Walnut Grove, Minn.-Henry Riley, frequent unsatisfied patron at Nellie’s Restaurant, believes he has pinpointed what is wrong with the establishment.
“You see, I have it all figured out,” Henry excitedly shares. “The problem with this place is high turnover. I mean, look at all these employees you have here–first it was Nellie and it was terrible. Then that Percival fella comes in and changes the place to Caroline’s. Now, when Caroline was here the food was real good, but of course she has the day off here and there and it’s terrible again. Nellie and Percival ran it okay for a bit–boy, he really did straighten her out, didn’t he?–but then they move away. Then Caroline brings Hester-Sue on–now, she’s decent enough, but then Caroline’s gone and you can’t just expect Hester-Sue to be able to replace her. It’s getting to the point that you never know who is going to be working or how long they are going to last here.”
When questioned, Harriet Oleson pointed out that she didn’t technically approve hiring Hester-Sue.
“Now, now, now, that was all Caroline,” Harriet emphatically exclaims. “Hester-Sue calls her and Caroline just offered her the job without even asking me, her boss. I don’t know where these farmers get off thinking they can just run the world like that.”
Overhearing Harriet Oleson talk about Caroline reminds Henry about another thing that indicates the restaurant is poorly managed.
“It started as Nellie’s restaurant,” Henry continues. “Then Percival says it should be Caroline’s. Fine, good. Why only change what the window says then? Why not the sign on the building? I mean, we all saw that, right?”
Overall, Henry indicates that the high turnover and inconsistent branding points to an eatery that suffers from management problems.
“I guess in that respect, this is a Mrs. Oleson problem,” Henry decides.
When asked why he continues eating there despite these complaints, Henry insists that there is something comforting about knowing what to expect.
“There are few sure things in life, so it’s nice to just know you’re going to be let down going into a situation,” Henry comments. “Plus, what else am I going to do? Cook my own food?”
At press time, Colonel Sanders was driving away from town reflecting on the mismatching signs and declaring that his restaurant will serve only one meal in addition to having only one name.
