Across the city, environmentally conscious restaurants offering locally-produced ingredients, vegan and vegetarian options at low prices are flourishing despite the economy which has wreaked havoc on the Denver dining scene in 2009.

Denver has lost many restaurants to financial problems this year including La Dolce Vita, Cherry Creek Grill, Ruth Chris Steakhouse, Alto, Lala’s, Cebiche and most recently, The ESPN Zone proving that no restaurant, big or small, is immune to economic strife.

The wave of closures is evident of how the economic crisis is affecting Denver residents at the most basic level. Layoffs, pay cuts, and unemployment have hit Colorado residents hard, decreasing the number of people willing to spend money eating out.

According to a report by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., the state’s gross domestic product per capita has fallen from seventh to 12th since 2000 and per capita personal income has dropped from seventh to 13th over that time period, the study showed.

Now, Colorado ranks fifth in the U.S. for the number of new companies per 1,000 employees and seventh in the entrepreneurial activity index.

Independent restaurants have played a crucial role in the statistic with new coffee shops, restaurants and bars opening up weekly. While some fail, the ones that succeed are great examples of business adapting to the economic circumstances they operate within.

Establishments offering discounts, specials and keeping their food and beverage prices down have seen an upswing in business.

Kate Powers, a senior at the University of Denver expressed the importance of picking the right restaurant in this economy.

“I clip coupons, look for deals online, and ask friends where I can get the most bang for my buck. I rarely walk into sit-down chain restaurants anymore because I figure if I’m going to spend the money to go out I want it to be a different experience, one that makes me feel good about spending my money,” she said.

Those that cater to niche markets such as locally grown, vegan, vegetarian or organic selections appear to be hitting a sweet spot with consumers who are proving to be more conscious of the business practices and environmental commitments of restaurants as the green trend continues to gather momentum.

The recently opened Organixx appeals to customers by pairing deals, low prices and organic selections. Throughout the month of November the restaurant downtown is promoting an economic stimulus package for customers, offering any salad, sandwich combination lunch for less than eight dollars which is a great deal considering the high cost of strictly organic ingredients. Other restaurants like Water Course uptown offer a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian fare at moderate prices that appeal to a hyper-specific demographic.

Sara Mumby, a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder says that she drives from Boulder about twice a month to eat at Water Course.

“Water Course has such an excellent range of options for people who are vegetarian like me unlike normal restaurants that only provide one or two vegetarian options on their menus,” she said.

Among independent restaurants that are doing well in spite of the economic downturn, a commitment to the environment and locally-produced ingredients has also been a growing trend whether the restaurant is vegetarian or not.

Sweet Action Ice Cream on South Broadway prides itself on being environmentally friendly boasting locally produced milk, spices, sweet, composting, recycling and even wind power. A favorite with the young and hip, Sweet Action further sets itself apart by offering unique flavors that cannot be found elsewhere like Baklava, Red Velvet and Cantaloupe.

Even standard burger joints have joined the buying local trend with restaurants like Park Burger and Smashburger creating custom burgers with only the freshest local free-range beef and produce.

Consumers are now more aware of the places they spend their money when they do go out for a meal. Vegetarian and vegan selections, uniqueness, prices and overall business practices are now a more integral part of restaurants than ever before.

A number of independent Denver businesses have recognized these trends and capitalized on them, flourishing in at this moment when quality is the new quantity.

Side Bar Information:

The Baker Neighborhood along South Broadway is booming with locally-owned restaurants that offer a wide array of dining options for the environmentally conscious diner.

Take a walking tour down South Broadway on a warm evening and sample the wide variety of delicious food available at the neighborhood’s many eateries. Here’s our suggested route:

1. Grab a glass of wine and sample hand-crafted meats and cheeses at Sketch wine and snack bar. (101 Broadway, Hours: 4 p.m.-2 a.m. daily)

2. Immerse yourself in a truly unique dining environment at Beatrice and Woodsley where the rustic southern cuisine offers everything from beignets to frog legs. (38 South Broadway Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. nightly; Saturday and Sunday brunch)

3. Pop into Sweet Action Ice Cream and treat yourself to a wide variety of frozen delights like home-made ice cream sandwiches and cupcakes. (52 Broadway Hours: weekdays 1-10 p.m. weekends: 1-11 p.m. Closed Mondays)

4. If you find yourself wandering into one of South Broadway’s many music clubs (Hi-Dive, Skylark Lounge, 3 Kings Tavern, etc.) a late night snack might be in order. Sputnik is just the place with a great select of comfort foods like sweet potato fries and mac’n’cheese. (3 Broadway Hours: 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. daily)

Rupert Murdoch looking like a media mogul.

According to an article by CBS Business News, Murdoch believes that news services that run stories from third party sources as well as news aggregators like Google News are “stealing” from News Corp. Murdoch made weighty claims against these outlets, calling their very ability to do good reporting into question.

“And anyway, if you look at them, most of their stuff is stolen from the newspapers now, and we’ll be suing them for copyright. They’ll have to spend a lot more money on a lot more reporters to cover the world when they can’t steal from newspapers,” Murdoch said.

Murdoch and his News Corp. conglomerate are operating under the notion that their outlets can survive and thrive if they break away from the free, ad-based content model that has become the hallmark of the Internet age. Instead, Murdoch thinks that he can make more money by putting up paywalls that will end the user’s ability to look at any News Corp. content for free and replace them with a pay model.

“What’s the point of having someone come occasionally who likes a headline they see on Google?” he said. “We’d rather have fewer people coming to our Web sites and paying.”

The point is that this is how the Internet works. If there is any doubt in Murdoch’s mind about how free content and services are the new way to make money, he needs to pick up a copy of Wired magazine’s Editor in Chief Chris Anderson‘s latest book “Free.” The point is that without Google’s ability to aggregate news stories, News Corp. subsidiaries like the Wall Street Journal’s online content will struggle, losing 25% of its overall traffic.

The basic notion that people will pay for online content in this day and age is ridiculous. Perhaps if the news conglomerates would have decided on the paywalls in the beginning of the Internet era, there might have been a chance that it could have succeeded. Now, the free-for-all has gone on too long. A precedent has been set and people will simply not pay for something that used to be, and still can be free.

The problem with Murdoch’s assumptions and threats is that they rely on the notion that News Corps. outlets are infinitely better than any of the rest and warrant people paying for them. While pride is all good and well, I seriously doubt people will be willing to pay for the less than mediocre content offered by the likes of Fox News and The New York Post. If Murdoch wants to talk about fair-use and copy right infringement he might want to first take a look at the anti-trust laws that have somehow allowed him to become such a media mogul in the first place.

Fair-use is allowing people to get the information that they need and want most without making a profit on it. The real issue at heart here is that Murdoch can’t figure out a way to capitalize on the current internet pay model and make it a huge profit grossing mechanism for him and his company. It will be interesting to see how far these threats go especially with the new net-neutrality-favoring governing body in the FCC.