Johnnie Does – Page 5

The Real Cost of COVID-19

People frequently ask me what the real cost of this virus will be when it’s all said and done. Sadly, as Natasha Bedingfield said in her famous song “the rest is still unwritten.” As vague and sad as that statement was for me to say, we won’t know the answer for years, and that is the truth. As I write this, we are under a “shelter in place” order in California. New York and other states are under similar guidelines. As a result, large gatherings (over 10 people) are banned, church services are cancelled, most retail is closed, and restaurants are either closed up, or doing take out only. Commerce has come to a standstill, and while we have a stimulus plan being rolled out by the federal government (coming soon to a bank account near you), it will do no good.

Let’s analyze the impact of Corona using current events. Cheesecake Factory has declared they cannot pay rent due April 1. Cheesecake is a very large operator of restaurants; this should not be the case after just a 10-day shutdown (as of writing).

Cheesecake Factory Inc. is doing what a lot of tenants would like to do come April 1: withholding their rent.
The restaurant chain said that the “unprecedented times” we are living in has prompted it to take a closer look at its economic situation.
Cheesecake Factory says it’s not paying rent in April, has furloughed thousands of employees

The company has also furloughed 41,000 employees. These staff members will receive a daily free meal and retain benefits and insurance until June 1.

Point being, if Cheesecake is in trouble, how about the local independent shop? How does it survive? They cannot get a bulk deal on food and their staff is likely composed largely of family members working long hours… I don’t think this ends well for a majority of small restaurants. If stores do not close, the layoffs have started and it’s going to be brutal. As Samuel L. Jackson said in Jurassic Park “Hold onto your butts.”

Retail must be viewed the same way. I feel this virus and subsequent state ordered shutdowns will bring most to their knees. Case in point, Macy’s has laid off almost all employees (130,000) and the governing board will not be paid anytime soon.

Macy’s says it will stop paying tens of thousands of employees who were thrown out of work when the chain closed its stores in response to collapsing sales during the pandemic.
The majority of its 130,000, including stock people and sales clerks, will still collect health benefits but the company said that it is transitioning to an “absolute minimum workforce” needed to maintain basic operations. Macy’s has lost the bulk of its sales due to the temporarily closing of its stores starting March 18.
Amid Coronavirus Closures, Macy’s Furloughs Majority of Its 130,000 Workers

I feel most will use this as a chance to “get out of leases” where stores aren’t hitting their numbers. Online commerce will be even more important, and I think the days of free shipping may be coming to an end, as in-store sales will no longer subsidize it. See above on layoffs. This will be very brutal, and like the food service business, retail doesn’t pay well either. Folks, this event is the “retail apocalypse,” just not the way we pictured it happening.

Movie theatres, how the heck do they recover? If you work in this field, then look for new work quick. Not only are your local multiplexes closed, when operating, they serve overpriced food and booze, it tastes horrible. Movie production has also ceased worldwide, and as a result, movies won’t be coming out for a while. Again, I am envisioning mass layoffs here.

How does our education system recover? Is it just business as usual next school year? Nope. I think this virus exposed flaws in the current system in a couple ways. First the lack of on-line or distance learning. The district can’t assume everyone has a laptop, let alone Wi-Fi access at home. So, is the answer we buy all kids laptops? But if we do, how do we know Wi-Fi is available? Additionally, most schools offer a hot breakfast and lunch program, along with a take home bag for dinner for eligible students. How does this continue in the future? What if a cook somehow passes this virus on to food, and affects child…is the district liable?

How about volunteer groups? I will say this, you will see a steep drop off in membership. I guarantee it. Most members tend to skew older and those folks will be even more cautious going forward. This will be very prevalent in social justice groups, because who wants to be around a group of unknown folks with various levels of hygiene?

In closing, I would like you to consider the following.

First, the 2 trillion dollar “bail-out” is typical for an out of control Congress trying to assure re-election. This bill, which we had to pass to know what’s in it, was a cornucopia of pork barrel projects totally unrelated to mitigating the effects of the virus either medically or economically. Talk about putting lipstick on the proverbial pig, this thing was horrible. I would argue the “cure” is worse than the disease. Sadly, this is a recurring theme of omnibus fixes coming out of Washington. Oh, and two more “waves” of legislation are in the pipeline now, both with multi-trillion-dollar price tags in addition to what has been passed thus far.

Sadly, this virus, while it may calm when the weather gets warmer, will likely be back again in the fall, possibly in a new strain, just like any other flu. If it returns, how do we react then?

While we’re passing time in self-exile and hoping for warmer weather; hopefully, the Troll gets a few new photos of Hope Hicks celebrating summer apparel. To him, she’s like Campbell’s soup, it warms the soul.

