Saturday, July 26, 2008
Pulling the plug (slowly)
On Friday the 18th, it hit the Macon Telegraph that the Vineville Ave. Krystal was closing. It also apparently was on TV that evening on 13 WMAZ News at 11pm.
  It is now 8 days later and neither my emails not my phone call have been returned. I told her that as soon as I had heard the news I was filled with three emotions: Shock, Anger, and Sadness. Without hesitation Bernida added in "Disappointment." In the news story above from Friday is says they didn't know when the store would be closing, and only gave vague reference to why: "It doesn't fit with the new model." The problem is that it was known on Monday in other Macon stores. Someone leaked it to Bernida. In reality the plan was to not tell anyone until Wednesday. Let's recap the official Krystal plan: Monday: other stores know the Vineville store is closing (but not the Vineville folks). Wednesday: the Vineville folks are supposed to get the news of the closing. Friday: the news hits the paper. Sunday: the store closes. I agree, Bernida. That is disappointing. I wonder at what point I was/am supposed to officially find out. I told Bernida I had three questions:
It was then that I realized Bernida is walking down the same path I walked about 2 years ago. When i was teaching Computers on the base and MGTC lost the contract, everything happened suddenly. There was a 3 or 4 month period where I was "allowed to believe" that I would be on a new CBT development team for the school. I was then relocated back to the base to teach Fire Extinguisher, Corrosion Control, Sheetmetal Math, and various other classes I have no business teaching. I was disappointed then, much like Bernida is now. I'd put in only 5 years at MGTC, Bernida has over 14 years in with Krystal. As I sat in the Krystal over the next two days, my three questions kept coming up over and over among the customers who stopped by. I logged 16 hours of booth time from 1pm on Saturday to 1pm on Sunday. Plenty of questions, no answers. Bernida wound up calling her district manager about my plaque, and without any direction to go by they decided it would be best for me to hold on to it for safe keeping. I decided to take it off the wall on Saturday, so there wasn't a chance someone would walk off with it. I'd overheard LOTS of people talking about items in the store they'd like to keep, in particular the clock.   As I mentioned in my previous post I got roped into an interview for WMAZ on that Sunday night. I don't have any video of the interview, but the text of it got posted on their web site.
Looking back on my interview, I think I may have fibbed. I blame it on being emotional about the store closing, but the way all of this went down is absolutely NOT now you treat family. At least not a normal family. Poorly played, Krystal. Poorly played. I line up behind Bernida in the "Disappointed" line. And from what I heard over the weekend, there are a LOT of customers in line right behind me. I do know that a huge majority of the morning coffee crowd (lovingly called the Krystal Kritters, or Krusty Kritters) are choosing other, non Krystal, places to spend their mornings. I wish I could say that my 14 hours of driving had cleared up issues for me, but sadly it just muddied the waters. A week later, and I still sit here: Shocked, Angry, Sad, and now Disappointed. Of course in the old days, a Krystal or four would be the perfect cure for all these mixed feelings. But right now I suspect a Krystal would taste very bitter, and a bit dirty, instead of steamy, fresh and oniony. I am not upset about the store closing. It happens. Heck Macon's got more than their share of Krystals. Its just sad that no one seems to have the balls to step forward and be a man about the whole thing. Be honest, open, and up front with your employees and customers. The only way you earn respect is by giving it. At least that what I always thought "customer service" meant.  |
Sunday, July 20, 2008
I have returned!
| It is currently 7:50 on Sunday. I got back from Macon about 15 minutes ago. I am tired and I still have quite a bit to do. This may be my only post tonight, and perhaps for a little while. I have company flying in tomorrow afternoon for 5 days. After that I am going to be busy for 4 or 5 days wrapped up summer semester's grades. Then it's another 5-7 days with "Family Business". Then a few days to get everything ready for Fall semester. I am sure I'll get a few posts in here or there, but it'll be sporatic. Yes, Krystal on Vineville closed today. They closed an hour ago (7 pm) to be exact. There were plenty of questions, but few answers. The news showed up this afternoon and wanted to do an interview with someone. Everyone looked at me. So apparently I'll be on 13 WMAZ tonight at 6 (2 hours ago) and then again at 11pm. If someone can record that for me that would be great. Obviously I don't get WMAZ in Wilmington. If not the guy filming said it would be up on the web tomorrow, maybe. I got his card so if nothing else I can email him for a copy. I don't expect the interview to be all that exciting. I was quite emotional, distracted, and unprepared. It also kept turning from a "Last day for Krystal on Vineville" interview to "Jason's some kind of Krystal freak" interview. Both of which are true, I suppose. I ate way too much. Shared lots of stories and memories. I got to say bye to a lot of the Krystal folks, including Bernida yesterday. Heads up! Bernida is going to be moving to the Krystal on Watson Blvd in Warner Robins! The rest of the Krystal folks are going to be scattered around the other remaining stores in Macon. Mostly at Zebulon, Bloomfield, and Arkwright. I do have my KLHOF plaque from the store. As soon as Bernida heard the store was closing she was worried about how she'd let me know and what the plan was. Once I arrived, I reviewed my options. We decided the best choice was for me to take possession of it til things get settled. Then we'll go from there. I think that's enough for right now. I need to unpack, do some laundry, and try to squeeze in a little class prep for tomorrow (PowerPoint, Wheee!) I got TONS of pictures and they'll be up here sooner or later, so stay tuned!  |
Friday, July 18, 2008
Say it aint so, Joe!!!
