Convenient local shopping, food scene discussed at quarterly luncheon

The quarterly Chamber of Commerce luncheon on April 26 had a common theme throughout: keeping local.

Blake Patterson, a principal of Lakeshore Benefit Alliance and cofounder of the new online community shopping hub, OutKlick, began the luncheon by discussing the new “digital mall community.” Together with Telegraph Creative, he introduced the concept to Mountain Brook earlier this year as a way to fight the “Amazon effect” and provide the ease of online shopping for local brick and mortar stores.

By putting everything on one “hub,” people are able to search for what they want to buy and are then redirected to a store’s website.

The website for OutKlick Mountain Brook is set to go live in early June, followed by the app in late June. He’s also started working on integrating Alliance, a secondary insurance company, with Outklick per the request of Suzan Doidge, executive director of the chamber.

By merging the two concepts, stores participating in OutKlick would be able to opt into Alliance Secondary — known as Outsure through the OutKlick program — and help provide employees with healthcare coverage at a fraction of the cost. And the goal is to help keep more dollars local and encourage spending within city limits.

Patterson was then followed by a discussion of the local food scene by a panel of restauranteurs.

The panel — which was moderated by Paul DeMarco — consisted of Will Haver, owner of Taco Mama and Otey’s Tavern; Ralph Yarbrough, owner of Crestline Bagel and Crestline Catering; Carole Griffin, owner of Continental Bakery and Chez Lulu; and Tom Sheffer, owner of Avo & Dram, Jackson’s and his newest restaurant, Icehouse. A second location of Crestline Bagel also opened in February.

Questions touched on all aspects of restaurant ownership, but would return to focus on how Mountain Brook’s food scene differs from other cities and how it has changed over the years.

When looking back, all agreed the city and the food scene have grown, and Griffin said this was in part due to support given by the chamber, the city and the community. Compared to surrounding cities, panelists believe Birmingham is in a good standing for food and food lovers.

Yarbrough mentioned that some restaurants may be concerned about competition, but the general consensus was, as Haver said, “ … great restaurants beget great restaurants.”

Sheffer agreed, but said he does believe there is a point of “over saturation” of restaurants that cities can reach. “Restaurants are not immune to the laws of economics,” he said, which could bring about evolutionary changes in restaurants. 

He mentioned the idea that in the future, restaurants may be in unconventional or nontraditional venues, citing that people can now eat at convenience or grocery stores, like Western Supermarket or Kroger in Tennessee. But the panel also touched on another concept they see more in the future of restaurants: delivery.

While they acknowledged it is an important aspect of the industry — and Griffin said it goes “hand in hand with what they do” — they have found it difficult to leave the quality of their product and the customer’s experience in the hand of another company.

“[If something is wrong] you’re going to get blamed. The customer is not going to blame the delivery system — they’re going to blame you,” Haver said.

But in the coming years, the panel didn’t see the brick and mortar restaurant disappearing. It may change, moving into nontraditional venues, as Sheffer said, or utilizing more delivery services, but they believe customers still get enjoyment from going out with family or friends for a meal.

Griffin said too that she’s hoping to see more “mom and pop” ethnic restaurants, much like what Atlanta has gained recently.

But still, “Mountain Brook is ahead of the curve,” Yarbrough said.

Mayor Stewart Welch also took the time to speak about the Mountain Brook Restaurant Trail, in which he challenged both himself and locals to expand their palette and eat at every restaurant within city limits by Dec.1.

After starting at the first of the year, ambassador and nutritionist Abby Nevins became the first person to complete the trail of 49 restaurants. Welch then challenged her to do the trail twice, agreeing to do it himself, as well.

The next Chamber of Commerce luncheon will be held on Sept. 26 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Learn more about OutKlick at outklick.com and the Restaurant Trail at mtnbrookchamber.org.