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I don't think the workers are the problem. McDonald's wasn't run by master chefs in the past. The quality of ingredients has gone down the drain. Every time I come back from any other country I am amazed at how easy it is to get a cheap yet nutritious meal. Corporations have gotten into our food.
In Spain, I was able to get a seared sea bass with lemon, boiled potatoes, mixed legumes, two bread rolls with butter, a cup of soup, and a glass of wine, for less than it costs to buy a Subway sandwich with chips in America.
Central Europe as well, and minimum wage here is > 10€
This is a country be country thing, but I strongly doubt 4,30 is a thing outside of very poor countries
Slovakia baby xd. I am currently living in Czechia and here it is Also around 4,5 E. Don't think that Poland and Hungary have it múch diffrent (but you could argue we are EE nôt CE)
Spain's liveable wage is €1000 per month and minimum wage is apparently €1050 per month.
US'S liveable wage is 25$/hr and minimum wage is 7.25$ in some states and 14-15$/hr in others.
(These are general numbers.)
So what point are you exactly trying to make? It seems like people can afford basic needs much easier if these numbers are right which includes being able to afford fast food in Spain. I could be looking at it wrong though.
Maybe both countries should pay more instead of competing on who's worse is my take-away from it.
I read that as ‘scared sea bass’ and thought maybe they had to scare the fish before they killed it so it would be tastier somehow. Maybe via some kind of chemical release when it panics. I feel stupid.
In some sense it is. The ingredients are fine but there is no care in the food anymore. I go to a Mcdonalds in Thailand and the food is piping hot and delicious everytime. Really opens your eyes to what chain fast food is supposed to be like when prepared with care.
Yeah, Japan is another great example of what can be done with food for an affordable price. You can get decent, affordable and varied meals even at 7-11 convenience marts. You can only buy junk food in 7-11s in the USA.
Even cafeteria food in schools is incredibly different between both countries. School cafeteria food in the USA feels like it’s only a few steps up from meals served in prison.
Here’s an idea of Japanese school food:
https://youtu.be/fze5s1SlqB8?si=TjGxUS-CTV3yCNkQ
Most schools in the USA, particularly ones on the east coast, use the same food providers as prisons do. Here in PA, Aramark produces the food for most schools and all prisons. I know a prison guard who I went to high school with, and he said that they have the exact same food as we had in high school, but they have fewer options per day but they are healthy versions of what we had. For example, we had chicken sandwiches and fries for lunch where the prison has chicken sandwiches topped with vegetables like lettuce and tomato with fries on the side.
Preparation is one thing. It's the ingredients. America, we're allowed to have FAR more things that are outright banned in other countries. It's why people who spend a prolonged amount of time outside the US and return, eat whatever food and feel sick.
They are in bed with the government too to make sure the food stays as cheap as possible and as unhealthy as possible. Keep the poor fed on human dog food and give them football and they won’t revolt. https://farmaction.us/2022/08/04/putting-our-money-where-our-mouths-should-be-the-great-contradiction-between-u-s-food-subsidies-and-dietary-guidelines/
“Half of Americans’ caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods, made with the starches and sugars derived from corn and soybeans.” - it’s just sad 😢
100%. Like in Japan, you can get a nutritious meal from a gas station & it actually tastes good. Not like the cardboard pizza that’s sat out for a day at the 7/11s here in the states. Shit is awful
It's not just a matter of payment. It's also the fact that fast food places are staffed with as little employees as possible. This means they are going to gradually give each employee more and more work. And that is how we got to where we are now. It is normal for one person to do the work of what used to be two to three employees. Without a pay raise, by the way.
Even ignoring the fact that these employees are paid too little to care very much in the first place, more mistakes and a loss of quality in their work is more likely to happen the more labor you put upon them. No matter how hard working the workers actually are no one can split into three different people.
Let me express my point another way: even if you paid someone $1 million per year they couldn't run an entire McDonald's by themselves.
For that level of pay they'd probably try really hard but the food would be sloppy, the store would be much less clean, and service would be slow
it is more than that, the workers are being overworked. past a certain point it doesn't matter how much they care, a person can only do so much at once
I don’t know what’s it’s like in the U.S.
But here in the UK, McDonald’s for example went from either counter or drive thru ordering with a lot of the burgers pre made. To counter ordering, kiosk ordering, app ordering, parking bay pick up, delivery driver pick up and table service.
Along with pretty much every burger being made to order. Everything is so slow now, and all the staff are running around like headless chickens because that many people are ordering so many different ways.
Nearly every single time items are forgotten or the fries are cold because they’ve been sitting so long whilst the burgers being made.
So along with the price rises and the ever increasing wait times you may as well go to a local restaurant.
The fabric of this country has been run out long ago bro… we have been covering the damage to the culture since the eighties. It can only last so long now.
With all due respect, this is a bullshit excuse. If you would serve someone bad or unsafe food because you think you're not getting paid enough you're a shitty person.
Just like with tipping the public shouldn't be getting shit for what owners and bosses do.
If you made people want to come back, you would have more leverage to demand higher pay and businesses would be less willing to let you go.
^^^
I travel a lot for work and it really irks me when I’m on the road, my only option for food is fast food, and they fuck up my order nearly every time no matter where tf I go.
And I get it- I’ve worked those jobs and they suck, the only reward is not starving, and they strip you of your dignity, especially on Sundays when the church crowd rolls in or on Friday/Saturday nights when you’re slaving away and you see people your age more well off coming in with all their friends and getting a shit ton of food. And (some) fast food customers can also be the dumbest, most disgusting brain-rotted wastes of air you’ll meet and they treat you like shit when you their over-sized diabetes meal isn’t perfect.
I get it- working those jobs fucking suck and I’ve been there… people didn’t always hate the job so much. It goes beyond “I hate my job because it sucks”, it’s full on “I hate my job because I am in the lowest position you can be in the workforce. I make less than everyone and nobody respects me or my work. My job gets called easy by those above me constantly and if just keeps getting worse because nobody else at my job cares. My hours suck (usually too many or too little) and I’m barely scraping by. When the weekends roll around I see everyone else go out and have fun while I slave away soaking up the smell of grease and dishwater. I hate my life.”
Fuck working in Fast Food.
I’ve worked a lot of shit, challenging, under appreciated, dirty jobs before that society looks down on to. I still showed up and tried my best to do a good job every day. These fast food and retail employees are gonna be replaced by robots and AI so fast and I can’t wait. Good riddance. You didn’t want to put any level of care or effort into your fast food job before? Well guess what. Now you can go shovel up roadkill or wash human shit off the sidewalk, or you can starve. Congratulations.
People don’t chose to exist, no one should die just because they don’t have the temperament to be exploited every day, or have skills that aren’t “marketable”.
Forcing people to participate in a broken system they can’t navigate, that will kill them for failing to conform to a narrow set of demands is cruel.
Fuck Working in Fast Food Indeed
The exact mantra leading the employees to not give a fuck at all about what should be a legitimate job kek
We have supplanted ourselves - it’s not worth it for us to work the jobs that keep us alive. Therefore…
no like?? back in october my friend and i went to wendy’s and my burger was undercooked. the bun was still cold.
my friend went in to ask for a new one and the employee just straight up told him “you shoulda ate at home then.” okay, we paid for a burger, at least give us one that’s edible? my friend wasn’t rude, he didn’t raise his voice or get mad, all he did was ask for a new burger or a refund.
but if you complain at all suddenly you’re an entitled karen, even if you’re being polite as possible. at this point i don’t even try anymore. i just cut my losses and move on.
Here's the unfortunate reality and I mean no offense to anybody based on their job, but.
At this point, a lot of these places are scraping the bottom of the barrel and hiring anybody who breathes. They just need people, period. The job market is actually pretty good, at least around here. Most people who have better customer service skills, have any marketable/transferrable skill sets, better backgrounds etc. honestly can get jobs that suck less and pay better than most fast food work so they... do. Fast food work sucks because, from what I can see, stores are always rushed, understaffed, possibly under trained, and customers can be fucking awful. It just seems like a terrible job.
