Going to a restaurant and....it's just not the same as it was?

[Michael_in_TX]

There is a Chinese (technically, Chinese-American to be sure) place a mile from my house. It's been there for two decades. (888 for those in Houston.) The food has always been fantastic. (One of the hacks was if you ordered delivery, you got more fried rice and more soup than you would have if you ate in. That was always fun and I have no idea why they do that.)

So I ordered my usual last night....General Tso's chicken, fried rice, and hot and sour soup. Something went sideways. Like I said, it has been consistently fantastic for two decades. The fried rice was fine, but the chicken was only lightly fried and the sauce has next to no viscosity to it; it was water. The soup, by contrast (and weirdly) was gloopy....I mean it might have been half corn-starch thickener. It was nearly gelatin. I was cutting it with a spoon.

The food wasn't bad, it was just....well, "wrong." All I could think of was, what the heck happened here? How was this not noticed during the cook and/or packaging of it all?

I am hoping this is just a one time hiccup (it probably is just that) and not a recipe change or anything.

But it did get me thinking. Have yall ever had a favored restaurant that just one day took a weird left turn and stayed that way?

[Ace]

My list of restaurants that I go to has been cut by 80%.
Slow or poor service.
Poor quality of the food.
Smaller portions.
Huge price increases.
Disrespectful or rowdy patrons which are allowed to be that way.
Just not fun to go out anymore.

[Jfrosty27]

Panhead John A favorite vehicle accessory up here is a snow plow on your pick up or big SUV. It can do much more than plow snow. 😏

[Panhead John]

Jim, wish I had one of those many times. Especially when someone is camped out in the left lane, letting no one pass. That’s when I’d love to have one, to give them a gentle “assist.”

[bbqLuv]

Ace Panhead John
Washington and Texas ????

[mrteddyprincess]

It's a chain, but definitely Outback Steakhouse for me.

The LAST time I went there, nothing I had could even be described as "good." Prime rib my @ss. That steer was rode hard, and put away wet. If it had been road kill that might have improved the tenderness.

B

[Jerod Broussard]

Definitely some improvement on not only tenderness, but meat acidity as well.

[RichardCullip]

I tried the rack of lamb at Outback a few years ago. It was so tough I was sure it was rack of ram Never tried it again

[jfmorris]

I've never been a fan of Outback, especially their steaks. I didn't like it 20 years ago, and liked it less when I had to meet someone there last year.

[Jerod Broussard]

I plan to check out a Chinese place called Wok D'Lite next time I head home. The best shrimp/pork fried rice. Chinese fried shrimp with LOADS of batter. Food coloring on the pork for a pseudo smoke ring. The best. Many a meals while at University '94-98.

[bbqLuv]

Food coloring for smoke ring, thanks for the tip

[Huskee]

I don't know how many Lucky's Steak Houses there are in the US or if they're just a small Michigan franchise, but they have a nice dim light chill vibe, large wine rack when you first walk in, upscale mood...and their "Zip Sauce" is something to write home about, it's like a thin, salty buttery jus, my attempts to recreate it have failed. This ain't no Texas Roadhouse.

Anyway, the absolute best steak I ever had in a steakhouse was at a Lucky's. Also the last one I've ever bought in a steakhouse, because when I ordered one a couple years back, it was god-awful, tough, non-existent salt & seasoning. Pitiful. Everything you might expect from a steak at a bad Applebee's cooked by a teenager their first day on the grill. They got the medium-rare part right but that was all that was right.

My memory of Lucky's has been forever tainted.

[TomfromtheSoo]

Huskee

Myself and three of my cousins ate at the Lucky’s in Midland, MI last week

Baby Back Ribs
Crab Cakes
Fish and Chips
Salmon New Orleans (my dish)

We all enjoyed our meals but none of us had a steak.

[Huskee]

TomfromtheSoo That's the one I had the bad experience at. I live about 35 min from there. Glad your meal was great. Skip their steak I say.

[realdocBBQ]

My list of restaurants that I go to has been cut by 80%.
Slow or poor service.
Poor quality of the food.
Smaller portions.
Huge price increases.
Disrespectful or rowdy patrons which are allowed to be that way.
Just not fun to go out anymore.

This x eleventy billion.


<edit>
Add in the absolute ridiculous tipping 'expectations' these days. When they turn that machine around to you and the 'suggestions' START at 18% for complete shite service? No freaking thanks. At a buffet sometimes, no less. No THANKS.

[mrteddyprincess]

That annoys me too. Let's see, I had to order the food on a kiosk and wait at the counter to get the food, and you're asking me if I'd like to give YOU a tip?!?

[bbqLuv]

Tip,
Don't bet on the horses

[dpearce]

You might want to let the staff know next time you order. Sometimes, there's a new cook or they switched suppliers.

