Independent eateries head to the suburbs

"Typically, when you're looking at a corporation that has hundreds or thousands of restaurants around the country, they have the capital to build for the future," she said. "When a chain restaurant opens or closes, it's a decision on a spreadsheet in some other city. But for a local business, not only do they have their finances totally vested in it, but heart and soul as well."

Differences between local and chain restaurants

Melancon said chains lack the adaptability of a local restaurateur. A local owner can change the menu based on neighborhood favorites, seasonal ingredients and customer feedback.

"A local restaurant can offer variety of menu and a uniqueness that a chain never can. A local restaurant can be responsive to its customers," she said. "You see an increase in the number of restaurants that use local produce and local food and you don't see that with a chain restaurant."

Veteran restaurateur Jason Schnurr is preparing to open Reunion Grille at 1501 E. New Hope Drive this spring. He said the menu at his restaurant, bar and music venue will use local ingredients whenever possible.

"You're seeing a lot of the downtown chefs bringing local fare from outlying farms and rural areas right into downtown Austin," he said. "And that's not just a trend; that's a commitment to quality. So there's no reason a suburban or a rural area can't do the same."

A suburban dining identity

An emphasis on local cuisine evolved in Austin and now seeps into outlying areas, Schnurr said. Both Cedar Park and Leander have strong ties to Austin, even as the area evolves into its own booming restaurant destination.

"Even though they are outside of a urban market, I don't think they're separate. And I think they're underserved because of that," he said. "Austin is an extremely strong restaurant market, and there's no reason that the suburbs and the rural areas should be viewed as separate from that."

But Duke Correa—who with fellow restaurateur Vernon O'Rourke opened Hemingway Restaurant & Bar at 500 Cypress Creek Road in early February—said the region has its own dining identity, and consumers trust their taste buds when choosing local or chain restaurants.

"Cedar Park is one of the most dynamic, happening cities in the state of Texas; there's no question about it. This is a group of consumers, and they're sophisticated and they're hungry for something new, and hungry for something better," he said. "The people of Cedar Park are pretty straightforward, and it seems to me, if they don't like a place, they won't go."

In 2002, a landmark AIBA study found that for every $100 spent at a local store, $45 is recirculated in the community, compared to $13 if that money was spent at a chain.

"A local restaurant buys more products and services locally, and the profit stays in the city because the owner is there," Melancon said. "They buy from local farms and buy materials from other local businesses, whereas a chain store will buy that as a package and have it shipped to them from corporate."

The driving force

New restaurants in Cedar Park and Leander—either already open or slated to open this spring—bring fresh dining options to neighborhoods. Schnurr said while chain restaurants spring up first in areas with fast-growing populations, local dining options give suburbanites what they really want: access to modern, city-like neighborhood restaurants without the commute.

"People are finding a quality of life in these communities, but half of the time, they work in Austin," Schnurr said. "They are experiencing a standard of concepts and culture in Austin, and they very much want that in their own backyard because they are exposed to it."

Leander is also experiencing an upswing in restaurant development. Restaurateur Bill Shea, owner of Austin's Maggie Mae's, plans to open his new restaurant, Shea's Place, at 105 W. Willis St. in Leander this spring. Across the street, Two Saints Baking Co. and Cafe opened in January.