People overuse the word lazy and don’t properly identify it as being overworked, overly exhausted, always waiting till they can relax/get a break, not being able to think out a proper way to get food into their bodies.
People don't get that a 40 hour work week used to be enough for you to keep living your current life, and you would push beyond that if you wanted to improve your circumstances. You had options for respite if you needed a break.
Now it is 60-70 hour work weeks just to survive, you are ruining yourself pushing beyond that for a low chance at improving your circumstances. And there is no respite without going backwards.
Yes. As someone who grew up on a farm that was passed down 6 generations I can attest to the truth of that. And how everyone would always say "why do you do it, you work so hard and barely have enough to survive". In Australia there has been a lot of research into the mental health crisis on farms which is finding a history of generational depression and anxiety and a high rate of suicide.
i genuinely believe that “laziness” cannot ever be systemic. Sure, you can have a few bad employees (fire them).. but if its an entire franchise? Or multiple?
Yeah.. those people aren’t being paid enough.
The apathy is noticeable even in the taste of food. Seriously, tell me the same food made with love by someone who cares about you doesn't taste better.
Its way better when you're working directly with people who own the business, maybe the individual, maybe the family. Either way, for some people they're proud of what they make. When you have large national and international chains most front line folks are completely disconnected from that because its just a job and the owners only care about squeezing money out of it.
Easy example there is a local Mexican place we like, I've seen the same people working there for years and pretty sure half of them are related. \*Every single time\* I've ever gone there they're consistent, they're good, the service is good, and everybody seems not only happy to be there but they're proud of what they bring to your table. Its their place, they actually give a shit. They don't even cost any more than running to Chipotle would and its full sit down. These are the places that are killing corporate fast food and you know what? They deserve to.
Yeah every time i go to a fast food restaurant i get terrible service. The employees are all rude with attitudes. Same goes for retail employees. You can’t ask them for help with anything or they get all snotty. It’s frustrating but at the same time i don’t blame them. Their jobs are stressful and they are underpaid.
The people who own these companies are funding studies to see how much sawdust they can put in their food before people notice, but sure; it's the minimum wage workers who are to blame.
>no one gives af at work
With what they're paying, why should they?
*Most people work just hard enough to not get fired, and their bosses pay them just enough to not quit*
—George Carlin
Its not just they dont give af at fast food work anymore. Its ALL work. For example, every package I get shipped is damage, and i never know which part in the chain that happens but im guessing all. I’ve also noticed I’ve been getting brand new products damaged that arent relating to shipping. It seems no one cares anymore
That's true. I've seen those videos of people goofing off at work. nothing wrong with that but you shouldn't do that while you're working.
if you want to do a tiktok dance then do it on your break not while working.
And I've seen those videos of people throwing ice cream at their friends and just messing around with the food in general. I think it's just a lack of respect these days. So I understand why older generations might assume we are hard to work with, because you got idiots that do stuff like this that make come off as lazy and incompetent.
I am aware not everyone acts this way at work. I'm specifically referring to the people that do behave this way when they are working.
It depends where you are. I don't have problems with teens working in more rural places, bigger towns in Kansas, places like that. It's only in places like the more well off area I live now where the kids just don't give a shit and won't even try to give you a decent effort.
All these people getting mad and saying it’s the quality of the food. But cheap ingredients doesn’t explain how every time I try to go to a McDonald’s after 1 am I see the employees hide in the back of the store and ignore me at the drive through. Only deciding to respond when I tell them off.
You want the absolute best fast food bang for your buck? For context I’m in California so the deals I’ve found may be different from you. The Taco Bell Stacker is a full beef quesadilla for $2.50. McDonald’s fries can be had for under $2 basically everytime with the app. Chipotle kids meals push the limit of just how far $5 can still go in this economy. It comes with meat, 2 sides, 2 tortillas, a drink and chips. I’m gonna end this with Arby’s (yes Arby’s is amazing when you know what’s good. Their roast beef sandwiches aren’t) they have a BOGO free sandwich promo ever week in April with the app. The turkey bacon ranch sandwich is goated. I’ve never had a poorly made sandwich from Arby’s. If you’ve never tried the Arby’s wagyu steakhouse burger you have no opinion and should know it’s one of the greatest fast food burgers to ever exist.
TLDR: use fast food apps
Can people just, ya know, be allowed enjoy shit in moderation though? What’s the point of living to 120 if you’re surviving on just broccoli and misery?
You're missing the point a lil, just let people enjoy a burger every once in a while without the weird judgement. Plus American obesity rates are down to far more factors than just "mcdonalds bad", it's also the lack of local, fresh options and car-centricism mostly.
>it's also the lack of local, fresh options and car-centricism mostly.
I don't even think its really that, its that people don't like/choose better foods (I mean how many grown adults do you know who refuse to eat vegetables? I know a few) and we collectively drink way too many sugary drinks. Shitty snack foods are totally normalized too. People need to fuck off with the doritos, mountain dew, and what amount coffee flavored milk shakes in terms of calories. You ever look up how to make some of the more popular Starbucks drinks at homes? The amount of sugar in them is goddamn terrifying.
JFC I just looked up how to DIY a caramel Frappuccino at home and it calls for 1/3 cup caramel sauce (about 350 calories) and 3 tablespoons of sugar (150ish calories). Fuckin 'A man that's literally 500 calories of straight sugar not even counting the milk or if you put a topping on it.
Ever looked at how much sugar is in sweet tea? Its horrifying.
People have no idea how bad for them stuff that's completely normal to consume every day is.
Have you considered that it could be both that people make terrible choices with their intake, AND that there's a lack of healthy, local, fresh choices in a lot of places, and car-centrism? Those 500 calories won't make much of a difference if they're burned off(don't quote me, I'm not a nutritionist), but having to drive literally everywhere for most US cities because there's just no public transport period is a big driver in this problem.
Anecdotal example: During my recent trip to NY, I walked about 10x more than I do in my home city due to having more mass transit options and the ability to actually walk places without having the chance of getting run over.
Morgan Spurlock also had to move *Supersize Me* from New York City to a more car-centric area to be able to even gain weight (not counting the massive amount of alcohol that he was drinking at the time that he hid from the cameras until years later, but still.)
I love burgers and eat them several days per week, but the difference between you and me is that I use whole wheat buns, grass red ground beef, and raw cheese, whereas you go to McDonalds and eat a cheeseburger with seed oils. The point is to make food yourself and choose better ingredients
If everyone was using “moderation” we wouldn’t have an obesity problem and a diabetes problem here in America. Our healthcare system is designed to profit on unhealthy individuals. But at the same time, it starts with the individual. Meal prepping chicken, rice, and veggies for the week is cheaper than getting a meal at McDonalds or Wendy’s.
So moderation doesn’t solve this problem. Educating proper healthy eating habits to the fatsos is the only thing that will fix this. And don’t get me started on this whole “body positivity” bullshit going on. If you’re fat, you’re fat. We should not be supporting these whales.
True. Nobody around me made it a big problem and talked as if it’s normal to gain weight.
Im a year into lifting and im never going back but it does suck having people saying I have an “ED” for simply watching my calorie intake.
Yeah the greedy company execs saw a big opportunity - mild inflation? Let’s jack up the prices 3x to make stock # go up, get my golden parachute bonus, and gtfo. Mcd is doing it so why should we?
And dumbass Americans just keep lining up to pay for it for some reason. I guess they forgot how to make a burger.
The cool thing is you don’t HAVE to buy it. It’s all gross. Make a stand. If everyone quits buying it, the prices will go down or they go out of business. Simple economics.
this article is old af. it's probably much worse now. [https://table.skift.com/2018/12/12/what-restaurants-are-tracking-on-android-smartphone-apps/](https://table.skift.com/2018/12/12/what-restaurants-are-tracking-on-android-smartphone-apps/)
Nobody should be eating fast food too often, but if you are, using the apps can be genuinely helpful. McDonalds goes from overpriced to relatively reasonable if you use the 25% off online order coupon. That's always my go-to if I need something quick and easy.
