MERRILL - Residents feel like they don't have enough dining options for a casual night out with a date, visiting family or a business partner.
That's according to the results of a survey from USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin about what restaurants people want to see in Merrill.
Matthew Bowen, 29, grew up in Merrill and lives there now, but he works in Marshfield. He sometimes takes customers out for drinks or appetizers after work but said he doesn't know of anywhere in Merrill with the right atmosphere for that sort of outing.
"The Friday night fish fry," he said, "I think that’s 80 percent of going out to eat."
He wants to see nice restaurants for date opportunities, too. Most of the dining options in Merrill are focused on alcohol first with food on the side, he said — not ideal for first dates. For Bowen, it's all about an inviting atmosphere with plentiful food.
RELATED: Survey: How do you shop?
RELATED: Merrill's First Street Coffee wants to offer beer
Bowen was one of many to express the desire for more formal-yet-casual restaurants in Merrill, in response to a survey published by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin in March.
Out of 57 people who took the survey, 42 people — about 74 percent — said they wanted to see fine casual dining over other choices, such as fast food or classic diner food.
Most said they want American or Italian cuisine over Mexican, Chinese or Indian establishments.
In addition, people said they're looking for seafood, steak and supper clubs that they might drive elsewhere to enjoy. A handful of people mentioned they would like to see vegetarian and/or vegan options, or just some organic, healthy dining choices.
A couple people mentioned that Merrill should look at putting a restaurant by the River Bend Trail. Kasie Holt, who took the survey, wrote that she grew up Merrill and wants to see the area by the river better utilized.
Holt agrees with Bowen that the city needs a nicer casual dining spot, for many of the same reasons.
"Casual dining will appeal to the majority of those in Merrill that are looking for something different besides fast food or a diner," Holt wrote in the survey.
She defined casual dining as somewhere that's open for breakfast or brunch, a place that employers could take out potential employees for lunch, to go for a group dinner, casual date night or a spot for after-dinner drinks and snacks.
Local Wausau restaurants often appeared in open-ended questions about what specific restaurants people want to see in Merrill. Red Eye Brewing Company, Thrive Foodery, 2510 Restaurant and Sconni's Alehouse & Eatery were all provided as examples of locally-owned, fine casual dining that Merrill residents enjoy in Wausau.
So why not bring something similar to Merrill, without the drive, residents asked?
Mike Gilson wrote that Merrill needs "something a surrounding town doesn't already have. May get out of town business then," in response to a survey question.
Other than local restaurants in central Wisconsin, a handful of chains have Merrill's attention. Olive Garden, Golden Corral and Applebee's made the top of the food chain list closely followed by Texas Roadhouse and Red Robin.
And, of course, Red Lobster — Merrill wants the seafood dining establishment more than any other chain options mentioned in the open-ended survey responses.
Bowen said that Merrill does have a handful of good, locally-owned venues — like Sawmill Brewing Company and First Street Coffee Station — but needs more alternatives and more food-forward locales.
He thinks a local owner would do best in town, rather than a chain.
"I feel like the options are so limited," Bowen said. "There’s the market for someone to put in a nice restaurant."
RELATED: Survey: How do you shop?
RELATED: Merrill's First Street Coffee wants to offer beer
Got a question or tip? Contact reporter Megan Stringer at (715) 207-1571 or mstringer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @megstringers.
https://www.wausaudailyherald.com/story/news/2019/04/10/merrill-restaurant-scene-needs-more-options-residents-say/3410180002/ 2019-04-10 11:54:00Z
0 Comments:
Post a Comment