Citing high food prices and availability concerns, some Athens restaurant owners say the “locavore” bug is tough to catch.
The 30 Mile Meal Plan has its model restaurants, such as Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery and Casa Nueva, that feature a wide variety of local food options.
But some restaurants participating in the plan have menus comprising as little as 10 percent local fare, restaurant owners and county officials have said.
And without any sort of vigorous monitoring system in place, meal plan administrators have no way of knowing how many local ingredients are purchased by a restaurant, said Paige Alost, executive director of the Athens County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
The meal plan is a joint venture by the bureau and the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks. Alost said the plan has more than 140 members.
The range of participation is pretty widespread: Some restaurants have menus that offer predominantly locally sourced foods, and others only participate in 30 Mile Meal’s Restaurant Week in July.
“There isn’t a specific number of (local) ingredients (restaurants have to use),” Alost said. “They just have to try to source locally.”
But Bob Satmary, owner of O’Betty’s Red Hot! Dogs and Sausages, 15 W. State St., said he can only try so hard.
Money is tight and local ingredients can be costly, Satmary said, admitting his local offering pales in comparison to some of the meal plan’s “heavy hitters.”
Satmary said a small percentage of his meats, buns and vegetables come from local sources.
“Year-round, (our local selection) is not that great,” he said. “I’d say right now it’s about 10 to 15 percent (local), which is not that much.”
That’s a challenge familiar to Josh Thomas, co-owner of Brenen’s Coffee Café & Deli, 38 S. Court St., who participates in the meal plan.
Thomas said he buys local tea, oats and salsa, which comprise a small percentage of his total food product.
But Thomas sees his business as a supplier, as well, because about 80 percent of its bread is made in-house.
“We participate in any way we can, by just buying a couple products … that are definitely made right here in Athens,” Thomas said. “It works really well for sit-down restaurants that are serving more of a full meal … We just don’t have the ability to do it.”
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