POLITICS SCHMALITICS

[mtutiger]

39 minutes ago, Deleterious said:

Video of a man doing manual labor for the first time in his life.

 

Don't even know where to begin with this one.... but we'll at least start with the fact that if you're gonna go through the effort of doing this cynical video, at least have your staff find a paint color that even remotely blends in with original concrete coating there.

[Deleterious]

It's the paint between him and the workspace for me.  

[Deleterious]

I love how they think a dumb sign was the problem.

Put some good food on a plate, provide good service, and I will put a sign out front with two monkeys humping and do $3 to $5 million in revenue a year.

Maybe the problem is you don't make any of your own food anymore.  You roll it off a Sysco truck, warm it up, and serve it.  They don't even make their own biscuits anymore.  How can you sell yourself as a southern comfort food place and not make your own biscuits?

OK I lied, they are back to making their own biscuits.  But it did stop for a few months.  Maybe they are figuring things out.

Cracker Barrel Just Announced Major Changes To Its Most Iconic Dish

 

[Edman85]

7 hours ago, Deleterious said:

I love how they think a dumb sign was the problem.

Put some good food on a plate, provide good service, and I will put a sign out front with two monkeys humping and do $3 to $5 million in revenue a year.

Maybe the problem is you don't make any of your own food anymore.  You roll it off a Sysco truck, warm it up, and serve it.  They don't even make their own biscuits anymore.  How can you sell yourself as a southern comfort food place and not make your own biscuits?

OK I lied, they are back to making their own biscuits.  But it did stop for a few months.  Maybe they are figuring things out.

Cracker Barrel Just Announced Major Changes To Its Most Iconic Dish

 

I will never forgive Cracker Barrell for the decline of Maple Street Buscuit Company since they purchased them. What used to be a little 5 restaurant local chain with several options is now a national chain with slimmed down menu and lower quality.

[CMRivdogs]

The last couple of times we've tried them the service was horrible. The last time I think we sat for at least a half hour after waiting another 20 minutes to be seated before being told that they had run out of those items. 
Rather than waste another hour or so of our time, plus a waitress, server who really didn't care we walked out. No one apologized, asked how our meal was or anything.

Granted it was about 8 o'clock on a Sunday evening near Beaufort, SC. We had been driving from Fort Lauderdale since about 10:00 and still had about an hour or so to our hotel. They're going to have to do something spectacular before they get our business again. 

[pfife]

I didnt have the slightest idea people gave a **** about the barrel let alone its logo.   Betas.

[CMRivdogs]

Just now, CMRivdogs said:

The last couple of times we've tried them the service was horrible. The last time I think we sat for at least a half hour after waiting another 20 minutes to be seated before being told that they had run out of those items. 
Rather than waste another hour or so of our time, plus a waitress, server who really didn't care we walked out. No one apologized, asked how our meal was or anything.

Granted it was about 8 o'clock on a Sunday evening near Beaufort, SC. We had been driving from Fort Lauderdale since about 10:00 and still had about an hour or so to our hotel. They're going to have to do something spectacular before they get our business again. 

BTW, I'm not an over the top fanboy, but I've been impressed by what I've seen the couple of times we've stopped at a Buc-ee's. The first time out of curiosity, one of the others out of necessity. Service and attitude is good, restrooms live up to the hype. The food isn't bad either for highway fast food

[gehringer_2]

10 hours ago, Deleterious said:

I love how they think a dumb sign was the problem.

Put some good food on a plate...

I guess it's a generational thing -  the fact that Chinese emigres to the US in recent years have been mostly Engineers and Scientists,  but I'm depressed about the loss of good Chinese restaurants in A^2. We use to have 5 or 6 places you could get a really fabulous meal, now not only they all gone, but those that remain can't out cook a Panda House.

[Deleterious]

13 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I guess it's a generational thing -  the fact that Chinese emigres to the US in recent years have been mostly Engineers and Scientists,  but I'm depressed about the loss of good Chinese restaurants in A^2. We use to have 5 or 6 places you could get a really fabulous meal, now not only they all gone, but those that remain can't out cook a Panda House.

Cost of living is another issue.  

A 1st generation Chinese immigrant can't afford to live in AA, let alone open a business there.  Go to poorer cities like Detroit/Pontiac/Flint/Jackson/Lansing and I bet you still can get good Chinese that isn't a chain.  I know Battle Creek has 3 or 4 places like that.

 

[gehringer_2]

25 minutes ago, Deleterious said:

Cost of living is another issue.  

A 1st generation Chinese immigrant can't afford to live in AA, let alone open a business there.  Go to poorer cities like Detroit/Pontiac/Flint/Jackson/Lansing and I bet you still can get good Chinese that isn't a chain.  I know Battle Creek has 3 or 4 places like that.

