Top Stories

Guy's Almost GF Flakes On A Wedding After He Asks For A Plus One, And The Internet Has Feelings

Being someone's wedding guest is a big deal as far as most people are concerned. Weddings are expensive and they're supposed to be a celebration with people you adore. One 29 yr old Reddit user decided he wanted to take a woman he wasn't dating as his +1 to a friend's wedding. She initially accepted, but a few days later realized she had a conflict and cancelled.

He's angry, but Reddit isn't sure he has a right to be.


Here's his post:

Full context: I started speaking with a lady in early May, we'll call her Karen. We had a slow start, but it wasn't long before we started to talk almost every day. I knew that the relationship was imbalanced (I was definitely feeling things right off the bat), but I don't mind existing in a grey area. At one point, after a few drinks, she admitted to being nervous because things were happening quickly, but she felt like there was potential. However, she recently said that she was not ready for a relationship, even if we had been acting like we were in one anyway. I knew that to push things would be a bad idea, so I said that we didn't need to label what we are doing or put hard and fast rules on the situation.

So two very old and very dear friends of mine are getting married in late October. Karen had recently mentioned that she thought it would be fun if we were wedding dates (not knowing about my friend's pending nuptials.)

I was on the fence about inviting her because of her saying that she wasn't "ready to be in a relationship" and she had been kind of flaky when we first started seeing one another. But I decided I wanted her to come with me. In the invitation I received, it wasn't explicit if I was being offered a plus one. I reached out to the bride and groom to ask if it would be all right. They said it would be, and I asked Karen if she wanted to attend. She said yes.

Because of that past flakiness, I even sent her a calendar invite to make sure she had the date and waited for her to accept it. Then after waiting a few days, just to make sure, I tell my friends yesterday about adding a plus one for me and her name. It's all set.

Then Karen tells me at the end of the day yesterday that she forgot that some old coworkers that she's close with are coming to the city the same weekend as the wedding, and that she's sorry. Apparently there was an issue with an "old calendar" so she didn't see the conflict.

So I'm pissed. Beyond it being embarrassing to ask for a plus one, then to give a name and then take it back in the same day, I feel like she's pulling a weird power move or something. Showing the me the pecking order of her priorities.

Like, am I nuts, or should a wedding invite hold more sway than meeting up with old coworkers for a weekend? Especially if they're just "hanging out"?

Am I being pissy because I'm not getting what I want or is this f---ed? Is this her way, maybe unintentionally, of telling me where I stand in her mind?

TL;DR My girl dropped out of a wedding I invited her to so she can hang out with her old coworkers. Is she telling me that she doesn't take me seriously?

u/bromandude1211


People didn't hesitate or hold back in responding. Some have been edited for language or clarity. Read through and see if you agree with what people are saying.

Not Your Girl

Your TLDR shows the entire problem perfectly. She's not "your girl." Especially given that she's outright told you that she isn't ready for, and doesn't want, a relationship. It's not surprising that she sees hanging out with her friends as a priority over going to a stranger's wedding with her FWB, to be honest.

I don't think it's a "power move," I think she's really just not that into you.

Also, for future reference, you should always assume that a wedding invitation is for you and you alone unless you're explicitly offered a +1. The invite would have said "OP and Guest" if you were being offered a +1.

- ostentia

Be More Honest With Yourself

I think the real issue here isn't that she bailed on the wedding, or that she's flaky, but that you've ignored the fact she clearly said she's not interested in a relationship with you right now when you quite clearly feel the opposite.

Nothing about what she's done here is unintentional, nor a "power move", because she's made her position clear with you before. She isn't "your girl", but you're behaving as though she is, and I think you have to be a bit more honest with yourself about your feelings regarding this "grey area" you claim to not mind being in with her.

- ImStealingTheTowels

This Wedding Isn't HER Priority, It's Yours

Like, am I nuts, or should a wedding invite hold more sway than meeting up with old coworkers for a weekend? Especially if they're just "hanging out"?

Not really, those are your friends and these are hers. She doesn't even know the people getting married. This wedding really isn't some huge priority in her life, it's just another date she could have with you. Mix-ups do happen so I don't know why you're reading any power struggle into this.

Personally I don't think it's such a big deal or that your friends would care at all that someone they don't even know cancelled. You seem a bit annoying.

