Unwelcomed

AKA How To Fail In (Keeping) Business By Not Really Trying

Saturday, 1st one in the month, protest day again. Brunch follows, social time, good food (hopefully), and a chance to include like-minded fellows who can't do the protesting any more but still like a  good meal and good company. Of course, it helps when our brunch-only folk know where and when to meet because we keep doing it without needing communication. You know where and when, so  just show up.

When I started, it was always at a place called Bobbie's Cafe. Basic fare, good prices, adjustable seating depending on the size of the group, great servers, about a mile from protest site. But then....

We outgrew the big booth in back and were switched to tables and chairs. When the chair legs dig into the carpet, the older and more infirm of us have difficulties, particularly getting the chair away from the table to leave. While we did our best to adjust to that, adapting seating arrangements and assisting others, the staff seemingly forgot to clean the coffeemaker. For months. Most of the group finds coffee indispensable. Good coffee, that is. We voted to relocate.

Our next choice was  JB's.  Closer to our protest site, with a different menu and a breakfast buffet, and costing only about a dollar more per meal, and none of what we objected to about Bobbie's, we settled in there. Until.... Well, no real use to pointing out their shortcomings, as they are now out of business. We're not sure why, since we moved on before that happened. But boy, did they have great cream cheese & fruit stuffed french toast! Just as well that's no longer a temptation.

So we moved a bit down the same block to Coco's. They've been around for decades, good reputation, perhaps another couple dollars more per meal. We settled in to our new brunch home, and they adjusted their 4-person tables by placing two together, enough room to spread around.

That ended yesterday. With two thirds of the restaurant empty, they crammed everybody into a single room. Or should I say, everybody else? Now, we're used to waiting in the lobby for several minutes until the full group arrives after taking down signs, giving farewell hugs to those not going on from the protest to the meal. It's never been a problem. Yesterday, however, smaller groups kept arriving and being seated at small tables. Never was there an attempt made to join tables as people left from those near another empty one. More customer were seated instantly while we waited. And still more.

One in our group asked could we be seated in one of the empty areas. Nope. Their servers only worked in the one area. (Why?) No apologies were made for having us wait. At the half hour point, we decided to go back to Bobbie's. Maybe their coffee had improved. On the way out, one of us expressed our displeasure to them at their treatment. Politely, of course. We were raised that way.

Their answer? Were they sorry? Uhh, you do realize this wouldn't make it to a posting if they had, right? No, their response was, in a scolding tone, informing us that they didn't take reservations.

What the ...? Were they claiming we were asking for a reservation? I was under the impression everything was first-come, first-served, and further, that we were first before the other dozen groups we saw seated after we arrived.

We went back to Bobbie's. The menu is still tasty and inexpensive, I'm told the coffee now is quite acceptable, and we figured out who needed which chair where easily. And even better, we were recognized and welcomed back.

Bobbie's it is.