If I Eat at a Chain Restaurant, Does That Make Me a Bad Local Advocate?

What do you do when living your ideals feels impossible?

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedApril 18, 2023local food, localism, advocacy, local business, restaurants

Oftentimes, people in rural settings drive long distances to bigger towns to find community engagement. This renovated soda fountain shop shows why it’s worth looking for that sense of community a little closer to home.

Philadelphia Embraced Outdoor Dining. Until It Didn’t.

Philadelphia is a great place to visit, but not because it’s a great place to park. City officials don’t seem to see it that way, though, given the recent restrictions placed on its outdoor dining program.

Baltimore Wants Permanent Parklets

Baltimore’s department of transportation is considering making the city’s temporary outdoor dining “parklets” a permanent fixture.

News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJanuary 19, 2023parklet, Third Places, restaurants, maryland

Finding the Pulse of My Hometown

Our Neighborhood Storyteller visits her hometown to both mourn and celebrate the changes that have happened there over the years.

Top StoryKarla TheilenDecember 4, 2022small towns, local business, restaurants, minnesota

Home Business: In Rovinj, Croatia, a Peek at What's Possible

A visit to a home restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia, shows the kind of small businesses and good urbanism that we could have in the U.S. if we just relaxed our zoning codes.

No, We Still Don't Need Drive-Throughs

Don't let your city's leaders backtrack on good urban design practice because of the pandemic.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 21, 2020Taco Johns, restaurants, car culture

The Final Straw? Coffee Shops in the Time of COVID-19

The suburban development pattern has been putting enormous pressure on small businesses for decades. Now with the pandemic, the razor’s edge of survival somehow got even narrower.

Top StoryChristian ElliottAugust 11, 2020Food Week, restaurants, coffee shops, covid, illinois

For Restaurants in the Pandemic, Immense Challenges...and a Glimmer of Hope

Three restaurant workers—a bartender, owner and server—help us better understand how the coronavirus is impacting the restaurant industry.

Top StoryRachel QuednauAugust 10, 2020Food Week, restaurants, covid

Reopening Your Community: How to Get Good Decisions Across the Finish Line

Many small businesses are in the fight of their lives. Here are 8 practical tips on how to get the right things done on their behalf...and ours.

Top StoryQuint StuderMay 29, 2020business, restaurants, open streets

How Driving Ruins Local Flavor

A new study shows that car-dependent cities have fewer independent restaurants. This not only makes our places weaker, it makes them less interesting too.

Top StoryJoe CortrightFebruary 20, 2020restaurants, local food, car culture

Helping Local Restaurants Flourish through Social Enterprise

Marian Liou is the founder of We Love BuHi, a social enterprise organization, that helps to showcase local ethnic restaurants and works with restaurant owners to build a better neighborhood.