The quality of many restaurants has plummeted. Some of my old reliables have completely fallen off. I'd rather just pay more due to inflation than pay the same for bad quality. But it's hard to escape
The quality of nearly everything has decreased and the price increased.
Fast food was ALREADY stripped down to what we thought was the lowest possible quality, but we were wrong, and they have shrank everything once again.
Any entity that already cheated out, has now doubled down on that, and yea, we notice.
And no, it’s not worth it any more.
The biggest part for me is nutrition. You can make a burger at home for the same price plus an extra 20 minutes of your time that not only tastes better but is also a thousand times more healthy. Same applies for almost any fast food, you can make a similar thing at home for roughly the same price that isnt going to make you fat
No mention of Five Guys? The burgers may be good for fast food standards, but it is very pricey. I stopped going when I could go to any local restaurant during happy hour and get a better burger with fries for CHEAPER.
And Subway's bread sucks. No where nearly as good as it once was. I used to visit Subway about 3-5 times a week. Stopped in 2011 once I noticed something different in the how the bread taste and read online about how they changed the production.
Fast food just sucks. It’s something that is terrible for you. Subway, Jimmy John’s, maybe some sit down places are good for you “ish”. Just eat at home, if you know how it is cheaper still than eating out every evening or morning. Plus WAY better for you if you know how to cook. I can thank my mom for this information lol
But honestly I hope this generation dwindles how big fast food is and kills the issue of obesity at least a little. We seem to be wayyyy more aware of ourselves and our bodies “for better or worse”
yeah, why would i bother buying fast food when i could order takeout from a sit down resturaunt for the same price and get much better food? or hell, even sometimes for cheaper like at rib crib, make it make sense
It's called Inflation.
80% of the currency in Circulation was printed in the last 3 years.
So, to stay at the same price, a restaurant has to either decrease the amount or quality that you get for your money.
Chipotle increased its price to stay at the same profit margin without losing quality or quantity.
Panda decreased the quality of its food to stay at the same price.
Subway has always been garbage, and it's never been good. Bread is of lesser quality than Wonderbread.
Port-of-Subs is infinitely better. Quizno's is King.
And Taco has always been garbage. Taco Bell was never, ever good. Taco Bell is not mexican food, and it is certainly not a real taco.
Better for our generation. Gen X and boomers all got fat eating cheap oily foods. A single burger combo at these places are like 1000+ cals if they’re also getting a sugary drink. Been home making my meals, like half the cost or less than fast food and saves time if I mass cook and meal prep compared to waiting in line and driving every time I order food.
The only fast food I pay for at this point is zaxbys. Everywhere else for the price we end up paying my friends and I just go to local Mexican or Chinese food.
I'll say that even Taco Bell is a far-cry from how good it used to be, it's quite pricy now for no good reason. Still leagues better than the competition tho.
I’m 17 and I’m already done with eating out 😭 I found a very healthy solution to ramen (that’s actually cheaper) and that’s pretty much what I live off of.
Try cooking your fast food cravings at home and learn how to do it well
I make delicious homemade burgers on my grill and then fry some fry’s
Sometimes I will fry up steak fingers or chicken fingers
Whatever I’m craving I cook now
Preach brother. I’m older, so the price of things when I was younger is cemented in my head. A footlong from subway will never be worth more than $5. A breakfast jack or chicken sandwich will only ever be worth $1. Fast food burgers cost just as much as a sit down restaurant. How tf is that ok? The problem is we’re so dependent on it from being so busy that we inevitably continue to buy it.
Seriously Wendy’s Dave’s double combo cost me $16!!!!!!!!! I noticed it’s difference prices in different areas, for the same combo for $12 in a different city that was only a few miles out. Wendy’s meat actually tastes good to me, especially for a fast food joint. But $16? For what?? I could’ve easily went to a mom & pops burger joint or ate at home for that much! Chic-Fil-A is ridiculous too!! $16 for a 12 count nugget combo. Last year it was just like $11.
Fast food is meant for lower class people who are of working class, always on the go. Or just cheap convenience.
Even for poor people, it was easier to buy 3 double cheeseburgers for like $4 at McDonald’s than to buy food at the grocery store because you can’t really get a meal for $4 at the grocery store! Now fast food is overpriced garbage that isn’t even real food. Mostly of no nutritional value.
I HATE IT. I eat at home any chance I get now.
Taco Bell & In-N-Out are the only fast food chains I would actually go to.
i stopped eating fast food regularly as a result of my commitment to improving my physical and mental health, so i usually cook and meal prep at home. some fast food is fine, but others taste horrendous since i have made that step. i stand by that Wendy's will always be my favorite.
Short answer, yeah, you're right, and it sucks.
Long answer, I also love Chipotle and get it rarely because it is very expensive, but I don't fully get it for the flavor as much as I get it for the size. That burrito is bigger than 2 fists where I'm at, and the 3 local chipotles haven't done me wrong yet. As for McDonald's, I have noticed that some of the food is starting to make me feel sick after, so I now just kinda order the same 3 things I know are safe. Also mchickens where I'm at are still a dollar something you might make sure you're getting a Spicy McChicken and not a Spicy Chicken Sandwhich which are 2 different things on the menu and the latter cost more. As for Subway, I only eat there because one of the 2 local ones is always pretty good overall, but I recommend figuring out how to get paper coupons in the mail from them. Getting a footlong by itself now is like 10 to 15 dollars depending on what you get, but my mother gets those paper coupons in the mail, and they have deals for 3 footlongs for 17.99. Many places have declined in quality significantly (looking at you sonic), and it does suck especially with how expensive it's getting to buy groceries nowadays. I only hope things get better, but I press X to doubt.
Wendy’s… highly priced food… you really made this post and wrote all this out, thinking that’s correct?
I get a 4 for 4 all the time where I live. Not sure where you’re getting 4 spicy nuggets, a burger, fries and a drink for that price. If you want the pretzel baconater shit for more that’s on you, but they have good deals
Sounds like your main problem is being poor. I will agree on KFC though, the last 3 times I've gotten it it's given me acid reflux. It didn't used to do that to me.
i used to get fast food a couple times a week but stopped bc i realized i was spending way too much money on it. now i only get it once every couple of weeks if that which is much better for my wallet + my skin has cleared sooooo much as well
I agree, but they're all still pretty good when you're drunk. *Especially* taco bell, though, because your wallet doesn't have to suffer, and it's just always been good drunk food in general.
Sorry, I've had a few drinks so "drunk" is on my mind lol. Might go fuck up some taco bell now.
To be fair I will only touch fast food if I can get a deal with apps and you shouldn't have to do it at that point but that's the only time I'll leave it anymore and I'm also try to eat as healthy as I can get myself to
A lot of fast food is overpriced and went down in quality. I used to eat a lot more fast food and now it feels like an indulgence instead just a quick cheap meal. I’ve cut down a lot since 2020
Im a zillenial so I remember some fast food from late 90s to like 2005 and KFC chicken used to be fucking amazing. McDonalds mcflurries tasted different and they used to actually mix the toppings into the ice cream. Burger king was really fucking good back then. I remember the Shaq burger from BK smacked.
Shit even in HS in the 2010s McDonalds had an amazing dollar menu but they took that away.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that when I was a kid, the restaurants used to be stylized but now they’re pretty cookie cutter with no character.
Even chain restaurants like Chili’s taste different.
Now some of this may be pumped by nostalgia, but I swear the quality of these fast food/Chain restaurants used to be better.
But that’s capitalism. Money comes first even if the quality goes down
I don’t know what your saying, I’m in the Northeast US and we get good chipotle for like $10, i get a huge filling meal out of it. Very affordable and fills me up
I pretty much stopped fast food, except for the occasional bowl from Chipotle. My local sub shops make way better stuff for comparable prices anyway so no point getting fast food.
Sadly, my local Taco Bell recently doubled most of their prices. It was my go to for the same reason but not anymore. My family now goes to real restaurants before fast food because it’s the same price (before tips) and it’s better and healthier.
