A favorite restaurant of ours is going downhill. They're still a lot right but they let one of their key favorite dishes run downhill fast. I'm not sure if it was the dish that put them on the map or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was, since anyone who's had that dish loves it.

Anyway a few times back I asked if I could speak with the onwer, who was in the place, and their people said no he would not speak since he was busy. So I asked them if they would give him my concern that our favorite dish was not the same anymore, politely, as in not in the same league but easy to fix yadda yadda, nothing. So we went two more times, the last a few days ago, and nothing has changed. So now we're gonna quit and try to find a new favorite. While we were there I saw some other things that suggested to me something is wrong over there.

So my question is, why would a successful small family restaurant with high prices and a good customer base just throw it away ? I mean what the hell ? Too bad it will be their loss, though I will miss the food. Not too bad since these days with inflation and all I really can't afford to eat there much anymore.

FWIW, this problem started long before Biden took office and the economy went south. Thus my confusion.

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their people said no he would not speak since he was busy

With that sort of attitude in owner/help, a downhill trend is not hard to predict.

As to what may have changed, maybe the old chef found a better paying gig? New, less customer-focused owner? Short-staffed due to 2022 personnel shortages?

Hope you find a new fave.

In business school, they say most customers when disappointed will just no longer give you their business. They really try to teach the value of customer feedback.
So, if you really love this place and you love this dish, please try again to speak to the owner. He may not be aware that a change is causing him to lose customers. I would say even go old school and write a letter.

I have a favorite restaurant as well that made a change that bothered me. I talked to the owner and he changed it back. He had no idea.

There used to be a place just north of Glens Falls NY that served fresh lobster, either whole or just the tails. The rest of the menu was also fantastic and the Surf and Turf was amazing. Sadly it's no longer in business. Because when the kids took over the first thing they did was expand the restaurant. The second thing they did was start serving frozen lobster tails and food cooked in a microwave. Needless to say that big fancy building was empty in about 3 months.

Some places just change. It sucks when a favorite goes bad. Owner/staff hearts might not be in it anymore. Toxic management is running the day to day. A resting on the laurels syndrome. Drama in the kitchen that the customers don't see.

Also places need to change the menu up every so often just to keep things from being stale or boring for their regulars.

A beloved local diner right down the street from me has new owners and they went from packed to dead in 5-6 months and I don't think they're going to make it.

They used to have an éclair that was the size of a softball that people would come just for that, it was delicious and ridiculous and more than enough for two people and I'm sure they broke even on them or maybe even lost money but it was what is called a "loss leader" and brought people in by droves to spend money there eating.

The new owners also own another diner nearby with their own baked goods which are lousy and the first thing they did was eliminate the éclair and all the other awesome pies and desserts this diner they acquired had. They also dropped the house-made iced tea and now use some commercial garbage and raised prices pretty noticeably. Lastly they dropped the old school white diner waitress uniforms that the place was known for and now the servers wear a black t-shirt and pants.

I think I know what happened. The old owner retired after like 50 years in the business and the diner was her families and therefore was paid off long ago. Her costs were low and she could afford to do things like lose money on an éclair but the new owners paid top dollar and now have to make a mortgage payment AND deal with skyrocketing food costs.

I'll go by at 6-7 pm on a Saturday and am shocked at how few cars are in the lot. Last year and previous years you could barely find a parking space and the lines were often out the door.

I give them 6-12 more months if that. Sad.

We have a local Mom and Pop place we go to often . Well , Pop died from Covid a year and a half ago and Mom is struggling to stay afloat . Rising food prices , labor problems , you name it . Some days things just aren't up to snuff and we always let her know without blasting it on the local Facebook page like some folks do . She's very appreciative for the feedback and always tries to remedy the problem . She has a very loyal customer base because of the way she treats people .

We had a local, favorite go-to Mexican place in town. For one reason or another, they had to move and went several miles down the road and had to re-name the place. For some god-awful reason, they changed it to some sort of Mexican-Indian fusion food. Tried it and won't be back; my favorite dishes are not the same.

So glad I don’t own a restaurant anymore. Just look at your home budget. Increased cost of materials. Increased cost of utilities to prepare the food and make the physical plant comfortable. Increased labor costs to get people to show up. You can only increase prices so much before people stop coming. Your only ways to hedge that are by reducing portions and using different (less expensive) ingredients. It’s tough out there.

Almost all of the places we eat out at are locally owned and have earned their customer’s loyalty. Its sad when one of them forgets what made them great and then its only a matter of time until they go under. There are too many options around here to waste time on bad restaurants.

My favorite place for gumbo got sold. The new owners ruined it and it was closed in under a year.

You said the problem started long before Biden took office, but was it before the COVID lockdowns started? Because that hit a lot of smaller restaurants especially hard with sourcing and labor. What is the dish? I gotta wonder if there was something in it they can't get now, or if they had to seek a inferior replacement. None of this in any way excuses the lack of care about a customer being unhappy, that's a whole other issue.

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Mexican-Indian fusion food

Where is the puke smiley?

Yeah, There was a BBQ joint in a small town and I had to park across the street to get in line.

Four years ago they changed the recipe and it went downhill fast.

I would have gladly paid more for the original BBQ as opposed to what nobody's buying now.

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Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
You said the problem started long before Biden took office, but was it before the COVID lockdowns started? Because that hit a lot of smaller restaurants especially hard with sourcing and labor. What is the dish? I gotta wonder if there was something in it they can't get now, or if they had to seek a inferior replacement. None of this in any way excuses the lack of care about a customer being unhappy, that's a whole other issue.

Yes, they started downhill long before Covid. And the owner is still in the building during dinner. Go figure. $50 before tip for two for a very simple meal that USED to be delicious, but is no longer delicious. They broke something that didn't need fixing, so I don't get it. So they'll have to steal $50 from some other couple. I do like INDIAN food however. There is one nearby that is excellent, but the tab for two exceeds $50, but is worth it, just can't go very often. I hope they haven't screwed up their food !

If it's just one dish ~ it could be it isn't selling anymore?
What about other dishes?

Good question. I don't know for sure. Deserves a better answer.