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Whenever Syracuse University senior Austin Kornbluth wanted something to eat, he would travel to the strip of restaurants on Marshall Street and face a quandary: submit his usual order at one of Marshall Street’s chain restaurants or try something new at one of the street’s small businesses.

Kornbluth could choose a chain restaurant like Starbucks or Chipotle because it’s a quick and easy option for students, he said. But Marshall Street’s small businesses offer a variety of cuisines from restaurants like Royal Indian Grill, Taste of Asia and Winnie’s Soul Delicious. According to Eric Ennis, the Syracuse director of business development, the university and its student population play a critical role for small businesses on University Hill and in the surrounding area.

“Especially on a college campus, people go to what they’re comfortable with,” said Kornbluth. “If I need a quick meal, my instinct is going to be to go for the thing that I’ve had a hundred times before, and the places that are up here like that are also the ones that I have at home.”

But once Kornbluth began trying the food at the small businesses on Marshall Street, he realized what he had been missing out on. Whether it’s from 15-month-old Winnie’s Soul Delicious or 95-year-old Varsity, Marshall Street’s small business food options not only offer customers a more nuanced experience but keep money in the community, Ennis said.

“Shopping local is critical,” Ennis said in an interview in April. “For every dollar, more money gets retained when it’s sent with a locally owned business as opposed to a franchise or a corporation.”

Small independent businesses return around double the economic return of their chain competitors, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Ennis said that buying a local business’s products or gift cards directly from them retains more money for the business and the community than buying their products from a third party such as a grocery store.

Dawn Evette Reed, the owner of Winnie’s Soul Delicious on Marshall Street, said giving back to the community is a fundamental part of her business. She frequently gives out food to the homeless and participates in community fundraisers.

“I know this is a business, but I feel like sometimes you have to feed people to give back,” Reed said.

Marshall Street’s small businesses provide a more personalized experience and better food, Kornbluth said. When he goes to a small business on Marshall Street, the senior said he can taste how the food is made individually for him as opposed to being mass produced. According to Reed, that is exactly what’s intended.

“It’s a home-cooked meal. … Some of the students are looking for a home-cooked meal after being away from home for months and months,” Reed said. “You come here and get a Sunday meal.”

Despite the ease of going to a familiar chain restaurant with a usual order, Kornbluth said he has been pleasantly surprised when he’s given small businesses a chance.

“If I was a freshman here and I just needed coffee really quick, of course I’m going to go to Starbucks or Dunkin’. You go to Cafe Kubal once, and you’re like ‘Wow, this is better … and quicker,’” Kornbluth said.

Dunkin’ and Starbucks both have locations on Marshall Street, but Syracuse-based Cafe Kubal operated in the Marshall Square Mall for nearly a decade before Salt City Coffee, another Syracuse-based coffee company, took its place.

Starbucks did not respond to a request for comment, but Chipotle manager of external communications Tyler Benson wrote in an email that more than half of Chipotle’s customers are millennials or Generation Zers, so the company is looking for ways to cater to college age students when identifying new locations. Benson also said that the company also tries to attract students with social media marketing, especially on TikTok.

Chipotle’s location on Marshall Street is a popular option among students because of its familiar menu and mobile ordering options, Kornbluth said.

But according to Ennis, buying from small businesses provides value to the customer, the owner of the business and the community as a whole.

“You’re getting (food) from a local entrepreneur who’s investing in the community — investing in Syracuse. Those are really the types of businesses we want to see growing and thriving,” Ennis said.

Alexandra Battaglia contributed additional reporting to this article

Published on October 27, 2021 at 11:51 pm

Contact Connor: cpignate@syr.edu