Scott Hutcheson

America's Best Restaurant Families

Jones Dairy Farm has once again sponsored a contest that seeks out the best family-owned restaurants in the U.S. You can check out the results here. Also, here are a few stats about family-owned businesses in the U.S. U.S. Family-owned firms comprise 80 to 90 percent of all business enterprises in the U.S., employ 15% of the workforce and contribute 19% of all new jobs.  However only 30 percent of family-owned businesses continue to the second generation, 12 percent to a third generation, and only 3 percent operate into the fourth generation.

Day-Job Milestone

Writing about food does not completely pay the bills at my house, so like many writers, I hold down a day job. Fortunately, I have a great day job with Purdue University that I find rewarding and enjoyable. Earlier this year, I was able to help bring to the great state of Indiana, a federal grant for $15 million to help address some economic development and workforce needs in the north central part of our state. The photo in the upper-right hand corner of this entry was taken of U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and me when I visited Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago.

The initiative is called Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) and if you have any interest, at all, you can read about it here. In Indiana, this initiative will have some tie-in to food. Our project will have a an entrepreneurship component and I hope we will be able to assist food entrepreneurs to start and expand their businesses. It also has a component that focuses on helping to grow the agribusiness/food processing/food technology sector of the region.

In the type of work I do, helping to bring in a $15 million grant is a big deal, maybe a once-in-a-career kind of big deal. So for me, it is a milestone to have been involved. It will also mean more travel for me both in Indiana and across the U.S. which will provide new food experiences about which to write. Stay tuned!    

Boomtown USA

Jack Shutlz is a a guy who understands the impact of independent restaurants and other food entrepreneurs can have on a local community, especially small towns. Jack's focus is broader than food but discusses it frequently on his blog. Today he profiles Suttons Bay Trading Company, an Indiana-based spice blending company. His book Boomtown USA: 7-1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns is available here.

A Working Man's Friend Indeed

It was right there on my Blackberry - "Working Lunch - Nov. 29 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm" along with the names of the three other people attending the meeting and the location in Indianapolis where the meeting was held. I got there on time and we got started on the "work" part of the meeting right away. There was no "lunch" in site. I figured the sandwich tray or boxed lunches would show up around noon but noon came and went. Was I the only one who's stomach was starting its rebellious growl. Soon it was 12:30 then 1:00 pm. Should I say something? I didn't. The meeting dismissed on time and I was on a quest to find food.

I decided to make my way to the Working Man's Friend at 234 N. Belmont Ave. Nuvo describes this place as a "workingman's bar with grub for people who aren't afraid to get a little dirt under their fingernails." Well, I had been a working man all morning and was in desperate need of some grub so bring on the nail dirt. It was well past the lunch hour so I was one of only three other parties eating at what was now 2:00 pm. I decided on the double burger with fries. About seven minutes later when my food came I was glad my earlier meeting didn't include lunch. I'm sure it would have been something like a "Chicken Caesar Wrap" which is okay in its own right but couldn't hold a candle to this burger.

WMF's burgers are of the thin and crispy variety but put to shame most other purveyors of this type of burger. My double hamburger was hot and satisfying keeping me full and content the rest of the day. By dinner time I needed only a bowl of soup to sustain me until morning.

If you've not been there, I urge you to check out WMF. This joint feels welcome to all and during the day you will find a mixed crowd with some dressed in suits and others in coveralls. Hey we're all working men and women and when we're hungry, Working Man's Friend is a great place to be. I've not been there in the evening but it looks like a great venue to watch the Colts or hang out with friends. They are also noted for the fishbowl mugs in which the serve beer. Note that there is no nonsmoking section and they accept only cash.

Cost of the Thanksgiving Meal

Are you familiar with the figure that comes out each year that estimates the cost of a Thanksgiving meal for ten? Here is a press release from the Indiana Farm Bureau. It says that the 10 items typically used in a Thanksgiving meal for ten can be purchased for $35.91 this year. Here are the items on their list:

1. 17-pound turkey
2. stuffing
3. potatoes
4. sweet potatoes
5. rolls
6. peas
7. cranberries
8. fresh carrots and celery for a relish tray
9. pumpkin pie with whipped cream
10. milk

Considerably more than this will be spent on my Thanksgiving meal. Of course, we'll have a fresh, free-range turkey, two kinds of stuffing/dressing (to satisfy both the northerners and southerners of the group), several kinds of pie, and several more side items. They also leave out things like butter, herbs, spices, a bottle of wine, etc. 

Caffeinating the Countryside

Here is an interesting article about Starbuck's strategy to expand to rural communities.

The Day Job

I don't talk much about my day job on this blog. If your curious to know a little about that I do to earn a paycheck, or if you have an interest in economic and community development, read this article from today's Lafayette Journal and Courier.

Free WiFi

I found a good resource here that keeps track of places with free WiFi. They list by state and the list for my state (Indiana) looks pretty up-to-date.

Third Places

I love a great "third place." If you are not familiar with the third place concept check out Ray Oldenburg's (1989) The Great Good Place. These are the coffee shops, restaurants, and other places where we socialize and build community. I'm sitting in one right now, a coffee house, it is one that happens to offer free WiFi. I use third places for work on days when I'm somewhere between my "real" office and home. Here are some of the aspects of third places:

1. Third places provide a place for people to get to know each other.
2. A third place can act as a neutral ground which provides an ease of association.
3. They provide a sorting area where one can meet people with similar interests.
   They bring together people for the first time who may later go on to develop other forms of association.
4. They provide a staging area. It times of crisis people can assemble and arrange ways of helping each other.
5. Third places help create “public characters” – people who seem to know everybody, keep an eye on thing, and welcome others to the neighborhood.
6. They bring together people of all ages.
7. They provide a place for exchanging information.
8. Third places serve as forums for political and social issues.

This sounds a lot like the blog world doesn't it?

Hot Trends for 2005

Entrepreneur magazine has a great article about eight hot trends for 2005. They are:

1. Authenticity - think handcrafted cheese made from local, organic milk.
2. Marketing to Age 35 - mature people are seeking a return to their youth and young people are looking to the future. Market to age 35 and you hit an audience from 19-50.
3. Multitasking and Memory Loss - apparently multitasking is leading to memory loss. Look for memory aids and consultants dealing with the negative effects of multitasking.
4. Obesity - helping people loose weight and helping heavy people live more comfortably.
5. The Third Place - even though Oldenburg has been talking about "third places" since 1989, business are new realizing it is not smart to get people out as quickly as possible. Give people a reason to stay and you also give them a reason to come back (free WiFi, comfy couches, etc.).
6. Snobization - middle-class Americans are the biggest segment of the $400 billion luxury market (projected to grow 15% per year). Even places like Target offer Todd Oldham dorm decor and Michael Graves toasters.
7. Uniqueness - consumers are shopping at niche stores (both online and on the street). From few-of-a-kind clothing to regionally-produced food products, people want to be early adopters and impress their friends with how hip they are.
8. Life Caching - Data will be the stuff dreams are made.Now that people can "click and save" every moment of their lives there is big opportunities in helping people capture, store, and relive their experiences. Blogging is just the beginning of this trend.