this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2024
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I get a quarter pounder with cheese, fries and a drink. It costs almost $15. I can go to a cafe where I'm waited on and served decent food for $20.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

They think it's more expensive.

Y'all, Olive Garden and Friday's are as expensive as Chipotle and Popeyes. Stop exclusively celebrating birthdays there and just order takeout whenever.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Do they have options?

I gave up Taco Bell after college as “not actual food”, and for decades only went to McDonald’s in a road trip or Wendy’s for a frosty. There was a cheap local-ish burger joint that sometimes took their place but it was a bit out of the way ….. then we got Chipotle and Panera!!! Fast food that’s actual food and not quite as bad for you. And now it’s the same price or cheaper.

My burrito cost less than your Big Mac meal while being more filling. It has less sodium, less saturated fat, actual fiber and vegetables, and tastes so much better.

We do have at least one authentic burrito place that’s even better and cheaper but you can’t order online. Chipotle group orders are the god of food apps

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Do they have options?

Returned to Atlanta after a vacation out west in a small town where there were tons of small biz cafes and restaurants... My entire street is lined with nothing but fast food bullshit. In a quarter mile radius we have McDonald's, Arby's, Freddy's, Wendy's, Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's, Domino's, Buffalo wild wings. Fast food has basically conquered medium to large size towns and forced out any sort of small business that's healthy or has real food. You won't find them anywhere, so you get exhausted and tired of driving and what is left for you? Fast food. No one wants to drive 25 minutes every time they need to get something to eat

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

Well, that's sad. Corporations have taken over our lives.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

We have Burrito Bandito. Really good and a good price.

We finally have a Penaro that I haven't checked out yet.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Most cafes aren't open at 3am when I get off a dreadful shift and just want to wolf something down before collapsing into bed for 10 hours.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago

Wow, that's a crazy schedule

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Where are you going to a cafe or restaurant that didn't also double their prices? Fast food is still eaten cause the restaurants also jacked up the prices. I'm Canadian and I took my wife and two little kids for breakfast. Our bill came out to over $100. For two full breakfasts and a couple of orders of pancakes You're also assuming everyone lives where you do and cafes and local eateries are abundant. Most places don't have anything but fast food and pizza available.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Just asking a question for the fun of it. I don't get a lot of social conversation.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's called Vitles. Family owned and popular coffee shop. I live in a small town so that might be why it's cheaper.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah coffee shops even are crazy where I live. $8 for a latte the other day

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Wow, that's crazy

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Until recently fast food was faster and cheaper than sit down joints and it's easier to eat while you drive. Since it's only been recent that is gotten slower and more expensive people still reach for it when they want quick calories. Unless fast food becomes faster and cheaper again it will probably decline from gas station food which is faster and getting better in most parts of the US and ordering ahead from local joints.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Usually a craving (This is the only reason I go to McDonald's once a year or so) or it's something I want to try that I don't have at home (like Jollibee or Shackshack).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

I like to splurge on a Shackshackshack from time to time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Similar to what others have said but with a slightly different take:

Fast foods have fortified themselves as the backup plan in everyday life.

Some people, including me at some point, have accepted that they are gonna have a meal or two a week when a busy day happens and no leftover is in the fridge.

Thankfully ive learned that as long as you don’t leave it to the last minute, you can probably do a decent take out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

My remaining fast food vice is Chipotle.

We have a bit of a tradition going. When my teenager drives over from his mom’s house Friday after school, I send out a Chipotle group order so he can pick what he wants, and it’s ready for pickup as he approaches.

So fast, so convenient

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I eat fast food only when I use coupons to pay $6 or less for a meal. (Was getting one from McDonalds for $3.50 but they removed the coupon I used smh).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

I haven't tried the app. If it's cheap I might go once a month.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

There's a lot more to fast food than burgers. Pizza, curry, poutine, sushi

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Homie I don't trust cheap sushi. My butthole riots

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Then go for a burrito

[–] [email protected] 86 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It’s in the name. It’s fast. You order at a drive-thru and you’re on your way in a couple of minutes. I agree though that prices are insane now and doesn’t justify the quality. I’d rather go to an asian restaurant for their lunch specials and get more for my buck.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

In a lot of cases it's not actually fast (not just waiting in line at the drive thru, but also the time driving to and from the place), but people would apparently rather sit in traffic than cook, for some reason.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

Cooking takes time, ingredients, and if you want it palatable, ability. Fast food takes driving up to a location and saying "give me something easy".

