Hungry for jobs? Hungry for a nice meal out? RC Catalyst once had local restaurant review through a couple of staff reporters who ate out frequently. They patronized local fare and we were glad to publicize the businesses. Yet, the discovery was soon made that many of these local businesses did not make it past their first lease renewal. Here is an incomplete list of local closings:
- Tony’s Inland Harbor
- JD’s Sports Bar
- Mudbones
- Second Street Cafe
- Sommers Bakery
- The Rose Restaurant that became Angie’s …
- Hickory Log Barbeque
- The Water Oak
There may be many reasons for their demise, but one for sure was lack of support from the community. Of course with a community that is as economically depressed as ours not everyone can afford to eat out. For those who can, however, many are choosing to eat in nearby Hendersonville, Asheville, and Greenville.
The times are a changin’. The textile mills are gone, the Southern cuisine we grew up on has made many of us fat and lethargic. Perhaps I will be criticized for using the word FAT when obese is more politically correct. We have to make healthier choices as a community: fast food versus healthier food, computer games or team sports, local versus nearby towns. I am encouraging a health food restaurant in downtown Rutherfordton.
At a recent political meeting, I heard a young person say “We have always done it this way.” Well, expecting things to change by doing it the way we always have is pure foolishness. It’s time to make changes. There is no business savior arriving. The change begins with us.
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