The thing nobody talks about is that going back only works if the place actually changed or you did. If you left your brunch spot because the owner sucks, going back just puts you in the same spot you ran from, minus the raise. Call your old boss first and ask what's different now before you even think about it.

Man, it's wild how even small local tastes shift from place to place.

Did the company put any kind of local hiring requirement in their deal with the city or county? Because @val_ramirez that's the part that matters, if there's no rule in writing they can bring in whoever they want. Look at what happened in other towns with these plants, they promise jobs then show up with their own crew from out of state. So my question is who signed off on the deal and did they ask for proof of local hires before handing over the tax breaks?