Chamber: Kirkwood chains OK to stay

Panda Express, Chipotle, Noodles & Company and other downtown restaurant chains are safe – for now.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday they would not restrict the number of chains or formula-based restaurants allowed on Kirkwood Avenue and the Courthouse Square.

This statement comes in response from a soon-to-be-proposed ordinance that Mayor Mark Kruzan formulated.

In Kruzan’s April 29 State of the City address, he discussed how protecting locally owned and operated businesses is at the top of his list.

“Local enterprises are what will get this country through the recession,” Kruzan said. “They are the cradle of entrepreneurial spirit. ... Our message is not that chain business are not welcome – they, after all, employ people and satisfy demand – but we want to encourage a climate that fosters local first.”

Following his address, Kruzan put together a group to work toward drafting an ordinance to limit the number of chains and formula-based restaurants in the downtown area, which could also be expanded to Fourth Street, said Morgan Hutton, director of advocacy for the Chamber of Commerce.

On Tuesday, however, the Chamber of Commerce stated that it does not support the possibility of the proposed ordinance.

“It is in the process of being brought forward,” Hutton said. “It probably won’t be (presented) until after the first of the year.

The group will meet for the second time on Dec. 8.

The Chamber of Commerce found several points of concern including proven history that chains do not compete against local business, according to a press release. The Chamber does not see a future threat to the look of the downtown area nor a reason that would justify new legislation.

Larry Webb, Cafe Pizzaria co-owner and co-manager, has watched businesses move
in and out of Kirkwood Avenue since he started managing in 1972.

“They haven’t affected anything as far as I know,” he said. “A hundred of them might.
The more that come has to affect someone, but one restaurant probably wouldn’t hurt us. They’ve come and gone over the years.”

The biggest effect chains have caused is parking issues downtown, Webb said.

“The whole problem down here is that we don’t have parking,” he said. “I worry about losing more parking than I do about chains.”

Likewise, Matt Beall, manager of the Laughing Planet Cafe, hasn’t felt the effect of
chain restaurants on local business.

Chipotle and Laughing Planet Cafe serve similar food but attract different audiences.

“Generally, I don’t think (chains) affect us all that much. We haven’t even noticed Chipotle,” Beall said. “We’re more local and in the community, more than just a name.”

However, fellow restaurateur David Webb, co-owner and co-manager of Cafe Pizzaria with his father Larry Webb, said that students go to chains more often.

“People only eat at chains because they are the ones who can advertise daily and offer deals,” he said.

The Chamber also found fault with the vague definition of the word “chain” or “formula-based” restaurant. Without a clear definition, chains like Noodles & Company or BuffaLouie’s could fall under the axe of the ordinance, too.

“We have a lot of local businesses that started here and that have expanded,” Hutton said. “If they have one location in Indianapolis, does that consider them a chain?”