No Stupid Questions

Not sure who would buy it full price but in most of the apps if you're not picky there's always some amount of deals to get a meal under $5. I only go occasionally as the deals aren't as good as they used to be across the board and the quality is universally terrible. Taco Bell is also its own unique thing which no other Mexican restaurant will get you so occasionally it just sounds good.

That being said in my area you can go to nearly any proper restaurant and get carry-out under $15 with Texas sized portions. As someone with an unhealthy work/life balance particularly in the evenings, this or bulk curry is how I usually eat dinner.

That's the neat part: I don't.

Not anymore. I scaled back my fast food consumption quite a bit in previous years, but when the prices of everything skyrocketed to absurd levels during COVID I just quit going to fast food places and never looked back. I get Taco Bell or something like, maybe two or three times a year now and that's usually when I'm on a road trip or something. Otherwise they can get bent as far as I'm concerned.

If I want slop it's cheaper and honestly also easier to just buy a TV dinner from any of the selection of general goods stores within walking distance of my house and pop it in the microwave. And these days probably faster, too, because I don't have to deal with the McAttitude or inevitably discover that the fast food place is trying to run with half the staff it's supposed to have because its franchise owner is a greedy prick, nor have to worry about getting sucked into the thrice-weekly fistfight in the parking lot, nor getting caught in the crossfire because some fuckmuch is salty about not getting enough ketchup packets and decides to shoot up the joint.

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.

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.

It's because of the drive-thru. If I could get a locally-made channa masala on rice or a good salad at the drive-thru with a decent cup of coffee, that would be my daily lunch. And, yes, I know that's lazy, but the drive-thrus are packed so I know I'm not the only one. Unfortunately, only the fast food chains have drive-thrus where I live. There is a business opportunity.

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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

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.

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.

I don't know, but I can tell you with certainty that I don't.

Me 2001: Mcdonalds is running an anniversary special. Cheeseburgers are $0.10. Fuck yeah! I'mma order 20 them sumbitches!!!

Me today at age 41: I haven't had Mcdonalds since before the pandemic.

"Hi, I'll get a double quarter pounder with cheese meal, large, and I'll wait for new fries."

"That'll be $26.69"

"HAHAHAHA, right??? Could you imagine??? what's you're name? James? Could you imagine that James? Charging that much for some Mcdonalds? HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Ok James. That's a good one. Now what's the actual price?"

"$26.69"

"HAAAAAAAA, ok, ok, funs fun, but c'mon. I gotta pay for my food. What is it really?"

"$26.69"

"Wha---are you being serious?"

"Yes."

"ARE YOU HIGH???"

"Yes."

"Well.....uhhhhh......"

checks the board and does the math

"WHAT THE FUCK??? IS RAY CROC HIGH???"

"He's dead."

"WELL I DON'T THINK YOU CAN BE HIGH WHEN YOU'RE DEAD JAMES!!!"

"I know. That's why we gotta spend the time that we've got on this planet doing what we love, with the people that we love. We don't have a lot of time on this planet, and someday, maybe someday soon, something could happen. Then your best friend is just taken from you. With no warning. Maybe a lightning strike. Maybe hit by a drunk driver. You never know. So you gotta live your life doing what you can while you can to make sure that you have no regrets. Last thing you want is for someone to die before you can tell them you love them."

"Wow. That was beautiful. I'm sorry about your friend."

"Oh no. All my friends are still living. I tell them I love them all the time. And they love me too. Not in a romantkc way, but in a pure of heart real human connection kind of way. We love each other like brothers."

"That is a surprising level of introspection from someone of your age. You have a real sense of emotional maturity."

"Hey, thanks! That'll be $26.69"

"FUUUUUUUUUUU-----"

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