FOOD, SERVICE WILL STILL DETERMINE SUCCESS IN RESTAURANTS OF FUTURE

The restaurant industry in Cape Girardeau may see great changes in numbers when Cape reaches metropolitan area status, but the restaurant's success will still depend on the age-old values of good food and good service.

"I think people are more and more going back to ethnical foods in traditional settings and are getting away from the chain restaurants," said Mark Anthony, chef du maison at Cafe Alexander in Cape Girardeau.

That's not to say that chain restaurants won't continue to come into the area and do well, he added.

"A T.G.I. Friday's isn't going to pass up a potential market if there's money to be made," Anthony said.

Glenn Cutrell, general manager at The Pasta House Co., agrees that more chains will come, but he doesn't foresee his business losing customers because The Pasta House Co. has been around a long time in Cape Girardeau.

Doc Cain of Port Cape Girardeau said his restaurant and others that want to stay in business will pay more attention to existing trends and make sure they are the best at what they do.

"They will need to operate as smart as they can," Cain added.

"Some fads will come and go, but the basic restaurant will still hold true," Cain said. "Good food and good service will be the keys to success in the future as they are today."

"I think we might see the local establishments start to die down when more and more chains locate here," Cutrell said, but as long as a restaurant has good food and good service its customers will keep coming back.

"Personalized service is still going to bring customers into the local establishments," Anthony said.

"People will still like doing business on a local level," Cain said.

"I don't think you'll see a mad rush of people wanting to eat brussels sprouts," Cain said.

"The difference between good and great food is the attention on the food. Some chains don't have this attention," Anthony said.

That is why he thinks local establishments will continue thrive.

"A cook feeds your stomach, a chef feeds your soul," Anthony said recounting an old saying his mentor always told him.

The real changes will come in technology that will make restaurants more efficient, according to Cain.

Cutrell said he didn't foresee any major changes in the restaurant business and added that he doesn't think the cafe fad will be around long.