But she also doesn't seem that into you based on the full story.

- Val5

Pretty Dumb x2

She sounds not into you or just dumb and immature for a 28 year old... or maybe both since she can't make up her mind and goes back on accepting a wedding like it is no big deal.

But also bringing a not-girlfriend to a wedding is pretty dumb.

- Apprehensive_Dog

You're Not Listening

Okay, here's the thing. You're a man, so you've probably moaned in the past that "you don't understand women" and "why can't women just say what they mean?" Well, the funny thing is that when women DO "say what they mean," often men don't listen to the human words coming out of their mouth because it's not what they want to hear.

She TOLD YOU that she's not ready for a relationship and you're not listening to her. Her actions seem to have consistently backed up her words, and yet here you are, resentful that she is who she presents herself to be: someone who has fun with you, but doesn't want a formal relationship with you.

I ask in the gentlest way possible: What's up with that?

You want to be her boyfriend. She is not currently interested in being your girlfriend. Why the anger? She is not obligated to be in a relationship with you even though you want it really REALLY bad and are super sure that it would be the bestest possible thing for her.

You need to consider that her "flakiness" might be her way of dealing with the...intensity that you're giving off. She might be saying "yes" to things she's not really interested in so that the matter drops--and then just kicks that particular can down the road in the hopes that the situation magically resolves itself. Super mature? Nope. Super common? Yep!

And the fact that you are thinking that she is deliberately playing games with you is...concerning. That is not a healthy mindset, you know? It sounds like you are simply one of her socializing choices and you are getting really angry that you are not THE social choice--and are now looking for signs that she's basically a Heartless Harpy, sadistically playing with your emotions.

Once again, as gently as possible: why the rush to assume bad faith when there are simpler explanations? And why on earth would you want romantic relationship with someone you think this way about?

What this all boils down to is that she likes you, but no more than she likes other friends with whom she is not having sex. That's fine. You want a committed relationship. That is also fine. What is not fine is that these wants are not compatible. Rather than adding more wood to your Resentment Fire, why don't you just break things off with her?

I worry that you are the one here with the actual agenda. Do you have a past littered with Faithless Women? KrAazY ex-girlfriends who stomped all over your heart? Because you do appear to be setting up this woman to fill an unpleasant trope of Heartless Woman Destroying Tender, Loving Man Just for Shits and Giggles. If there is the slightest bit of truth to this (and there may not be! At all!), then I would recommend that you take some time off of dating and work on yourself for a bit.

She isn't for you. The sooner you walk away, the sooner you can find someone who is eager for a relationship as you are.

- CleverLatinMotto

Prioritizing Her Previous Plans

Most people see going to a wedding with someone as a show of being exclusive. She's already expressed concern about things happening too fast and she wasn't ready for a relationship. Prioritizing her previous plans is not bad so I don't think the wedding trumps that. But I don't think she's as into you as you are into her and you should find someone else.

- FubinacaZombie

This Is Not Bollywood

She is just repeating everything she has told you so far. You need to back off. She is not your girlfriend and doesn't want a serious relationship with you. She told you that and that is why she turned down being +1 to a wedding - because she knew you would read too much into it. Stop trying to make her your girl. End the friends-with-benefits arrangement because it is not good for either of you. Move on.

This isn't a rom-com or Bollywood story.

She does not owe you love.

- greentea1985

What Grey Area?

Dude. Seriously. She's not your girl, you're not in a grey area because she plainly stated she didn't want a relationship, you arranged a plus one for her without even asking her if she wanted to come along in the first place and you already know you're over invested, and now you all of the sudden are **wondering** if she doesn't take you seriously?

Like. How did this thought process of yours go?

No, she's not into you. No, she will never be your girlfriend. Yes, you should go no contact and get over this girl. No, you shouldn't count on her attendance to anything ever because you will never be a priority to her.

Find someone that likes you back instead of likes to f*ck you back. And grow some ears to listen to what people say, such as "I don't want a relationship."

- seagullsensitive

Both Wrong

Hi! I see that you've already gotten pretty solid feedback. I just wanted to say I think it's very wrong of anyone to agree to go to a wedding and then back out for any reason that isn't serious - purely because the couple involved will include her in planning and pay for an extra place/meal/etc. thinking there would be that one more person in attendance.

So I can definitely see why you would be upset or embarrassed about her backing out on that front!

