The town I live in has 3 exits off the Interstate highway and is filled with fast food burger and chicken chain restaurants. It is one of those towns designed to be the perfect pitstop for travelers.
While the convenience of a quick burger or fried chicken is great for a road trip, living there can sometimes feel like you're surrounded by "Anywhere, USA" architecture. Every exit off any highway basically looks the same and unless you explore further away from the highway and venture into the old downtown you miss the personality and history of the town.
Several of the indepent restaurants here are Mexican restaurants.This is the most popular ethnic food in the country, and remarkably, 70% of all Mexican restaurants are independent.
We do have a couple of Chinese restaurants, one is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Wisconsin that opened in 1922, and just this week a new Indian restaurant opened. It is the only one in town offering Indian food and I am excited to try it. There are also several options for pizza.
But I do love Mexican food and am glad we have these family-owned businesses that have become staple alternatives to the interstate chains!