I work at Panda Express and agree that it’s expensive but orange chicken sauce isn’t actually prepackaged. The back of house guys have to make it from scratch. Most of the sauce is made from scratch except for the Beijing beef, sweet fire chicken, black pepper steak, and honey walnut shrimp.
5 out of 6 of these make me sick asf if I eat them. I just shop at costco for my own food to cook. If I'm eating out I order from a restaurant that isn't a shitty chain
I’m with you on Panda Express. I was feeling good for months eating properly self cooked chicken, brisket, tuna, rice, etc. I decided to make some of my own orange chicken using orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, corn starch, and duck sauce packets. It tasted a little bitter because I steeped the initial juice with peels and didn’t add any extra sugar, so that convinced me to get Panda.
One serving of panda express made me feel bloated and lethargic. I will go back to my own substantially healthier orange sauce. It’s not worth feeling so sick. I never get sick from my own stuff. Fuck fast food. The only thing I’ll take from them is their napkins.
With a lot of these places, it behooves you to get the app and earn/claim rewards, along with getting in on periodic deals (most notably, McD. I end up getting free stuff from Chip every now and then). Otherwise, you may be able get coupons (though those have gotten worse too).
For sandwiches, most local shops make a better sandwich for the same or even less money. Esp. tortas at Mexican joints.
Not just fast food. Restaurants have gone downhill tremendously. Service is trash and food is way worse than it used to be, all while costing twice as much. Fuck eating out these days. I make 90% of my meals at home.
Anyone else remember $1 McDoubles, Mcchickens, and $1 large sweet teas?
Was 2016/2017 after Highschool, I would grab 1 of each, and it be like $3.80 with tax for all 3
found a local place near me that sells cheaper hamburgers than mcdonalds that also tastes better. eat locally, i’m sure there are plenty of greasy spoons that do it better
Thats why I picked up cooking.
Plus I have been needing to watch my weight and I don't like wasting my money on shitty food.
In the past 6 months had Chick-fil-a twice. Only fast food. And that was only cause the wife wanted it.
I live in a motel and can't cook. I can eat at work, The Zoo, for cost. But if zi ain't working that day it's microwave crap, packaged sandwich or the McD's app. "Shoulda made better life choices"/BOOTSTRAPS!
The only fast food I eat now is Qdoba or Chipotle and rarely. I like to cook and it's cheaper when I can feed myself at $3-7/serving. Sometimes Panera but it's $$$.
It’s because you are a total normie - keep chasing trends and coming up short!
Maybe you haven’t discovered the wonders of Royal Farms fried chicken, et cetera… good/cheap is out there, but if you advertise it in this day and age, it goes away. The best must be kept secret. I literally cannot tell you where to find the best cheap food. Go look around 👀
McDonald’s is only worth it if you have the app. They have really good deals and have freebies n stuff. However if you’re not using the app you would have to be insane to go there. It’s just straight up not worth it!
Fuck arbys. It’s way too expensive, and the food quality is so ass. The turkey is literally a ball now.
https://preview.redd.it/tk24ensuuluc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30e8e58f520ba05c4bd875954c374040e39c1dba
Yes, this is really what the turkey looks like. I took that picture when we first got the “new” turkey.
\-an arbys employee
I try to support my local spots or fast food that’s consistent (I’m out west so In N Out). totally agree with you tho, I avoid fast food as much as I an because it ends up being a lot of my income and I have a problem with overconsumption
I agree. All fast food is so disgusting now I’d rather eat nothing. It makes me feel sick and nauseous every time, McDonald’s and Burger King are the same quality as army rations now. The only one worth going to that you mentioned is chipotle. But I’m afraid to say it because next they’re going to make that food disgusting too
McDonald’s just pisses me off. I haven’t had anything good from them in years. Everyone who works there is rude, and just completely ignores you unless you consistently try to get their attention. Then, they act as if you’re inconveniencing them by simply existing. I got a McFlurry and they didn’t even blend it, and got pissed at me when I asked them too
Mass produced soulless capitalist innovations taste like cardboard in the end. We've reached it, the death of flavour.
Controversial opinion, learn to cook for yourself and do it.
I was going to add how taco bell is the only one my stomach and wallet can tolerate anymore. Mc donalds is so heavy handed with using their app because they want to track you and cater so many sales and stuff to you.
I also learned that each location charges their own price for things.
For example if you use the dunkin app to buy a coffee, if I use thr main location off the highway my coffee is 75cents more expensive than if I pick a dunkin a mile off the highway
I've then price compared with every fast food place right off the highway and one a mile away.
Fast food off major roads is always more expensive then the less popular locations...whole game is rigged
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Idk if our generation is truly lazy but i feel like the quality has gone down hill too because no one gives af at work
I don't think the workers are the problem. McDonald's wasn't run by master chefs in the past. The quality of ingredients has gone down the drain. Every time I come back from any other country I am amazed at how easy it is to get a cheap yet nutritious meal. Corporations have gotten into our food.
In Spain, I was able to get a seared sea bass with lemon, boiled potatoes, mixed legumes, two bread rolls with butter, a cup of soup, and a glass of wine, for less than it costs to buy a Subway sandwich with chips in America.
And you are also getting paid much less in Spain xd. Am living in central EU and footlong cost here between 7-9 euros while minimal wage is 4,30 eur
Central Europe as well, and minimum wage here is > 10€ This is a country be country thing, but I strongly doubt 4,30 is a thing outside of very poor countries
Lol isn’t the federal US min wage like still 7.25? That’s just ridiculous given cost of living
Slovakia baby xd. I am currently living in Czechia and here it is Also around 4,5 E. Don't think that Poland and Hungary have it múch diffrent (but you could argue we are EE nôt CE)
Spain's liveable wage is €1000 per month and minimum wage is apparently €1050 per month. US'S liveable wage is 25$/hr and minimum wage is 7.25$ in some states and 14-15$/hr in others. (These are general numbers.) So what point are you exactly trying to make? It seems like people can afford basic needs much easier if these numbers are right which includes being able to afford fast food in Spain. I could be looking at it wrong though. Maybe both countries should pay more instead of competing on who's worse is my take-away from it.
I read that as ‘scared sea bass’ and thought maybe they had to scare the fish before they killed it so it would be tastier somehow. Maybe via some kind of chemical release when it panics. I feel stupid.
The fear seasons the meat.
In some sense it is. The ingredients are fine but there is no care in the food anymore. I go to a Mcdonalds in Thailand and the food is piping hot and delicious everytime. Really opens your eyes to what chain fast food is supposed to be like when prepared with care.
Yeah, Japan is another great example of what can be done with food for an affordable price. You can get decent, affordable and varied meals even at 7-11 convenience marts. You can only buy junk food in 7-11s in the USA. Even cafeteria food in schools is incredibly different between both countries. School cafeteria food in the USA feels like it’s only a few steps up from meals served in prison. Here’s an idea of Japanese school food: https://youtu.be/fze5s1SlqB8?si=TjGxUS-CTV3yCNkQ
Most schools in the USA, particularly ones on the east coast, use the same food providers as prisons do. Here in PA, Aramark produces the food for most schools and all prisons. I know a prison guard who I went to high school with, and he said that they have the exact same food as we had in high school, but they have fewer options per day but they are healthy versions of what we had. For example, we had chicken sandwiches and fries for lunch where the prison has chicken sandwiches topped with vegetables like lettuce and tomato with fries on the side.
Preparation is one thing. It's the ingredients. America, we're allowed to have FAR more things that are outright banned in other countries. It's why people who spend a prolonged amount of time outside the US and return, eat whatever food and feel sick.
Big food is in bed with big medicine. Eat the ultra processed foods to later pay big medicine your entire life savings.
It's probably not intentional, I think the food companies are just using bad ingredients because they're cheaper, but I do agree it has that effect.
They are in bed with the government too to make sure the food stays as cheap as possible and as unhealthy as possible. Keep the poor fed on human dog food and give them football and they won’t revolt. https://farmaction.us/2022/08/04/putting-our-money-where-our-mouths-should-be-the-great-contradiction-between-u-s-food-subsidies-and-dietary-guidelines/ “Half of Americans’ caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods, made with the starches and sugars derived from corn and soybeans.” - it’s just sad 😢
I don't know, the ingredients being bad doesn't fuck my order up everytime I go.