However, I don't think it may have been wise to invite her in the first place considering that you're not really in a relationship per se. It sounds complex, but despite the fact that you may have been "wrong" for inviting her in the first place, she should have never agreed if she didn't fully intend on attending.

- tired_gorl

Enthusiasm And Availability

I was in your shoes once. This story is almost exactly the same as one that I went through, except mine was slightly quicker (beginning to end was about 3 months).

I won't even bother telling you the story; it's so creepily similar to yours that I'd be wasting space typing it out. The only difference is that she was the one invited to the wedding, and I was her +1. She rescinded her invitation, and to me that was the last straw and I stopped talking to her at that point.

It turned out I wasn't the only guy she was seeing! Her indecisiveness, her warm and cold flipflopping, it all suddenly made sense.

This girl may or may not be into someone else, but that really doesn't matter since the end result is the same from your perspective; she's not actually dating you. Learn the same lesson I learned; never ever settle for someone who can only give you a "maybe" or "not yet".


If their level of enthusiasm and availability doesn't match yours, it's not gonna work out.

- ItsGotToMakeSense

H/T: Reddit

Movie Twists That Caught Audiences Completely Off-Guard

Reddit user -HornyCorny- asked: 'What’s a movie twist that caught you completely off guard?'

There's nothing like leaving a movie theater having just seen an excellent movie.

Particularly one that took you by surprise.

Perhaps it was deeper and more meaningful than it purported itself to be, or on the flip side, had much more warmth and humor that you would have expected.

Or, the film took an unexpected twist that you never saw coming.

Resulting in your needing to bite your tongue until the rest of your friends and family see the film, and not spoil the surprise for them.

Redditor HornyCorny was curious to hear which plot twists left viewers utterly speechless, leading them to ask:

"What’s a movie twist that caught you completely off guard?"

He Didn't See It Coming Either!

"Brad Pitt in 'Burn After Reading'."

"So surprising and downright freaking hilarious."- thefirehairman

If The Shoe Fits...

"'The Shawshank Redemption'."

"Come on."

"It's not always a man notices another man's shoes."- FUBARspecimenT-89

Lucky For Some, Not For All...

"'Lucky Number Slevin'."

"Huge twist and very satisfying."- kvlr954

angry josh hartnett GIFGiphy

Rosie O'Donnell Would Agree...

"Fight Club."- BuchseeI

"once watched it with a friend who had never even heard of it, and she called the twist like, a half hour in."

"She said it as a joke and didn't realize she was right until the actual reveal, but still I was shook."- yugosaki

I See You Keyser Söze

"The ending of 'The Usual Suspects'."- Schwarzes__Loch

Definitive Shyamalan

''The Sixth Sense'."

'I love movies with plot twists, but I never imagined this one. It caught me completely off guard."- lucasduka

Haley Joel Osment Movie GIFGiphy

The Title Is Also Misleading...

"The second half of 'Parasite'."- iwontrememberthat4

Appropriately, They Really Toyed With Your Cognition

"'The Game'."- DudeHeadAwesome

"Good one!'

"I spent the entire movie going 'is it a game? Is it real?'"- fastpixels

There Were Definitely Ghosts...

"'The Others'."

"Unsuspected end."- NeckComprehensive743

scared horror film GIF by FilmStruckGiphy

One Unforgettable Opening Scene

"'Scream'."

"The Drew Barrymore role."- LivingTheLife53

The Real Reason Everyone Is Terrified Of Bees...

"When I was a kid, I wanted to feel good and happy."

"So at the video store, I decided to rent a movie with two happy laughing kids on the DVD cover, thinking it would be a feel-good playful story."

"That movie was 'My Girl'."

"Eff that movie."

"Seriously."

'The DVD cover lies."

"IT LIES."- buckyhermit

You THOUGHT you knew who the villains were...

"'From Dusk to Dawn' — midway point."

"Didn’t know at all what I was walking into when saw it in the theatre decades ago — just, you know, Salma Hayek. Good enough."

"Quentin Tarantino slurping tequila from her foot after it ran down the entire length of her leg — that was already a 'Holy WTF' moment."

"But then, well.. . you know."

"And if you don’t know — quick, go watch it. "

"No trailer, no synopsis, no summary."

"Find it and load it 'blind' and fasten your seatbelt."

