Those who don't live near us don't realize what it's like to live in Lake Charles. 2020 kicked off normal, at least we thought. Within a few months, everything changed. There were flourishing businesses that were forced to close and lay off some of their best workers. There were people who were forced to find places to stay, as they could no longer afford rent. The pandemic was more than anyone could expect. Here in Lake Charles, on top of all of that, we had two hurricanes back to back that really crippled our city even more.

Slowly, things started to bounce back. Many businesses started reopening with altered hours, and we thought things were looking up. There were stimulus checks sent out for many and with the loss of jobs, many people made more from unemployment than working a 9-5. This is where things started to take a sad turn. Those businesses that were reopening had to basically start over with new employees. Some of the reliable ones were displaced or had no means or reason to return to Lake Charles. When I look at some of the review pages on social media, I feel for the businesses that seem to not be able to get a break. Your meal came out lukewarm, your wait took longer than expected. These are things that are expected when a business has minimal staff and is trying to accommodate patrons who seem to have no patience.

I can only imagine how overwhelmed many of these business owners are. I am sure they are not waking up with the thought of how many people they can upset today. I am more then confident they want to give the best service possible and have their customers leaving fulfilled and happy. When my wife and I go out, one thing we usually discuss is being patient and polite. Many of these people are overworked and have people pulling at them in every way possible. It does not take much to be considerate during these times. Everyone has different views, but a negative comment or review could be the demise of a business we've all grown to love because of a one-time bad experience you had.

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