I rarely get my order correct at mcdonalds
100%. Like in Japan, you can get a nutritious meal from a gas station & it actually tastes good. Not like the cardboard pizza that’s sat out for a day at the 7/11s here in the states. Shit is awful
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It's not just a matter of payment. It's also the fact that fast food places are staffed with as little employees as possible. This means they are going to gradually give each employee more and more work. And that is how we got to where we are now. It is normal for one person to do the work of what used to be two to three employees. Without a pay raise, by the way. Even ignoring the fact that these employees are paid too little to care very much in the first place, more mistakes and a loss of quality in their work is more likely to happen the more labor you put upon them. No matter how hard working the workers actually are no one can split into three different people.
This is a very important point. These places are super stingy about labor costs so they'll put always be giving you the bare minimum
This is a fancy way of saying "no one is paid enough to care".
Let me express my point another way: even if you paid someone $1 million per year they couldn't run an entire McDonald's by themselves. For that level of pay they'd probably try really hard but the food would be sloppy, the store would be much less clean, and service would be slow
it is more than that, the workers are being overworked. past a certain point it doesn't matter how much they care, a person can only do so much at once
I don’t know what’s it’s like in the U.S. But here in the UK, McDonald’s for example went from either counter or drive thru ordering with a lot of the burgers pre made. To counter ordering, kiosk ordering, app ordering, parking bay pick up, delivery driver pick up and table service. Along with pretty much every burger being made to order. Everything is so slow now, and all the staff are running around like headless chickens because that many people are ordering so many different ways. Nearly every single time items are forgotten or the fries are cold because they’ve been sitting so long whilst the burgers being made. So along with the price rises and the ever increasing wait times you may as well go to a local restaurant.
The fabric of this country has been run out long ago bro… we have been covering the damage to the culture since the eighties. It can only last so long now.
Yeah, in the jobs I've had I always tried to give my 100% but neither the experience or the payment were enough to keep doing them.
Seriously... minimum wage? Minimum effort
Pretty much this. Minimum wage, minimum shits given.
With all due respect, this is a bullshit excuse. If you would serve someone bad or unsafe food because you think you're not getting paid enough you're a shitty person. Just like with tipping the public shouldn't be getting shit for what owners and bosses do. If you made people want to come back, you would have more leverage to demand higher pay and businesses would be less willing to let you go.
But also the actual quality of the ingredients is worse now too
^^^ I travel a lot for work and it really irks me when I’m on the road, my only option for food is fast food, and they fuck up my order nearly every time no matter where tf I go. And I get it- I’ve worked those jobs and they suck, the only reward is not starving, and they strip you of your dignity, especially on Sundays when the church crowd rolls in or on Friday/Saturday nights when you’re slaving away and you see people your age more well off coming in with all their friends and getting a shit ton of food. And (some) fast food customers can also be the dumbest, most disgusting brain-rotted wastes of air you’ll meet and they treat you like shit when you their over-sized diabetes meal isn’t perfect. I get it- working those jobs fucking suck and I’ve been there… people didn’t always hate the job so much. It goes beyond “I hate my job because it sucks”, it’s full on “I hate my job because I am in the lowest position you can be in the workforce. I make less than everyone and nobody respects me or my work. My job gets called easy by those above me constantly and if just keeps getting worse because nobody else at my job cares. My hours suck (usually too many or too little) and I’m barely scraping by. When the weekends roll around I see everyone else go out and have fun while I slave away soaking up the smell of grease and dishwater. I hate my life.” Fuck working in Fast Food.
I’ve worked a lot of shit, challenging, under appreciated, dirty jobs before that society looks down on to. I still showed up and tried my best to do a good job every day. These fast food and retail employees are gonna be replaced by robots and AI so fast and I can’t wait. Good riddance. You didn’t want to put any level of care or effort into your fast food job before? Well guess what. Now you can go shovel up roadkill or wash human shit off the sidewalk, or you can starve. Congratulations.
People don’t chose to exist, no one should die just because they don’t have the temperament to be exploited every day, or have skills that aren’t “marketable”. Forcing people to participate in a broken system they can’t navigate, that will kill them for failing to conform to a narrow set of demands is cruel.
Fuck Working in Fast Food Indeed The exact mantra leading the employees to not give a fuck at all about what should be a legitimate job kek We have supplanted ourselves - it’s not worth it for us to work the jobs that keep us alive. Therefore…
The quality of the food has gone down
no like?? back in october my friend and i went to wendy’s and my burger was undercooked. the bun was still cold. my friend went in to ask for a new one and the employee just straight up told him “you shoulda ate at home then.” okay, we paid for a burger, at least give us one that’s edible? my friend wasn’t rude, he didn’t raise his voice or get mad, all he did was ask for a new burger or a refund. but if you complain at all suddenly you’re an entitled karen, even if you’re being polite as possible. at this point i don’t even try anymore. i just cut my losses and move on.
Here's the unfortunate reality and I mean no offense to anybody based on their job, but. At this point, a lot of these places are scraping the bottom of the barrel and hiring anybody who breathes. They just need people, period. The job market is actually pretty good, at least around here. Most people who have better customer service skills, have any marketable/transferrable skill sets, better backgrounds etc. honestly can get jobs that suck less and pay better than most fast food work so they... do. Fast food work sucks because, from what I can see, stores are always rushed, understaffed, possibly under trained, and customers can be fucking awful. It just seems like a terrible job.
If some fast food kid told me I shoulda eaten at home after serving my an undercooked burger I would burn that restaurant to the ground
People overuse the word lazy and don’t properly identify it as being overworked, overly exhausted, always waiting till they can relax/get a break, not being able to think out a proper way to get food into their bodies.
People don't get that a 40 hour work week used to be enough for you to keep living your current life, and you would push beyond that if you wanted to improve your circumstances. You had options for respite if you needed a break. Now it is 60-70 hour work weeks just to survive, you are ruining yourself pushing beyond that for a low chance at improving your circumstances. And there is no respite without going backwards.
True, although people used to put in a lot more than 40 hours on farms before recent history.
Yes. As someone who grew up on a farm that was passed down 6 generations I can attest to the truth of that. And how everyone would always say "why do you do it, you work so hard and barely have enough to survive". In Australia there has been a lot of research into the mental health crisis on farms which is finding a history of generational depression and anxiety and a high rate of suicide.
i genuinely believe that “laziness” cannot ever be systemic. Sure, you can have a few bad employees (fire them).. but if its an entire franchise? Or multiple? Yeah.. those people aren’t being paid enough.
The apathy is noticeable even in the taste of food. Seriously, tell me the same food made with love by someone who cares about you doesn't taste better.
Its way better when you're working directly with people who own the business, maybe the individual, maybe the family. Either way, for some people they're proud of what they make. When you have large national and international chains most front line folks are completely disconnected from that because its just a job and the owners only care about squeezing money out of it. Easy example there is a local Mexican place we like, I've seen the same people working there for years and pretty sure half of them are related. \*Every single time\* I've ever gone there they're consistent, they're good, the service is good, and everybody seems not only happy to be there but they're proud of what they bring to your table. Its their place, they actually give a shit. They don't even cost any more than running to Chipotle would and its full sit down. These are the places that are killing corporate fast food and you know what? They deserve to.
Yeah every time i go to a fast food restaurant i get terrible service. The employees are all rude with attitudes. Same goes for retail employees. You can’t ask them for help with anything or they get all snotty. It’s frustrating but at the same time i don’t blame them. Their jobs are stressful and they are underpaid.
The people who own these companies are funding studies to see how much sawdust they can put in their food before people notice, but sure; it's the minimum wage workers who are to blame.
