Doggy Bag: Asymmetrical Warfare -- Over Brisket?

Butchery battle: Grub Street's Adam Martin picked up the phone to get to the bottom of whether big, bad Whole Foods is kicking little Drewes Brothers Meats' ass in Noe Valley. SFist raised the possibility yesterday, when it reported on an item by an alarmed member of the Glen Park Parents e-mail list. Apparently Drewes' business is down 20 percent since the 24th Street behemoth unlocked its automatic doors Sept. 30. That's according to Drewes' Josh Epple, who said his butcher shop's been around 120 years -- read what else he had to say here. A comment on SFoodie's post from earlier today drew a link from reader Liz J to a Facebook fan page dedicated to saving Drewes. But the question hanging over all of this like flies circling a steer carcass is this: Are customers turning to Whole Foods because they're grateful to have an alternative to Drewes? Are customers, you know, voting with their debit cards? And can competition make Drewes Brothers better in the long run -- assuming it can survive long enough to adjust? Just thought we'd ask.