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.
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.
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.
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.
people would apparently rather sit in traffic than cook, for some reason.
The thing sitting in drive through always takes time too lol
See, I don’t get the fast drive through thing. I pull up to the drive through. They have two lanes. Both are full and there are 10 cars ahead of me. I have to wait 10 minutes or more just to place an order and 10 minutes to get to the window to pay. It’s generally not fast at all.
Another thing I haven’t seen mentioned is its one of the last places open late anymore. I live close to a city, but if I need to grab something late (9:30+) fast food is about the only place open.
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.
the speed and convenience.
Is this even true?
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.
Don’t forget the time and effort to clean too
Plus the grocery shopping!
I gotta say, I fucking hate doing dishes. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I just have this almost irrational dislike for washing dishes (especially pots+ pans). Sure, I’ll do it when it needs to be done, but my God do I dread it. Is there something wrong with me? Oh absolutely, but there’s plenty else to fix before the dishes issue lol
I’m not sure, but I know what you mean. I dread doing dishes, but my wife dreads putting dishes away. So before we had a dish washer, she would wash and I would dry/put away.
I left it out because its something that can (theoretically) be left for a more convenient time such as a weekend, so its a less one-to-one comparison. That said, thats still additional work compared to buying food.
My point being that it is never 5 minutes anymore and it costs the same as any fast casual joint which can also be had. maybe no drive through and maybe thats the selling point for mcds but drive through aint fast either, just dont have to get out of the car.
Bro chipotle gets made in real time as I speak. It’s faster.
Order for pickup has entered the chat
got set up account, and many people use those spy ware apps for mcdonlands
chiptle shorts online orders.
but yeah, pre-order is a good strategy, i prefer joints where i can call in tho
mcds has never been 5 minutes since ive been alive.
It’s like… shockingly faster for me?
If I have to wait five whole minutes for fast food they’re either slammed or they’re having equipment problems. I can literally count on one hand the amount of times it’s happened in the last few years.
Tbf, though, I don’t eat fast food incredibly often. Maybe once a month.
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
a bunch of strangers that are essentially walking disease vectors
What came first? Anxiety or this totally healthy attitude?
Covid happened.
What came first, the urge to be a dick needlessly, or the lack of creativity?
You’re the one reducing human beings to their diseases. That’s beyond just being a dick. It’s dehumanizing. But apparently that’s a-okay on this supposed leftist platform.
Are you dense? Or just looking to troll someone?
Habits, familiarity, convenience, complacency
The four horsemen of obesity!
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.
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.
I think you answered your own question. It’s still “cheaper” than your second option.
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.
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
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
Well, that’s sad. Corporations have taken over our lives.
We have Burrito Bandito. Really good and a good price.
We finally have a Penaro that I haven’t checked out yet.
Sometimes I need food fast
It aint fat anymore tho
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.
Just asking a question for the fun of it. I don’t get a lot of social conversation.
It’s called Vitles. Family owned and popular coffee shop. I live in a small town so that might be why it’s cheaper.
Yeah coffee shops even are crazy where I live. $8 for a latte the other day
Wow, that’s crazy
I mean, McDonald’s is an insane ripoff. At Taco Bell I can get veggie cravings box for $5.99 - that’s a Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme, Bean and Cheese Burrito, Fiesta Potatoes, and a drink. It’s like 1500 calories for $6 and takes 5 minutes to get. We get it every couple of weeks when we’re just feeling super lazy and don’t feel like cooking, and we can make two meals out of it.
If you can limit it to just the sandwich you can save some. But otherwise, it’s just baked into our society for all the reasons already mentioned. Seems like the choice for a cheap meal is gone however.
This is actually a pretty good idea. And I bet the sandwich is the least worst part of the meal as far as nutrition and satiation.
I hate that my immediate next thought is, “I should get TWO sandwiches!”
I’m not sure where this cafe you can get waited on is selling a hamburger, fries, and a coke, with tax and tip, coming out less than $20, but if it’s edible, definitely, I’d eat there if I had the choice. The difference between the cheapest sit down restaurant and fast food is almost down to nothing, but fast food is still the cheapest thing you’re going to find, and the fast food companies know this, which is why they’re comfortable raising the prices. They’re attitude is if you don’t want to pay our prices, eat at home, but we know you’re not going to do that.
I regularly go to “La Mañica” in Albacete, where you can get the baturro with a drink and coffee for less than 10€. That bocadillo is bigger than my arm.
I just did that today for lunch. I had a very good patty melt with fresh onion rings and a glass of iced tea for $22 after tax and tip.
where I’m waited on
That’s the problem. I’m hungry and on the way home from work. I don’t want to sit anywhere but in front of my TV.
Solution is to prep meals so when you get home, you heat it up and enjoy it even more than some shitty fast food place.
Not when I live in a small apartment and have like, no freezer space. Plus Wendy’s usually has good coupons.
you got no space in your freezer or you have no freezer?
You can always make space if you eliminate the unhealthy stuff and fill it with uncooked meat
I don’t know, but I can tell you with certainty that I don’t.