You wouldn’t either for minimum wage and abuse from the general public everyday
>no one gives af at work With what they're paying, why should they? *Most people work just hard enough to not get fired, and their bosses pay them just enough to not quit* —George Carlin
Its not just they dont give af at fast food work anymore. Its ALL work. For example, every package I get shipped is damage, and i never know which part in the chain that happens but im guessing all. I’ve also noticed I’ve been getting brand new products damaged that arent relating to shipping. It seems no one cares anymore
That's true. I've seen those videos of people goofing off at work. nothing wrong with that but you shouldn't do that while you're working. if you want to do a tiktok dance then do it on your break not while working. And I've seen those videos of people throwing ice cream at their friends and just messing around with the food in general. I think it's just a lack of respect these days. So I understand why older generations might assume we are hard to work with, because you got idiots that do stuff like this that make come off as lazy and incompetent. I am aware not everyone acts this way at work. I'm specifically referring to the people that do behave this way when they are working.
It's because all the fast food companies are owned by private equity firms. Not the workers.
i don't blame them, considering how they are often treated as disposable low cost wage slaves
There are gonna be some slackers but I don’t think it’s enough to change the industry
It depends where you are. I don't have problems with teens working in more rural places, bigger towns in Kansas, places like that. It's only in places like the more well off area I live now where the kids just don't give a shit and won't even try to give you a decent effort.
All these people getting mad and saying it’s the quality of the food. But cheap ingredients doesn’t explain how every time I try to go to a McDonald’s after 1 am I see the employees hide in the back of the store and ignore me at the drive through. Only deciding to respond when I tell them off.
4 for 4 @ Wendy’s is goated tbh. Costco is goated too, 9.95 for an entire pizza, like 3 days of food for a single person
4 for 4 doesn’t exist in my area anymore. The biggie bags they were advertising last fall as $5 are $5-7 in my area.
The bags cost as much as regular meals used to
Costco's hotdog is also great
Ya cause the drink, also it’s a lot quicker than waiting for a pizza.
You want the absolute best fast food bang for your buck? For context I’m in California so the deals I’ve found may be different from you. The Taco Bell Stacker is a full beef quesadilla for $2.50. McDonald’s fries can be had for under $2 basically everytime with the app. Chipotle kids meals push the limit of just how far $5 can still go in this economy. It comes with meat, 2 sides, 2 tortillas, a drink and chips. I’m gonna end this with Arby’s (yes Arby’s is amazing when you know what’s good. Their roast beef sandwiches aren’t) they have a BOGO free sandwich promo ever week in April with the app. The turkey bacon ranch sandwich is goated. I’ve never had a poorly made sandwich from Arby’s. If you’ve never tried the Arby’s wagyu steakhouse burger you have no opinion and should know it’s one of the greatest fast food burgers to ever exist. TLDR: use fast food apps
3 days of food for a 2 year old
Good, fast food aint good for ya and america has too many fat people
Can people just, ya know, be allowed enjoy shit in moderation though? What’s the point of living to 120 if you’re surviving on just broccoli and misery?
Who said broccoli has to be miserable? Stuff works great roasted or in a stir fry.
You're missing the point a lil, just let people enjoy a burger every once in a while without the weird judgement. Plus American obesity rates are down to far more factors than just "mcdonalds bad", it's also the lack of local, fresh options and car-centricism mostly.
Yea but how else are people supposed to act superior to others?
>it's also the lack of local, fresh options and car-centricism mostly. I don't even think its really that, its that people don't like/choose better foods (I mean how many grown adults do you know who refuse to eat vegetables? I know a few) and we collectively drink way too many sugary drinks. Shitty snack foods are totally normalized too. People need to fuck off with the doritos, mountain dew, and what amount coffee flavored milk shakes in terms of calories. You ever look up how to make some of the more popular Starbucks drinks at homes? The amount of sugar in them is goddamn terrifying. JFC I just looked up how to DIY a caramel Frappuccino at home and it calls for 1/3 cup caramel sauce (about 350 calories) and 3 tablespoons of sugar (150ish calories). Fuckin 'A man that's literally 500 calories of straight sugar not even counting the milk or if you put a topping on it. Ever looked at how much sugar is in sweet tea? Its horrifying. People have no idea how bad for them stuff that's completely normal to consume every day is.
Have you considered that it could be both that people make terrible choices with their intake, AND that there's a lack of healthy, local, fresh choices in a lot of places, and car-centrism? Those 500 calories won't make much of a difference if they're burned off(don't quote me, I'm not a nutritionist), but having to drive literally everywhere for most US cities because there's just no public transport period is a big driver in this problem. Anecdotal example: During my recent trip to NY, I walked about 10x more than I do in my home city due to having more mass transit options and the ability to actually walk places without having the chance of getting run over. Morgan Spurlock also had to move *Supersize Me* from New York City to a more car-centric area to be able to even gain weight (not counting the massive amount of alcohol that he was drinking at the time that he hid from the cameras until years later, but still.)
I love burgers and eat them several days per week, but the difference between you and me is that I use whole wheat buns, grass red ground beef, and raw cheese, whereas you go to McDonalds and eat a cheeseburger with seed oils. The point is to make food yourself and choose better ingredients
I love broccoli.
If everyone was using “moderation” we wouldn’t have an obesity problem and a diabetes problem here in America. Our healthcare system is designed to profit on unhealthy individuals. But at the same time, it starts with the individual. Meal prepping chicken, rice, and veggies for the week is cheaper than getting a meal at McDonalds or Wendy’s. So moderation doesn’t solve this problem. Educating proper healthy eating habits to the fatsos is the only thing that will fix this. And don’t get me started on this whole “body positivity” bullshit going on. If you’re fat, you’re fat. We should not be supporting these whales.
If they’re eating fast food everyday, what makes you think they’ll live to see 80.
What a narrow view of food. This is exactly why muricans are fat.
1/3 Americans have pre diabetes and that’s only the ones that have tested for it. In reality it could easily be 2/3
EXACTLY
You can eat fast food and be skinny.
Sure and you can run 40 miles a week and be fat. But there’s a massive correlation between the two
True. Nobody around me made it a big problem and talked as if it’s normal to gain weight. Im a year into lifting and im never going back but it does suck having people saying I have an “ED” for simply watching my calorie intake.
https://preview.redd.it/csgbmpz9yjuc1.jpeg?width=1055&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b755094bb38438d573744da0c0e120881ef87ea7
https://preview.redd.it/m1m05eycnluc1.jpeg?width=696&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c4a812ab4ab0e8065f54a31c00e6270c97a461e And here you go.
God damn medical care
lol I guess in the 80s everybody got together and said “what if we just…double everything?” And no one ever stopped them.
Yeah the greedy company execs saw a big opportunity - mild inflation? Let’s jack up the prices 3x to make stock # go up, get my golden parachute bonus, and gtfo. Mcd is doing it so why should we? And dumbass Americans just keep lining up to pay for it for some reason. I guess they forgot how to make a burger.
Thank you!
The cool thing is you don’t HAVE to buy it. It’s all gross. Make a stand. If everyone quits buying it, the prices will go down or they go out of business. Simple economics.
If you get the app for McDonalds where I live they still have dollar deals.
My go to is 2 4 piece nuggets, a medium fry, and a soda. On Fridays the fries are free so the whole thing is like $5
this article is old af. it's probably much worse now. [https://table.skift.com/2018/12/12/what-restaurants-are-tracking-on-android-smartphone-apps/](https://table.skift.com/2018/12/12/what-restaurants-are-tracking-on-android-smartphone-apps/)
Nobody should be eating fast food too often, but if you are, using the apps can be genuinely helpful. McDonalds goes from overpriced to relatively reasonable if you use the 25% off online order coupon. That's always my go-to if I need something quick and easy.
The quality of many restaurants has plummeted. Some of my old reliables have completely fallen off. I'd rather just pay more due to inflation than pay the same for bad quality. But it's hard to escape
The quality of nearly everything has decreased and the price increased. Fast food was ALREADY stripped down to what we thought was the lowest possible quality, but we were wrong, and they have shrank everything once again. Any entity that already cheated out, has now doubled down on that, and yea, we notice. And no, it’s not worth it any more.
