Hit a Nerve

Well! It seems everyone's favorite Pato has struck a nerve. The post from yesterday on the Applebee's purchase by IHOP and my comments on corporate pillaging and greed has spread like a small wildfire. 40 reads as of now. For many blogs, that is an hour's worth of hits. For some, it is all they'll ever see. My average had been dropping, around 6-10 per day. I blamed it on lame writing and summer, more of the latter when I was feeling a bit more generous. But it will skyrocket now!

I must have said what was on many people's minds; that the recent purchase between the restaurant chains is bad for everyone but the big cats. I don't know who all these people are reading the entry, but I like to think my opinion is winging around Applebee's Inc, via email and phone calls. I do know the family of one Applebee's employee read it and commented. Someone from Florida checks in every hour or so.

I wish you all well, Applebee's people. I suspect that the future is cloudy at best. Your CEO who sold you out basically told you what to do. Look out for yourselves... NOW.

When will this end? The greed of stockholders or stakeholders (stakedrivers really) has destroyed so many great companies, TWA, Beverly Healthcare, hundreds of others consigned to history. The big shots get richer, communities suffer, people leave, families break under the stress, our confidence shot.

Good luck Applebee's people. And flip off the big guys for me.