Running Bear's March 2025 Coffee Shop

[migalyto]

At the restaurants I was referring to, there is a cook/manager, and somebody to clean the tables. That's all the employees.
I was there at noon, and there were two other customers in the building. Getting rid of help because they were losing money seems to have started a cycle.

We see it all around here too. Wait lines of an hour and half the restaurant is empty. Only a couple of waitressed working the floor now.

Funny how the restaurant scene has changed in the last 4 years. Remember when they were begging people to work for $16-$18 an hour. Those signs have disappeared.

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang

40° under cloudy skies currently with a high today expected of 59°.

TGIF!

 

[kbkchooch]

Hopefully the down turn at restaurants wont affect the coffee shop. I'd hate to see Mel lay off the girls!

 

[NorthBrit]

Hopefully the down turn at restaurants wont affect the coffee shop. I'd hate to see Mel lay off the girls!

Flo. Please ensure all meals and drinks for everyone.
Payment you say?
Oh! Everyone will pay their own.

 

[Len Turner]

Good mornin' crew. Under cloudy skies, its 43 with a wind chill of 34 here in Cheyenne. Winds are NW @ 14 gusting to 21. High wind warnings are in effect until later tonight. Forecast high for the day is 46 with a low tonight of 22. There's a 90% chance of intermittent rain turning to snow later this afternoon and evening.
After getting back to the workbench, finishing up some detail castings, I've discovered that my eyesight, motor skills and patience are just not up to the task of model building at the level I wanted to achieve with the Pine Flat layout. With that in mind, I am seriously considering mothballing Pine Flat and resurrecting the old Texas South East, a more conventional model railroad with a transition era industrial switching theme.
I'm going to take a break here for the next few days and mull over what I want to do. We'll be back...
Y'all have a good day and weekend and take care.

 

[NorthBrit]

Flo. Please ensure all meals and drinks for everyone.
Payment you say?
Oh! Everyone will pay their own.

Looks like an angry customer.

 

[shortwrench]

We see it all around here too. Wait lines of an hour and half the restaurant is empty. Only a couple of waitressed working the floor now.

Funny how the restaurant scene has changed in the last 4 years. Remember when they were begging people to work for $16-$18 an hour. Those signs have disappeared.

That's mainly the reason we usually get take out rather than eat in.

 

[Texas Hobo]

Good morning, all! It's an overcast but warm morning in H-Town. We hit 90 degrees yesterday. 90 in mid March. Oh, this summer could be a doozy.

Beer - Shiner Bock. I don't drink much beer. A 6-pack might last 18 months to two years.

Trains - I placed an order with Mudd Creek for 3 structures and some scenery detail items. They should be shipping today. These are the 3 I ordered.

STAY SAFE
LATER

 

[migalyto]

That's mainly the reason we usually get take out rather than eat in.

We have started to do that as well.

The restaurants around here we frequent have apps and have perfected take out. Order it, pay for it and they give you a time. Pull into a spot and they bring it right out.

 

[westtexjohn]

Well, howdy there internet peeps and those with larger lagers and pillsy pilsners

It's Troy again.

Wife is an a NO caffeine kick (for her, I don't mind it, hence the coffee). So we went to BurgerFi... because she wanted a burger. And they have one of those soda machines with all the varieties inside and the touchscreen to dispense caffeine-free whatever beverage she desires.

Only, it was out of order... only plain coke, diet coke and regular sprite available...

So we ended up at the new Riviera Maya mexican place that took over the abandoned P F Chang's (If I remember correctly) that closed during the pandemic. It wasn't bad. Upper-scale Midwest Mexican (eg TexMex but with less spice).

I got the fajitas, and wife got a beef quesadilla:

View attachment 214187
View attachment 214188

After tip it was about double going to the hole-in-the-wall place. But I got take-home boxes for the fajitas. Only ate about half. So, lunch today.

In burger news, I noticed a story in the Washington Post that the burger chain Steak N Shake is making political moves in their marketing. They appear to be targeting a demographic based on politics. Pity. I like my food without politics. But they are cooking their shoestring fries in beef tallow now.

