As a student, it can be hard to find food options that are accessible, high-quality, and budget-friendly. Sometimes, a meal has to be whatever you can find the fastest, cheapest, and easiest; often just seen as one more task to get “done” on a busy day. But, when considering your choice as a consumer, local restaurants can meet your needs and more. They are definitely worthwhile, often having tastier food and a higher value for the money spent. This blog post will discuss the value of choosing to support local restaurants in the Madison area when you decide to eat out, highlighting some amazing places to eat near campus!
Student life can get very busy, therefore efficiency is usually the highest priority in making decisions about food. A student’s budget is also a huge factor that comes into consideration when making food choices. When you choose to eat out at a chain restaurant, it may feel more efficient and cheap, but that is not always the case, and it is not always the most satisfying. With a lot of chain restaurants opening up on State Street in the past couple of years, it brings both competition for local restaurants and an important choice for students and other potential restaurant patrons to make. For example, whether to get Chipotle, Cane’s, Jimmy Johns or to stop by locally-owned Chen’s Dumpling House, Estacion Inka, or Parthenon Gyros to name a few. Although some items on the menu at these local restaurant examples may be out of the average student’s normal budget, all three of them offer more reasonably priced dishes along with fast, high-quality service.
At Estacion Inka, located on University Ave., you can get bang for your buck with daily Lunch Specials where you can get one of their signature dishes like Pollo a la Brasa con Arroz Blanco y Frijoles Negros (Grilled Chicken with White Rice and Black Beans) for $8.99. The classic Gyro at Parthenon, located on State St., is jam-packed with the flavors of their house-made ingredients, is $9.95, and Chen’s Dumplings has an extensive menu with lots of options for very reasonable prices.
Dining locally, as opposed to chain restaurants, has many benefits. When you choose a local restaurant you are investing in the community. And oftentimes, you will find more fresh and higher quality ingredients–likely from local sources– and a personal experience and a connection with your community members. So the next time you are thinking about eating out, consider going local for great food and valuable connections.
WASB’s own Sophie Rewey has developed an appreciation for local businesses through her job at Short Stack Eatery. Rewey finds it beneficial to work at an independent establishment because it allows for flexibility, support, and collaboration among and between staff and management. When considering the employee experience in the service industry, which Rewey has provided some insight into, there is an aspect of accountability that comes with being a business owner in your local community that you also share with your employees. Rewey finds that working in a non-corporate business makes it “easier to communicate the staff’s needs to [her] boss and managers.” In local restaurants, employees and managers work more closely and have the opportunity to connect and collaborate more deeply and independently than
perhaps chain restaurants that are overseen by large management bodies that are disconnected from the nearby community.
Rewey argues that the high quality of food and drink at Short Stack makes it worth a couple of extra dollars. In a thoughtful consideration of cost, Rewey commented that, although, “it can cost more than a chain restaurant, [...] supporting local businesses is healthier for you and [supports] local industry.” A large majority of food and drink ingredients at Short Stack are from local Madison organizations and farms, in addition to their pastries and bread made in-house or locally sourced. Because of this, Rewey argues that the quality of food at Short Stack and other local restaurants is much better than that of their chain counterparts. Investing in your local community is worthwhile for the high quality and freshness of food in your meal, and for the greater good. Sophie Rewey’s favorite thing on the menu is a tie between the sweet potato short stack and the breakfast sammy on the Stella’s Roll. Short Stack Eatery is located on the corner of W. Johnson St. and N. Henry St.
And finally, here is a collection of some WASB members’ favorite local restaurants in Madison:
One of Ava Schumway’s favorite places on campus is Taiwan Little Eats, on State St., and she loves the popcorn chicken meal. Ave also recommends breakfast at Sunroom Cafe & Machiques City Restaurant and Bassett Street Brunch Club.
Anna Staresinic highly recommends Madison Sourdough near the east side of Madison, for the best sourdough loaves ever.
Claudia Delgado’s recommendations for delicious local eats are Sol's on the Square, Korean food on E. Mifflin St. or Ha Long Bay for Thai food, and Buraka for Ethiopian food, both located on E. Williamson St.
Danielle Anderson’s favorite spot is The Globe, on N. Henry St., and her favorite thing on the menu is the Tic-tac Curry with Tofu.
Elena Tomchek recommends Ramen Kid, on Gilman St., and her order is the Shoyu Ramen.
And finally, I highly recommend Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry located on N. Frances St. for the best burgers in town, or Gotham New York Bagels & Eats on E. Mifflin St. for the most delicious bagel breakfast sandwich.
By Sara Browne
CCE Team, Bucky’s Wellness Workshop Co-Chair