EH! THEY WERE NO GOOD ANYWAY!!

PLASTICVILLE-USA

EH! THEY WERE NO GOOD ANYWAY!!

There’s an old saying that goes..”With friends like those you don’t need enemies!”. In 1972 the music group the O’Jays had a hit with a song that expressed that same feeling called “Backstabbers”. In current pop-speak a person like that is called a “Frenemy”.. somebody who smiles to your face and does ill to you behind your back.

The Villages is LOADED with Frenemies. These are the people who smile and say “good morning” to you as you’re picking up the newspaper off your driveway and who then go inside their house only to drop a dime on you to the Lawn Gestapo and narc you for having an unapproved flower pot on your front walk. Of course this fits perfectly with the spoiled-brat/me ALWAYS first attitude of Villagers in general.

A couple of recent events points this up perfectly. Some months ago the TGI-Friday’s restaurant in Lake Sumter Landing pulled up stakes and left town. Their lease had come to an end and they departed. In way, while this restaurant was always busy their departure wasn’t surprising. TGI-Fridays has been positioning itself as a restaurant for the EMPLOYED young 21-40 age group. With some businesses if they are attempting to hit a particular demographic, sales..no matter how good it might be..doesn’t count if the sales aren’t in the target group. It was probably much easier for Friday’s to head off to Tampa or Orlando and open up a new store that would fit their chosen business model.

Now as noted..the TGI-Friday’s at Lake Sumter was ALWAYS busy. They didn’t hurt for business. But as soon as they announced their closing the frenemies came out of the woodwork to trash the place as having lousy food and terrible service. It was too loud or too hot or too cold or too expensive..well..you get the idea. Never mind that this place was packed at both the lunch and dinner hours, it was just plain terrible don’t you know?

Now the Morse Machine is very fond of chain restaurants and businesses in TV because it fits right in with their own standard operating procedure. Tightly controlled, lots of rules for operation and everything will be the same no matter if you’re in Boston, Binghamton or Boise. Villagers love their Stepford-Wife sameness in virtually all of their living, and so Morse Industries likes the big chains. Less chance that something original might take place.

At the end of this summer it was announced that two different restaurants in the Spanish Springs Town Center would be closing. Both of these places were on opposite corners of the main square and both operators told the same story..when their lease came up for renewal the Morse Machine wouldn’t renew/extend or bargain with them for a new lease. They were just over and done with. One was an Italian restaurant while the other was a Greek/NYC-style place. Neither of these places lacked for business. Just like the TGI-Fridays in Lake Sumter these places did good business during the lunch and dinner hours, plus both of these establishments had outdoor café and bar setups that often did well in the afternoon hours because boozing is an Olympic sport in TV. So it wasn’t for lack of business that these two eateries closed up.

Now when they closed..exactly the same thing happened when TGI’s shut their doors. The frenemies came out in spades to tell everybody just how awful these places were and good-bye and good riddance to both of them! Really? Must make the families who own these restaurants feel good to know that Villagers are ready and waiting to give them a nice swift kick in the soft ones when they are down.

But that indeed is “The Villages Lifestyle”. Smile to their face and stab them in the back. Me first. Me ALWAYS first. I’m OK…you’re an asshole. It’s a wonderful life here in America’s FRIENDLIEST Hometown. Sigh.