The "buzz"

is starting to surround Fayette County.

Just to the

north, a new restaurant in College Park is drawing foodies from around

the city to sample its cuisine.

Oscar's set

up shop in downtown College Park and is offering food not usually found

south of the Downtown-Midtown-Buckhead food axis.

The restaurant

owner restored one of the older buildings and is drawing city-wide acclaim

for his unique interpretation of continental dining.

On our western

borders, a new Cajun joint has opened on Newnan's historic Court Square.

Early reviews give the food a thumbs up and soon, another Louisiana-inspired

restaurant will open in the same area.

On our far

southern borders, Paul Luna has opened a restaurant in Hogansville that

allows diners to choose their entire menus for the evening.

What's wrong

with this picture?

Notice the

absence of Fayette County. We're the richest per capita county in the

state, yet independent business folks who want to start restaurants mysteriously

bypass our county.

We have a few

brave folks, such as Village Cafe, City Cafe, Pascal's and Valentino's,

who try to raise the bar for dining in the county, but they're few and

far between.

We get our

share of chains, but is eating at Outback in Peachtree City really that

different from eating at one in Atlanta?

We need some

of our county's leaders to help persuade some of those potential restaurant

owners to call Fayette home.

Right now,

our leaders are scratching their heads to see how they can persuade more

tourists to spend their money in the county.

If people hear

of an exceptional dining experience, they'll travel quite a way to give

it a chance. Couple an exceptional meal with some of our shopping and

historic attractions and you'll soon have tourists bursting at the seams

to enjoy our quality of life.