Regional restaurants add to recipe for successful economic base

A morsel of a fact: Restaurants do more than serve up your favorite meal -- they also dish up a huge economic boost through jobs and tax revenue as well as lure consumers into communities where they will likely spend money elsewhere.

That's why the diversity and sheer number of restaurants is such a benefit to several Southeast Missouri communities. "You can get anything you want," sang Arlo Guthrie many years ago in his classic "Alice's Restaurant."

That statement is largely true about restaurants in this area, too -- Mexican, Italian, Asian, French, Cajun, Chinese, Japanese and American.

Some restaurants specialize in fast-food, some are known for casual dining, others are high style and the food is haute cuisine. Some are called sports bars, others are promoted as family pubs.

Some area restaurants have been here decades, others are new, and still others are under construction.

A recent National Restaurant Association report says one out of five meals consumed by Americans -- 4.2 meals per week -- is prepared in a commercial setting and lunch tops the list as the most common meal.

Cape Girardeau is brimming with restaurants. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has a restaurant guide that lists more than 100, and 80 of them are not fast food.

Chuck Martin, executive director of the bureau, said it is not only local residents who dine at the wide variety of restaurants in Cape Girardeau.

"There are always a segment of tourists who come to the bureau and say they want to experience local flair and flavor," said Martin. "We're often asked where's a good place to eat, and what restaurants best represent Cape."

Martin said visitors tend to frequent downtown restaurants, which complement the variety of other businesses downtown such as antiques shops, clothing and jewelry stores and art galleries.

"Visitors and locals like to eat downtown then do some shopping," Martin said. "It's good to have quality restaurants downtown."

Tim Arbeiter, executive director of Old Town Cape, said there are about 17 restaurants downtown -- from high-society elegance to burger grills.

"We take an active role in promoting restaurants and special events held at them," Arbeiter said. "We're working on some promotional ideas and getting more coordinated in marketing restaurants. Downtown has a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, and people enjoy the river and the sunset and then have a nice dining experience."

Restaurants serve a very special function, said Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce president John Mehner -- they bring in money and provide jobs.

Mehner said most restaurants in the city stay quite busy. He said that patrons are often greeted with lines and a wait at restaurants.

"I was at Texas Roadhouse on a recent Sunday and it was a 45-minute wait," he said. "So, it's hard to say there's not enough restaurants here."

Mehner said several restaurants are under construction around town, and that's good economic news.

"We look at restaurants as significant economic drivers," he said. "If there's a wide variety of them, and there are here, they are a great draw. People come to Cape from other cities and do a conjunction of activities. They shop or keep a medical appointment, and somewhere in that is a restaurant stop."

Mehner said the restaurants are big employers. He said they provide hundreds of part-time jobs for students attending Southeast Missouri State University. Hundreds of other people work full-time.

"They serve a very special function," said Mehner. "When new ones are being built, and some are right now, a lot of jobs are created, and when restaurants get remodeled or rehabbed, you're talking jobs again."

Jackson Chamber of Commerce director Marybeth Williams said the city has more than 25 restaurants, some new. She said there are some long-time pizza restaurants that continually draw large numbers of diners.

"I think people come to Jackson to eat at certain restaurants like Tractors" she said. "And there are others. People come to town to eat ribs at the new Branding Iron, and Jay's Barbecue is moving from Marble Hill and will open in the former Woodard's Restaurant building."

Williams said the Bavarian Halle sells real German sausage, "and people swing through to buy bratwurst. And they'll stop and purchase other items. Restaurants are good for overall employment."

Larry Tucker is executive director of Perry County Industrial Development Authority in Perryville. He said the 30 restaurants in the city are a definite economic plus.

"We don't think we have too many restaurants here," he said. "We have many here, and we hope to attract the next level of restaurant services."

Tucker said they'd like to see more full-service restaurants and sports bars, adding that they're trying to attract national chains like O'Charley's, Ruby Tuesday, TGI Friday's and Applebee's.

"Our demographics play a role in that," he said. "We have plenty of residents who would like to dine in those type of restaurants."

Tucker said he'd like to get a sports bar like Krieger's to locate in the city. He said he's noticed Krieger's has franchises in Cape Girardeau and Festus.

"We have a Tractors here, which is a second location for the one based in Jackson," he said. "Crossroads Village is under development on the main road into town, and the owners are attempting to attract a dining establishment. Restaurants provide many jobs and lots of revenue."

Ed Dust, director of economic development for Sikeston, said there are 54 restaurants in the city. He said he doesn't think any city can have too many restaurants.

"We've got two or three national chains looking at us, but we're not ready to make an announcement," said Dust. "Restaurants are sometimes worse than industries when it comes to being secretive."

Dust said the city is fortunate to have the 500-seat Lambert's Cafe. He said he's been all over the country and met people who have eaten at Lambert's.

"It's an amazing tourist attraction," he said, referring to Lambert's -- The Home of the Throwed Rolls. "It makes a huge economic impact. They probably serve thousands of people a day."

Sikeston city manager Doug Friend said the newest restaurant in town is Joseph's Steakhouse, which is next to the new Tammy's Barbecue.

"And we've got Applebee's, Dexter BBQ, Fisherman's Net, lots more," said Friend, adding that revenue from restaurants benefits the city overall.

There are more than 100 restaurants in Paducah, Ky., and 84 of them are not fast-food outlets, according to June Escue, assistant director of the Visitors and Tourism Bureau. She said the restaurants have "a very large economic impact because we draw in many people from outlying areas. We get visitors from nearby states because we're at a kind of crossroads."

Like Cape Girardeau, Paducah has a downtown that borders a river. Escue said the restaurants downtown are locally owned and often family operated. She said the national chains such as Red Lobster, Outback and TGI Friday's are generally located west of downtown, near Kentucky Oaks Mall.

"We have all the ethnic-food restaurants like Mexican, Italian, Chinese and Asian," said Escue. "There are a lot of pizza places, and people around here like to eat a lot of barbecue. There seems to be a new restaurant opening all the time."