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.
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.
Habits, familiarity, convenience, complacency
The four horsemen of obesity!
Most of this thread is overlooking familiarity, consistency. Aside from regional/international differences, the mcdouble you order at home is gonna be exactly as the same as the mcdouble ordered 400 miles away. Your usual will be there. Many people aren’t gonna take a chance on Jeff’s Cafe on the road. Jeff’s Cafe doesn’t spend a billion dollars on ads to tell you they still have the same thing you ate a decade ago. People don’t want to spend as much time and effort as it takes to read Jeff’s menu, decide what sounds good, and then see if it matches their expectation.
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.
I think you answered your own question. It’s still “cheaper” than your second option.
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 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
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Because it’s fast… Because I can take it home… Because it doesn’t feel like I’m trashing something nice when I order it to be delivered…
I live in southern CA and burritos are cheap ✌️ Once a week it’s nice to not have to cook.
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Burritos are not food if you get them from taco bell
Do they have options?
I gave up Taco Bell after college as “not actual food”, and for decades only went to McDonald’s in a road trip or Wendy’s for a frosty. There was a cheap local-ish burger joint that sometimes took their place but it was a bit out of the way …… then we got Chipotle and Panera!!! Fast food that’s actual food and not quite as bad for you. And now it’s the same price or cheaper.
My burrito cost less than your Big Mac meal while being more filling. It has less sodium, less saturated fat, actual fiber and vegetables, and tastes so much better.
We do have at least one authentic burrito place that’s even better and cheaper but you can’t order online. Chipotle group orders are the god of food apps
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Well, that’s sad. Corporations have taken over our lives.
We have Burrito Bandito. Really good and a good price.
We finally have a Penaro that I haven’t checked out yet.
If you can limit it to just the sandwich you can save some. But otherwise, it’s just baked into our society for all the reasons already mentioned. Seems like the choice for a cheap meal is gone however.
This is actually a pretty good idea. And I bet the sandwich is the least worst part of the meal as far as nutrition and satiation.
I hate that my immediate next thought is, “I should get TWO sandwiches!”
Sometimes I need food fast
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.
Plenty of people probably went “fuck fast food is getting too expensive, better start cooking” and then went to the grocery store, bought less food than they expected, then they also had to motivate to cook at home.
When everyone is getting fucked so hard at the grocery, it’s easier to see why people stick to fast food if they also like the convenience.
I genuinely have no clue. I only ever have it once in a blue moon if I stop during a road trip and don’t have another option. I wish I had money to open a fast food place with because holy shit, how can you even fail, given what is successful???
It’s actually more expensive than other options, truly awful service, usually much slower than it was in the past (I’ve literally never gotten my food in a McDonalds in less than 30 minutes in the last 10 years because they prioritize drive through and online orders), it tastes like shit and makes me feel like shit after I eat it.
Where are you going to a cafe or restaurant that didn’t also double their prices? Fast food is still eaten cause the restaurants also jacked up the prices. I’m Canadian and I took my wife and two little kids for breakfast. Our bill came out to over $100. For two full breakfasts and a couple of orders of pancakes You’re also assuming everyone lives where you do and cafes and local eateries are abundant. Most places don’t have anything but fast food and pizza available.
Just asking a question for the fun of it. I don’t get a lot of social conversation.
It’s called Vitles. Family owned and popular coffee shop. I live in a small town so that might be why it’s cheaper.
Yeah coffee shops even are crazy where I live. $8 for a latte the other day
Wow, that’s crazy