I do firmly believe that social distancing is not a fad, it won’t be going away. We are all going to be germaphobes to the umpteenth degree. Bars will need to space out their stools and tables. Folks go there to “hang out,’ but don’t want to hang with strangers anymore. The concept of speaking to a barfly is not going to be a thing for a while. This goes for the restaurant side as well; tables will need to be spaced out… I do not see this ending well. Casinos will undergo big changes as well. The days of a 24/7 operation with minimal cleaning are over. Have you been to a blackjack table? Talk about shoulder to shoulder, more like bumping ugly’s with the person next to you; that will change. Bottom-line, I would say best case scenario is you see a return to 70% of your revenue compared to pre corona virus.

Movie theatres are literally screwed. They just spent a pant-load to re-do seating and configurations, subtracting quite a few seats. Total folks per screen are lower and they were forced to pay increased prices and then this happens. Ouch! I foresee in the future that seating may be even more limited. What if they have to go to small “clusters” of seats like 1, 2, 4, and maybe larger parties of 6-8? They may try something “value added” like table service or at the minimum food upgrades. The idea of paying $12 for a frozen pizza or $15 for a watered-down Bud Light are long over. Theaters have to upgrade and get a lot better but now it’s probably too late. I think the theatre business is dying on the vine and their demise just sped up. Streamers have put a dent in the old business paradigm and perhaps worse, the creators could take it straight to the people. Folks don’t have to watch movies at a theatre anymore. The traditional Hollywood revenue model is totally broken now. How do they pay 300 million dollars per episode for their “tent pole” franchises going forward? If you missed it, in the wake of the COVID-19 virus, Disney took out a $6 billion dollar loan. Guess owning 40% of all Hollywood movies has a downside.

A ton of retail will not make it. Look for deep discounts soon, especially in the clothing area. Maybe the Chief can buy some actual clothes. Last Monday, at our regular editorial board meeting (held at an undisclosed salsa bar) he was a sight no one’s eyes should be forced to endure. Trying to claim that a loincloth is just a leather kilt and he wore it in honor of St. Patrick’s Day was not very convincing. Sorry Chief but “sculpted” is not my word to describe you shirtless. Next time at least wear a shirt at the dinner table.

Anyway, back to the present topic. I think we will see a very different scene at restaurants, bars, theatres, and malls very soon. If you were looking for some ideas for the market, I would look at the “dinner kit” companies, and companies that are into the teleconferencing type stuff.

We will get out of this, but it’s going to be a rough several months, and look for this to rear its ugly head next fall.

Johnnie Does

PS the food reviews will continue no matter what. We just won’t do the ambiance. The people need me. I’m performing an essential service during these trying times. BTW the “Sac Bee” called me today looking for me to subscribe… of course I signed up and asked for 30 papers to be delivered daily. Hell, at $.50 a paper; on average that’s cheaper than a roll of toilet paper, if you can even find one! Hell, finding that stuff is like playing the adult version of Where’s Waldo?

Johnnie Does Questions the Trump Stimulus

Now that the details are starting to be released (Why is it that we have to pass this thing to know what’s really in it? Sound familiar?), I wanted to give my commentary on a few things I already disagree with. Before you shrug your shoulders and say “it’s just a right wing reaction by a right wing blog” hear me out.

This is a truly unprecedented situation. The leisure, restaurant, casino, and airline industries are on the verge of collapse. The stock market has given up all of the Trump gains since his election. The news media has whipped everyone into frenzy. Schools have closed indefinitely, restaurants have closed all dine-in operations, and movie theatres have closed. While I still feel this is a huge overreaction, as William has told me “once you ring the bell, how do you un-ring it?”

Now on to the Trump plan, it involves two $1,200 checks per person, for 2 months, with an extra $500 for children. The goal is that these checks to be out in a little over 2 weeks. My question is how? The Treasury/IRS has to have files upon files upon files, no chance this gets done in just a few months. (Last time the government did such payments under George W Bush, it took 3 months.) I have a feeling this will be left up to the individual states because at the end of the day, the federal government can’t move fast enough to be effective. (I’m assuming they want to be effective.) Instead, I think you may see the states distributing funds with the Treasury reimbursing. This means the $$$ will be going to non-citizens and likely people making far more than the intended income levels. Sorry folks, but we have voter registration roles that are out of whack, what makes you think they will get this right?

I also question bailing out corporations in return for equity, this I liken to a real life game of Shark Tank. I almost envision the CEO going into the smoke filled room asking for so many million/billion/trillion/gazillion in exchange for so much equity. It would literally be must see TV, almost the Apprentice in disguise! I guess if they like your pitch, equity stake can be negotiated. If they don’t like your pitch, well, you go the way of Lehman Brothers. I do not like this idea one bit, I understand the need for a lifeline, not a bailout. Even an equity stake doesn’t give the government enough downside protection, especially with the political risk of an election year!

