First off.... #$^^& off to the new guys that bought it.
I go in and the new "owner" asks what I want like he's some kinda "goodfella" or something before I even get in the door....like I'd walked into "his" living room while he was doing a coke deal or something. I realize later, the kid is just some prick from Highland Park who bought the joint hoping to make a profit off high school kids' coke a cola habit.
"Whaddya want?" He asks again as the door closes behind me and I intentionally stare at the menu above him as to say "I'm looking", and his response -as if owning a hot dog place makes you "cool" or gives you some free pass to be a d*ck as if you're supposed to play that role...is "Dude, what the hell do you want?"
I glance over at my high school classroom picture as to remind myself where I am...Little Louies...yeah, this is where I am.
I look outside, I see the park. I confirm. This is the place.
Now I don't imagine anyone from Highland park would understand that much about reality, let alone enough to know that business is best done kindly like the nice guy that used to run LL IN NORTHBROOK which is NOT Highland Park. Northbrook, where not everyone is all jacked up on I can't deal with the world prescription meds and dont follow their dogs around the neighborhood looking for some desperate housewife to "up" or "#$^."
I ask him what veggie burgers they have and the genius either doesn't know or plays it off like some cannibal who thinks "eating meat" makes you cooler than Clint Eastwood. Yeah, I like burgers sometimes, but I like veggie burgers too. Moreso, I like a place I can order what I want...not what's cool. But then again, I find out later, the kid grew up in the only town in America where a weak geek can own a beamer, wear black and marry a hot blonde from Miami that rears his kids and calls him honey just to leave him for his money......and somehow considers himself "cool" for doing so. I guess that or owning a hot dog joint...or having gone to law school....but I digress.
I continue my peruse of the menu and the attitude the idiot gives just doesn't stop. As I tell him I"m looking he proceeds to ask me, "what are looking for, we have hot dogs and burgers what the @%# do you want."
I look around and realize there is no one esle in their to validate the pathetic behavior of this child wearing the skin of a...medium sized child.
(All this happens before I get to the counter mind you. Now picture this, I'm the only one in there...he "greets" me with his all too cool "I run a hot dog joint" attitude -when he probably ate at the Wiener Circle once and talked about it with his friends for 10 years- wishing he had enough pain in his life to know what it really means to tell someone off - the whole time convincing himself he "told them off" - and wishing his business was 1/100 as popular as the wiener circle - realizing he'll never amount to anything as a result - he has forgotten to recognize that pain has crept in the form of envy into his soul and burned out any semblance of humanity - but is too ignorant to what pain really is - imagining it only comes from poverty or violence, both of which he is too weak to ever face- yet to consider the idea that without pain or with it kindness is pretty much a good way to go in the service industry (not the Review Industry as you read here) and to value the nice life he has...but no)
So now I'm at the counter, the entire above conversation has already gone more lame than I'd waste your time with and he gives some sinde comment like "so...whaddaya gonna do sit there and stare at the menu...what the h&(( do you want dude?"
All I can think is this guy just got broken up with (I was making excuses for him, for the restaurant, for the history of Northbrook)...so I think some annoying highland park girl or worse someone from Deerfield is to blame (actually not worse), when he finnally gives some quack off the cuff remark in a snide way...about meat vs veggies...to which I realize it's a genius like this who in 30 years -after 5 bi pass surgeries, one for each cow the kid eats, that he will never realize businesses do best in neighborhoods like northbrook:
A) Owned by Northbrook Residents
or
B) Operated With Respect for its Residents
But then again 98% of the world is left convincing themselves why they are better or right in the palm of their ignorant fearful hands as truth walks away.
So I walked away and waited 4 years to post this hoping things would change.
They did I hear.
I heard the rude one left.
But look up at all those class pictures and remember who is watching you ensuring Eddie's dream stay alive. read more