Art Robinson is grateful for every customer who dines at his Garden City restaurant, Wepa Cafe.
But whenever he reads about a Boise-area eatery closing, his mind wanders. Who’s next? Could it be Wepa? Or another restaurateur he knows?
“At the same time,” Robinson says, “you look at the social media posts, and so many comments are about ‘I love that place,’ ‘So sorry they’re closing,’ ‘What happened?’ …
“The fact is, if all those people frequented these local businesses, maybe some would still be around.”
Facing a multitude of economic challenges, restaurants fight a daily uphill battle. Gazing at empty chairs and tables, it’s hard for owners not to wish that more diners would put their money where their mouth is — and “support these small local businesses,” Robinson says, “before they become a statistic.
“I’ll say it on the record: I’m digging into my retirement account to keep the place alive, for lack of a better term,” he admits. “I don’t want to come off as whiny or needy. … This isn’t a Wepa problem. This is an industry problem.”