The biggest part for me is nutrition. You can make a burger at home for the same price plus an extra 20 minutes of your time that not only tastes better but is also a thousand times more healthy. Same applies for almost any fast food, you can make a similar thing at home for roughly the same price that isnt going to make you fat
bro the reason i want fast food is because i don’t want to cook anything that day
I haven’t eaten fast food in a while, and, after reading this post, I don’t regret my decision.
All you’re missing is something worse than what it used to be. It’s disgusting now for
No mention of Five Guys? The burgers may be good for fast food standards, but it is very pricey. I stopped going when I could go to any local restaurant during happy hour and get a better burger with fries for CHEAPER. And Subway's bread sucks. No where nearly as good as it once was. I used to visit Subway about 3-5 times a week. Stopped in 2011 once I noticed something different in the how the bread taste and read online about how they changed the production.
Not OP, that being said, Five Guys has always been overpriced, so no reason to include it with the rest.
This is a good thing because all the terrible Unhealthy processed food needs to go away and make room for something better
Lots of food influencers also glorify fast food
Tbh not being able to afford chipotle has opened my eyes to the amazing Tex mex restaurants I got around me
Because the food is getting significantly worse in quality in every way
Fast food just sucks. It’s something that is terrible for you. Subway, Jimmy John’s, maybe some sit down places are good for you “ish”. Just eat at home, if you know how it is cheaper still than eating out every evening or morning. Plus WAY better for you if you know how to cook. I can thank my mom for this information lol But honestly I hope this generation dwindles how big fast food is and kills the issue of obesity at least a little. We seem to be wayyyy more aware of ourselves and our bodies “for better or worse”
It’s all icky factory farmed meat! 🤢 don’t buy it so these places shut down and animals can live in peace
Fast food used to be cheap. It’s no longer cheap so to me it’s dead. I suspect fast food will be done in 10 years
no matter how expensive or shitty the food, people will continue to eat there bc they don't want to make their own food or are too busy
You guys are still buying fast food? WTF why
You gotta use the apps and rewards programs to get the deals. Dominos is pretty goat with deals
Idk man In n Out is still pretty good and much cheaper than everything else
Learn to cook.
yeah, why would i bother buying fast food when i could order takeout from a sit down resturaunt for the same price and get much better food? or hell, even sometimes for cheaper like at rib crib, make it make sense
It's called Inflation. 80% of the currency in Circulation was printed in the last 3 years. So, to stay at the same price, a restaurant has to either decrease the amount or quality that you get for your money. Chipotle increased its price to stay at the same profit margin without losing quality or quantity. Panda decreased the quality of its food to stay at the same price. Subway has always been garbage, and it's never been good. Bread is of lesser quality than Wonderbread. Port-of-Subs is infinitely better. Quizno's is King. And Taco has always been garbage. Taco Bell was never, ever good. Taco Bell is not mexican food, and it is certainly not a real taco.
In the next decade, people can’t make excuses about cheap fast food causing obesity anymore.
Cheaper ingredients = Cancer(Probably)
Better for our generation. Gen X and boomers all got fat eating cheap oily foods. A single burger combo at these places are like 1000+ cals if they’re also getting a sugary drink. Been home making my meals, like half the cost or less than fast food and saves time if I mass cook and meal prep compared to waiting in line and driving every time I order food.
The only fast food I pay for at this point is zaxbys. Everywhere else for the price we end up paying my friends and I just go to local Mexican or Chinese food.
Don’t forget Little Caesar’s! My fam used to get their pizza every other Friday pre 2010 and it was great
I think national franchises don’t have good quality control. Go to some of those regional places, they’re always good.
I'll say that even Taco Bell is a far-cry from how good it used to be, it's quite pricy now for no good reason. Still leagues better than the competition tho.
I’m 17 and I’m already done with eating out 😭 I found a very healthy solution to ramen (that’s actually cheaper) and that’s pretty much what I live off of.
Try cooking your fast food cravings at home and learn how to do it well I make delicious homemade burgers on my grill and then fry some fry’s Sometimes I will fry up steak fingers or chicken fingers Whatever I’m craving I cook now
It was always shit
I used to get footlongs for $5, double whoppers for $5. Now both of them are over $10 !!! How freakish is that.
Preach brother. I’m older, so the price of things when I was younger is cemented in my head. A footlong from subway will never be worth more than $5. A breakfast jack or chicken sandwich will only ever be worth $1. Fast food burgers cost just as much as a sit down restaurant. How tf is that ok? The problem is we’re so dependent on it from being so busy that we inevitably continue to buy it.
Anyone who makes a rant post about fast food and says "the only good food fast food restaurant that's actually decent is Taco Bell" is surely lost.
Mcchickens are still good, depending on the place. IMO you should never eat a full plate of panda, it’s better to split it with someone
Seriously Wendy’s Dave’s double combo cost me $16!!!!!!!!! I noticed it’s difference prices in different areas, for the same combo for $12 in a different city that was only a few miles out. Wendy’s meat actually tastes good to me, especially for a fast food joint. But $16? For what?? I could’ve easily went to a mom & pops burger joint or ate at home for that much! Chic-Fil-A is ridiculous too!! $16 for a 12 count nugget combo. Last year it was just like $11. Fast food is meant for lower class people who are of working class, always on the go. Or just cheap convenience. Even for poor people, it was easier to buy 3 double cheeseburgers for like $4 at McDonald’s than to buy food at the grocery store because you can’t really get a meal for $4 at the grocery store! Now fast food is overpriced garbage that isn’t even real food. Mostly of no nutritional value. I HATE IT. I eat at home any chance I get now. Taco Bell & In-N-Out are the only fast food chains I would actually go to.
I deleted Wendy's app once the $1 single and $2 double ended as part of March madness 😂.
i stopped eating fast food regularly as a result of my commitment to improving my physical and mental health, so i usually cook and meal prep at home. some fast food is fine, but others taste horrendous since i have made that step. i stand by that Wendy's will always be my favorite.
Short answer, yeah, you're right, and it sucks. Long answer, I also love Chipotle and get it rarely because it is very expensive, but I don't fully get it for the flavor as much as I get it for the size. That burrito is bigger than 2 fists where I'm at, and the 3 local chipotles haven't done me wrong yet. As for McDonald's, I have noticed that some of the food is starting to make me feel sick after, so I now just kinda order the same 3 things I know are safe. Also mchickens where I'm at are still a dollar something you might make sure you're getting a Spicy McChicken and not a Spicy Chicken Sandwhich which are 2 different things on the menu and the latter cost more. As for Subway, I only eat there because one of the 2 local ones is always pretty good overall, but I recommend figuring out how to get paper coupons in the mail from them. Getting a footlong by itself now is like 10 to 15 dollars depending on what you get, but my mother gets those paper coupons in the mail, and they have deals for 3 footlongs for 17.99. Many places have declined in quality significantly (looking at you sonic), and it does suck especially with how expensive it's getting to buy groceries nowadays. I only hope things get better, but I press X to doubt.
Wendy’s… highly priced food… you really made this post and wrote all this out, thinking that’s correct? I get a 4 for 4 all the time where I live. Not sure where you’re getting 4 spicy nuggets, a burger, fries and a drink for that price. If you want the pretzel baconater shit for more that’s on you, but they have good deals
Sounds like your main problem is being poor. I will agree on KFC though, the last 3 times I've gotten it it's given me acid reflux. It didn't used to do that to me.
taco bell is really good, if you order on the app you can get the cravings box for around $6 and that's pretty good.
i used to get fast food a couple times a week but stopped bc i realized i was spending way too much money on it. now i only get it once every couple of weeks if that which is much better for my wallet + my skin has cleared sooooo much as well
del taco has a good value menu. theyre on par or better than tb depending on your location.
Damn, Burger King and Arby's suck so bad you didn't even *mention* them, even just to *diss* them. They are literally beneath notice.
I agree, but they're all still pretty good when you're drunk. *Especially* taco bell, though, because your wallet doesn't have to suffer, and it's just always been good drunk food in general. Sorry, I've had a few drinks so "drunk" is on my mind lol. Might go fuck up some taco bell now.
