[GH85Carrera]

We get the invitations to a meal to listen to sales pitch things I have zero interest in. I just toss them in the trash. Two hours of my time is more valuable than the "free" meal.

My wife and I go out for dinner every Friday night, and Sunday morning for breakfast. Last night was a Mexican food place that used to be a short wait if you got there at 4:30, and a long wait at 5:00. They sold, and the new owner tired to use cheaper ingredients and changed the menu, and it was just not as good. Soon you could go at prime time and get right in. The new owner must have slapped his forehead and he went back to the old menu, and suppliers, just as Covid hit.

He struggled for a couple of years, but I guess word of mouth got around that the quality was back to the old ways. It was packed last night as we left, and we got there at 5:15.

The cost of eating out is just high. Most places serve so much food we have leftovers for most meals. $50 to $60 is average, prime rib may push it to $90. If we have 4 meals out of that, it is not so bad.

Since Covid, all the restaurants that used to be packed are way less busy because of the much higher prices of food. Our favorite BBQ place is still great, but two sliced brisket dinners can be 50 bucks. It used to be $25 for the two of us.

Chick-fil-A seems to be the one place that is always busy. Always busy, but they know how to keep the line moving.