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Locally owned restaurants make gains in Clark County

By Troy Brynelson, Columbian staff writer
Published: October 16, 2016, 6:03am
4 Photos
Locally owned restaurants such as Ben&#039;s Bottle Shop may collectively pose a challenge to big chain restaurants that once thrived in Vancouver.
Locally owned restaurants such as Ben's Bottle Shop may collectively pose a challenge to big chain restaurants that once thrived in Vancouver. (Photos by Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Applebee’s. Carrabba’s. BJ’s. The apostrophes in the names of these restaurants can be a little tricky when their owners are often in corporate headquarters on the other side of the country.

But large, corporate dining companies that once dominated the casual eating scene have waned in recent years, and cities like Vancouver appear hungrier than ever for local flavor, preferring restaurants with names like Woody’s Tacos or Daddy D’s Barbecue.

Industry analysts say big dining chains are facing a “restaurant recession” thanks to a combination of cheaper prices at the grocery store and growing competition from independently owned restaurants. Revenues for publicly traded dining companies are at their lowest point in three years, according to Bloomberg News.

For local restaurateurs, it appears to be an opening.

“I think a lot of us are inclined to love that story of a restaurateur opening up a mom-and-pop (place),” said Jillian Henze, a spokeswoman for the Washington Hospitality Association, which represents nearly 5,000 restaurants in the state.

Big in Vancouver

The interior of Ben’s Bottle Shop is carefully put together. Smooth counters form a U-shaped bar in the restaurant’s center, an island surrounded by tables and chairs. Televisions and digital drink menus hang overhead. Its north wall is a line of refrigerators, banked with different brews, ciders and sodas.

The shop, which opened in December, was developed by former nurse and local resident Ben Christly. He then enlisted college friend Tim Augustin to become co-owner and help run it.

It’s been a successful first year, according to Christly, thanks to a shift he’s noticed in customers preferring to eat at local food places.

“I think there’s a larger amount of the general eating public that has started to become more aware of supporting local businesses,” he said of the Portland-Vancouver area. “Supporting local business isn’t just about the business as a whole, but it’s about getting to know the business owners and making those friendships, so that now you’re not only supporting local business but now you’re supporting your friends. I think that’s a big difference you get with small-business owners versus a box chain.”

Christly, 40, has worked in the restaurant world before, including a stint as a manager within the parent company of Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Those companies, he said, have obvious advantages, such as greater buying power to offer lower prices, and they are capable of hibernating financially when the economy takes a downturn.

“As a startup, new, small restaurant, you’re lucky to put 5 percent of all income toward your bottom line — and that’s if you’re doing well,” Christly said. “Every penny is accounted for. Food costs, labor costs, supply costs, I mean it’s very minute. Each piece really leads into how you’re performing as a whole.”

Stats support it?

The Washington Hospitality Association does not keep track of food chains versus locally owned restaurants. Restaurants that employ fewer than 10 people have hovered around 40 to 45 percent of all restaurants in Clark County for the past five years and Henze said those restaurants tend to be either locally owned restaurants or small franchises with independent owners, like Subway.

Data provided by the Employment Security Department show that sit-down restaurants in Clark County employ 20 percent more than takeout places — 4,925 employees in January 2012 compared to 5,950 in January 2016.

And Clark County Public Health, which records in-state food permits versus out-of-state, said there were 2,614 permitted restaurants in the county, with 1,823 being Washington-based owners and 433 based out of Oregon. The department said it did not keep record of permit data by state from years past.

But the growth passes the eye test for others. Just in September, two new restaurants opened at The Mill shopping center in the North Garrison Heights neighborhood. Lance Killian, whose development company, Killian Pacific, owns the shopping center, said the restaurants are meeting a growing demand for local eateries.

“I do not have objective data, but observation says yes — there is a trend toward more locally owned, quality options,” he said in an email. “I think it is a result of a lack of quality restaurant supply in (Southwest) Washington, improving demographics and growth and Portland restaurateurs looking for expansion opportunities outside of the crowded Portland restaurant scene.”

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Columbian staff writer