OK, starting to get back on the horse again. Honestly, dining out has been a huge disappointment for the latter half of 2021 (though it's been on the downhill for a few years now). The reasons are hardly a secret, and is national news. Supply chain issues, inflation, and worker shortages have been particularly hard on the restaurant industry. It's been relentless. For long time readers, you'll note the RJG was around during the Great Recession. That had the opposite effect - the dining experience was at its peak. For most of my life, the idea of eating out has been an exciting one. For the last 6 months, I'd much rather eat at home than go out. Even when I go to Denver to buy records, I eat before I go, not to waste time on a bad experience. $50 for a mediocre meal for 2 (with no alcohol) and bad service is a non-starter here. And we eat great at home for a fraction of the price! Thank you Mrs. RJG! As much as I'd like to support our local dining spots, I'm not going to put up with mediocrity, due to excuses. And too many places use excuses versus stepping up and fighting the challenge. Leading the way - no surprise - are the national chains (the publicly traded ones, that is) which have become pitiful. It's time for them to go out of business. For example, Arby's had won me over during the pandemic, only for them to completely fumble the ball in 2021. They removed just about every menu item, except what you could get in 1980. Of course many places have done just that - take on the challenge - and we do support them as much as possible. Wade's Cafe is a good example of new place for me to try, and I was happy with the experience. It's been months since I could really say that. I fully expect this situation to rectify itself, or the whole industry will just disappear. No more free money from the government, so something has to give.
One exception has been Thai food (though the costs are still too high, but that's more understandable). We have found 3 good places in town since our last update, and at this point, I think we'll revisit each before publishing here.
In other news, it appears we never left Texas. Torchy's just opened, and Whataburger is on the way. Add that to Fuzzy's and In-N-Out Burger. Of course the latter isn't from Texas, but we had them ahead of Colorado by close to a decade. Though one can see the chain getting pretty close to leaving California - they've had enough of their insanity. We still haven't been to our local In-N-Out, even though it's practically walking distance from our homestead. The lines are still around the block - and the next one. Even though they've opened a second location. Probably next year on a slow weekday I'll go. Obviously they need to open one or 2 more locations to feed the demand.
And for perhaps the biggest news - the RJG is back in Baltimore! As noted prior, I knew the former job was coming to an end as they decided to divest the business. In fact, I was in charge of it! I was responsible for my own demise lol. Interview question: "What did you do for your last company?" Answer: "I took them down." Haha, well it's true! In any case, during the interview process I landed another excellent gig - in Baltimore! Not at all related to my last job either (other than job role of course). All new faces. Moved 2 neighborhoods over - from Harbor East to Canton. The latter being a destination of mine from before. I'll be adding new places very soon, plus hopefully a couple of revisits to old favorites!
Much to look forward to in 2022. Let's hope for better times.
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