The Fall Of Chipotle | Ep. 426

#craftbeer #chipotle #blockout2024 Chipotle was once the great fast-casual restaurant on the hill — but now, it's known for skimping on both quality and quantity. What happened and how did this once ubiquitous chain slip from greatness. But Chipotle isn't alone. A handful of middle-range restaurants are facing closures and bankruptcy. Why isn't the middle class going out to eat anymore? Shifting gears, we dip into the recent online protests against celebrities who aren't vocal around the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip. Is Blockout 2024 an effective way to protest or is it a "black square" virtue signal by people who don't really care about helping those in need? Even more importantly, do celebrities have a responsibility to help if they can? Then, we dig into yet another controversy in video game news, this time surrounding Assassin's Creed Shadows. Finally set in feudal Japan, the recently announced game should be a slam dunk, as fans have long requested a game in this time and place. However, with a black protagonist samurai (the legendary Yasuke) and female ninja as the stars, the internet outrage was as swift as a katana. Do the "anti-DEI" crowd have a point or is this just another case of "everything I don't like is woke?" 0:00 Randy Savage's Not Like Us 1:59 Beer Intro 12:00 The Fall Of Chipotle 36:37 What Chilis & Red Lobster Closures Signal 46:57 Is Blockout 2024 An Effective Form Of Protest? 1:07:06 Assassin's Creed Shadows Controversy 1:20:35 Cheers Of The Week 1:29:00 Beer Review Beer Of The Week Walking Tree Brewery Treasure Kölsch As mentioned, we'd love to speak truth to power and provide a handful of links to help the civilians in Gaza currently in desperate need of help. See below: World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/ Anera: https://support.anera.org/a/donate IRUSA: https://irusa.org/middle-east/palestine/ UPA: https://upaconnect.org/ PCRF: https://www.pcrf.net/