Coco's is closing soon.....

[Walt]

So, I hope that I have not come off as Doomsday, that was not my intention. All I am saying is that we all need to remember this is a tourist town, and yes the economy is bad, and yes the pie is cut into many pieces, but the restaurants of 30A (and Sowal) are a gem that many towns don't have, there are wonderfully locally owned businesses up and down 30A, and minus a Starbucks or two and one subway and there are no cookie cutter corporations, and I think that is worth organizing a campaign around. Now what that means I don't know, but I am willing to participate in finding out.

(As Rapunzal brought up) I lived in Austin when the Keep Austin weird campaign was conceptualized and I think a campaign about 30A would be good for the area. "Keep it on 30A, or Keep it local or something, or of course including all of Sowal. (Keep South Walton local)

There are tons of great things we can do that do not include accepting local businesses closing. I am not against chains or corporations, but 30A offers so much more and we need to get people thinking about that.

The taste of 30A was a great idea, progressive dinners would be fun, or everyone offering a theme for a month like game meats for the month of November. It is beautiful out there.

 

[ItzKatzTime]

Telling visitors about great places so they don't go to chain restaurants because they don't know about the alternatives and dining out yourself (even if it's a happy hour special) is the best way to keep the restaurants going.

BINGO!​

scooterbug....it's really always been about word of mouth. Back in 1995 when we first opened D&K's Little New Orleans Cafe where Tango has been now...longer then we were, everyone laughed at us and thought we were crazy...that we wouldn't make it in the "Boon Docks" :funn: I'm sure Cafe Tango can get a big laugh at that too....as their clientel is incredible! We were called the "Match Box Cafe"....but the talk around town, the consistent word of mouth kept us not only busy but a reservation list up to 3-5 weeks out. It helped to have only 9 tables.;-)

Well, we've done it again with the "New and Renovated D&K's" and we've been pounded pretty hard by some....but we're still going and I look to the future with bright hopes. When we have no room left on those busy nights we send to other restaurants....sometimes calling ahead for them. AND, others do that for us too! Thank you so much, you know who you are!!!!

I only wish we could have been more open sooner. Yes, the real estate market set off the domino effect. Owners knew it was coming but just dealing on a day to day basis keeping a restaurant open you sometimes lose sight of the big picture. Well, we now find ourselves in the big picture with a huge frame around us.

Bless each and everyone of you out there....let's keep the line of communication open. We at D&K are really trying to work on Specials, as I know many of you are....so let's stick together and help when we can! I do know that all my Christmas shopping will be done in our area. I can't say that for a teenage daughter....although she's been doing pretty well.

It's the month of THANKSGIVING so anyone who needs help please feel free to let someone know!!!!!

 

[SGB]

I have wanted to get together with restaurant owners for about 6 months now to discuss this, but with Doug's health delima have not been able to get it together. I think Paja is right we need to do something. And that something is all hang together. It will take some major action....T-Shirts are cool. I don't think locals can keep all of us open and running through out the year....too many of us now. But word of mouth to tourists has always been what works for us.

How about creating a nice booklet of the restaurants in the 30A area, with a map? It should include all the restaurants, not just those that pay to advertise. We have a notebook in our rental house where we put information about the area and plastic sleeves that hold menus we collect from the restaurants we go to. I also have a list in the front of the notebook of our personal favorites, all along 30A. It is hard to keep up with the opening and closing of restaurants although I'm constantly trying to remove or add menus when I can. (I need a new one for D&K, the one I had has disappeared!) If there was a nice booklet with consistent information, that summarized the type of food, a food price range, and setting or environment, and is easily kept up to date, all the the rental companies would be eager to place them in their houses. Perhaps one page per restaurant with photos, samples of the menu, etc. I know there are menu books available already, but I think they are in the whole Destin/Sowal area, and aren't very informative.

The renters that I talk with aren't generally very interested in going to Sandestin for dinner. They'd rather know about and frequent the restaurants that are closer to the house (our rental house is in Seagrove). They are usually pretty tired after a day at the beach and don't want to go far. At our house, we usually have families with small children, so casual places that the adults can get good food, but that don't mind kids and will put together kid food, are the most asked about. In my experience, they aren't very interested in chain restaurants that they can go to at home. The great restaurants in the area are part of what makes it special and keeps bringing people back here. If they close up, then we're just another beach destination and those tourist dollars go elsewhere.

