meal. OOOOF, thats a tough one. A lot of us are trying to get local farms involved, i only wish i could use them more often. but, the local farms are more expensive than buying from the larger distributors. in fact, a few of us tried to pull together and get the farmers to sell more produce to our restaurants...but, thanks to the brutal weather, frequent rain and fuel prices on the rise It has become close to impossible for them to grow enough to sustain us. Im not saying its not going to happen, its just going to take some creative steps to make it possible. as of now, the only products we can afford are tomatoes, herbs and some lettuces. that is truly it.
local fish is through the roof, oils and cheeses are so high, its truly affecting our bottom line and yours.
I hate to tell you but those distributors you before mentioned are keeping us all in business and you eating at our places.
Luckily, chefs are trying to come together to change things. We are trying to be more sustainable, locally. I truly think we can beat this if we all work together. Dont give up on us! Please!

[kenneth t]

I understand that Miami is turning toward becoming a tourist town but every restaurant in Miami doesn’t have to lean toward the folks who get off the planes and drive in from out of town to be successful. I also understand that with the mixture of cultures that folks are simply fickle to one culture or style of food compared to another. Also looking at the median income for south Florida (mother father 1 dependent) is just 38k per year...going out once or twice a week can add up in a hurry. You can only order appetizers and drinks for so long. But given the economic recession the city is feeling along everything else I mentioned above its a tough sell right now.

someone in the culinary profession (chef manager etc) please comment on how the citizens of south Florida can enjoy a meal, simple or exquisite, and not break the bank while doing it. Also what is the county doing in terms of helping local farmers get involved with the restaurants in south Florida? There are plenty that grow and work the fields of south Florida. That should bring prices down on dinner instead of buying from a distributor.