(*That would be Biff “Fryboy” Michelin, the second-shift line cook at Greasy Bob’s All-Night Diner. Or so I was told.)

So this dinner marks Mark’s second appearance at a post-event dinner. The first time was at the faux AI Conference in New York (“AI, AI, Oh!”), run by popular conman Cricket Bro and his equally corrupt (but less flashy) brother, Crypto Bro. That story featured a pointless cameo by Sid Stump. Now, we have Tad Crass. And this is the second time in this story Mark spotted him. In both instances, Tad did not notice Mark. So far. Do you think Tad’s appearance will wind up being just another red herring? Maybe we’ll find out this week, and we might find out what the real point of this story is.

As for Mark’s axiom in panel 1, the evidence suggests he is once again wrong. Restaurants with flashy attractions often do not have great food. It’s like the really colorful gelato you find in Rome:  It’s  designed primarily to appeal to tourists. But the authentically better gelato is the less colorful stuff (because it reflects the actual colors of the natural ingredients), usually found in a different gelateria off the tourist track.