Revisiting Old Favorites

Recently I wetn back to two diners that I haven't gone to in a number of years. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the decor was updated and the food has improved. It was a real treat to visit one since I had been going there since my childhood. The food was still good and actually a lot cheaper than other diners in the area. I now will add these two to my repetoire of eateries.

That's the thing about restaurants. I 've noticed that if you go to them on a steady basis for a number of years they hit highs and lows. Right now three regular hangouts of mine are in a rut. I visited one yesterday and got violently ill from the soup(all right it was a chili - Sloppy Joe kind of soup)I was surprised that their quality of food had slipped that badly. However the owner had opened up another location and spent more of his time at that one. His sous chef is now my hang out's main cook and his work although, passable is not great. I think I will hold going there for a while. How long I don't know.

The problem with any restaurant is that if the food quality lowers then the place loses customers. That means an old favorite can close. What do you do? Continue going giving them your custom and getting stuck with a bad meal?Or trying another place and allowing them some business. I think the best way is to just rotate where you eat or just visit every few months. I've done this with one of my favorites, a hot dog place,the Galloping Hill Grill, where I used to work in Union NJ. It's only when I crave their dogs and birch beer that I visit . I feel that way they never disappont. (Of course they are one of the best in the state).

What do you do when your favorite eatery goes bad?Stop going there for a while. Give it a few months, maybe even a few years. Then go back. You may just be pleasantly surprised at what you;ll get to eat.