Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I like good Mexican restaurants, ones where the salsa is freshly made and the guacamole is too. Where the atmosphere is cozy and maybe a little dark.

There was a restaurant near Spring City, Tennessee that used to fit that bill; and for a while it was the only one around that also served Margaritas and other alcoholic libations. Spring City and the environs are not known for gourmet dining options. But Cancun was quite passable.

In between the time I last visited and this past weekend’s visit to bury Earl’s Mother, Cancun moved to larger, more modern facilities that included a bigger parking lot, more tables, and a better view from the outdoor patio. It maintained its cantina-like darkness on the inside too, so we thought the move would work.

But what it gained in cavernous ability to serve more customers at one time was gained at the expense of coziness. The new restaurant has all the warmth of a franchise cafeteria. Frankly the food has gone downhill too; and, before we started home, Cancun received a unanimous vote for the worst food we had on the entire trip. After all, when you’re involved in funeral arrangements, the comfort of decent food is important.

I’ve seen other restaurants fool with their success in the same way. It seems that when the waiting line for dinner becomes too long, owners think of expanding without considering that the line out the door is part of what makes them successful. People want to eat in an intimate environment, like a bistro, rather than a football stadium. They’re willing to wait a reasonable amount of time to have that cozy feeling when they actually sit down and order their Margaritas.

There was another Mexican restaurant in another corner of my life that did the same thing. Originally it was in a small cinderblock building, where the owner had planted her own herb garden just outside the front door. That was part of the charm. But when the line got too long, she moved to the local strip mall and took over a space that once belonged to a sporting goods store. In no time, people stopped coming.

I imagine Mexican restaurants are not the only ones subject to this syndrome. In fact, I imagine that restaurants in general are not the only business that falls prey to the concept that bigger is better. Cancun is just the most recent example that makes me sad.