Skip to main content

Food Farewells


 

Duchess, the adorable little sandwich shop with milkshakes, has closed. For me it was one of those places that I always meant to get to. Someday.

Alas.

The last several weeks have brought other closings: Bippy’s Pub, R & R Tacqueria, Chicken & Whiskey, Bennie’s Pizza, Today’s Catch. 

Is it a trend? Or does each place have its own unique reasons? I’d be more inclined towards the latter. 

Sometimes folks have worked a very, very long time and there is no one to continue the business once they have retired. Food service is grueling work. Not everyone wants to take it on.

There are a few other reasons that we may be seeing restaurants and other food related businesses closing in Howard County in the coming months.

  • Supply chain issues
  • Increased food costs
  • A loss of workers due to ICE fears
  • Decreased business due to job loss in the community 
Those reasons are all completely avoidable. None of those things needed to happen. 

I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve seen people mock leadership in Howard County for taking positions on things that happen in Washington. 

That’s not your job. Nobody wants to hear what you think. What happens in Washington has nothing to do with Howard County.

Guess what? The next time you go to your favorite restaurant, only to see that it has closed, think on this:

We don’t exist in some safe little silo. Things that happen in Washington absolutely do matter here. Leaders who are able to assess the big picture are smarter than you think. 

If you can, go to that place you’ve always been meaning to go. Then, at the very least, you won’t have that regret that I’m feeling today about Duchess. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more