The mayor thinks that, even if the incubator becomes a net exporter of talent, it could do great things for the city.

“Say a great chef comes here and creates an amazing proof of concept right here in our accelerator, then they move to Indianapolis or Chicago or anywhere else and gain glory and fame in the culinary world,” he says. “I might be naïve but I think that person will speak highly of where they started. That will be an indicator to other people who maybe have the same aspirations to come check out little Fishers, Indiana.”

There’s still a lot to figure out. It’s not yet clear how the program will be structured—how many restaurant concepts will operate within the space at once; how long they’ll be allowed to stay; what, if anything, they’ll pay. The city, not Thompson Thrift, will vet the applications, but they don’t know yet what they’ll look for. And the space itself is not yet built—the housing complex was razed earlier this year, and The Yard’s developers break ground this summer. Despite all the unknowns, Fadness says that the effort has already paid off in tangible ways.

According to the city, a technology company just bought 18 acres of land in Fishers, and is building a new corporate headquarters that will bring 1,000 tech jobs. Surely they liked the same things others like about Fishers: the low tax rate, the good schools, the proximity to Indianapolis. But, Fadness says, the key selling point was The Yard, the new restaurant development that will house the incubator. “They wanted to be near that,” he tells me. The city will be building a trail from the new corporate campus that leads straight to its door.

For now, let’s close with a quote from the great urbanist Jane Jacobs, who wrote about the rise and fall of American cities. “You must understand,” she said, late in life, “when a place gets boring, even the rich people leave.” Mayor Fadness seems to understand this; he has learned that the way to his residents’ hearts is through their stomachs. Surely, by dramatically reducing entrepreneurial risk, he’ll be able to find some talented chefs willing to give Fishers a try. The unfinished story—one we’ll be watching very closely—is whether that will be enough to change a city.