I'm not a fan of shoestring fries, though I did like their shakes and smashburgers.

Wife doesn't like their fries either. So we'll not be visiting them, despite having one a couple of miles from home. Culvers is closer. BurgerFI just a bit farther. And a 5-guys in between. We don't need a shoestring fries place.

Today is supposed to start off well weather wise. But turn windy. I'll be smoking Italian sausages on the kamado. Wife is going to make a Kraft Dinner (mac-n-cheese) to accompany them.

And, it's warm and sunny enough later that I can drag the cat's pooping palace outside for a good scrubbing and hose-out. The litter robot is great, but I like to do a quarterly cleaning on it. Over the winter, it goes an extra month, and it needs it.

Cooking fries in beef tallow has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with better, healthier eating.

John

 

[Bruette]

Cooking fries in beef tallow has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with better, healthier eating.

I don't know or care about healthier. I do know they are better!

 

[troyphoto]

Cooking fries in beef tallow has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with better, healthier eating.

John

I can't say more about HOW they're marketing it, without breaking the no polytics rule. The story is on WaPo if you want to find it.

And I don't care for shoestring fries no matter what they're cooked in. I like big beefy steak fries, but will settle for the mid-sized variety.

 

[westtexjohn]

Afternoon to all............

It is 68 here in west Texas with winds at 45 to 50 mph. Not fit for man nor beast outside. Plenty of west Texas red dirt in the air.

Well, will miracles never cease, my package that has been in transit from Ft Worth Texas to Seymour P.O. shows to be "out for delivery" today. Only took 12 days to make 160 mile trip. I contacted E-bay to cancel refund and all is good there.

Hope to do more track laying today.

I opened up my Walthers cement plant kit and noticed one of the sheets of plastic that is a back wall has a heck of a bow in it. I might have to contact Walthers for a replacement. I'll try gently heating the bowed piece but I don't think I can ever get it flat.

Everyone have a great weekend...........John

 

[Bruette]

I like big beefy steak fries,

Those are my wife's favorites and the ones we usually eat.

I like any fried potato, regardless of size or what it is cooked in.

We seldom eat out; we are both better cooks than most places have.

I can't say more about HOW they're marketing it, without breaking the no polytics rule. The story is on WaPo if you want to find it.

I read it.

 

[Bruette]

Home cooked fish, steak fries (cooked in the air fryer) and lots of steamed broccoli for dinner.

Everyone have a great weekend...........John

Thank you, John.

You and Everyone do the same.

 

[santafewillie]

Plenty of west Texas red dirt in the air.

That red dirt has made it here in the last half hour, but our winds are still just nudging 40 mph. It's currently 80°.

 

[NorthBrit]

Good evening all. Had an easy going day. Did not see the train room. More seeing Dawn was okay.

Made Pork and Mushrooms Stirfry for dinner.

 

[chadbag]

So last night it snowed until after midnight. It ended up probably about 2". 1-2". The first two pics below were at 9am this morning and about 31-32F I think. My watch said 28F but the car said 33F and I think my sensor on the house (N side, no sun) was about 31F.

4 hours later and about 38F with sun earlier though more overcast than earlier we have the third pic...

Spring weather is always interesting. A week ago and up until mid week it had been at last mid 49s but often mid 50s or even 60 last weekend. Right now my watch claims 35F (from where ever the app gets our local temp -- I think a couple miles east by the GA and NG airport) but the N side sensor is reading 42F.

 

[Patrick]

Afternoon all,

Winds have picked up to the point of one can't go outdoors without blowing away. Power went out about a half hour ago. At least the temps are high enough to not need to worry about freezing.
We have fires going in the area and are now under a storm level from the NWS that usually applies when we have tornados on the ground.

 

[troyphoto]

We're at 75 F-degrees here in NE Indiana. Won't last, but I'm outside enjoying it.

About to order a fan and controller for my Kamado... Ouch! Pricy. I could buy two Atlas engines.

Not using the controller (not here yet) as I cook these Italian sausages. Hot on the left, mild on the right. What we don't eat tonight will go into the crock later with pasta and sauce for Sausage and peppers.