 

LOL - we don't lack for 1st generation Chinese living in town, but you're right in the sense that it's a different profile. We don't get the type of Cantonese refugees via Hong Kong that we would have seen 40 yrs ago who would gravitate to an easier place to afford, we get professionals and academics that are already able to write their own tickets.

[chasfh]

5 hours ago, Edman85 said:

I will never forgive Cracker Barrell for the decline of Maple Street Buscuit Company since they purchased them. What used to be a little 5 restaurant local chain with several options is now a national chain with slimmed down menu and lower quality.

Part and parcel of the en****tification of America.

[chasfh]

3 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

BTW, I'm not an over the top fanboy, but I've been impressed by what I've seen the couple of times we've stopped at a Buc-ee's. The first time out of curiosity, one of the others out of necessity. Service and attitude is good, restrooms live up to the hype. The food isn't bad either for highway fast food

I have never before encountered the concept of hyping restrooms. 😉

[Tigerbomb13]

From today’s senate hearings on Kash Patel, it’s clear he doesn’t even have the temperament to run a Burger King, let alone the FBI. God help us all. 
 

 

Edited September 16 by Tigerbomb13

[CMRivdogs]

29 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I have never before encountered the concept of hyping restrooms. 😉

It's a feature. They have 100 gas pumps, no semi's allowed. The promote the bathrooms, constantly cleaned with attendants and everything. 
 

I was skeptical at the beginning. Not one to stop every time we travel near one but I've stopped rolling my eyes over super clean restrooms.

 

[Deleterious]

They are all located near highways, right?  Clean bathrooms for people on road trips is probably a huge draw.  

[oblong]

On my latest trips to TN the last year and a half I noticed one in Kentucky not long after I get back on the interstate.  But it's right after the absolute best rest area so I never stop at it.   The Kentucky Artisan Center is what it's called.

https://kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov/

 

 

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, CMRivdogs said:

It's a feature. They have 100 gas pumps, no semi's allowed. The promote the bathrooms, constantly cleaned with attendants and everything. 
 

I was skeptical at the beginning. Not one to stop every time we travel near one but I've stopped rolling my eyes over super clean restrooms.

 

My wife and I are going on a cross-country driving next month. We'll be passing through Amarillo and Springfield, MO, so I'll try to make it a point to stop at one along the way.

[CMRivdogs]

This just feels like the best spot for this

[chasfh]

Now 1-9, but still, I didn’t need to hear this. 

 

[Tigermojo]

5 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Now 1-9, but still, I didn’t need to hear this. 

 

Must exercise the bad Trump juju.

[romad1]

19 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Now 1-9, but still, I didn’t need to hear this. 

 

Be careful or the MAGAs will ban you for posting sports content in the political forum. 

[ewsieg]

On 9/16/2025 at 10:55 AM, gehringer_2 said:

I guess it's a generational thing -  the fact that Chinese emigres to the US in recent years have been mostly Engineers and Scientists,  but I'm depressed about the loss of good Chinese restaurants in A^2. We use to have 5 or 6 places you could get a really fabulous meal, now not only they all gone, but those that remain can't out cook a Panda House.

I'm over on the east side and feel like we don't have too many good Chinese restaurants over here either any longer.  Is Dynersty still around in A2?  They were open late which was great for us that worked the midnight shift.  The basics were alright, but they had a few 'secret' items they would make that were apparently more authentic (I'm not cultured enough to truly know) that were great.  

Edited 4 hours ago by ewsieg

[CMRivdogs]

On 9/21/2025 at 8:23 AM, CMRivdogs said:

This just feels like the best spot for this

Of course this was published before the TPUSA Rally yesterday

[CMRivdogs]

I guess I'm way ahead of the curve. I cancelled Disney a couple of years ago. I haven't been to a Disney Property in over 20 years.

OK I did go to a Disney movie last weekend. I'm sure Trumpers disapprove of Hamilton though 

[oblong]

We still have a good Chinese place in our neighborhood.  We started going again regularly.  It's one of those family places.  No dine in.  It's just an exposed cinder block structure with a half door into the back and you can hear them yelling the order from the front.  They opened in the mid 90's.  We had 2 Thai places but one closed because the landlord didn't want them there.  Doubled their rent in the new contract, according to the owners so they couldn't renew.  Now it's another coffee/dessert place because Dearborn does not have enough of them.  44 non chain coffee places in our city.

But this Chinese place is great. It is a few blocks from us but fell off our radar.  It's the old joke "If you see a kid behind the counter doing their homework, then the place is good."  That's true here.