Another one gone...

[elfs]

Mourning cards

You might wonder what would cause such an outpouring of grief. These cards read "We'll Miss You" and "Rest In Peace," and they were left at a very public place. A place Omaha and I visited not less than a month ago.

The Keg was one Burien's highest of high-end restaurants. It was well-run, and the food was usually better than other Kegs in the area. The place was always packed, every time Omaha and I went, no matter the time of day or the day of week. For it to just vanish like this, with little warning, stunned both of us more than just a little. And it's understandable that it would cause the kind of reaction I've photographed here: the regulars loved it because it was so good, and because there's nothing else really like it in our area. We'd have to go into Seattle to get a decent steak; there's no place over at Southcenter that really does it quite so well.

Goddamn. That's sad. Sigh. I make a really good steak (just ask lisakit), but sometimes I want someone else to do it for me.

Comments

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Actually, the local blog finally got the skinny on it, and apparently it was just a financial decision. Despite my impressions, this one was losing money. Ah, well.

[omahas.livejournal.com]

Despite my impressions, this one was losing money.

No, you in fact do not know that. Yes it was a financial decision, but one thing you have to know about business, especially US business, is that financial loss is not always the reason when a "financial reason" is given.

The local blog had a quote from the former general manager which read, in part:

Over time, the changes and shifts in the market had a direct impact on the profitability of the restaurant. This, coupled with the current overall economic environment, resulted in our decision to close.

In other words, it could just as easily be that the restaurant was not making as much of a profit as the others were. Considering the downturn in the economy, doing a review of the overall financial woes of Burien (of which there are a lot) in comparison to the other store locations, and the cost of doing business in this location (a knowledge, perhaps, of the lease cost increasing severalfold, for example), they could just as easily decided that even though they were always busy, they would never actually increase revenue *enough* to override the loss that was coming, and to nip it in the bud before it became a financial loss against the other restaurants.

That's how chains think.

[lisakit.livejournal.com]

Well... the accoutrements are kinda crappy and the atmosphere can get a bit noisy, but the Bullpen on 99 & 200th makes a good steak.