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.
I know it’s poison but it’s the only option that opens after 10pm
On a lighter note: Why do people still buy fast food?
Submitted 1 week ago by Kintarian@lemmy.world to [deleted]
Comments
answersplease77@lemmy.world 6 days ago
z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml 6 days ago
There’s a lot of reasons people still eat fast food. Others have pointed out though that fast food these days isn’t all that cheap and in some cases isn’t even all that fast/convenient when compared to other alternatives.
I can’t speak to that as it’s been decades since I’ve stepped inside a fast food restaurant save to use the bathroom while traveling, but I can guess that it also has to do with nostalgia. Some people grew up eating that shit and it provides them with a sense of comfort and familiarity. While I’m not going to hold my breath, it is my hope that the predominance of fast food will die alongside cable news when the younger generations come of age.
lunarul@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Some people grew up eating that shit and it provides them with a sense of comfort and familiarity.
That’s exactly it. It’s confort food for a lot of Americans. I grew up in a different country, where home cooking was the norm and fast food was considered a huge waste of money. I of course tried it when I got my own money, but there was no reason for it to stick with me. So now fast food places don’t even register as an option for me if I ever find myself needing to eat from outside the house. But I’ve seen my friends in the US talk about fast food, their eyes gleaming talking about the Whatever Burger at Whatever Fast Food and the Whatever Taco at Another Fast Food and always get the Whatever Sauce at Yet Another Fast Food. The same way they talk about Twizzlers or Twinkies or other absolute junk that they would never touch if it didn’t bring them back to their childhood.
Mac@mander.xyz 1 week ago
I got Subway yesterday.
It cost less than $8, took like 10 minutes, i drove 5 minutes to get there, and I didn’t have to clean anything.BombOmOm@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Do note, you can assemble a sub at home in the time it took you to just drive one way.
lemonmelon@lemmy.world 5 days ago
That makes assumptions, like that they would have had all the ingredients available or that they would eat enough subs to make buying the ingredients more viable.
Mac@mander.xyz 6 days ago
Okay thanks for the tip
forgotaboutlaye@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Usually a craving (This is the only reason I go to McDonald’s once a year or so) or it’s something I want to try that I don’t have at home (like Jollibee or Shackshack).
model_tar_gz@lemmy.world 5 days ago
I like to splurge on a Shackshackshack from time to time.
morphballganon@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Sometimes I want cheap, fast and delicious.
Not always, but sometimes.
i_dont_want_to@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 days ago
I have rarely gone to get fast food in the last few years, a lot of the reason because of the cost. That, and quality has gone down a lot even with price increases.
The times I have gone, were because I was short on time. I miss the days I could overlook the poor quality due to the cost.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 6 days ago
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.
yonder@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
Exactly. If they are just reheating frozen food, it’s easier and cheaper just to do it at home using a mircowave. Throw in some frozen veggies for added health.
sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 6 days ago
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.
Kintarian@lemmy.world 6 days ago
I have long wished for a fast food joint offering healthy foods. But healthy foods aren’t addictive like frankenfood.
neidu3@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
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.
DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 6 days ago
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.
Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
Similar to what others have said but with a slightly different take:
Fast foods have fortified themselves as the backup plan in everyday life.
Some people, including me at some point, have accepted that they are gonna have a meal or two a week when a busy day happens and no leftover is in the fridge.
Thankfully ive learned that as long as you don’t leave it to the last minute, you can probably do a decent take out.
AA5B@lemmy.world 5 days ago
My remaining fast food vice is Chipotle.
We have a bit of a tradition going. When my teenager drives over from his mom’s house Friday after school, I send out a Chipotle group order so he can pick what he wants, and it’s ready for pickup as he approaches.
So fast, so convenient
poke@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
I eat fast food only when I use coupons to pay $6 or less for a meal. (Was getting one from McDonalds for $3.50 but they removed the coupon I used smh).
Kintarian@lemmy.world 5 days ago
I haven’t tried the app. If it’s cheap I might go once a month.
m4xie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 days ago
There’s a lot more to fast food than burgers. Pizza, curry, poutine, sushi
GhostTheToast@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Homie I don’t trust cheap sushi. My butthole riots
AA5B@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Then go for a burrito
SauceBossSmokin@lemmy.world 6 days ago
If you’re not using the McDonalds app to get cheaper and sometimes free food, you’re doing it wrong.
Honytawk@lemmy.zip 6 days ago
I prefer not infecting my phone with spyware. I like my privacy more than an unhealthy free meal.
BruceTwarzen@lemm.ee 6 days ago
If you eat their garbage, you’re doing it wrong
HatchetHaro@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 days ago
idk how it is in the US, but here in hong kong their app deals and fried chicken are absolute bangers
sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 1 week ago
I don’t really. It’s a treat sometimes that’s it.
RBWells@lemmy.world 5 days ago
I don’t, because I’d rather have nothing. But it’s what my husband will get for himself and the kids if I’m fasting or can’t or won’t cook for whatever reason.
It’s not anyone’s favorite food, but they like hamburgers and I hate hamburgers so it’s the way they get to eat those, and it’s convenient for them, and, well, fast.
I’m with you, though. I will either cook what I want, or go out someplace local with actual good food made from food.
Alienmonkey@lemm.ee 5 days ago
Options.
And sometimes taste.
KombatWombat@lemmy.world 6 days ago
The obvious answer is that it’s fast, tasty, and requires minimal effort for the consumer, especially if it’s getting delivered. But it also tends to be very cheap compared to dining out. I don’t know what you are ordering where a combo is so much but I normally get a bunch of food from Taco Bell to eat over the course of two days. I can get 2000 calories of food I like to eat for $12.
PumpUpTheJam@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Wherever I am in the world, if I see a McDonald’s I know I can get something quick, easy, and satisfying enough to get me by. That’s true in America, Europe, South East Asia, New Zealand…
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 days ago
I think restarurant food mostly requires using utensils and you need a flat surface to place the food to eat. You can just hold a mcdonalds burger in your hand. Its easier to eat a burger in a car.
That being said, I personally hate fast food and can never eat those disgusting food. Cost just as much as a good local Chinese restaurant food. But the Chinese restaurant makes much better food.
Zirconium@lemmy.world 6 days ago
My boyfriend absolutely loves the taste, I really don’t know what they put in fast food to make to taste fast food but he craves it so much. Im thinking it might be msg
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 1 week ago
I can go to a cafe where I’m waited on and served decent food for $20.
How much do you tip on you cafe meal on top of that $20?
Jessica@discuss.tchncs.de 6 days ago
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.