Obi-Wan: I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.As I said in my last few posts, I have been feeling a bit "off" for the past few weeks. Something wasn't right and I couldn't figure it out. Slowly it started to get clearer. I hadn't had Krystals in a long time. Today's post was going to be about my trip last Thursday to get some. It was a good trip and the Krystals were great. But apparently that wasn't the great disturbance in the force I'd been feeling. This afternoon in an email from Jarrett's mother, I got this extremely disturbing news: Jason!After I picked myself back up off the floor I ran to Ed's website and went through the back door to the Macon Telegraph's website. (I stopped reading the Telegraph online a month or two ago when they started requiring you to register to read their fish wrapper.) It's True! It's all true!! There's lots of other "fixtures" there that will certainly be missed. Chef. Sonja. Vanessa. Keary. Calvin.  I am heart broken. I am a little angry. I am very worried. I am mostly sad. As soon as I got the email, I immediately started making plans. I leave early tomorrow morning for a mad dash to Macon. I'll return late Sunday. I am not self centered enough to think that I can single handedly keep them from closing, even if I did chain myself to the grill, or lay down in the drive through. One of the main reasons for my trips to Macon is now going away. Over the years I have lost friends or they have moved away, but Krystal was always there. WAS. I know there's still the old standby on Spring Street, and another dozen or so scattered around. But this one is MY Krystal. MINE!! I am angry. I do not know what will happen with my KLHOF stuff. That's part of why I am going. I have put in a call to Kenny at KHQ but this late ona Friday I doubt he'll get the message in time. My plan is, if they don't already know what to do with my plaque is to take it myself until I can find a new home for it. Maybe the Krystal down in SC that's my adopted Krystal. Or perhaps hold on to it til they finally build me a Krystal in Wilmington. (It seems only fair since they took away my store in Macon!) So the plan it to leave EARLY tomorrow and have dinner (maybe lunch) at Krystal tomorrow. Then breakfast and lunch on Sunday before I leave to come back. Can I make it through the entire menu in 24 hours? I don't know. Will I try? I doubt it. But maybe if I order everything they can't officially close while I am still eating? So I kow this is last minute but if you want to see me and/or bid a fond farewell to the Vineville Krystal, it's tomorrow or Sunday I guess. I make no promises on when I will be there, but I'll try and hang out there as much as I can. And I'll try to keep the crying to a minimum. |
Monday, July 14, 2008
Long John Silver's
| It's a well known fact that I don't eat seafood. I haven't always been that way. My parents can tell you plenty of stories of me when I was a kid ripping through a boil of boiled shrimp, and I could do some damage to a fried flounder. But my first job after high school and also while I was home from college on break was selling seafood at the local grocery store. When you're up to your elbows in shrimp all day, or hacking apart salmon, or wrestling live lobster out of the tank to toss em into the steamer, you really lose your taste for seafood. Figuratively AND literally. In the past when I would tell people I don't eat seafood, I always had to give the following disclaimer: When I arrived in Wilmington I realized that seafood is king here and I better buck up or get out. I immediately started to look for the closest Long John Silver's. I was shocked to find the closest one is almost 80 miles away in Jacksonville, NC. I can only assume the reason Wilmington, one of the biggest cities in NC, doesn't have one is out of fear. I suspect if they tried to open one here the locals would pick up torches and pitchforks and run them out of town, burning the building to the ground as they went. In addition, most people from Wilmington would be too ashamed to be seen going in or coming out, so they'd never be able to make a profit. I have accepted my fate. I have tried a little REAL seafood here and there. Shrimp is good. Fried is a requirement. I still don't ever find myself with a "craving" for seafood. But as I said last time I have been having cravings lately and been unable to figure out what was missing. While I was up at my parent's house, and thus a lot closer to LJS, I decided to make the 15 minute trip over to see if that's what was missing. My earliest memories of LJS were in Conyers, GA. The LJS is more or less across the street from my first Krystal where my 15+ year "every Thursday" tradition started. Back then I always got the "Fish and Chicken Dinner." From what I can remember the Fish and Chicken Dinner had 2 "Chicken Planks" one fish fillet, french fries, and I think slaw. I don't remember if it had hush puppies or not. When I was in Macon I never could