In conclusion, the worst part is that I feel the GOP has once again been goaded by the Democrats into thinking this is a good idea. I see this ending horribly in November. All this talk of playing nice, ends with the Dems running TV ad, after TV ad of the party of the rich only gave you folks $1,200 X 2, we want to give you a living wage paid for by Uncle Sam each month! Shades of George W. Bush in 2007ish, it ended badly. They will have us over the barrel.

George W Bush signing legislation for tax rebate checks in 2008

These guys might all shake hands and bump fists in public, but they all know there is a lot at stake in November. All are trying to insure the re-election of themselves and their “fellow congressmen” while trying to pick off as many of the other side as possible. There is a reason we have 2 parties, I don’t think Pelosi and Schumer will be cutting re-election ads for Trump, and the GOP in November…..Just saying. Remember the last time things were TOO BIG TO FAIL!

Johnnie Does

Johnnie Does: Wendy’s Breakfast

We have all seen the ads and heard the hype, Wendy’s–for the octillionth time–is making a run at the breakfast crowd. Since we are under house arrest unless you are going to work, ~~school~~, the grocery store, the pharmacy, getting alcohol, or getting take-out so I figured I would try Wendy’s. I checked online to peruse the options, and most of the items looked pretty good!

Ambiance: Well it was take-out only, so, it’s going to be a low score. Damn the Chinese and their BAT SOUP!!!!!!! But actually, the inside of this newly renovated Wendy’s was actually quite nice. We’re talking close to a Starbucks type vibe here. I could see myself…well not really hanging out here for a long length of time. Still 3.3/5, its actually pretty nice inside.

Food: The menu had a nice selection; biscuits, sandwiches, a burrito (weird for a place headquartered in Ohio). After careful consideration, I settled on the Breakfast Baconator Combo, consisting of a burger bun, 6 strips of bacon, a sausage patty, 2 slices of cheese, an egg and Swiss cheese sauce. It came with potato wedges, coffee, and a free Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit. So, I get all 2,000 calories for breakfast, wow. Price point was a little high for my liking but that’s ok when you account for the free sandwich. The honey butter chicken biscuit was outstanding, like on par with Chick-fil-A. Actually, really good. Also, the potato wedges were seasoned perfect, again very good, coffee is coffee. The Breakfast Baconator though, was way too much, everything competed. The sausage was over seasoned, so it fought the bacon, and the egg, the burger bun was wild and out of place, and the Swiss cheese sauce was overkill. I would go 3.5 on the breakfast; I would order the biscuit and the wedges for sure.

Overall: It’s a fast food joint, so it’s graded on a lower end curve. The place was nice, the people were surprisingly friendly. The food came out way too quick for my liking, almost like it was sitting from earlier. (I was there at 6:45, I ordered to go from inside). I really liked that biscuit though. 3.4/5, I think the menu is here to stay, and it’s not bad.

Johnnie Does

My Thoughts on Corona Virus

by Johnnie Does

William put me on assignment last night to watch cable news reaction to all things coronavirus, so I pirated a neighbors signal and binge watched. It quickly became clear to me after about 10 minutes why we, as a people, are so riled up by this virus. Notable to me was the rant by Tucker Carlson.

Tucker was on a tear about how the government is lying to us, this is going to get way worse, and China is cutting off all pharmaceutical drugs and surgical masks to the USA. I switched over to CNN and basically got the same thing, but with the caveat that it was all Trump’s fault. MSNBC? The same. Americans are perishing left and right. They sounded like they were live streaming the invasion of the body snatchers redux. The cable channels all had a “running ticker” showing all the sports leagues and colleges who had cancelled games or classes.

I switched to the local news, and one could argue that was worse. The big news was a “ninety year old” woman that died in our hometown….check that, the person was 97, with a myriad of health issues. Also a student at an elementary school had tested positive for this virus, in a sense validating the decision days earlier to cancel school this week. Literally the corona virus was wall to wall coverage on each network. This morning (Thursday), the stock market dropped 10%. Yet these same folks are shocked? In the last 24 hours, we went from sports only being allowed to play in an empty gym, to tournaments and professional leagues suspending or cancelling play. Again….stock market drops….and these same folks are questioning why the panic?

So being a real journalist, I went out and asked a few people I interact with in the medical field what their thoughts were on this.

First a paramedic:
He had this to say, If you are under 70, and have no health issues, there is a very good chance you won’t even know you had it. You would chalk it up to a regular cold/flu bout. He added, just take a day or two off work, drink lots of vitamin C, and in a couple days you will be fine. The media influenced this freak out, and it’s been devastating to watch.

