Happy New Year 2022!

Ironic that in a year where we mostly avoided restaurants, the RJG had the most posts! Some of those were "bring forwards", but we were more attentive to this blog than we have been for many years.

So what will 2022 offer? We are hopeful for a return to normal. In fact, as far as the RJG is concerned, we would like to get back to a pre-2014 setting. Restaurants had been on the downhill for many years and the pandemic was a huge wakeup call for the industry. Except the Great Resignation came right after that, plunging restaurants to their worst performance in my lifetime. Not to mention hyper inflation, supply chain issues, and the good old pandemic lingering on long past its shelf life. There are signs that things are on the rebound though. People are realizing they need to work, and the supply chain issues - and the subsequent inflation - will likely calm down. The big question mark that remains is the pandemic. Not so much the flu strains themselves, but rather the reaction to it. The data consistently points out that no matter what anyone tries to do to stop it, the severity of it remains the same everywhere. This is one industry that really can't survive by all of us staying home. The restaurants have done their best, and many people (including us) did take advantage of the to-go options to assist. But that's not the "dining experience", but rather getting something to eat. And many people - like us - enjoy eating at home just as much. Here in Colorado, our governor has been very reasonable about the pandemic, especially once the vaccines became available. However, some Colorado counties are getting more strict, especially in the Denver area. And some cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston require "government issued papers" to go out to eat or see a movie - or go bowling. Even though we're both vaccinated (non boostered), we're not going to support that. That's a bridge too far. So that's the X factor that will decide 2022's restaurant pursuit. 

So presuming the "happy path" (as we call it in my real career), and things get back to normal, what can we expect from the RJG? For one, we'll continue the "annual review" process and move forward entries of restaurants and fast food establishments we still enjoy going to. We will now assign a Pass/Fail rating, and for the very best favorites, add a gold star. Mrs. RJG and I are committed to trying more places for lunch this year. And we would also like to bring in the Food Truck, something we've never reported on at the RJG. In 2019, Mrs. RJG and I gave food trucks a shot all of twice, but it didn't take hold with the Misses. The idea would be to go to a brewery for dinner and try whatever truck is there that day. I certainly want to get back to the local breweries, something we've done very sporadically in the last 2 years.

In addition to that, working from home is a privilege, and the RJG has always taken some advantage of that (the pandemic did not affect that for me - I've been working from home since 1999). Now that there are far more Airbnb options than ever, we are going to do some weekly visits to other cities, while working during that week. We haven't done that since Santa Fe (2013-2016) - but back then we needed a hotel. And Santa Fe will likely be our first target, since it's in our comfort zone. But we have other cities on the list as well. So far, the job has been great, and I could not ask for a better team to work with. So that will make these excursions that much more pleasurable.

On top of that, both Mr. Music and Rude Dante provided a smattering of reviews over the year. We can only hope for more from both of them this coming year. And anyone else who would like to join! And then, of course, there's always a possibility of more Baltimore business trips (and this was recently confirmed by Boss Man). And there is our niece's wedding in southern California (near San Diego), if the governor there hasn't already issued Martial Law by then (it's been delayed 3 times already). And probably a family or work visit to the Phoenix area (we have an office there too), and possibly Prescott Valley as well. Also planning on a couple of road trips. Lots of opportunity for the RJG here!