Dennis Serpone, New
England Restaurant Brokers

Gas stations, convenience stores, and coffee shops are on every street corner in almost every city in our country.

Why do they thrive? Why are they so busy?

The 9-5 working class has been complemented by the self-employed, the under-employed, or the unemployed. Within that traditional working class there are those who hold two jobs, working at odd hours. Suffice to say the roads are busy 20 or more hours per day. Have you ever been on Rtes. 93 or 95 at 2:00 am (those coming home from late shifts) or 5:00 am (those going to work)?

The traditional way that those that grew up and worked in the 1950s, 1960s, and to some extent, the 1970s, in the context of the nuclear family with family breakfast and dinner together is long gone. That idyllic world has been supplanted by single parent households, unstructured working hours, and the ease of eating outside the home.

Obesity is rampant in our country for numerous reasons...but three to consider is first the result of women, and men, not being taught by their parents, or parent, how to cook, second the corporate influence of the constant bombardment of food commercials on television and third the path of least resistance, buying food ‘outside’ the home. Those people with iphones, notebooks, and computers make ordering food easy and convenient...just call and pick it up, or even easier, have it delivered.

For the most part, our population has the money, either from being employed or from public assistance; the problem lies in our choices of what we buy. That which satisfies our desires may be gratifying but not healthy.

Subsequently the growth of restaurants in general has been explosive, but more so at the ‘low tech’/fast food level. Case in point, I interviewed a pizza shop owner in Waltham who was investigating the procedure involved with selling his business. When asked why he wanted to sell, his response was shocking. He explained that when he bought his store 10 years earlier, there were only 11 pizza shops that were servicing the local population. He went on to explain that there were now 26 pizza shops that he was directly competing with, including pizza shops in the neighboring towns that delivered into Waltham. He went on to say that his weekly sales dropped precipitously from $19,000 per week to only $8,000 per week today.

The classic ‘mom & pop’ pizza shop is being supplanted by the more modern, franchised and corporate pizza and sub entities, with the basic business model enhanced and infused with beer, wine, and liquor.

I attended the grand opening of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Reading, next to Jordan’s Furniture. At 6:00 pm othere was a 90 minute wait for a table. At 9:00 pm there were still people waiting to be seated. Even though the pizza was expensive for the area, and drink prices a little on the high side, it had a big busy bar and huge parking lot. This new place is going to be stiff competition for all the pizza operators in the surrounding towns...especially those that don’t serve at least beer and wine. Anthony’s has another unit at University Station shopping center in Westwood and 52 other units scattered around the country. Could they be the evolving face of pizza pubs?

The other major staple for those that don’t eat at home are burger places. Who hasn’t dropped in for lunch, dinner, or a late night snack at any of the plethora of burger joints from the McDonalds and Burger Kings to the Wild Willy’s Burgers, Wahlburgers, or Tasty Burgers and everything in between. Much like the evolution of burgers from ‘just burgers’ to salads, burgers, and booze, the competition is becoming severe. How do you compete with the brand presence of Wahlburgers?

Whether it’s fast food and snacks, casual dining, or the full service experience, the majority of people have embraced eating away from home, eating without the rest of the family as a way of life.

Small business is truly the lifeblood of our country and needs to be protected from government over-regulation and infused with all the motivators it takes to sustain its growth. As long as a family unit with only one parent, as long as both parents work, as long as we have 47 million people on food stamps, obesity will be a problem and they’ll be fed at our ever-expanding away-from-home food outlets.

God bless the creator of the french fry.

Dennis Serpone is president of New England Restaurant Brokers, Wakefield, Mass.