Randolph Mantooth
**Emergency** (1972 – 1979)

Second, an ER nurse:
She had this to say: Crisis overblown, by epic proportions. She told me they get about 200 folks a day walking into her ER saying they think they have corona virus because they coughed a few times. As such, none under the age of 60 get tested, for obvious reasons. Like she says, now every jabroni comes in here looking for a free test, and after about 5 hours of waiting they leave. Because we have limited test kits and quite frankly we have to ration them for the most likely to test positive. Overall she said it’s not a big deal unless you are older, and have a bunch of health issues.

Julie London
**Emergency** (1972 – 1979)

Now contrast that to events that took place in our hometown last 5 days. School cancelled on a Saturday for this week. Oh, but you can come by and grab your students free meal program…I’m not sure how this is any different from holding class as far as exposure goes. Then the district cancelled athletics, leaving perennial power Sheldon High out of the NorCal basketball finals. Then there was a change of heart on Tuesday, the game was played, on the road, Sheldon winning. Fast forward to Thursday, CIF State Executive of High School Athletics Ron Nocetti decided to be the white knight and cancel all basketball playoffs. Yeah, what a blunder. The only thing that changed over 48 hours was the NBA cancelling their season.

I know Nocetti. He was AD at Jesuit when I went there. This is very typical for an empty suit like him. He doesn’t want to be wrong, so he just jumped on the pile, following the lead of his other “peers.” It’s a total disaster, and yet those same people don’t get why the stocks are down?

Folks let me tell you what this is really about, it’s not about the kids, or healthcare, or politics. It’s about media ratings and lawsuits. This story keeps your eyes glued to the cable news shows, who turn around and sell ad time based on your eyeballs. Ratings drive the news, that’s why its stock losses, shootings, and corona virus. Secondly, these cancellations (Disney just announced by the way) are all about not being sued. Imagine they keep the park open, you take the family and someone gets this disease, and happen to visit grandma in the nursing home…grandma expires, and coronavirus is to blame…lawsuit. NO one wants that…look the NCAA forfeiting 100’s of millions cancelling March Madness, look at Disney, High School Athletics, what about all the pro sports leagues….again….lawsuits, the deep pockets are playing CYA. Why else would they be so quick to cancel? A bunch of colleges have kicked the students out of the dorms until further notice…essentially saying you can grab a couple items….then GIT!

John Edwards–former trial lawyer and failed presidential candidate

Think about this for a minute, you cancel classes for the kid’s, the adults didn’t have work cancelled, so junior went to hang out with all his school buddies….likely transferring this virus! A college who cancelled classes, the students had a drunken modern Woodstock on frat row…again likely a good place to transfer this virus….so may I ask, why are we cancelling class and these games again? Folks we live in an era where social media tells us get out and go out with friends….not stay at home and avoid this thing, the virus is going to keep spreading.

I’m not scared, and I’m not changing my lifestyle. I am in perfect shape and am very active. I also work a public facing job. I practice good hygiene, and eat a balanced diet consisting of mostly meat, fruit and veggies. You only live once and why should I change my life to fit a narrative being parroted by the media?

Also, regarding the stock market, while you were panic selling these last 10 days, I’ve been scooping the shares up at a discount. I believe Buffett and his ilk are doing the same, laughing all the way to the bank and counting their earnings. The economy is strong, still chugging along, it’s a sell induced panic that’s all, try to remember that. Big blue chip companies don’t go out of business, you know who does during these times? Elon Musk, and weak tech companies like Facebook.

Johnnie Does

PS The same people who call the millennials a bunch of snowflakes are the ones who are pretty woke right now…just saying… Most of us aren’t worried about this virus. The flu this calendar year alone has killed 18,000 people…this virus….41.

Corona Craziness

By Johnnie Does

Folks, it is amazing how a virus originating in China can literally put people’s minds into a pretzel. 90 day guy came into the office today, you guessed it, Lysol Wipes, hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol in hand. He said his wife forced him to bring all this to the office….I called BS. He said we should buy surgical masks, and discuss our interactions with the public, keep in mind we may get 12 people a month in the office. This is a typical overreaction from a cable watcher.

To be clear the views expressed on this blog in regard to cable are not entirely bad, frankly if you wish to pay to consume it each month, by all means. We just warn here that the job of cable (including Fox News BTW) is to gin up emotions and get people to react irrationally. Look at the events of the past 72 hours in our local city. Elk Grove Unified cancelled all classes and athletics, keep in mind nary a student had tested positive for this virus! Keep in mind the teachers were upset, but the only parental dissatisfaction were parents of the Sheldon High Men’s Basketball team scheduled to play tonight in the playoffs! I’m not bagging on the parents at all, actually they are the most rational people in this situation. Funny thing is, I saw many students of Laguna Creek High congregating and mingling with the public near my office at a local Target today! The horror! Yep can’t attend class, but they are out and about doing what kids do!

