Okay. Let’s say you have a favorite restaurant. You eat other places of course but this is your favorite. You’ve been eating there for years and the place feels like home. At least once a week you go into this place and get something to eat. Over the years you’ve tried a lot of stuff on the menu but in the end you get one of a handful of dishes that you just love.
Now of course over time things change. The wait staff comes and goes, with some being better than others. At one point their supplier changed and one of your favorite dishes was taken off the menu as a result, but they explained what had happened and everything was fine, even if it did make you sad. The chef eventually took on an assistant who was capable enough but you made a point to come in when the original was there because the new guy wasn’t quite ready yet.
Over the years there were a few times where you got something, started eating and could tell it was off. You couldn’t say what specifically was wrong of course, you aren’t a chef and don’t know everything that went into making the dish. You could tell it was wrong though. So you flagged down the server and told them that there was something wrong with the dish and they apologized and offered to take it back and get you a new one but it wasn’t that bad, so you kept it. A little later the chef came out and had a conversation with you about what was wrong, he tasted it himself and couldn’t seem to find what was off but he listened and said to let him know if anything else was wrong the next time you came in. It wasn't the experience you were hoping for but the service still left you with an overall good impression of the night.
Then one day you came into the restaurant, ordered one of your usuals and what you got was odd. The texture was wrong, the flavor was wrong. You weren’t sure what to make of that. They always had such high standards. Somewhere else it might be fine but for this place it was really bad. You talked to people, got something to replace it and everything was fine but the next time it happened again. The Chef insisted that everything was fine. Nothing important had changed. Other people loved the food. Maybe the problem was you. You considered that for a while but it didn't make the food taste any better.
The next time you came in the Server left you sitting at your table for an hour before coming to take your order and once again the food was off. When you complained the Server rolled their eyes and stalked into the back and when they came back out they told you that they were out of what you ordered so you’d have to get something else. A little part of you got annoyed at that and you considered if you should just stop going there.
The problem is that you love that restaurant. You don’t want to eat somewhere else. You want it to thrive and for everyone that works there to be happy but after a few more visits you start to see that the place isn’t being kept up like it was. The menu changes constantly and several of your favorites are replaced. You try some of the new ones but they just aren’t as good as what they used to make. They aren't bad exactly, just sort of one note. When you try your remaining favorites you find that they always taste wrong. On top of that the prices just keep going up.
You know it could just be you. Maybe you just need a break, give them the chance to get whatever issue is causing trouble ironed out. Give your pallet time to reset.
When next you come in they don’t greet you like usual. The server glares at you as they set down their phone and sits you in a booth that hasn't been wiped down properly. When you look around the building you can’t help but notice that the place is all but empty at a time when you used to wait for a table. When the food arrives the care which always went into the preparation of the dishes just isn’t there. So after a couple more visits you try and bring it up with the Chef but he fights you on every point you have. He is rude and dismissive, and has excuses for everything you bring up as a problem
What do you know? You’re only a customer. If you knew how to cook then you would be the one making the food.
So. How long would you keep going to this restaurant? How long would you keep handing over your money for something which is supposed to be a luxury that brings you joy once it no longer does so? You’ve been a loyal customer. You want the restaurant to grow and for others to experience the same joy it always brought you. You can see there are problems but there is only so much you can do to help, especially if the people in charge are in denial.
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