It's not as fast as it used to be, but it's still relatively quick, especially if it's on your way home from wherever you are. Any extra time is just spent doomscrolling on your phone or listening to your preferred media pundit.

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[–] [email protected] 58 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Its not really about the taste - its about the speed and convenience. If you want good food, you make your own. If you just finished a shift in a back-breaking job, and hate cooking, then its a chance to relax and free up some time.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

the speed and convenience.

Is this even true?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (7 children)

Relative to cooking a similar meal, absolutely. Getting McDonalds takes like 5 mins and almost no effort. Less if ordering for delivery or pickup. If I want to cook myself a burger its probably going to take me like 40 minutes to makes and fry the burger, and prepare toppings. Im sure a good chef could do it much faster, but thats not me, and esspecially not after a full work day.

Edit: Plus, less directly measurable and comparable, but the time and work for planning, shopping, and dishes afterwards.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Don't forget the time and effort to clean too

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Plus the grocery shopping!

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

the craving for absolute slop rears its ugly head every once in a while. I blame the ennui

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Yep. I love high quality food and spend a lot of time learning to copy from chefs I like. I’m very selective about ingredients (e.g. fish, only so much is flown in daily and accessible to normies), often make my own sauces, and have a pretty large collection of dinnerware and lacquerware for accurate plating.

Yet like clockwork, several times a year I will eat multiple McRib patties in a single sitting. That shit has presumably the worst ingredients, the same sauce as every other year slathered inconsistently, and is presented in a cardboard box that has definitely gotten thinner. It is in no way worth anywhere near the price but I do it anyway.

Sometimes slop hits the spot. Plus I can’t make my own heavily processed slabs of… whatever those things contain.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Same as they always have. It's fast. You can grab taco bell in a flash compared to even the best run diner or cafe. And you don't have to sit around with a bunch of strangers that are essentially walking disease vectors to do it, unless you want to.

The draw of fast food joints has never been primarily about the food quality, or service. Yeah, you'll likely pick the place that has what you consider better food, and avoid shit service, but that's a different thing.

Even joints that pretend to not be fast food (like chikfila) only pull a small portion of their consumers on the food primarily. They might draw some customers away from other fast food places, but not from sit-down places like you're talking about

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Habits, familiarity, convenience, complacency

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago

The four horsemen of obesity!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago

Most of this thread is overlooking familiarity, consistency. Aside from regional/international differences, the mcdouble you order at home is gonna be exactly as the same as the mcdouble ordered 400 miles away. Your usual will be there. Many people aren't gonna take a chance on Jeff's Cafe on the road. Jeff's Cafe doesn't spend a billion dollars on ads to tell you they still have the same thing you ate a decade ago. People don't want to spend as much time and effort as it takes to read Jeff's menu, decide what sounds good, and then see if it matches their expectation.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago

It's addictive, it's marketed well, people are uninformed about how awful it is for them, and think prepping healthy meals is a lot harder than it is.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

pfft. sometimes its worth the 5$ to not have to slow down to cafe speed. and i like fast food, its designed to be overtly tasty

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago

Because it's fast and good enough. Not looking for a restaurant experience. I just want to eat and I forgot to defrost my chicken.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago

Because it's fast... Because I can take it home... Because it doesn't feel like I'm trashing something nice when I order it to be delivered...

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

I think you answered your own question. It's still "cheaper" than your second option.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Sometimes I need food fast

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It's not about the quality, it's about the speed.

That said, i generally plan ahead and rarely eat fast food. And rarely eat out in general. That shit is expensive

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