We're pretty fortunate around here, we've got several good Chinese restaurants nearby, so we can bounce around a bit. My long-time favorite is Jade's (ran by Jade-Lady, yeah, that's what she calls herself). Next is the Lantern. Both have been owned by the same family for decades. If'n I feel real fancy, I'll go to Asian Gourmet, and of course, when I worked near it, there was Asian Kitchen (by far the cheapest and most food option).

But yeah, I'd let them know what you got.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Since I started smoking and grilling my wife and I rarely eat out.

[Ace]

+1 👍

[Alan Brice]

Bob Evans Farm, orig located in Gallipolis Ohio. Used to be the absolute bomb biscuits n Gravy.
They changed the biscuit recipe and they no longer fall apart in your buttery hands. Unlimited coffee. They would fill my Thermos after I ate breakfast.
I used to eat there 4 or 5 days a week on the way to my job. I haven't been back in 15 years.

[FireMan]

Bob Evans restaurants were sold a couple of years ago. "They" wanted to focus on their farm and bulk (retail) biz. It's a shame the new management chose to change things.

[LA Pork Butt]

I read recently that Chinese restaurants are closing, because the parents ran the restaurant putting their children through college ], and now the children want no part of the restaurant business.

[Ace]

Yes, true stuff... I've seen that in my area also. 😢

[FireMan]

Plus, the new trend of Tai restaurants usually double with Americanized Chines food. Than you have an amalgamation of two cultures poorly served.

[SheilaAnn]

I swear sometimes Michael_in_TX reads my mind. So on the plane yesterday, I am reading Save The Deli by David Sax. Almost every chapter speaks of the traditional delicatessen just going downhill and fading away. So sad! Reason that I recall are greed, costs, future generation not interested, etc.

p.s. don’t read if you are hungry….

[Alan Brice]

The local Deli /Lotto/Liquor my wife's family just sold. Three nieces and not a single one wants to carry on.
The work is just too long and exhausting. Not to mention the Liquor theft and the peeps you take in, feed n put up w/their shite. One had a habit of taking hundreds on busy Fridays or Saturdays then to add insult to injury, was feeding her dog T-bones and Ribeyes. Was found out because she took entire rolls of lotto.
She got her hand slapped n was not prosecuted. Blood from a turnip.

[Sid P]

That happened to our Chinese restaurant. They had great food for 20+ years and then we had crappy/mediocre food several times in a row. The old Chinese couple that owned it sold it to their kids, who promptly ruined it. It’s still hanging on by a thread.

[DaveD]

We hardly ever go out to eat anymore either - or do hardly anything else that requires being among more than a handful of people. The pandemic damaged us permanently. Not that we're concerned about catching anything, it just held up a mirror and showed people at their truest, and for waaaaaay too many, it is not a pretty sight. People think nothing of behaving like absolute a$$holes anymore, and as a consequence I've become a born-again misanthrope.

Can't answer about a long-time place going sideways, given that we've lived here only about a year... Except for when we took our short trip to Williamsburg for our anniversary, I wouldn't need two hands to count how many times we've gone out to eat this year...

[Richard Chrz]

I said it above and repeat it again, this public obnoxiousness behavior everywhere is really old. If I owned a restaurant or business, anyone acting like that would be banned for life.

[Panhead John]

WHATABURGER

[Jerod Broussard]

My truck intentionally pulls me there almost once or twice a week, almost.

[Panhead John]

They were great until the family sold a 70% stake to a private equity firm. 😡 Now they’re just over priced and mediocre, at least the last few time I’ve eaten at one. PEF = GREED = GONE TO HELL

[Michael_in_TX]

Ouch, this one hurt. Yeah...it isn't the same. Their jalapeño cheese burger is still good, but no the same (and certainly not worth the price!).

[synodog]

There was a Korean BBQ place here many years ago that was fantastic, but the main guy had some health issues and someone else came in to run it and it held on for a bit but finally bit the dust. Just not the same.

The Brazilian steakhouse we used to go before all the chains started popping up was good too, but the couple that ran it finally had to shut 'er down after the market became saturated. Fogo De Chao was excellent until beef prices cut into their quality or the price would be too much to go. I'll be going to another chain, Rodizio Grill, in a couple of weeks for my birthday. I don't expect the other's quality but it is slightly easier on the wallet.

[dpearce]

We have a Fogo De Chao and a Rodizio's here. Haven't been to Fogo yet, but heard it's good. Rodizio's was good, and even served things the other's didn't but it's been awhile since I've been there.. Also have a Texas De Brazil which was pretty top-notch, but also, haven't been there in a few years. We don't eat out much these days.