In Defense of Chains: Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q

More than once here at Bites, I believe that I've come across as a bit of a chain apologist when it comes to new restaurants. Now, I hate soulless commissary food as much as anybody, but I just don't abandon a favorite restaurant because they are part of a series of locations. For example, I love

for many reasons. Pat Martin is a good friend of mine, but if I didn't like his food, I would just hang out and drink beer with him closer to town instead of shlepping all the way out to Nolensville for a redneck taco. But now that he has expanded with

and will soon open an outpost in Mt. Juliet, should I stop patronizing his establishment because it is now part of a "chain"?

Edley's is also a great place to enjoy a creative sandwich or some brisket on one of the best decks in my neighborhood, but now that they are sharing their food with East Nashvillians, should 12South denizens turn their collective noses up on them? Personally, I hope that many locally owned restaurants make good enough food to expand and become successful chains at a regional or national level. And I understand the argument that chains supposedly funnel profits out of our local market back to corporate headquarters somewhere, but when you consider the low return on investment that most restaurants operate at and the large initial investment required to open, the vast majority of restaurant revenue stays in the market in the form of employee wages, rent or construction costs, food and supply purchases and taxes. So while it's even better if the corporate headquarters are located in the state, the main economic impact flows through to the local economy no matter what.

On the flip side, I really don't like Whitts Barbecue, but not because they are a chain (which they are) or despite the fact that they are locally based (which they also are.) I just don't like the choices they make in how they cook their pork and the sauces they offer. That's totally my opinion, and good for you if you love them. If Whitts caters your wedding reception, I will smile politely as I thank you for the meal and try to construct a palatable sandwich (IMHO) using their rib sauce on top of the squishy pulled pork.

Now some "chain" barbecue that I do enjoy is Jim `N Nick's out of Birmingham, Ala. Even though there are more than 30 locations of this restaurant across the Southeast, their growth has been organic and measured since the first Jim N' Nick's was opened in Birmingham in 1985 by Nick Pihakis, who has been nominated several times by the James Beard Foundation as outstanding restaurateurs for his commitment to made-from-scratch Southern food and their contributions to the local communities around their restaurants.

This dedication to the use of fresh ingredients actually extends higher than JNN to an affiliated company which shares some of the same partners as JNN, Fresh Hospitality. All of their brands share a commitment to common values of freshly prepared foods and local ownership. If you look at the roster of restaurants under the Fresh Hospitality flag you'll see local fast-casual Mediterranean favorite Taziki's and the aforementioned Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint. Fresh Hospitality encourages local partnerships, and Molly James is a co-owner of all three Jim 'N Nick's in West Nashville, Cool Springs and Smyrna. In fact, the investment group behind Fresh Hospitality has recently purchased a building in downtown Nashville and will be bringing part of their operations here, so you can now count them as a local company if that makes you feel even better.