Independent Restaurants

of America

The Independent Restaurants of America is a non-profit organization with a clear and simple mission: to uphold and support the Independent Restaurants of America. This is a LOT easier said than done.

What is "the Battle"? Well, it is unfortunate that it has come to this, but the situation is, indeed, a battle. The Independent Restaurants of America are in dire straits. Every year the chains grow stronger in their buying power, driving prices up for the independents and down for themselves. This economic inequity, when combined with the deeper national pockets of the chains, snowballs into scheduling consistency and other issues that are very hard to overcome. The central problem is that the average American diner cannot tell the difference between the food of a great chef in their own restaurant and the mass production lower quality of a chain. It is a sad situation, because the money given to the Independent stays in the community but the Chain's headquarters is far away.

The differences between a Chain and an Independent are VAST. Most importantly, the Chef. The Chef's life is dedicated to the cuisine and to making customers happy and giving them safe and delicious creative food. The Chain has only one goal: profit, and no chef (except perhaps in the central office), using instead Kitchen Managers to insure consistency. Consistency at the expense of creativity. Herein lies the problem. Chains propagate mediocrity while independents fight for creativity and new ideas. There would be no chains without the creative work of chefs....yet they threaten to destroy them.

Even some Chefs do not understand this battle. I hesitate to use the word "traitor", but someone like Tyler Florence, who gives his name as a chef to Applebees is unknowingly providing them with support through a chef's credibility. The average member of society cannot tell the difference and thinks that their neighborhood Applebees has a Chef in the kitchen. The problem worsens.

All around us hundreds of chains are opening while great independents close. The Culinary World itself is threatened. Someone has to do something. That is why we started this organization.

We must unite. If there are a hundred independent restaurants all working alone and struggling...what if they were to combine their strengths? What if they supported each other? Then we could truly educate the public and try to improve independent restaurants all working alone and struggling...what if they were to combine their strengths? What if they supported each other? Then we could truly educate the public and try to improve our situation.

The Battle is for the survival of true Culinary Arts. The Battlefield is America's Medium-Sized Cities. We need not worry about tiny towns or huge cities, it is in that medium city where we really see the trends and it is here that we must focus.

Who can Join the "Independent Restaurants of America"? Anyone who owns, manages, or is employed by an Independent Restaurant; any Purveyor who works primarily with Independent Restaurants. It is FREE for now...after we build a base we will need to do fundraising to help in the educational process.

So, simply click on the link below to add your name and restaurant to our roster and join the battle.

Sign up for the Fight