Bye bye, Boston Market

I first went to Boston Market in, appropriately enough, Boston, back in 1995. It was one of the restaurants Leslie had recommended I try during my vacation. Eventually the chain made it to Austin, and because of their sandwiches and vegetable side options, it became one of my main staples when I was too lazy to cook. Over the years, their prices crept up and their sandwiches kept shrinking, but I stuck with them. I knew I was going to their drive-thru a lot when one day, the woman on the speaker actually finished my order for me after I'd just started to talk. She knew just from my voice. That was scary. Eventually, their chicken sandwich got too small to justify the price (it was so small, they didn't even bother slicing it in half anymore). But they introduced really good deli sandwiches that kept me coming around every so often.

However, as my layoff period stretched out, I clamped down on eating out, and Boston Market was one casualty. Recently I went back for the first time in months. Their deli sandwiches were gone. And their old sandwiches had jumped up in price more than a buck. The sandwich/side/drink combo now costs nearly $8.50 after tax. For glorified fast food?!? You can get away with a meal for less at a "casual dining restaurant" like Chili's! (And by the way, did KFC coin that term??) At least the sandwich has jumped back up in size, but that doesn't make up for the price hike. I can't justify spending that on one fast-food meal for one person, job or no job. So, after years of loyalty, I'm dropping Boston Market. That's just too much to spend for a damn fast-food sandwich combo.