The sad thing is at the time of the editorial deadline for this article only 22 people have died in the US from this virus. I say only because the media and local educators are making this thing sound like the Spanish Flu (originating in China too BTW). Of the 22 dead, 15 occurred in the same nursing home in Washington State. We have had 2 cases in Sacramento County, 1 in Elk Grove, there has been 1 death in Placer County….an older man, just like the others who have passed away. Yet we cancelled classes for a week. Santa Clara County cancelled events with attendance over 1000, so the San Jose Sharks will play 3 games with no attendance? The Ivy League has cancelled their basketball tournament. MLB, NBA, and NCAA are considering what to do about their respective sporting events, with MLB and NBA kicking the press out of the locker rooms.

This type of overreaction is befuddling to me. However I have come to expect it. I call it “Hurricane Katrina Risk” meaning you cannot under deliver so you must over react. Why are we cancelling school, when we had 0 positive tests? Telling people not to go to games? Stockpiling food, water, toilet paper, and sanitizer? Come on man! Yet you all wonder why the stocks have been crashing?

Here is some straight talk on this; Corona is very similar to a cold, most likely you are going to contract it. My advice, stay vigilant, maintain good hygiene, and keep your immune system strong. The reality is; I work in a building with a bunch of dentists, its business as usual for them. Ditto at my bank, the restaurant I went to dinner at, the gym, and church. You are far more likely to die from the common cold or the flu, than this virus. Here we are wanting everyone to batten down the hatches and not go outside, and at this time there is nothing to be scared of unless you are elderly, or have health issues. Over reacting is not going to solve our fears here, it just makes it worse. How will you react if this virus kills more people?

Just to give you more anxiety, I heard today the Corona Virus can live in toilet paper, and I heard its transferrable in packages delivered by Amazon. No word on if UPS, USPS, and FedEx are in on the conspiracy.

Johnnie Does

BTW 90 day guy hit the golf links the past 2 days…..with the public. If he is so scared of catching this, I would think a controlled environment is far better than an uncontrolled one. Oh well.

Editor’s Note: This article was submitted yesterday, before Sheldon High School won their playoff game. Also, after this article was submitted, a report was published that an elderly person living in a senior facility in Elk Grove had died from Corona. The elderly woman was over 90 years old and had underlying health conditions.

Conversations with the Naïve: The Real Debt Dilemma

I recently had a friend of mine who reads this blog ask if I “ever have any fun in my life, and what my future looks like?” This person referenced that the blog here hates debt, and apparently no one on the editorial staff will spend a dollar, on anything. This is complete and utter malarkey. What we are doing on this blog isn’t pointing out you should be eating a diet of ramen every day, we are pointing out that life should be lived within your means, but also with an eye toward the future. No one on this blog is a financial advisor who believes in telling clients not to take trips or have fun, while they live the good life. I’ll explain further below.

Sadly today we live in a world of illusion where style is far more important than substance. We as a society tell people to splurge on unneeded things constantly. We no longer view a pay check as revenues earned, we view it as a means to pay our monthly bills, and that is the wrong approach. We run everything through the credit card under the guise of a 1% cash back, or the 30 day terms. We see a red tag that proclaims “sale” and feel compelled to buy. The blog posts on this site have nothing to do with hoarding your money, buying gold, or locking yourself in your house and refusing to part with it. It is about planning for a very uncertain future, no one has a crystal ball, and things can change very rapidly as we have learned with the Coronavirus and its direct impact on the stock market, and global/domestic travel.

Case number 1: The former girlfriend who works 3 hours a day, takes 2 classes a semester at a local junior college. She is always broke well prior to the end of the month. After a little uncovering, the main culprit was marijuana. In a close second, credit card debt, and late car payment fees. All of this is a result of a general lack of drive and care towards her future, keep in mind she is 30. Her most important and immediate goal is getting stoned. Her intermediate goal is getting married and having kids, sounds like career advancement is on hold indefinitely.

Case number 2: The alcoholic guy we detailed some time ago. Never has any money, and is subletting a bedroom in the house he rents so he can make ends get close to meeting. While he never has money to buy food, or pay his debts, he has an endless supply of wine that would make a winery jealous. This person is on his 4th DUI in his 80 years on this earth and has recently been banned from drinking at church functions from 2 church groups. Most folks dream of their golden years traveling or relaxing, he lives his stumbling and stammering.

