Here's a thought...Try one of BG's local style eateries afterward instead of going to the same old thing that you can find everywhere else. How about the City Tap, Mr. Spot's, Easystreet Cafe just to name a few. (Sorry to those I didn't name) These are the unique things about small college towns. Many who have gone on after graduating miss those places later. Give them a shot. Also, with these temperatures, your groceries will be fine in the car until you're finished!

I often have wondered why BG doesn't have any nice restaurants in BG... If you don't like pizza, bars,or fast food you have to go to Findlay, Perrysburg,or Toledo... Is it BG's way to keep there thumb on the town if it gowns to much they won't have the control that they have now.... Just imagine what kind of taxes BG could get... Did you see the front page today about CVS what the heck BG you have to go thru all that for CVS... Bg just doesn't want to expand...All about being in control not what is good for The Community!!!

What ever happened to the "Promote Bowling Green" group? They are the ones that need to contact about things like this. As a life long resident of Bowling Gree, we have some really good restaurants right here now. What I like is to know that the meat is fresh, and many eateries like mentioned in the letter DO NOT use fresh meat. Most chain restaurants use frozen and heavily treated meat. City Tap & Stones Throw are good examples as they are owned by local people & use local Butcher Shops for their meat. As well as local venders for their vegetables & other products. The local restaurants also hire local staff too. Chains do very little for the communities also.

Actually one of the chains you would want was ready to commit to BG years back, unfortunately some house needed to come down for parking for the project. Of course the usual loons came out and shot that deal down without knowing it. The fact is these places know where they will make money and where it is business friendly to operate.

I had a delicious meal at Carraba's Sunday night and only had to drive 15 minutes up the road! Instead of another bar where the college kids can go, more "chain" hamburger joints, 2-3 McDonald's/Burger Kings (?) and a countless number of pizza places, bring on a chain restaurant! Come on BG decision makers, why not? Bowling Green could still be "small town" like you wish to keep/control it. There are alot of empty properties that could be renovated. But if you want a Mexican mom/pop-run restaurant, try El Patron in the Kroger's strip. The food is very good and the staff is at your service!

This is humorous to me. Bowling Green offers every type of food you are complaining they don't have. Just because it isn't a chain doesn't mean it isn't offered. Do a little research, get out and try something different.

How about Trotters (great steak), Easy Street, Samb's and Dyers (which is only a block from the university). Sounds to me you are only interested in chains though. I think you are missing some great places by restricting yourself to just the big chain names. Red Lobster is overpriced and really not very good as seafood goes unless you like overcooked frozen seafood. Give some of our locals restaurants a try and I think you'll be pleased.

Trotter's in Bowling Green is the best steakhouse around. Much better then a chain restaurant anyday!!'n

Yes Cindi: I know the Mexican restaurants are independently owned and yes Carraba's is a chain restaurant and has a bar. Just recommending that particular one and yes I agreed that it would be nice if just one of those "unwanted" chain restaurants would come to BG. Just voicing my opinion like everyone else on here. Peace pipe?

Chains have their place, but the fact is they dont think they can make money in BG so they choose not to come. It's their choice, it's not like the city chooses what is built or not built.

Bg is very lucky to have a lot of quality local places, a few chains and we are only a short drive to Perrysburg or Fallen Timbers.

Have the author's of this article thought about what their own town has to offer??
What does restaurants does Woodville have available?? Oh that's right a Subway and McDonalds. Are they proud to support their local establishments and have pride in their own town, or do they choose to complain about the 'lack of choices'? Drive through Bowling Green and you will see a thriving downtown with many restaurant options as well as some chain locations closer to I-75. Maybe they don't understand, but the stronger our local small business style options are, the strong our community is. I'm sorry Howard & Pat, you say you have BG pride, but you obviously don't understand the BG community. Your infuriating article with the outrage of comments shows how wrong you truly are!

It's not trust issues it's the fact that everything in BG is basically bar food. I've lived here for 10yrs and have eaten at every place in town. Every time we want a good sit down dinner we head to Findlay or Perrysburg. All these "local gems" that keep coming up are bars that serve food which is good but it's not what you want when you want to go out to dinner. The restaurant options in BG sucks, for those bashing national chains, there is no mom and pop in BG that has anything worth staying in town for.

Lack of parking and decent service is a problem for most of the BG restaurants.

I dine out in BG often and the parking is impossible when dining with a handicapped person. Many of the restaurants are located in the downtown area and the parking lots are too far away for a handicapped person to walk to them.

Also when dining in BG I find good service is almost impossible. Last time I was at Trotter's the staff was too busy watching something on TV to wait on us. After only getting a glass of water and waiting for someone to take an order for over 25 minutes, we left.

At Bob Evans our waitress was too busy chatting with her college buddies to wait on us or take our orders.

I will take dining in a non-college oriented town any day. The difference is very noticeable.

Maybe these local restaurants need to do a better job of promoting their "fresh" from scratch menus. I haven't been to Trotter's in years because the one time we tried to go there we were going to have to wait forever and it was so cramped there was really no where to wait. True or not I have also been told that BG bigwigs are keeping out chains. If Bob Evans and BW3 can make money here I don't see why an Applebee's, TGIFriday's or Chili's couldn't make money, especially if they build out by I-75.