"You’re in for a wild ride."- canada11235813

George Clooney Tarantino GIF by MIRAMAXGiphy

It's Title Is More Than Accurate!

"'Crazy Stupid Love'."

"The scene when the whole movie goes apesh*t in the yard is one of my all time favorite movie scenes."- Fimbulvintern

Trifecta Of Twists

"'The Others'."

"The end of 'The Mist'."

"'The Prestige' (though, I ALMOST had it figured out, but not quite)."- Krinks1

There's nothing better than when a movie surprises you.

Even if it does make talking about said movie with people who haven't seen it a bit more challenging.

Case in point, people who saw The Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects after their endings were spoiled for them, don't seem to like those movies as much as those who went in blind.


Every family has its secrets.

It's up to every new generation to unearth it all.

Don't we all want to know if we're related to famous people?

Or what if we have a familial stake in lands and businesses?

Also, this is a good way to NOT end up dating blood relatives.

The more you know, the less awkward later.

As much as there is a lot of trauma there could be a lot of cool facts to to discuss at parties.

Redditor ForthrightPedant wanted to hear some interesting family histories, so they asked:

"What is a historical fact about your family that you think is kinda neat?"

I don't have any family history.

Of course I've done no investigating.

Maybe I do.

I should look!

Super Talent

Excited Happy Hour GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy

"Great-grandpa created the Flintstones. Dan Gordon. Drew lots of Hannah-Barbara cartoons, and directed the first three animated Superman films at the beginning of WW2 as well as several seasons of Popeye, Scooby Doo, Smurfs, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound."

downnoutsavant

Bad Voyage

"My grandfather disliked America and wanted to return to Ireland. He booked passage on the Titanic’s return voyage. If it wouldn’t have sunk, no of us would be here."

mrseddievedder

"My great-grandmother was a Titanic survivor. She was a steerage-class Lebanese immigrant in an arranged marriage. Her husband went down with the ship but she managed to make it to a lifeboat and made it to the Carpathia. Then she remarried in a Lebanese neighborhood in Virginia. Had it not been for the iceberg that struck and sank the Titanic My family lineage would be different and I wouldn't be here. My family's official toast is 'to the iceberg.'"

jaspersurfer

Forgotten

"My husband's grandfather was one of the 'forgotten soldiers' in Canada. He was a Canadian-born Chinese man who asked the Canadian government to fight for his right to vote and a passport. Even tho he was born in Canada in the 20’s since he was Chinese he was not considered Canadian."

H"e was dropped into the Burma jungle and was told he would likely never return. He was in the 10% that did return. He was given the right to vote, to a passport, and to University."

"His wife is still alive today and my son is named after him."

cowskeeper

​Can you imagine?

"My great-grandmother had 13 kids, so she was pregnant for literally a decade. There’s two hundred of us now, all because of this one woman."

CoverlessSkink

"My great grandma had 14 kids. My grandma was the youngest. She died giving birth to my grandma. The oldest child who was like 22 years old raised my grandma. My great-grandfather remarried a woman who had 10 kids of her own. My grandma would tell me stories of them all living together. Can u imagine? 😦."

Content_Pool_1391

Long Ago

american wtf GIF by unimpressionismGiphy

"The land my dad was raised on and my cousins still live on was deeded to the family by George Washington as compensation for service during the Revolution. There was a document with his signature on it at the courthouse until a fire destroyed the records a few decades ago."

mustbethedragon

So much land and fortune and HISTORY has been lost due to fire.

Thank God we keep more than paper records now.

Over the Moon

Michael Jackson Dancing GIFGiphy

"My second cousin is David Scott who walked on the Moon and drove the moon buggy. My mom does. He was so busy during the time when I was young that he even said later in life that he wished she’d gotten to know more of his family."

Roadgoddess

The Union

"Great-great-great grandfather on my mom's side was working his field in the part of Virginia that split off and became a new state because they didn't want to secede from The Union. Union soldiers came along looking for conscripts and he was a young, able-bodied man so they told him to come with them. He informed them he was a Quaker and thus a pacifist. According to family lore, that discussion went on for a bit but he would not give in. So they shot him and left him there. Good thing he had a couple of kids well before that day."

SpottyNoonerism

Opportiunities

"My great-grandfather was offered a chance to invest in a new invention by a guy by the name of Alexander Graham Bell. He declined, saying at most there would be one telephone per town."