 

[Indigo Jill]

That was just a suggestion of how to help them along - as you said, in the long run, they need you and many visitors dropping $ which is why you need to spread the word about how wonderful they are!

YES - keep on spreading the word is the best route for sure, especially to the snowbirds now and tourists in the on season and until locals can find their footing again in the wake of the new economy here. Maybe restaurants should consider banding together to do some marketing? Marketing costs can be huge - but if you all pool your money together, and band together, you may be able to stretch your marketing/advertising dollar!

I'm not trying to be doomsday - I'm just frustrated that people lost their minds with the whole real estate run up which has really changed the dynamic of the area.

 

[CPort]

Why anyone would go to a chain in Destin or PC down there is beyond me, I really tryed back in Sept. when my friends came down to direct them to D& K's and others. In the end they went to a chain close to their condo.How boring is that??

 

[Indigo Jill]

Why anyone would go to a chain in Destin or PC down there is beyond me, I really tryed back in Sept. when my friends came down to direct them to D& K's and others. In the end they went to a chain close to their condo.How boring is that??

As I said earlier, never underestimate the power of a brand. A popular brand has the power - it is a truly unbelievable thing.

In that thread, if someone can figure out how to "brand" the restaurants of 30A as a group - think outside the box here 30A restauranteurs - you could generate interest away from the big brands that have recently moved in.

 

[Walt]

As I said earlier, never underestimate the power of a brand. A popular brand has the power - it is a truly unbelievable thing.

In that thread, if someone can figure out how to "brand" the restaurants of 30A as a group - think outside the box here 30A restauranteurs - you could generate interest away from the big brands that have recently moved in.

Exactly Indigo Jill now... how to do that

 

[rapunzel]

How about something like -- 30-A, Where the old ways are the new ways.

We were watching this documentary about Wal-Mart the other night -- about how some funky small towns were trying to keep out chains and Wal-Mart came in and used freedom and property rights and ads with images of Nazis burning books to overturn the laws against chains. The conclusion of the documentary was that what attracted people to these mom and pop enclaves was the spirit of community they embodied, and that they begin to decline when the chains come in and the mom and pops close, but the growth trend is toward the mom and pops, the places that are a little off-beat and different.

So, while the rest of the country looks more and more the same, like the Geography of Nowhere, people will be attracted to the places with a sense of place.

As far as branding the restaurants -- well, there is this call in show about food on the radio every afternoon in New Orleans hosted by Tom Fitzmorris. New Orleanians are obsessed with good food, and are quick to point out that the food in every other city or town in the country with the exception of New York and to a lesser extent Chicago is pathetic. There is one other exception mentioned -- 30-A. There is a such thing as foodie tourism. Further, the reputation of the "brand", or the seeds of it, are already there to be built upon.

 

[Jonathan]

So sorry to hear about Coco's. We really love eating there.

 

[olive]

I like the direction you are going. There are some of the most talented chefs and service staff you can find on 30A. Am and I plan our vacations around where we want to eat. I'm sure we are not the only ones.

I also like Indigo Jill's idea on collaborative marketing. Advertising is very expensive and something like that could definitely help. One of the things we love about this area is how all of the restaurants tend to work together. We lend each other supplies especially during the off-season. We also tend to be very open to giving advice and support. I think that sets this area apart and could make a collaborative markeing effort successful.

How about something like -- 30-A, Where the old ways are the new ways.

We were watching this documentary about Wal-Mart the other night -- about how some funky small towns were trying to keep out chains and Wal-Mart came in and used freedom and property rights and ads with images of Nazis burning books to overturn the laws against chains. The conclusion of the documentary was that what attracted people to these mom and pop enclaves was the spirit of community they embodied, and that they begin to decline when the chains come in and the mom and pops close, but the growth trend is toward the mom and pops, the places that are a little off-beat and different.

So, while the rest of the country looks more and more the same, like the Geography of Nowhere, people will be attracted to the places with a sense of place.

As far as branding the restaurants -- well, there is this call in show about food on the radio every afternoon in New Orleans hosted by Tom Fitzmorris. New Orleanians are obsessed with good food, and are quick to point out that the food in every other city or town in the country with the exception of New York and to a lesser extent Chicago is pathetic. There is one other exception mentioned -- 30-A. There is a such thing as foodie tourism. Further, the reputation of the "brand", or the seeds of it, are already there to be built upon.