Break your restaurant rut
Do something different on your next night out and try a local, family-owned eatery.
This video was created in collaboration with Vox Creative.
Maybe it’s date night…or a family dinner outing. Or maybe it’s a special event, like a birthday party. Or maybe you just learned the babysitter’s available. No matter what the occasion is, you probably have some go-to spots when it comes to restaurants. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but why not spice things up and change your culinary pace for the night?
Try something new. Something local. Something family-owned. Maybe it’s on the outskirts of town—maybe it’s the best-kept secret your taste buds have yet to discover.
Just ask husband and wife—and small-town restaurateurs—Joe and Katy Kindred. Joe and Katy are the proud owners of two premier North Carolina food spots.
“I think that people imagine the American suburb a sea of chain restaurants—but I do think there’s a bit of a renaissance,” Katy says. “People miss the charm of a family-owned restaurant.”
And it looks like they’re onto something. Since opening their namesake operation (Kindred) in 2015, the couple saw enough success to spark a second venture (Hello, Sailor) two years later. While they’re relatively close to bustling Charlotte, North Carolina, the dynamic duo ultimately decided to showcase their culinary talents in the neighboring town of Davidson and on the waterfront of Lake Norman in Cornelius.
Katy and Joe seized the opportunity to offer something different at both restaurants—something better, somewhere unexpected. “We had an opportunity to make a statement and just say, ‘Hey, guys, you know what, this may be Davidson, this may be Cornelius, but we want to do something—we want to be great,’” Joe says. “The communities outside of these cities…obviously deserve great food,” Katy confirms.
The passion is clearly there for small-business owners like Katy and Joe. So, the next time you’re in the mood to dine out, think smaller and open the door to your next great dining experience. Take a bite out of a family-owned eatery. Your old favorites will still be there for next time. And you might just find a new go-to restaurant in town.