Carson4307

"That is apparently my family too."

"One uncle apparently built a version of a hot water heater and then sold the design to GE for a good sum back then."

"Another uncle was asked if he wanted to be in a photo during his military service. He said no so they raised the flag on Iwo Jima without him in it."

"No idea if any of these are true, at best they are enhanced truths, but for me, I really hope they are true."

Jormungand1342

Underground

"I have a relative who worked for the Underground Railroad and had a price on her head in the South."

dahlia6767

"My uncle was a carpenter. And was doing restoration work on old houses in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Many of those old, historical homes had underground railroad passageways and hidden walls. He got to see and restore many of them. He had photos of some of the work he was doing and I got to see those as a kid. Living in Southern Ohio, we have a lot of rich underground railroad history here."

AddictiveArtistry

​Family Empire

blood discussion GIFGiphy

"My great-grandfather was the town police chief in the 1920s. His brother was the Mayor. Their cousins ran the casino."

"My family was a smaller version of Boardwalk Empire."

nowhereman136

Wouldn't we all love a show based on our families?

Then that's even more neat family history.

Rolls Royce hood ornament
Matheus Bardemaker on Unsplash

The super wealthy aren't like most people.

How can they be?

They live in a world of rarefied air most people will never even glimpse.

That privilege inevitably warps perspectives.

Keep reading...Show less
Burger and fries on plate
Photo by Haseeb Jamil on Unsplash

A lot of things have gone downhill since the pandemic, and it's made the whole process of bouncing back from those two to three years that much harder.

One thing we can all agree on is the quality of the food that we now find in restaurants, especially the fast-food joints we used to frequent and hit the drive-thru for on the drive home.

Curious what other people thought, Redditor Soy_tu_papi asked:

"What's the worst fast food restaurant?"

Eat... Expensive, Not Fresh

"Subway. The ingredients don't taste fresh. They don't give you enough meat or cheese. The bread tastes sweet. It's not even that cheap anymore."

- Brilliant-Mango-4

There for the Nostalgia

"Tim Hortons. We’re nostalgic for a time when they made fresh donuts and great soup and sandwiches. But that was more than 20 years ago and now everything is just heated from frozen garbage with garbage dish water coffee."

"The only reason they’re around is nostalgia and convenience. Americans for the most part didn’t fall for their crap when they expanded south because they didn’t have one on every corner, and they don’t have the nostalgia, and they already have a s**tty coffee and donut place called Dunkin."

- Strain128

Microwaved Soup

"Really, we all going to pretend like Panera is not fast food?"

- WelderNo6075

"It’s not fast. It's always a 20-minute wait."

- Greedy-Time-3637

"For microwaved soup."

- InsertBlueScreenHere

Hospital Food. Gourmet Prices

"Panera. For when you want hospital food, but you can’t afford the $127,209.00 hospital bill."

- BarnacleMcBarndoor

"Yeah, it’s only $126,208 for Panera."

- sherlock----75

"There is a similar yet worse than Panera hospital food restaurant called Atlanta Bread Company. How these two hell holes stay in business, I have no idea."

- GrandUnhappy9211

New Horizons

"I think KFC abandoned the American market and put all its resources into the Asian market, because omg KFC in Korea is something else. The chicken is breaded perfectly, with no mouth-destroying rock-hard breading and the ratio of breading to actual chicken meat is perfectly balanced."

"Also, the sauce selection; they have so many good sauces. The fries were great too."

- LolitasDaniel

RIP, Potato Wedges

"In my opinion, KFC. They got rid of their beloved potato wedges. The only thing I got there anymore was those and the mashed potatoes."

- dirtymoney

"Wendy’s breakfast potatoes almost fill that hole in my heart."

- Karsa69246

Those Darn Screens

"Any of them that have replaced their menu boards with TV screens that change every 15 seconds so I can't find the price of anything."

- xkulp8

"I hate the TVs. Maybe I'm just a bitter old guy, but they really don't seem to be an improvement. There's just too much going on, and it's too bright. Sure, it's probably more convenient for menu/price changes. But when you add in the cost and electronic waste, it doesn't feel like a net gain."

- BumpyMcBumps

No Longer Affordable

"McDonald’s. They’ve forgotten their role as the place I eat at because I’m broke, probably drunk, and want to fill up for a few bucks. Have you seen their prices lately!?"

