Community sinks teeth into Bloomington

People came from near and far to try food at this year’s Taste of Bloomington festival, but there was more than just local food.

The 32nd annual Taste of Bloomington festival took place this Saturday at Showers Common in downtown Bloomington and offered attendees the chance to try food from several restaurants in the area.

“The restaurant scene in Bloomington is just so different,” Taste of Bloomington co-director Ron Stanhouse said. “A lot of these local restaurants have been here for 20 or 30 years.”

Restaurants were accepted into the Taste of Bloomington on a first-come, first-served basis and there was an application fee, Stanhouse said.

The event acted as a fundraiser for several organizations, including, but not limited to, the Community Kitchen and the Bloomington Independent Restaurant Association.

Taste of Bloomington received positive reactions, especially from Bloomington native and IU graduate Claire Kruschke.

“Seeing the whole town come together was amazing,” she said. “It really gave you the opportunity to see the community at its best.”

Kruschke, who had never before attended Taste of Bloomington, said she felt the event portrayed a “microcosm of Bloomington life and culture.”

The festival’s goal was to showcase the independent restaurants of Bloomington, Stanhouse said. The 45 participating restaurants sold signature items in miniature portions, and at modest prices.

Restaurant chains have the upper hand in marketing, Stanhouse said. Taste of Bloominton is a means of getting smaller, independent names out.

“Taste of Bloomington is just sort of a way to level the playing field,” he said.
Hartzell’s Ice Cream owner Hilary Martel said she agreed.

Student congestion and the parking meters have been a deterrent for county residents to visit the downtown area where Hartzell’s is located. A lot of potential consumers didn’t know of the small ice cream shop or its whereabouts, Martel said.

“There was a great turnout this year,” she said of Hartzell’s third consecutive appearance at the festival. “It really allowed us to market ourselves to people who have never even heard of us.”

While the majority of restaurants were local, restaurant giants like Texas Roadhouse and Noodles & Company also made appearances.

In the past, Bloomington officials have discussed the issue of local versus chain restaurants in the community.  Recently, city council amended the standardized business ordinance, which places restrictions on chain restaurants seeking property in the downtown area.

Local restaurants, tied closely to the community and with few locations, are able to cater to consumers in many ways, Martel said.

One drawback of chain restaurants is they often can’t mold their style or business around the consumer because it would mean deviating from their business model.
But Hartzell’s has a suggestion box for customers to request changes or additions to the business.

The most prominent issue in the local versus food chain restaurant debate is keeping money local, Martel said.

“Whatever county you spend your dollars is in is where your taxes go,” she said. “Local restaurants oftentimes buy local products to keep their money within their borders.”

She said chains often buy supplies in bulk from wherever is cheapest. If a chain in Bloomington buys its supplies from Orange County, Calif., then that money is then displaced from the community. Local businesses don’t usually have to worry about that.

The debate doesn’t totally favor local restaurants, though. While the idea of keeping money local aids the community as a whole, it doesn’t mean much to the individual consumer.

Because they often buy cheaply in bulk, chain restaurants are able to keep prices lower than most local venues and offer extravagant deals to customers.

Texas Roadhouse, a chain restaurant in Bloomington, offers free meals to children every Monday, Texas Roadhouse store marketer Jordan Thompson said.

They were even able to bring those deals to Taste of Bloomington with their massively popular half-gallon sweet tea.

“Anyone who bought a half-gallon of sweet tea from us last night can bring in their jug any Friday this summer and get another one for free an unlimited number of times,” Thompson said Sunday. “We really give our customers more bang for their buck.”

And though they can’t alter their business model to fit individual needs like a local restaurant, chains can bring in community involvement.

“We do fundraising and have several community involvement events a year,” Thompson said.

The idea of local versus chain restaurants in no way hindered the efforts of the festival. Members from both sides were pleased with the marketing opportunity Taste of Bloomington gave them.

“The Taste of Bloomington was awesome, and I can’t wait to be a part of it again next year,” Thompson said.