The author reckons with the effects of his piece which anointed a small family-owned restaurant as the home of the Best Burger In America. Traffic from food tourists led to increased wait times,...
The author reckons with the effects of his piece which anointed a small family-owned restaurant as the home of the Best Burger In America. Traffic from food tourists led to increased wait times, declines in service and extra attention from the local health department, all leading to a decision to close the place down.
Eh... it might have been the spark that started the fire, but it easily could have gone the other way as well and been the source of great success, and even the owner acknowledges that and so...
Eh... it might have been the spark that started the fire, but it easily could have gone the other way as well and been the source of great success, and even the owner acknowledges that and so doesn't blame him. It also sounds like there were some other issues going on as well:
He asked me not to reveal the details of that story, but I can say that there were personal problems, the type of serious things that can happen with any family, and would’ve happened regardless of how crowded Stanich’s was, and that real life is always more complicated and messier than we want it to be.
It's still a shame it remains closed and that the owner and his family experienced such insane online hatred toward them though. The internet can be such a ridiculously cruel place. :/
Just the other day I was in a local diner. It's a place I go 3-4 times per week for lunch; I'm acquainted with the owners, who are genuinely good people (a father and son). As I walked up to pay,...
Just the other day I was in a local diner. It's a place I go 3-4 times per week for lunch; I'm acquainted with the owners, who are genuinely good people (a father and son). As I walked up to pay, the son was finishing up an obviously unpleasant phone call in a polite fashion - "I'm sorry you feel that way" and "I'm sorry we couldn't accommodate you" sort of phrases. When he was done, he rang us through and explained that someone had called up and asked for a reservation 15 minutes away and for 40 people. When he said that he wasn't able to do that (it was the lunch rush - the restaurant was packed, and it's a small diner; there's no way they could seat 40 people together, even if they had a week's notice), the person on the other hand got very vicious, and said that they were going to leave as many one star reviews as they could across as many review sites as they could. This was laced with the f-word, along with some racial slurs.
In this age of connectivity, we have a real issue with people who are just trash doing things that are awful because they can. We have an issue with people feeling entitled to things to which they are not entitled. We have an issue with people being anonymous and using that anonymity to abuse people. We have an internet that has a glorious summit and amazing opportunities, but we often use it to just be completely awful to each other.
This is a well-written article, and a somewhat surreal read for me. I visited Stanichs some time after the Thrillist list, and before its eventual closing. I had been recommended it by a friend...
This is a well-written article, and a somewhat surreal read for me.
I visited Stanichs some time after the Thrillist list, and before its eventual closing.
I had been recommended it by a friend who knew I was visiting Portland, and I decided to stop by just before heading out.
The place was a bit hard to find (oddly placed amid residential areas), and the the parking was a bit unconventional, but I snapped a photo of myself and the sign before having a burger.
I recall being a bit confused- ordering was a vague, unstated process that involved directly speaking with the fry-cook and then letting the cashier know what you'd asked for (as I recall). Looking back I can see how it was geared toward the regulars and local folks who'd be more familiar with the proprietors. Maybe I came after the staff had begun to grow weary of the encroaching tourists. The burger was good, and the trip otherwise unremarkable.
It's odd to think I was a small part of that story.
I couldn't help but to be reminded of this scene with Johnny Depp from Once Upon a Time in Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb7wRPOtNB4 Perhaps the author is just "restoring the balance."
The author reckons with the effects of his piece which anointed a small family-owned restaurant as the home of the Best Burger In America. Traffic from food tourists led to increased wait times, declines in service and extra attention from the local health department, all leading to a decision to close the place down.
Eh... it might have been the spark that started the fire, but it easily could have gone the other way as well and been the source of great success, and even the owner acknowledges that and so doesn't blame him. It also sounds like there were some other issues going on as well:
It's still a shame it remains closed and that the owner and his family experienced such insane online hatred toward them though. The internet can be such a ridiculously cruel place. :/
Just the other day I was in a local diner. It's a place I go 3-4 times per week for lunch; I'm acquainted with the owners, who are genuinely good people (a father and son). As I walked up to pay, the son was finishing up an obviously unpleasant phone call in a polite fashion - "I'm sorry you feel that way" and "I'm sorry we couldn't accommodate you" sort of phrases. When he was done, he rang us through and explained that someone had called up and asked for a reservation 15 minutes away and for 40 people. When he said that he wasn't able to do that (it was the lunch rush - the restaurant was packed, and it's a small diner; there's no way they could seat 40 people together, even if they had a week's notice), the person on the other hand got very vicious, and said that they were going to leave as many one star reviews as they could across as many review sites as they could. This was laced with the f-word, along with some racial slurs.
In this age of connectivity, we have a real issue with people who are just trash doing things that are awful because they can. We have an issue with people feeling entitled to things to which they are not entitled. We have an issue with people being anonymous and using that anonymity to abuse people. We have an internet that has a glorious summit and amazing opportunities, but we often use it to just be completely awful to each other.
Human nature is pretty depressing.
This is a well-written article, and a somewhat surreal read for me.
I visited Stanichs some time after the Thrillist list, and before its eventual closing.
I had been recommended it by a friend who knew I was visiting Portland, and I decided to stop by just before heading out.
The place was a bit hard to find (oddly placed amid residential areas), and the the parking was a bit unconventional, but I snapped a photo of myself and the sign before having a burger.
I recall being a bit confused- ordering was a vague, unstated process that involved directly speaking with the fry-cook and then letting the cashier know what you'd asked for (as I recall). Looking back I can see how it was geared toward the regulars and local folks who'd be more familiar with the proprietors. Maybe I came after the staff had begun to grow weary of the encroaching tourists. The burger was good, and the trip otherwise unremarkable.
It's odd to think I was a small part of that story.
I couldn't help but to be reminded of this scene with Johnny Depp from Once Upon a Time in Mexico:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb7wRPOtNB4
Perhaps the author is just "restoring the balance."