It’s wet, it’s rainy, it’s foggy. You can thank ME for this, as I spent a significant portion of Sunday washing, waxing, and otherwise detailing my car, since I knew that we would not be getting any precipitation for a while. Of course, we can always use the rain, but… come on. Couldn’t I have had that squeaky- clean fresh- wax look for at least a couple of days?
Fog is at least as high as Crestline, and goes down to around 3000 feet or so. Fog is only mediumish at its worst, and gradually fades with the elevation drop. Rain is falling, though, at least on the mountain, so be aware of the slickness that accompanies water on the road. The balmy warmth (around 50 degrees or so) means that there won’t be ice, but slip still happens.
I did not see any rocks on the road, though… not yet enough rain, and wind doesn’t seem to be a big motivator of rocks today.
Down here on the flat parts, though, things are still dry. Roads haven’t been touched by any precipitation, and are only mildly threatened by overcast skies.
So, I like the idea of the electronic ordering screens that are popping up in fast- food joints (with the impending high- wage requirements for fast- food workers that are scheduled for the next couple of years, fast- food restaurants must downsize the workforce, replacing employees with machines… ). However, the vast majority of these ordering kiosks that I have tried are simply dysfunctional. The touch screens don’t register, the software doesn’t work, the receipts don’t print, whatever… I haven’t used one yet— in spite of many tries at many different establishments— that works entirely as planned. Oh, well… hopefully they’ll get these bugs worked out. Nobody wants bugs in a restaurant, for sure.
And, come on Carl’s Jr.! A few years ago, Carl’s came up with a clever marketing campaign: They sold the “Six- Dollar Burger.” This was because at Carl’s, for only three of four dollars, you could get a burger that was as big, and just as good, as what you would get at “nicer” restaurants, for SIX dollars. It was a good idea, and Carl’s sold lots of burgers. But, times have changed, inflation has happened, and prices have crept up over the years. Now, some of those “Six- Dollar Burgers” (Yep, they are still called that on the menu) at Carl’s Jr. are eight or nine dollars! It’s not that spectacular of a deal when you pay nine dollars for a burger that’s worth six dollars!
Okay, fast food story… one of my favorite tales: A while back, my wife and I were at our favorite Del Taco, in Barstow. The service was great, and the food exceptionally good that day. As I am the first to holler when things are lousy, the converse is that I am also the first to give credit where credit is due. I saw a guy wearing a Del Taco shirt, but it was blue, a different color that the rest of the employees. The name tag read, “Ed.” Assuming he was the manager, I approached him, and asked if he was the manager.
He laughed slightly, and replied, that, well, yeah, sort of… it was sort of a vague answer, but good enough for me. I then told him how great the food was that day, how clean the place was, and even called out a couple of employees who had been especially helpful to us that day.
The next day, just for fun, I went online to see if this guy really WAS the manager or not… I looked up Del Taco’s website, and was surprised to see this guy’s picture prominently displayed all over the website… only, as a much younger man, in most pics.
It turns out that “Ed” is Ed Hackbarth… the founder of Del Taco… the guy who invented the restaurant, built the chain, made it what it is today. He used to hang out with some guys, and they got together once or twice in San Bernardino, to shoot the breeze with each other about business ideas. His buddies included a Mr. Bell (who founded Taco Bell), a Mr. Baker (who founded Baker’s), and Mr. Galardi (founder of Der Weinerschnitzel). All of these fast- food chains began as nothing more than conversation in San Bernardino, but eventually became giants. These guys each went on to create powerful fast- food empires… and Ed was one of them.
These days, Ed just likes to put in a little time at his store in Barstow. He wipes tables down, he brings extra hot sauce to the tables, and he cleans up spills when they happen. He’s very humble, and very nice. He’s happy to shoot the breeze, or take pictures with people (yes, my wife and I have taken advantage of that offer since). He’s loved by the employees there. The vast majority of people who visit there and see Ed haven’t the slightest idea that this is the man who started it all. He is fast- food royalty, and a damn nice guy at that.