King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Matt Bramanti — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:28:04 GMT

It would be nice if Moon applied his frugality to his place of employment.

Mary, do you work at the Lee P. Brown Metro Administration Building downtown, or at another Metro facility?

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Bobby J Moon — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 23:16:18 GMT

Mr. Bramanti,

I am very proud of my 20-year record as METRO's Manager of Audit-Contracts. You are "right on" about my frugality in my professional life as well. My professional staff of CPAs; CIAs; CFEs and CGFMs work very hard and diligently to advise METRO's Procurement Department and Project Managers relating to the work that various contractors and subcontractors do for our Authority from procurement of buses to designing METRORail line extensions. We are very proud to identify in excess of $500K in cost savings for the Authority in FY06.....frugal, yes!

Bobby J Moon CIA CFE CGFM

Manager of Audit-Contracts

METRO Transit Authority

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Its not the network — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:59:11 GMT

And the public cares about this because...

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Woody Speer — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 02:47:26 GMT

Moon needs to enjoy the cheap dining while he still can. Once METRO's fare increase rolls through, Moon will be brown bagging it just to hold his costs down. His cost of dining goes up by 40% once the new fares roll through. Sorry, no more period passes or discount fares (see below). Moon may want to check into a good pair of walking shoes so he can bounce to lunch on those rubber sidewalks or get a bike.

Metro President Frank Wilson has said transit riders are paying less than 50 cents on the average fare because of all the discounts. Here's a list of discounts on Metro fares that may be eliminated or changed if the plan passes:

Eliminate free transfers if the rider paid with cash

Free transfers with "smart cards" will be allowed only within 90 minutes of initial boarding time

Eliminate day passes, which cost $2 and allow people to ride as many times as they want within 24 hours

Eliminate "period passes," which give discounted fares to riders who buy seven-, 30-, and 365-day passes

Eliminate stored-value card bonuses

Eliminate reduced fares for those traveling during less busy times of day

Reduce senior citizen, disabled and student rider discounts from 60 percent to 50 percent

Reduce youth discount for kids age 5 to 11 traveling during off peak hours from 75 percent to 50 percent. (50 percent discount applies 24 hours, seven days a week

Eliminate ride-sponsor and social service agency discounts

Eliminate the $1 per-week Texas Medical Center pass, replace with contracted service

Eliminate a college's ability to buy bus passes for $1 a week

Eliminate free bus rides for jury duty

Eliminate free rides for voters on Election Day

Eliminate "freedom pass" for disabled "MetroLift" passengers. "MetroLift" patrons would pay standard disabled fare.

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Bobby J Moon — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:14:15 GMT

http://www.houstonpavilions.com/home.php

for the latest in DT revitalization

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Mary Sit — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:54:33 GMT

Woody, a clarification on transfers:

Unlimited transfers will be allowed with the new Q Card within two hours - not 90 minutes - of initial boarding - and as long as you are traveling in the same direction.

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Rorschach — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:54:51 GMT

So in other words, you admit that your own favorite eatery cannot survive in close proximity to the rail line.

Putting businesses out of business is not what redevelopment is all about.

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Rorschach — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:08:04 GMT

I'm sorry your response makes no sense to me. How does putting a business out of business serve the function of redeveloping and revitalizing an area? Unless the point is to drive the market price into the basement so that one of the real estate developers either on the board, or friends of board members can roll in, and buy it all up for a song? Is that what METRO is supposed to be doing? making it easy for real estate developers to screw over current landowners?

Funny, I thought METRO was supposed to be about moving people around town, not being in the real estate biz.

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Bobby J Moon — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:55:04 GMT

Ask Mr. Charles LeBlanc at

http://www.houstonmidtown.com/

He has all of the historical perspectives of Midtown; his presentation is quite informative and interesting if you've never heard it.

Actually it's redevelopment and revitalization....I can spell better than I can type....

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Rorschach — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 03:20:52 GMT

Don, trolleys? What trolleys? METRO killed off the trolleys when METROrail went live to force everyone to use the train. You know, as part of their 50% improvement in service.... or do you mean the wham-bam-tram. And as for the 15 MPH part, that might be average after you deduct the time for stops, but they most be moving at a pretty good clip to be able to throw a pickup airborne, clean across the intersection and wrap it around a telephone pole barely missing bystanders the way it did the other day. Of course the tram's speed limit is SUPPOSED to be 35 mph, but I've clocked it faster at times.

re: King of Cheap Eats Rides the Rail to Find Lunch under $3

Margaret — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:37:54 GMT

Great article and I enjoyed the whole lunch adventure. I think a lot of people are going to benefit from the tips and locations you have supplied. Sounds like Bobby gets to enjoy lunch and save his money too. Great job Bobby.