Case number 3: The guy who is 75k in credit card debt, in addition to his other bills as detailed here. He has champagne taste on a beer budget and wants a bailout. He is very desperate now and likely to lose both cars, and his house, and possibly his marriage. Keep in mind he has 2 young children to boot. His life is very similar to a bad car wreck, you know you shouldn’t look, yet you can’t take your eyes off of it.

Case number 4: A guy I have known since college, he got his now wife pregnant, and their kid is very special needs. He just recently wrapped up his degree, they got married, they have no income as she must stay home with child, and he is an intern…at age 33. Credit card debt? You guessed it, and they live in a bedroom at his parent’s house.

Case number 5: A person I’ve also known since college. Student loan and credit card debt, a 33% vehicle loan, every add-on imaginable, because well you only live once, and works a zillion hours a week at a theatre. I call her “red tag lady” because she needs to buy something everywhere she goes, and the only concept of a budget she has is when her card is declined, that means she needs to pay toward it. Case in point. We went out to dinner and keep in mind our coupon included enough food for 2, she decided to add on an appetizer and order take-out bacon fried rice on top of what amounts to a pretty large meal to begin with. A $45 coupon quickly turned into an $85 meal, with no alcohol included by the way. The most important thing in her life is finding a boyfriend right now, or as I call it a bailout.

Case number 6: A fellow church goer. Major health issues, all of them self-induced, fast food is a staple of the families diet, as in three times a day every day. He refuses to work, forcing his wife to labor almost all hours of the day. Credit cards? Check. High Interest loans? Check. A massive drug addiction? Check, he blames it on opioids. He is a hopeless case.

Now contrast that to myself.

I worked very hard at my job, a boutique office with just 1 colleague. Drove a 14 year old car until it finally decided to cry uncle, saving me a pant load on car insurance and car payments. I learned to cook, and budget at a very early age, and had to bite the bullet and live at home for about 3 years after college while I found my career and learned a budget. While I may have hit the bottle a bit (a habit I’ve since kicked) I learned quite a bit during my time at home. I banked money, and invested in myself. I learned everything about the industry I worked in, almost obsessively. By year 3, I was going to take the test to start my own business with this industry, I passed, becoming the youngest ever. 2 years later I applied for and was accepted to take over someone’s office who was retiring, I was elated, maybe a bit scared but elated. My office partner (boss) took me out to lunch and said I can’t believe I’m going to lose you, but I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse. He made me partner and my cut is 49% of the business after tax income, he is still the owner, and a majority one at that. I agreed, and my life has changed big time since that date. I bought my house 5 years ago, and am making double payments to reduce my mortgage (I don’t call a mortgage debt) and while I had to buy a new car, I chose to lease and the terms are 0%. I have no debt and never had any. I may pay with credit cards but I pay in full each month. I started my Roth IRA at 25, and at present its value is about $75,000. I also have a stock “mad money” account valued around $75,000. This is in addition to about $15,000 in emergency savings which will only be tapped to pay bills. Keep in mind I’m 34. I have traveled to a bunch of different states and take several trips a year.

Conclusion: Contrast me to the 6 cases named above, it’s not an exercise in tooting one’s horn. It’s about knowing a need versus a want, and being meticulous and sticking to a budget. Make yourself indispensable and you will reap the rewards. Praying over decisions and not making rash one’s helps a ton as well. I work in an industry and in a field that is going the way of the dodo bird, hint it’s similar to a travel agent. I know this job will not be there for me… I’m preparing…just like you should be doing for the next recession/political risk. Trust me, banks play fast and loose with credit/financing during boom years, when things go bust they do not play nice. To tie this all together, the 6 cases named above? One claims to be a Republican, the other 5….they all support Bernie, hoping that you and I will be bailing them out. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Johnnie Does

PS. The new boat/car/jet ski’s etc. that you had to have fresh off the dealer’s lot; someone else will be buying those off you for a song if a recession hits as hard as I think it will. That someone is likely to be a guy like me who has saved up money during the good times. In the end, that boat/jet ski/car you just had to have but only took out a handful of times will be forfeited and given to another.

MacQues is a Dumpster Fire

MacQue’s is a local family owned BBQ joint which recently expanded into Elk Grove, from their humble beginnings in South Sacramento. The joint is located right by a freeway, so it has prime real estate. Being born in the Deep South, I am a big BBQ guy. Frankly I consider BBQ a basic food group. I’ve previously reviewed two BBQ places on this blog during my employment here, just to remind you, one of which is no longer with us. William said the first lady, and child went and weren’t impressed. I figured that was why my reimbursement request was denied for this place…alas here goes.

