Let’s keep it simple: the next time you go out to eat, appreciate it a little more. The days of cheap, abundant chain dining are—at least for now—on thin ice. If you have a favorite spot, visit it. Buy an extra dessert. Tip your server. Because the headline is grim, but the real story is about how the places we take for granted are fighting a daily battle against costs they can’t control.
So I’ll never get that grilled chicken from my Beefeater again. And yeah, that stings a bit. But maybe—just maybe—the empty space will remind us all that nothing in this economy is permanent. Not even a fluffy Yorkshire pudding. Cherish it while it’s hot.
