Sorry, but dining out was already miserable before the coronavirus

[corbe]

Sorry, but dining out was already miserable before the coronavirus

by Eddie Scarry

March 27, 2020 11:02 AM
 
My deepest sympathies go out to the servers, cooks, and custodians at restaurants across the country who have been laid off due to the current health scare. But now seems like a good time to talk about what was wrong with dining out before the coronavirus — which is to say, everything.

New York-based chef and restaurant owner Amanda Cohen bitterly wondered Thursday in the New York Times whether, once the coronavirus has been suppressed, customers would “be willing to pay $8 for a latte instead of $5 if it means their barista has health care” and whether they would “be ready to make sacrifices to build a better future for the people who pour our coffees and mix our drinks?”

Or, she asked, “will we turtle up with a vengeance and focus on our own comfort until the next disaster?”

Cohen acknowledged that “customers are willing to pay only so much for food,” even as “rent, utilities, insurances, taxes and food costs keep going up.” But she never addresses why customers with disposable income, money that by definition they want to spend, reach a cap when it comes to dining out. It’s because the experience is almost never good anywhere.

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/sorry-but-dining-out-was-already-miserable-before-the-coronavirus

[libertybele]

Sorry, but dining out was already miserable before the coronavirus

by Eddie Scarry

March 27, 2020 11:02 AM
 
My deepest sympathies go out to the servers, cooks, and custodians at restaurants across the country who have been laid off due to the current health scare. But now seems like a good time to talk about what was wrong with dining out before the coronavirus — which is to say, everything.

New York-based chef and restaurant owner Amanda Cohen bitterly wondered Thursday in the New York Times whether, once the coronavirus has been suppressed, customers would “be willing to pay $8 for a latte instead of $5 if it means their barista has health care” and whether they would “be ready to make sacrifices to build a better future for the people who pour our coffees and mix our drinks?”

Or, she asked, “will we turtle up with a vengeance and focus on our own comfort until the next disaster?”

Cohen acknowledged that “customers are willing to pay only so much for food,” even as “rent, utilities, insurances, taxes and food costs keep going up.” But she never addresses why customers with disposable income, money that by definition they want to spend, reach a cap when it comes to dining out. It’s because the experience is almost never good anywhere.

<..snip..>

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/sorry-but-dining-out-was-already-miserable-before-the-coronavirus

I'd have to disagree.  A couple of dining establishments around here have fantastic food and excellent service making a very enjoyable experience; a little pricey, but nice to have a great relaxing dinner out every once in awhile. You don't have to cook and you don't have to clean up; a nice diversion from the regular routine.

[EasyAce]

I'd have to disagree.  A couple of dining establishments around here have fantastic food and excellent service making a very enjoyable experience; a little pricey, but nice to have a great relaxing dinner out every once in awhile. You don't have to cook and you don't have to clean up; a nice diversion from the regular routine.

@libertybele
Thanks to my membership in their players' club, Main Street Station hotel/casino was sending me eight free buffet dinners a month until the shutdown. Among other things, they have the absolute best brisket of beef and prime rib in Las Vegas. Even dieting low carb/no starch/no sugar as I do now, I could enjoy those and a serving of amazingly prepared collard greens on the side.

I also enjoyed going to Emerald Island Casino's restaurant on Saturdays having one free meal a week there, too. The absolute best New York cut teriyaki steak I've ever had. They'd put only a drop of the sauce on for me and it'd be more than enough so long as I told them to hold the au gratin potatoes, which I do.