Ambiance: This place really isn’t that big. If memory serves correct, it was a former Mexican restaurant and florist which was reconstituted to be an Arby’s/MacQue’s, and Golden 1 ATM. It had some nice flare to it, a little homage to BBQ, but not much about their local roots. This was puzzling to me because younger folks have shunned chain places and a growing number of people are willing to pay a little more for a local joint, especially a family owned one! You order at the counter similar to a fast-casual joint, and it was a disorganized mess. 1.2/5

Food: Typical BBQ faire, ham, pork, tri-tip, brisket, chicken, ribs, and homemade links. It reminded me of Dickey’s or Side Burn (RIP), because you could order combo’s, sandwiches, etc. The sides were consistent with any other BBQ joint. I asked the cashier, who doubled as the owner, what the best thing on the menu was, he stated the “Link Trio.” It was priced at $14.99. He claimed the links were all made in house from a special recipe and I could choose 3! I obliged. He said it comes with a chicken Louisiana link, a hot link, and a house made link. When I asked what choice, I got…he responded you want the house made link to be mild or hot…. I ordered hot. He recommended I try the house made kettle chips, and the mac n cheese, I obliged. You pay, take a seat and wait…. wait…. wait…. wait… and guess what? More waiting.

About 20 minutes later the food was out. I figured it has to be good…. nope. The Mac wasn’t bad, mostly because, as William said in his review, it was not drowning in cheese. The kettle chips were very stale, like expired 3 weeks ago stale, even though the owner claimed they were being freshly cooked…yikes. But wait it gets worse. The homemade links…. literally trash. They had a vinegar and pasty-like dry taste. Sausage shouldn’t taste this way, all three were awful, like I threw away half of it. 0.5/5

Overall: Yikes, this was horrible. I guess there is a reason it shares a parking lot with an Arby’s and a Big Lots, it was awful. Actually, KFC may be the best food in the shopping center which isn’t saying much. First get your employees to grab a bag of Kettle Brand Chips, hit ’em with some seasoning and claim they are yours own, at least they would suck a little less. The sausage…woof, drop from menu, it tasted like the rations provided by the government called Soylent Green. Trust me your sausage is just like that movie…straight to DVD. 0.7/5

For a far better use of your money, light it on fire, or flush down nearest toilet.

And OMG the waste. I literally filled up a dumpster with all the plastic that came with my meal…. the folks in Davis and Berkeley have never been so triggered.

Johnnie Does

Johnnie Does: Sunshine BBQ Express

A brand new place, Sunshine BBQ Express, opened not far from my office that rivals the L&L Hawaiian BBQ joint I loved so much. To refresh you, its Hawaiian style BBQ and rice, macaroni salad etc. Johnnie Does has quite an established palette and has grown to enjoy Hawaiian BBQ. As all the loyal readers know, Johnnie Does can show no mercy if he doesn’t like your food, or he could serve as a springboard going forward.

Ambiance: This place is very small and may hold about 35 people inside. It’s your typical order at the counter and your food will be brought to you place. It’s quaint and has some cool décor on the walls. There was a bar type area to sit at that appeared out of place, as no liquor was on the menu. The owner said they had been open a month and they tried out a chipotle type cafeteria concept at first, which they later removed and put all cooking back in the kitchen as opposed to cafeteria style. 4.1/5

Food: It’s a very similar concept to L&L. They offer BBQ beef, short ribs, chicken, shrimp, fish products and spam. They also have a house special soup. The plates come with a scoop of white rice (not sure if brown was available as a sub) and a scoop of macaroni salad. I had something catch my eye, island fire shrimp, so I had to have it. It was a very generous portion, usually priced around $9.95, there had to have been about 20 some odd small shrimp, cooked with onions, a sweet and hot sauce and some broccoli and cabbage in addition to the rice and mac salad. This dish was amazing! The spicy sauce was a great pairing with the creamy, cool mac salad! 4.9/5

Overall: Prices are on point. It is a very small joint. I’m happy they transformed to a “cook after ordered” as opposed to a cafeteria style joint. The menu is a little hard to read on the wall, but the staff was great and the owner was working! I’m going to be a regular here and I’m looking for big things going forward! 4.75/5

Only drawback, it shares a parking lot with Foods Co. That shopping center often has a clientele that leaves a LOT to be desired. The address is 7501 W. Stockton Blvd across from Consumnes River College.

Johnnie Does

Johnnie Does Fried Chicken Sandwich Smackdown

The moment you have all been waiting for is finally here….no Trump was not impeached; it is the best chicken sandwich award. With Popeye’s introducing their own delicacy and claiming to be better than Chick-fil-A, only one man could decide for all Americans, and as a result the Blog Father sent Johnnie Does out and about for this mission critical challenge. (Sadly, the Blog Father did not provide the funding to Johnnie Does to perform this vital public service, so this resulted in a delay in finishing my survey. OK, that and I must watch my sodium intake.)

