tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post887368455581511948..comments2023-10-30T09:03:19.418-04:00Comments on The Tighten Up Report: A few words about StarbucksThe Tighten Up Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990455054797209569noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-53659978423370502052007-08-08T14:19:00.000-04:002007-08-08T14:19:00.000-04:00Orville, actually, that's exactly what I meant, th...Orville, actually, that's exactly what I meant, though I didn't get specific: I still love Gremlins, while say, The Wizard is kinda silly but fun to make fun of (what with a bratty Jenny Lewis, annoying Fred Savage and an the uncredited cameo of Tobey Maguire). In fact, I am rather fond of Gizmo and the rest of the mogwai's -- if we were Google Contacts/Buddies, you'd see he is my icon.mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11544580092499852418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-18489276856016809122007-08-08T12:21:00.000-04:002007-08-08T12:21:00.000-04:00Mandy, Gremlins has stood the test of time as a qu...Mandy, Gremlins has stood the test of time as a quality flick. You should our annual Jack Daniel's and Gremlins Christmass Eve and see if your perceptions changeOrvillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01096779870437164407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-4395368406301879642007-08-08T12:18:00.000-04:002007-08-08T12:18:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Orvillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01096779870437164407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-53739808408472961202007-08-08T11:36:00.000-04:002007-08-08T11:36:00.000-04:00Great post; this was an enjoyable read.Whether we ...Great post; this was an enjoyable read.<BR/><BR/>Whether we want to admit it or not, nostalgia has great influence on skewing not only our current disappointment with the decline of anything loved in the past, but it also cajoles us to remember with greater fondness something we were only moderately impressed with in the first place. (Let's be honest: this is why we find ourselves equally excited and cautious when dusting off those <I><A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097758/" REL="nofollow">Little Monsters</A></I>, <I><A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087363/" REL="nofollow">Gremlins</A></I> and <I><A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098663/" REL="nofollow">The Wizard</A></I> VHS tapes. Some of those movies really were great and stand the test of time, but the others really aren't worth the time past 4th grade.)<BR/><BR/>But I think one of the main reasons Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Baskin Robins, etc. are so easily susceptible to the lack of sustained quality is that they are national, chain restaurants. The manager of a franchise is in stark contrast to the sole proprietor of a restaurant started with good ol' fashioned elbow grease. As the manager of a franchise, it is much easier to let slide the subtle (but nevertheless continuous) decline of your tiny piece of the Starbucks empire on a meager wage with moody employees than the owner of that tiny, tucked-away coffee shop that prides itself on the quality of its joe and the atmosphere which it exudes. It's the same reason the latter cup of coffee is a little more expensive and that gourmet pizza makes your heart melt right along with the cheese, but boy is it worth it.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, find a new coffee shop, Donald! You'll have a happier disposition sans the screaming barristas and supporting your local economy is always a good thing.mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11544580092499852418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-25771314704141066062007-08-08T10:04:00.000-04:002007-08-08T10:04:00.000-04:00I should add that I frequented both establishments...I should add that I frequented both establishments as a lad, Pizza Hut largely owing to its "Book It" youth reading program, Baskin-Robbins owing to its endless supply of rocky road.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16294836039414057483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-63078378709157236052007-08-08T09:50:00.000-04:002007-08-08T09:50:00.000-04:00Pete, I have to concur with Mr. Rump--and I'm pret...Pete, I have to concur with Mr. Rump--and I'm pretty sure this isn't the rosy lens of my youth--the Pizza Huts where I went (in the northern Shenandoah Valley of VA) were pretty good. My parents don't really tolerate bad food.<BR/><BR/>I also agree with Jordan that the rise of gourmet parlors and changes in ingredient and service standards have played a role.Pepperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15697403979864177486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-30583825916249005092007-08-08T09:40:00.000-04:002007-08-08T09:40:00.000-04:00Not to be a dick, but when the hell was everyone e...Not to be a dick, but when the hell was everyone eating at Pizza Hut? I remember that being a place that our coaches wouldn't even take us after little league games.Petehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12430886057632373165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-50958801684531021502007-08-08T09:37:00.000-04:002007-08-08T09:37:00.000-04:00That was quite a post. However, through your colo...That was quite a post. However, through your colorful prose and flowing storytelling, I can't help but ask; do you think, perhaps, that your newly aweful views of Pizza Hut and Baskin Robins could, in fact, be caused by your maturing tastes and not necessarily a decline in quality? Following that reasoning, perhaps Starbucks was always as loud and unclean as it is today, but you were so caught up in the plethora of lattes and mochas they offer that you never noticed?Petehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12430886057632373165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-47012259074339259712007-08-08T09:35:00.000-04:002007-08-08T09:35:00.000-04:00AHAhahahaha! Brilliant! I too recall such dinner...AHAhahahaha! Brilliant! I too recall such dinners at Pizza Hut with my family as a child (Becca's face reddening), and have long lamented that establishment's certain decline. Well tightened, sir.Pepperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15697403979864177486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1563019253410165575.post-60948396616867641722007-08-08T09:24:00.000-04:002007-08-08T09:24:00.000-04:00Pizza Hut and Baskin-Robbins have fallen victim to...Pizza Hut and Baskin-Robbins have fallen victim to two phenomena. First, national standards for quality and ingredients have changed in foodservice. Pizza Hut has been supplanted by gourmet pizza parlors in the high end of the market. Baskin-Robbins wilted in the face of Ben & Jerry's first and Cold Stone Creamery second. So, both retailers lost much of their cachet.<BR/><BR/>Second, you got older, and stuff that used to be appealing to you no longer is. I used to eat McDonald's chicken nuggets prodigiously, when it is a cold, undisputed fact that these things are terrible.<BR/><BR/>In other words, the marketplace evolved and you got older.<BR/><BR/>Starbucks, meanwhile, has always been terrible to me. I don't understand the appeal of burnt coffee as anything other than a stimulant. In other words, Starbucks might as well sell speed.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16294836039414057483noreply@blogger.com