The Decline of Red Lobster Is the Decline of the Middle Class

[BlueStreak]

135. And crappy restaurant management

My father was accustomed to frequenting the R.L. I tried to gently steer him to other places that were more worker friendly, but I've had to go there 3 times in the past year. All three times, it was the same deal. We were the only customers in the lobby (or maybe one other small group). There were employees wandering around, but nobody greeted us for over 5 minutes. And when they did, they acted as if they were really sorry we came in. There were plenty of tables open, but they didn't think they could find one.

Then once we got seated, there was usually a long delay before anybody came to the table to even acknowledge us. And then of course, it all ends up with crappy food.

I understand why the Darden restaurants are going under. But is it really happening that way in the whole sector? There's a Macaroni's Grill and an Abuelo's nearby that have a good menu and good service, but they often aren't very busy. OTOH, there are a bunch of locally owned "mini-chains" (one local group that runs a half dozen restaurants) that seem to do great business all the time.

And their prices are higher than any of the Darden restaurants. I think it is an issue that the huge corporations, whether it be Yum, Darden, or Wal*Mart just kill the soul. When you deal with local ownership, you have pride that shows up on the face of every employee. People need to stop patronizing these huge lifeless systems. Put them out of business and we will all be better off. Local is always better.