The challengers: Chick-fil-A, Popeye’s, Jack in the Box, McDonalds, Carl’s Jr, Burger King, and Wendy’s.

Results are as follows:

Jack in the Box is vile trash, likely only viewed as a delicacy by the homeless.

McDonalds was just slightly better; however, they are releasing a new sandwich this year so who knows? Meanwhile, I would avoid both of those spots.

Burger King was not exactly great, but the chicken with the mayo, lettuce, and tomato was a decent call.

Wendy’s was pretty good, especially the spicy chicken sandwich… and I would most definitely recommend it.

Carl’s Jr was the best of this lot, and I feel it’s because it was prepared after being ordered…the others gave off a hint of being pre-prepared.

But let’s not kid ourselves this challenge was between Chick-fil-A the “greatest of all time” and the new kid on the block Popeye’s. Some said WWI was the war to end all wars…I think this was an allegation by Popeye’s to divide families. Alas a champion was crowned.

For starters; both are served in an envelope to keep the sandwich nice and warm…as opposed to the competition just wrapping them in “paper.” Both sandwiches are served as a boneless, skinless chicken breast fillet, with pickles on a steamed bun. This is where the similarities end, Popeye’s comes with either regular or spicy mayo, and thick cut deli pickles. Chick-fil-A has thin cut pickles and does not come with mayo; however, in true southern fashion, they butter the roll. Popeye’s chicken is fried more traditionally and has a “popcorn like” breading whereas Chick-fil-A has no breading at all.

The winner: Chick-fil-A… mostly for one reason, Popeye’s puts an alarmingly high amount of mayo on the sandwich, even if you request light mayo, its wild. I enjoyed the Popeye’s sandwich, but the amount of mayo was very off-putting.

So, there you have it, the greatest of all time retains the title belt!

Johnnie Does

Johnnie Does: Gorditos Vindication

Loyal readers, I have heard it all during my short couple years here at the blog as a restaurant critic. I’m too harsh, not harsh enough, we even had a comment from a local franchisee trying to defend his now defunct chain of BBQ joints. I have driven up sales at a local Mediterranean place, and driven one place completely out of business, let’s just say, do not mess with me or take me lightly.

I want to re-visit my last review of a new Mexican place, Gorditos! To update you, they now have a sign so they appear quasi legitimate, and while the décor is still completely lacking, and the chairs are still stacked in the corner, the fact they were still open for business as of today is an accomplishment. Either that or the landlord hasn’t had enough time to legally change the locks for non-payment yet.

Now to the point of this article, I checked out Gorditos’ reviews on Yelp. While I am aware that Yelp can be manipulated, and you are far more likely to write a bad review then a good one, but take a gander.

Yep, just look at those reviews.

Confused ••• this was the Freebirds building, .. but now its Gorditos? which still has all of the Freebirds decor and food? Except the standard dropped way lower? Whoever the new owner Is needs to reevaluate. Everything feels dead in there. The vibe and customer service is completely gone. only some of the food options, the building is tore up and just isnt welcoming, Oh and not to mention the awkward silence of having no music. Alo they have a huge beyond meat sign on there window but yet they dont serve beyond meat? Im completely at a loss for words that our beloved Freebirds is gone and that THIS was supposed to be its replacement…its a joke. Not recommended.

Yeah um the second I walked in it was bleak and the environment is no fun at all. It would be fine tho if my food was good. Spoiler alert! It wasn’t. The steak was burnt. They scraped the hard as hell rice into my burrito. The guacamole was brown. My tortilla wasn’t even cooked all the way!! It was disgusting. I was starving so I ate a third of it but couldn’t even finish. This will make great dog food for my puppy though. I feel like my soul has been sucked out of me after being in there just one of the most draining experiences of my life. And there was literally no one in the restaurant! So how are you running out of product when you have nothing to do?! Absolutely perplexing. 0mg now my stomach is starting to ache after eating that thing. Yeah don’t go here. Run!

This was my first time dining here or should I say attempting to dine here. I was shocked by how expensive everything on the menu was but I still decided to try it out. The restaurant was completely out of white rice two hours before closing and the little steak they did have looked charred and over cooked. I decided to pass on eating here. The friend I came with however, did order a burrito. She said the rice was hard, the meat was burnt, and that she didn’t know you could mess up a burrito. I will not be returning to Gorditos.

They are harsh and mirror my experience to a point; however, I didn’t think the food was that bad. Vindication is greatly appreciated and should lend credence to a lot of my reviews on this blog in the future.

Looks like I might be killing off another very below average establishment.

Johnnie Does