[imgabe]

> Throughout most of R-BBQ’s existence, Rodriguez has worked other jobs as well, first at the health clinic in town, then at the school district. His heart was in the restaurant, but he was cognizant of his father’s railroad pension and the stability it provided.

It says right in TFA article that the owner works other jobs to support himself. No doubt restaurants are a tough business. Lots of businesses fail. Should we subsidize every business in existence that can't make the economics work on its own merits?

I'm sorry people will lose the restaurant they love so much, but apparently not enough to pay the higher prices it would take to keep it open. Times change, economic conditions change, businesses come and go. That's a natural part of the economy and life. Things don't last forever, especially if you're unwilling to face reality and do the things that are necessary to make them last.

> Since the beginning of the pandemic many incredible and beloved restaurants in my city have been forced to close due to lock downs, landlords raising rents, rising costs, etc.

Yes, I've heard of many of these. It's always a person who went to the place once 2 years ago and is sad now that it's closing. Guess what you can do to keep local restaurants open? Go to them and buy food!

[richbell]

> It says right in TFA article that the owner works other jobs to support himself.

Both bee_rider and InefficientRed's comments were clearly about the general effect and not the specific restaurant mentioned in the article.

Regardless, the fact that Rodriguez has to work another job to support himself doesn't make it a 'side project'.

> Yes, I've heard of many of these. It's always a person who went to the place once 2 years ago and is sad now that it's closing. Guess what you can do to keep local restaurants open? Go to them and buy food

Are you really disregarding the content of my post because of a made up scenario that you're attributing to me?

In 2020 a beloved Syrian cheese and dessert shop, owned by a refugee, was forcibly evicted because their land lord tripled their rent. The lot remains vacant to this day. Was this personally my fault for not buying enough cheese?

[imgabe]

> In 2020 a beloved Syrian cheese and dessert shop, owned by a refugee, was forcibly evicted because their land lord tripled their rent. The lot remains vacant to this day. Was this personally my fault for not buying enough cheese?

Obviously every single instance of a restaurant closing is not going to be the same. Maybe the landlord hates Syrians. Maybe they're negotiating a deal where Starbucks will pay triple the rent for a 10 year NNN lease that will make more money even with the vacancy, maybe it's a money laundering front for the Russian mob, who knows?

I'm sorry your favorite cheese shop closed and it was probably not personally your fault for not buying enough cheese. Maybe you just live in a town that does not have enough cheese loving people to support a cheese shop, or there are uniquely evil landlords who have a vendetta against immigrant hard-luck stories. Sometimes businesses we like close. It happens.

[richbell]

Hey, I never said it was _my_ favourite!

Anyway, my point is that only focusing on the 'logic' and numbers misses the point. The myopic focus on short-term profits hurts the average person and their communities.

You asked in an earlier comment if we should "subsidize every business in existence that can't make the economics work on its own merits?" I am not necessarily saying that we should, but we ought to acknowledge that the economy is not a system based on merit. In addition to blatantly profiteering, many large companies have taken trillions from programs like PPP loans that were meant to protect jobs, and proceeded with layoffs or stock buybacks instead. That money not only comes from you and I, but it also affects our communities — people lose their jobs, and the record profit are shuffled away into tax havens.

Does the world _need_ a specialty cheese shop? No. But the larger collapse of small, locally owned businesses since 2020 is a worrying trend.