- Jlace001

"A quarter pounder meal is over $10. $4 More bucks and you can get a chills old-timer and fries. And they always park you, so not very 'fast,' unless you are talking about the stomach cramps you get after."

- Eric12345678

Define 'Pizza'

"Little Caesars Hot-N-Ready is for when your manager promises you a pizza party when you exceed your sales goal and buys enough for one piece a person, but he's been talking up this party he's going to throw for you all week, so you come in on your day off and see two Hot-N-Ready boxes sitting there and some Dixie cups for water. Sometimes nothing is better, STEVE."

- cold08

"The secret technique for Lil Caesars is to give it another few minutes in the oven/under the broiler at home until it's to your liking."

- KaRabbit

The Great Pizza of the Past

"It hurts me to say this, but Pizza Hut."

"Back in the 80s and early 90s, Pizza Hut was amazing! It's somehow worse than Dominos now. It's a f**king travesty."

- Ocku2

"Their marinara sauce with breadsticks is watery now..."

"My friend and I used to ride our bikes there and play Pac-Man in eighth grade. Their breadsticks and sauce were amazing."

- KkdBaby

Small and Stale

"Whataburger is very hit or miss depending on the individual location. It was also better before it sold out and went national."

- HoovesCarveCrater

"It used to be so good, but it's so bad now. Earlier in the year, I went, and I got a stale bun with a tiny piece of meat they called a hamburger. Then I stupidly went again months later, and got the chicken sandwich. Both the bread and chicken were somehow stale. Never again, it's not worth it."

- user_base56

Belly Bombers, Indeed

"White Castle. I ate there once, and I now know what it feels like to reject an organ."

- flyzapper

"I have a stomach of steel when it comes to fast food. Not even Taco Bell gives me an above-average s**t. But when it comes to White Castle, some things just can't be saved."

- STILETTO_exists

A Rise in Poor Management

"Sonic used to be good."

"I feel for the two workers running the whole place. There used to be a lot of staff to handle the load."

"But now I feel bad going there simply because it's unfair to the workers. Which means corners get cut, things aren't clean, people aren't happy and workers end up catching the blame because there aren't enough of them."

"They really need to get it together. And treat their customers and employees right. It's going to kill their business."

- That_90s_Kid_

"The only Sonic near me stopped serving onion rings, which to me is their best side. And they take for-f**king-ever now to get you food, and half the time it's wrong or half-a**ed. I used to love Sonic, and I still want to and will go there, but every time it's a let-down in some form."

- SweetCosmicPope

"Sonic used to give their managers minority ownership as part of their compensation package. The result was highly motivated managers. Unfortunately, they had to work 80 to 90 hours a week. I thought about getting onboard with them but after using two weeks of vacation from my current job to work there, unpaid, I quickly decided smelling like French fries 24 hours a day, seven days a week was a very bad idea."

- the_beeve

A Series of Failures

"A bad KFC is tough to top, but there are still some amazing ones out there. The key is that it’s busy enough to have fresh chicken and a few employees that aren’t strung out. Not all. Just some."

"Burger King increasingly tastes like the burgers from my elementary school that sat in that weird burger water after being boiled in its own juices. I like their nuggets though."

"What even is Jack in the Box? It’s just some random assortment of food you take kids who can’t agree on what hot garbage they want to eat so you go here and make everyone unhappy."

"I’ve been to Whataburger once and it was bad, but since it’s crazy popular, I assume maybe it was just a bad experience and it was in AZ vs TX."

"I feel like I’m left with Little Caesars at this point, as the person buying those godawful hot and ready things is the epitome of a desperate person just trying to fill their children’s with ‘pizza’, thus the reason why there are any in existence."

- bowindine

So Real for This Answer

"Basically, every single one since the pandemic."

- MythicalMango123

"Dine-in prices for dollar store flavors."

- WannaBeTraveler87

"This is the answer. They are all awful now."

- chris1out

Especially for those of us who had the pleasure of experiencing these food places in the 80s, 90s, and maybe the very earls 2000s, it's terrible to think of how much these places have declined now.

As some Redditors have said, it's almost not worth going to these places anymore. We'd rather preserve the happy memories of going there with our families and friends rather than go for an unhappy meal now.