My argument against chains is that we can always do better. Everyone knows the formula for an ESPNZone, a few minor tweaks notwithstanding. After the first few have opened up, additional locations can hardly be called new or innovative. I agree that Seaport Square is a better spot for the chains than the Back Bay, but I can't get excited about the prospect of another chain restaurant coming to town, no matter how big its TVs are.
With any blank-slate retail space, why not be truly optimistic and hope an innovative, sui generis place will open, the likes of which nobody in Providence or Chattanooga or Orlando has ever imagined? Something that might open a whole new trend or way of thinking about cuisine, cocktails or decor? Be it a sports bar, coffee shop, steakhouse, or martini bar, a restaurant or bar whose creation involves some original thought has more potential to do that than a Bugaboo Creek or Planet Hollywood or ESPNZone, rolled out according to a safe, tested plan.
Additionally, our patronage of such a place would line the pockets of a local owner, money that would be much more likely to find its way back to Seaport Square or other waterfront parcels in investments. Lydia Shire will always be looking to open a new restaurant in Boston if she has some cash. ESPNZone won't open more than one in Boston. Nor will the owners of ESPNZone be apt to live in the Seaport and have any desire to, say, make a donation toward a better bus shelter or an upgraded basketball court for their kids to play on in the park.
With that said, of course there are people who like ESPNZone, and this seems a better place than Copley (though not as good as Burlington) for it. But the Seaport would stir fewer doubts about its authenticity as a Boston neighborhood, attract more residents and tourists, and ultimately be more successful if it relied on local restaurateurs and entrepreneurs with a vested stake in the area than if it relied on chains that, like B&N in DTX, can pull out without caring much about what a mess they leave behind.
With any blank-slate retail space, why not be truly optimistic and hope an innovative, sui generis place will open, the likes of which nobody in Providence or Chattanooga or Orlando has ever imagined? Something that might open a whole new trend or way of thinking about cuisine, cocktails or decor? Be it a sports bar, coffee shop, steakhouse, or martini bar, a restaurant or bar whose creation involves some original thought has more potential to do that than a Bugaboo Creek or Planet Hollywood or ESPNZone, rolled out according to a safe, tested plan.
Additionally, our patronage of such a place would line the pockets of a local owner, money that would be much more likely to find its way back to Seaport Square or other waterfront parcels in investments. Lydia Shire will always be looking to open a new restaurant in Boston if she has some cash. ESPNZone won't open more than one in Boston. Nor will the owners of ESPNZone be apt to live in the Seaport and have any desire to, say, make a donation toward a better bus shelter or an upgraded basketball court for their kids to play on in the park.
With that said, of course there are people who like ESPNZone, and this seems a better place than Copley (though not as good as Burlington) for it. But the Seaport would stir fewer doubts about its authenticity as a Boston neighborhood, attract more residents and tourists, and ultimately be more successful if it relied on local restaurateurs and entrepreneurs with a vested stake in the area than if it relied on chains that, like B&N in DTX, can pull out without caring much about what a mess they leave behind.
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