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An online poll question in late July gauged reader views on the restaurant selections in Craig and Moffat County.

The majority of respondents — 135 people, or 61 percent — voted "poor, there are limited choices, and the quality/service is lacking."

Seventy-one readers, or 32 percent of respondents, voted the selection is "average for a small community."

Thirteen voters, or 5 percent, voted "excellent, the offerings are varied, and the quality/service is great," and two voters were undecided.

Although the weekly poll questions aren't scientific, they're generally at the very least a good barometer of public sentiment.

What did the numbers indicate to editorial board members?

Opportunities exist in our community for not only local restaurants to improve, but for new eateries to come in and thrive with the right approaches.

The same can be said of any business that opens in town, really.

Small business owners have remarked to local economic development officials about the difficulty of operating a business in our community, a stance the editorial board finds dubious.

Board members don't believe the business climate in Craig and Moffat County makes it more difficult to operate a venture here than anywhere else.

Business ownership is always challenging for smaller, non-corporate operations.

Where businesses tend to struggle and leak customers here is in their operations.

Business hours tend to be convenient for staffers rather than customers; customer service, long hit-and-miss in our community, struggles at times, as does quality; and prices can exceed bigger retailers, and sometimes by significant margins.

Overall, the editorial board believes Craig and Moffat County will support businesses that put forth their best efforts to serve customers.

Leaking money to other communities and online may always happen, but the losses can certainly be mitigated for those businesses that work hard for customer dollars, something that doesn't always happen today.

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