Two weeks into the US shutdown I ordered food from our favorite Thai place. A difficult restaurant to order from during normal times, the lockdown did not help things out.
First it took 13 tries to get through. Then I was told 2 hours until it would be ready. Then when I got there it took another 40 minutes as the line outside grew frustrated.
Wanting to continue to support the places we loved it was all good. Heck, this was a new thing and everyone was figuring it out. Tipping the cost of the meal I knew I might not be back soon, but if this dragged on I’d be doing this dance a few more times.
Five weeks in we went back. Same story.
The sushi the night before had been different though. We ordered online, walked up in the window they told us, had our food waiting on a table with our receipt and that was that.
One experience was spot on, the other still a junk show.
Yet it still felt like people were figuring this out so we were still patient.
But now nearly 3 months in it is as if the great Covid experiment is starting to turn into those who have figured it out, and everyone else. And suddenly everyone else is looking slow, old, and less desirable no matter how much you loved them before.
And this has me thinking: Is the great experiment over? Is three months the window to get things right? As I look towards other companies — Instacart, amazon, Peleton, etc — I have to think that it is: those who have a good digital experience that is reliable are going to rise above the rest quickly.
Will we still go back to our Thai place? Yes, mainly because it’s a place that carries memories and marks milestones in our lives, but that sushi place will get more of our business than before.