Some time ago, we published an editorial on why Dillon County get a chain sit-down restaurant. While some of the issues have changed to make this area more attractive to these types of businesses, many of the core issues have not. Some of this will be familiar to those who read the past editorial, but some of it bears repeating.
The question always comes up. When is Dillon County going to get a chain sit-down restaurant? The truth of the matter is probably not too soon unless attitudes, workforce, and the negativity every time a new business locates in the county that is expressed on social media by citizens in this county change for the better.
Anytime a legitimate new business chooses to locate or expand in this county, it’s a good thing whether it’s a gas station, a convenience store, or a general merchandise store. They fill a need for consumers. They generate local jobs, and they bring tax dollars into the community. It is a positive thing for the county. We should be grateful for it. We should show appreciation for it. We should be happy that they think that our county is a great place to locate their business. Instead, these types of announcements are often met with negative comments such as it’s not what we wanted, we wanted this or not that, and so on and so on.
Who is going to want to locate their new business in a place that seems so ungrateful for what is willing to come. Believe it or not, business prospects look to see what the community says about itself, the businesses who locate there, and how they are received and supported by the community. Negativity by the community goes a long way in chasing things away. Businesses want to come to a community that’s growing and growth takes all kinds of forms such as gas stations, retail stores etc. They want to come to a community that supports the businesses we have now.
The first thing that needs to change is the attitude of some of the community…the ones who jump on social media just to say something negative about businesses that are coming or the businesses that they have in place. If people are constantly on social media posting negative comments about what they do have available, then prospects are going to take that into consideration because who wants to locate somewhere where people don’t take pride in their community and the businesses there.
Another thing that we need to do is that we need to support the sit down restaurants that we already have that are not part of a chain and are privately owned. King’s Pizza, the Sombrero Room, Del Sol, Shuler’s BBQ, B & C, Heaven Delight, and other smaller venues in our community would definitely appreciate your support. They have good, reasonably priced food and the people who run these businesses and work at these businesses are part of our community. That should not be discounted or taken for granted and neither should any locally-owned business. Try to do business when you can with some of our locally-owned businesses. It means a great deal to them when you do.
Another big thing these restaurants or any other business is going to look at also is if there is enough population base that makes enough money to be regular customers and support them year-round. Did you fill out your census? If not, shame on you. If you didn’t, your failure to do so may be part of what’s holding us back. Many prospects look to the census data to find out this kind of information.
Also, they have to have somebody to work at these restaurants. The restaurants we have now are desperately seeking workers, and we all know that since the pandemic, some have reduced hours or have been unable to open on some days due to not enough workers showing up to work even though this problem has diminished some over time. Anybody scouting for a restaurant location is going to check out the local employment scene to see if jobs are filled and if a competent workforce who they would want representing their company is available.
Finally, what is the role of the Economic Development Office? Why is this office not out chasing sit-down restaurants and retail business?
Some may not really understand what the role of Economic Development is. Their job is not to go out a recruit chain restaurants or retail businesses. Their job is to seek industries that pay higher wages and salaries, allow people to get jobs that turn into careers that lead to home ownership and create wealth in the community. Retail and restaurant jobs are considered as second jobs, part-time jobs, or entry level jobs in the economic development community. Economic Development’s job is to get these higher wage jobs that come from industry so that the community will become more attractive to retail stores and restaurants who want to locate in areas with certain income levels that will allow the people there to regularly patronize their restaurants and businesses.
There is a great deal that plays into getting a sit-down restaurant. It’s not as simple as some may think. So embrace and support what you have, fill out your census, take advantage of the job opportunities available, and stop being so negative about the community and maybe good things will come soon.
Why Can’t Dillon County Get A Chain Sit-Down Restaurant? (PART TWO)
