One thing we sorely missed during the pandemic was having  dinner at a fine restaurant.  I always said I’d rather have one meal at a 5 star restaurant than five meals at a franchise operation. Consequently, we were excited when the governor dropped the mask mandate last month, and we could finally make a reservation at a popular local restaurant.  We’ve been out twice now, and come away disappointed.  Eating out is losing it’s luster.  But why?

Slow service.  Maybe it will change when the federal unemployment bonus comes to an end.  But right now, there really aren’t enough cooks and wait staff to serve a good meal in a timely manner.  Many were staying at home because they couldn’t afford to go back to work.  As a result, cooks and servers who did come to work were stretched to the breaking point.  Both times, we waited almost two hours to be served our meal.  Meanwhile, we’re chomping away on bread to quell the hunger pangs, and drinking too much wine on an empty stomach.  Resulting in a headache that made it difficult to get to sleep.

Prices.  Yes, prices have gone up.  Not just a little, but a lot.  A bottle of wine could usually be purchased for thirty some dollars.  Now,  in that same restaurant, you can’t get a bottle for less than sixty dollars.  Entrees are at least 30% more costly. When they bring the bill, you blink.  Was the food really that good?  Actually, it wasn’t as tasty as it used to be.  The steak was a bit overdone, and not nearly as tender.  Not sure if they’re buying lower grade meat, or an overworked cook didn’t have the time to take it off the grill at the right time.

Masks.  Servers are still required to wear masks.  Unless you have young ears, you have to ask them to repeat themselves and speak more slowly.  And you can’t help but feel sorry for them, knowing how hot and sweaty masks can be when worn for a period of time.   Masked servers are a downer, and detract from the overall ambiance.

Yes,  eating out is  losing its luster.  But we’re not ready to give it up.   Being optimistic, we hope that when they’re operating with a full staff, the service will improve.  And we’ll be exploring other local restaurants who may not have such steep price increases.  And maybe, one of these days, we won’t have  masked servers.