find that particular menu option, though. I once asked about it and the girl rang something up and I got exactly what I had always known as the fish and chicken dinner. She didn't tell me what I had really ordered though. On the menu these days there is a combo called the Fish and Chicken dinner. I once got suckered into buying it. I knew there was a problem when the total was almost 10 clams. (Yeah that's a fish joke.) Once my food arrived I realized I'd bought enough for 2 people. The "new" fish and chicken dinner is 3 chicken planks, 2 fish fillets, slaw, fries, and hush puppies. Sheesh that's a lot of friend food! I usually wound up going with a smaller meal and then "adding a piece." I drove right past the place on my first try. I had already predicted a problem when Sally, my GPS, showed the closest LJS in Raleigh. Her maps were recently updated, so I knew something smelled. (Yet another fish joke.) Once I finally located the place it all made sense.  Sadly this hybrid restaurant with its hybrid menu made ordering even more complicated. Instead of just giving a number for your combo you have to give a letter, too. There's a T1-T12 and an L1-L10. T is for the Taco Bell side and L is for the LJS side. I searched the menu very closely, and realized that they were missing a fantastic opportunity. They had everything they needed to make Fish Tacos, but then again that would likely attract Sandra Lee, and no one wants that.  As I worked my way through my fried fish and chicken I remembered with a laugh the following commercial: Click here if the video above won't play The reason why the shape of my food was important was that I'd recently noticed this as I walked by the mirror.  |
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Lil Debbie (a la mode!)
| Starting almost a month ago, I just haven't been feeling right. Something was off, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I seemed to be hungry all the time and nothing could really satisfy me. Believe me, I tried. While at my parents house one night I was rummaging through the pantry in search of something to eat. It appears Huckleberry, after a late night Old Bay binge had already raided the pantry for the really good stuff. All I could find were some Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. Now I love Little Debbie as much as the next guy, but I knew she was outmatched by my hunger. Then I began to think: what if the oatmeal creme pie was not a meal or even a course, but instead was an ingredient. I thought "What would Sandra Lee do?" I quickly made a run up the street to Dairy Queen (a.k.a. The Dairy Fairy) and nabbed myself the strawberry cheesecake blizzard. Despite the fact my parent's house is less than 2 miles from DQ, it was already well on its way to melted by the time I got home. So it went into the freezer for a bit while I got everything else out.    Huckleberry demanded I make him one. I told him to make it himself. Because he lacks thumbs he was unable to scoop out any ice cream and he's not tall enough to reach the microwave. He went to his room and slammed the door. That meant I could enjoy my snack in peace, with minimal kitty fur.  |
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Kitty Sitter
| It's been a while since I posted. I've been a little buy and a lot of out of town. Since everyone else has crazy full schedules and I don't, I am drafted into service on occasion. Last week, my parents took off for Pennsylvania to go reinact civil war battles at Gettysburg. While my brother and his family are on their southeastern tour, they've left their cat Huckleberry at my parent's house. I am sure you can see where the problem is. We already know that Huck cannot be trusted alone. It's not that he poops everywhere, or chews things up. He gets into the Old Bay and all heck breaks loose. Next thing you know the cops are called in with full riot gear. The neighbors complain about the loud "Cat-Rap" music (thumping bass and endless meowing while a chorus of mice squeak away in the background). My parents called to see if I could come "Kitty-Sit" for them. I figured how tough could it be? Sounded like a free vacation to me. I packed my bags and headed on up. Of course I first realized there would be a problem when I arrived to find the following note posted on the fridge:  I kept his food and water bowls filled and tried to stay out of his way for the most part. I tried to ignore him when he'd cut his eyes at me as he walked through the living room to go play on the computer. Apparently he's on a very active Kit-E-Mail list, and he's ALWAYS on MeowSpace.com. (Yes, that was a joke, and no, I had no idea it was a real web site.) The first few nights I stayed up there I kept having the strangest nightmares, though. I kept dreaming I was being stuck on a motorboat while a man in a fur coat was attacking me with a wet/dry sander as he ate a tuna salad sandwich. Finally, one morning it all made sense as I awoke to this:   |
