If you have noticed number of restaurants changing owners and locations or closing up shop in Creston, you’re not alone.
In a small town like Creston, losing restaurants greatly affects the community, with fewer places to enjoy a bite to eat.
Melanie Joy, the President of the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce, says the current economic climate can effect running a restaurant in the valley, but that might not always be the case.
“Businesses can close or change for various reasons. It’s usually a multifaceted decision when they do. It’s always a tough one for any business owner to change,” explained Joy.
“Sometimes it’s due to retirement though, and we celebrate that. Sometimes owners just may decide to do something different, but there are some common challenges that we’ve been hearing at the Chamber of Commerce”
She says one of the biggest struggles is the ongoing housing crisis and how it can hinder the hiring process.
“The cost of rentals and the scarcity of available places to rent are two of the most discussed issues, here in Creston. When employees are making minimum wage, for example, it becomes so hard for them to afford a place to live right now. ”
Joy explains finding a balance between employee pay, the cost of business, and fair prices is tricky.
“The cost of the employees is rising, the minimum wage increases, mandatory sick pay, they all add to it, and while business owners are pretty keen to pay their staff fairly, I think it’s something we all strive for, but the added costs have to be recognized.”
“It’s a delicate balance between fair compensation and the financial viability of the businesses, so that can be a real struggle for some of the business owners out there.”
Joy says the rising cost of produce and products has also had an impact.
“The rising food costs affect them, and the restaurants are in a tough spot because they need to cover the costs, but they also want to keep the menu prices reasonable so that dining out remains that attractive option for customers. ”
However, despite the challenges, Joy says opening a new restaurant in a small town like Creston can be successful and rewarding.
“I think it’s always a good thing when a business opens. And you can tell especially on Facebook which is the good majority of Creston Valley is there is how excited people get when a new restaurant opens. It’s just so great to see.”
” I think food is very important to people in their lives and especially in Creston,” adds Joy.
“Any time that there’s a new place that opens up or something different I think that Creston is really good about supporting their local businesses.
She encourages anyone looking into entering the restaurant business to find a niche that is not being filled in the valley.
“Not only does it make the community excited and wanting to support that business but also you are just attracting maybe a different kind of customer or it just offers that little bit of diversity that in a small town is sometimes difficult to get. So the more places that we get that have different options, it’s just really nice for the community to have that.”
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