Why do you need to go out for dinner? Try learning to prepare a meal for yourself.

Bowling Green has plenty of great restaurants that are much better than the generic processed junk at the chains mentioned...

DiBen's > Olive Garden
Trotter's > Longhorn

I agree that Bowling Green needs "better" restaurants, we have to travel to maumee or toledo just to get a good steak. We have plenty pizza, mexican, and fast food places and not enough sit down restaurants that are good. Also we not only need better restaurants, we need better stores like bath and body works, childrens place, old navy etc.. this town is ridiculous and has NOTHING to offer.

I have been a resident and involved with local restaurants in Bowling Green on and off since 1971 and I've certainly seen the gambit and history of most of the local eateries. While I don't live there currently, I have always been proud of the local restaurants and have always felt that any number of them exceed anything offered by the homogenized chains dotting our nation. The history and longevity of several local restaurants serves as a testament to their popularity, quality and ability to change with the times. The more recent additions only add to the medley of choices available. Most towns become swallowed by generic chains, rendering them unrecognizable from any number of other communities country-wide. Celebrate your outstanding, singular and unique choices, Bowling Green ... you're all the better for them!

I was ever aware of any such ordinance in Bowling Green & I certainly wasn't able to unearth info about one online. Regardless, I point to Bob Evans, Frickers, BW3, Waffle House, Panera Bread & Big Boy, all examples of national chain or franchised restaurants currently or recently operating in Bowling Green. Add to that the multitudes of franchised fast foods (McD's, Burger King, Wendy's, et al) and the chain pizza joints. Don't forget the numerous defunct places (Chi-Chi's, Burger Chef, Dutch Pantry, many buffet chains)that have graced the town over the years. No obvious shortage of national, chain, franchised or corporate eating options in Bowling Green, for sure! Feel free to frequent them or, you can enjoy great food and support your neighbors at any of the locally owned & operated long-standing Bowling Green landmarks. Bon appetit!

Bowling Green does not need the addition of chain restaurants to what is currently has available. As a dietitian it is establishments such as Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and the like that are contributing to the issues that our country currently faces with obesity and the health problems that follow closely behind. Bowling Green has many wonderful options for dinner such as Nasalada Bistro, Reverends, and Call of the Canyon to name only a few. These restaurants are more about cooking real foods instead of covering up subpar foods with salt and fat, which is what your typical chain restaurant does on a constant basis. As far as the big chain restaurants, there is no real purpose for them and I for one would much rather enjoy real food from local eateries and leave the chains to someone else, but what do I know, I am only a mere dietitian.

And on another note, Buffalo Wild Wings is a NATIONAL CHAIN. Before you jump on the "there are no liquor licenses left" excuse, here are some facts for you. There is a special license called a D-5I license. The license is for establishments that build a building over $500,000 and the license MUST stay with that building. How do you think Stones Throw got their license? BW-3 didn't take it with them, they got a new D-5I when they built the new place

I must say, I miss the fantastic non-chain BG restaurants so much! Both my husband and I graduated from BGSU and recently moved to Columbus. We are forever looking for something similar to Easy Street, Pollyeyes, and Myles. Everything here is a chain, and we find ourselves eating out much less because of the poor quality of those chains mentioned above. BG is very unique in this aspect, and I wish there were more cities / towns with original restaurants!

I can't imagine what BG would be if there weren't so many living in and around town that seem to hate the businesses, the university and all the great thing they DO have in their small city. Fremont, Fostoria and Tiffin (out my way) all wish they had it so good. If you think they have it better than BG you have a blind spot too big to overcome.

On the original letter - for real food people downtown Perrysburg is where the real restaurants are located. Not Fazoli Garden, TG AppleChili or some other restraint that has a competitor with nearly the same menu.

If you don't like Bowling Green, you can always move, so you can eat your precious chain restaurant food! I won't miss your whining!

I guess I should chime in here. What is MOST important here is cleanliness in the kitchen and the wait staff. NEVER EVER "TICK" OFF THE KITCHEN STAFF.

The city can't just order a restaurant to come to town. If a restaurant saw an opportunity they would come.

Chipotle is a national chain. I've never eaten there, but if you look at their website, they're very committed to the best ingredients and practices. Check the "Food With Integrity" link at their website. Maybe that's a place the people that prefer chains, and the folks seeking healthy food, can both embrace. As far as choices, I have Celiac Disease, so if anyone knows of BG restaurants with gluten-free breads, rolls, crusts, etc., please post!

Compared to everything else in BG, Chipotle is fine dining. I have to agree with the guy about Cheddars, very good food and is definitely better than anything BG has to offer. Campus pollyeyes (more pizza) Grumpy Daves/trotters (bar food) E street, very over priced for what it is. I actually prefer not to go to chains but locally there's nothing worth making the exception for unless I'm already down town drinking.

Anyone who considers a chain restaurant "good food" is clearly unaware of what good food is and does not understand the concept of supporting local business. But we already know that. No one mentioned Happy Badger, South Side Six (best gyros ever and an array of Lebanese/Meditteranean food), Kermits, Grounds For Thought (amazing desserts and coffee) or Call of the Canyon (lunch only). If you aren't evolved enough to know that fresh, local food is better than some cheesy chain, just stay in Woodville (or park yourself at BW3s-they have plenty of room for you).