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.
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.
The general consensus seems that people pay for the convenience, not having to cook or clean and not having to wait very long for it. Which is kind of crazy because that seems like such a luxury to me lol. Like a lite version of having a personal chef.
I wonder what the price point is where people will stop paying for the convince and just do it themselves because it costs too much. I would’ve thought most people reached that point but apparently not.
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 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.
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
Currently waiting for my order at burger King. I was headed out the door to pick up some plywood in the nearest town, just as two of my kids returned from school. They asked if they could come too. We’re currently about to head back, but wanted to pick up something for the one hour drive back.
I sometimes get the $5 bag from wendys. It fills me up. I used to use the taco bell app to get a cravings box for $6 or $7 dollars, but my credit cards would become compromised. It happened to 2 cards only when I used the taco bell app. I refuse to spend $10 on fast food. The quality is just so bad I can justify spending $5. My girlfriend wanted a sundae from McDonald’s the other day and the person in front of me ordered 2 mcchickens for $5. When I was in high school I could buy 1 for $1. They were barely worth it then.
I buy it for my kids because they are on the spectrum and McDonald’s French fries are literally 1 of 7 foods one of them will eat. I would eat it, because I love it, but I have celiac and can’t.
I buy fast food because I can get it quickly and because it tastes good to me. There’s nothing quite like getting a fresh serving of battered fries covered in sauce when you’re hungry and too tired to cook! 😋
I personally have adopted a mantra of if I’m going to eat fast food it’s going to be as frugal as possible so I have all of their shitty mobile apps. I check them when I want fast food, and I generally won’t eat out unless I find a good deal.
I like fast food. A steakhouse hamburger from Burger King is just as good, if not better than most hamburgers I’ve gotten from restaurants. On top of this I don’t need to wait 30 minutes to get it, I don’t need to deal with waiters and I can just leave when I’m done rather than wait for someone to bring a a check.
I know it sound crazy, but maybe some days use the time you spend on traveling to and from the fast food place and cook home instead multiple portions of food you enjoy for a fraction of cost.
I like cooking at home. I make really tasty food with fresh ingredients, and I know what’s in it.
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?
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?
Covid happened.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I don’t drive. At work and at home I have multiple fast food options within a very short walking distance
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.
