[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  Dr. Sean Mullen [@drseanmullen](/creator/twitter/drseanmullen) on x 32.1K followers Created: 2025-07-14 13:41:15 UTC People keep wondering why restaurants haven’t bounced back to pre-2020 levels (or attendance at school). It’s not one reason. It’s all of them. And yes, they’re all Covid-related, even if you don’t like the word. People who can afford to eat out and want to stay safe are opting for pickup. Others are too sick. New sick, chronically sick, or just not quite better. That’s a huge chunk of the population. Add in the brain damage, the fatigue, the parking, the noise, the tipping prompts, the service charges, and the fact that for many, waiting for food now feels like a personal attack thanks to Instacart and Amazon Prime. People aren’t prioritizing restaurants. They’re choosing bucket list trips, family time, staying home, or anything that feels worth the effort and risk. A nice meal at a noisy place with recycled air just isn’t it. It’s not that people stopped liking food. It’s that the world changed. Most just haven’t caught up to that yet. I have convinced my parents to focus on outdoor venues or be the first table seated inside (earliest available reservations might be 430pm) and farthest from the action… and they plop portable purifiers on the table. Who the hell wants to die quicker because of sharing air with some random humans spewing neuroinvasive virus, while paying more for meals you could’ve eaten in the comfort of your own home? Not me. XXXXXX engagements  **Related Topics** [pickup](/topic/pickup) [Post Link](https://x.com/drseanmullen/status/1944754063104786893)
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Dr. Sean Mullen @drseanmullen on x 32.1K followers
Created: 2025-07-14 13:41:15 UTC
People keep wondering why restaurants haven’t bounced back to pre-2020 levels (or attendance at school). It’s not one reason. It’s all of them. And yes, they’re all Covid-related, even if you don’t like the word.
People who can afford to eat out and want to stay safe are opting for pickup. Others are too sick. New sick, chronically sick, or just not quite better. That’s a huge chunk of the population.
Add in the brain damage, the fatigue, the parking, the noise, the tipping prompts, the service charges, and the fact that for many, waiting for food now feels like a personal attack thanks to Instacart and Amazon Prime.
People aren’t prioritizing restaurants. They’re choosing bucket list trips, family time, staying home, or anything that feels worth the effort and risk. A nice meal at a noisy place with recycled air just isn’t it. It’s not that people stopped liking food. It’s that the world changed. Most just haven’t caught up to that yet.
I have convinced my parents to focus on outdoor venues or be the first table seated inside (earliest available reservations might be 430pm) and farthest from the action… and they plop portable purifiers on the table.
Who the hell wants to die quicker because of sharing air with some random humans spewing neuroinvasive virus, while paying more for meals you could’ve eaten in the comfort of your own home?
Not me.
XXXXXX engagements
Related Topics pickup