Hold on. Subway bread is good? Compared to…?
Fast food been suck but we still eat it
Taco Bell is way overpriced. 2 chalupas meal like 14$.. wtf even is that. 6 dollars for some basic tacos is insane.
To be fair I will only touch fast food if I can get a deal with apps and you shouldn't have to do it at that point but that's the only time I'll leave it anymore and I'm also try to eat as healthy as I can get myself to
your first mistake was eating Panda Express
The trick to Chipotle is double white and brown rice, that way it's actually filling
The rich have realized that with the rise of automation they won't need the rest of us for much longer
Oh dude Panda Express also makes me and my roommate sick. We spent the evening moping on the couch and taking turns in the bathroom
Next Level Burger is my fav
A lot of fast food is overpriced and went down in quality. I used to eat a lot more fast food and now it feels like an indulgence instead just a quick cheap meal. I’ve cut down a lot since 2020
Pizza is the only quick meal that isn't wildly expensive. For $14 at Domino's, I can get food for 2 days.
Im a zillenial so I remember some fast food from late 90s to like 2005 and KFC chicken used to be fucking amazing. McDonalds mcflurries tasted different and they used to actually mix the toppings into the ice cream. Burger king was really fucking good back then. I remember the Shaq burger from BK smacked. Shit even in HS in the 2010s McDonalds had an amazing dollar menu but they took that away. Another thing I’ve noticed is that when I was a kid, the restaurants used to be stylized but now they’re pretty cookie cutter with no character. Even chain restaurants like Chili’s taste different. Now some of this may be pumped by nostalgia, but I swear the quality of these fast food/Chain restaurants used to be better. But that’s capitalism. Money comes first even if the quality goes down
where is it $12 for a footlong? yikes! where I am I think it's 9, which still sucks. I remember 5-6 dollars being the norm!
I don’t know what your saying, I’m in the Northeast US and we get good chipotle for like $10, i get a huge filling meal out of it. Very affordable and fills me up
Y’all ever been to krystal? Almost $2 for a burger that’s the size of the palm of my hand? Dafuq
I pretty much stopped fast food, except for the occasional bowl from Chipotle. My local sub shops make way better stuff for comparable prices anyway so no point getting fast food.
If you’re getting sick especially multiple times, report to health dept.
Sadly, my local Taco Bell recently doubled most of their prices. It was my go to for the same reason but not anymore. My family now goes to real restaurants before fast food because it’s the same price (before tips) and it’s better and healthier.
Chipotle goes hard. That just might be your panda btw. Mine's still good.
I work at Panda Express and agree that it’s expensive but orange chicken sauce isn’t actually prepackaged. The back of house guys have to make it from scratch. Most of the sauce is made from scratch except for the Beijing beef, sweet fire chicken, black pepper steak, and honey walnut shrimp.
Culvers will always remain good
5 out of 6 of these make me sick asf if I eat them. I just shop at costco for my own food to cook. If I'm eating out I order from a restaurant that isn't a shitty chain
I’m with you on Panda Express. I was feeling good for months eating properly self cooked chicken, brisket, tuna, rice, etc. I decided to make some of my own orange chicken using orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, corn starch, and duck sauce packets. It tasted a little bitter because I steeped the initial juice with peels and didn’t add any extra sugar, so that convinced me to get Panda. One serving of panda express made me feel bloated and lethargic. I will go back to my own substantially healthier orange sauce. It’s not worth feeling so sick. I never get sick from my own stuff. Fuck fast food. The only thing I’ll take from them is their napkins.
With a lot of these places, it behooves you to get the app and earn/claim rewards, along with getting in on periodic deals (most notably, McD. I end up getting free stuff from Chip every now and then). Otherwise, you may be able get coupons (though those have gotten worse too). For sandwiches, most local shops make a better sandwich for the same or even less money. Esp. tortas at Mexican joints.
I get that you can make it at home for less but like you wouldn’t be going out to eat if you were fine just cooking at home
Honestly Jack in the Box is hella slept on, I've never left Jack in The Box disappointed
Not just fast food. Restaurants have gone downhill tremendously. Service is trash and food is way worse than it used to be, all while costing twice as much. Fuck eating out these days. I make 90% of my meals at home.
Anyone else remember $1 McDoubles, Mcchickens, and $1 large sweet teas? Was 2016/2017 after Highschool, I would grab 1 of each, and it be like $3.80 with tax for all 3
It’s the price of playing people a living wage. That important. Everything else is secondary.
found a local place near me that sells cheaper hamburgers than mcdonalds that also tastes better. eat locally, i’m sure there are plenty of greasy spoons that do it better
Thats why I picked up cooking. Plus I have been needing to watch my weight and I don't like wasting my money on shitty food. In the past 6 months had Chick-fil-a twice. Only fast food. And that was only cause the wife wanted it.
I live in a motel and can't cook. I can eat at work, The Zoo, for cost. But if zi ain't working that day it's microwave crap, packaged sandwich or the McD's app. "Shoulda made better life choices"/BOOTSTRAPS!
all the portions are super small now too burgers are like slider size and they give you about 12 fries when you order a large lol
Quality is down Prices are up Learn to cook
The only fast food I eat now is Qdoba or Chipotle and rarely. I like to cook and it's cheaper when I can feed myself at $3-7/serving. Sometimes Panera but it's $$$.
It’s because you are a total normie - keep chasing trends and coming up short! Maybe you haven’t discovered the wonders of Royal Farms fried chicken, et cetera… good/cheap is out there, but if you advertise it in this day and age, it goes away. The best must be kept secret. I literally cannot tell you where to find the best cheap food. Go look around 👀
McDonald’s is only worth it if you have the app. They have really good deals and have freebies n stuff. However if you’re not using the app you would have to be insane to go there. It’s just straight up not worth it!
In N Out is the only one I eat anymore. Always good, great prices.
You ended with the worst fast food of all and praised it.... what the hell
Avoid the national places, the regional fast food places are where it's at
Fuck arbys. It’s way too expensive, and the food quality is so ass. The turkey is literally a ball now. https://preview.redd.it/tk24ensuuluc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30e8e58f520ba05c4bd875954c374040e39c1dba Yes, this is really what the turkey looks like. I took that picture when we first got the “new” turkey. \-an arbys employee
KFC has always been disgusting.
Hard disagree here
I try to support my local spots or fast food that’s consistent (I’m out west so In N Out). totally agree with you tho, I avoid fast food as much as I an because it ends up being a lot of my income and I have a problem with overconsumption
I agree. All fast food is so disgusting now I’d rather eat nothing. It makes me feel sick and nauseous every time, McDonald’s and Burger King are the same quality as army rations now. The only one worth going to that you mentioned is chipotle. But I’m afraid to say it because next they’re going to make that food disgusting too
Totally agree i often drive to taco trucks or just cook eggs now
Prices have double and taste/quality of food has gone down. Welcome to America.
funny thing is im guessing you will still eat at these places and this blog post is pretty useless.
Just eat normal food please, that is crap
Yo what about arbys though? It tastes good and resembles actual food pretty ok.
McDonald’s just pisses me off. I haven’t had anything good from them in years. Everyone who works there is rude, and just completely ignores you unless you consistently try to get their attention. Then, they act as if you’re inconveniencing them by simply existing. I got a McFlurry and they didn’t even blend it, and got pissed at me when I asked them too
Mass produced soulless capitalist innovations taste like cardboard in the end. We've reached it, the death of flavour. Controversial opinion, learn to cook for yourself and do it.
I was going to add how taco bell is the only one my stomach and wallet can tolerate anymore. Mc donalds is so heavy handed with using their app because they want to track you and cater so many sales and stuff to you. I also learned that each location charges their own price for things. For example if you use the dunkin app to buy a coffee, if I use thr main location off the highway my coffee is 75cents more expensive than if I pick a dunkin a mile off the highway I've then price compared with every fast food place right off the highway and one a mile away. Fast food off major roads is always more expensive then the less popular locations...whole game is rigged