A small Middle Eastern restaurant in my community recently closed. My wife and I were sorry to see it go. We enjoyed its distinctive cuisine and takeout service. But we could see it coming.
In fact, we saw it the first day we patronized the place. We were on our way to an outdoor music festival and stopped to pick up a picnic dinner. It was around 5 p.m., and we were the only patrons. The young woman in charge of taking orders was busy changing the cash register tape, and having a hard time of it. As she fumbled around, she did not even acknowledge our presence with so much as a nod. After several minutes of waiting, I asked if we could place our order and pay after she got the cash register working again.