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.

  • edric@lemm.ee
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    14 days ago

    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.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      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.

      • Zorque@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        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.

      • Ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        14 days ago

        I don’t drive. At work and at home I have multiple fast food options within a very short walking distance

      • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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        14 days ago

        people would apparently rather sit in traffic than cook, for some reason.

        The thing sitting in drive through always takes time too lol

    • Kintarian@lemmy.worldOP
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      14 days ago

      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.

    • jacksilver@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      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.

  • PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works
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    14 days ago

    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.

      • PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works
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        12 days ago

        Relative to cooking a similar meal, absolutely. Getting McDonalds takes like 5 mins and almost no effort. Less if ordering for delivery or pickup. If I want to cook myself a burger its probably going to take me like 40 minutes to makes and fry the burger, and prepare toppings. Im sure a good chef could do it much faster, but thats not me, and esspecially not after a full work day.

        Edit: Plus, less directly measurable and comparable, but the time and work for planning, shopping, and dishes afterwards.

          • rdrunner@lemmy.world
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            14 days ago

            I gotta say, I fucking hate doing dishes. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I just have this almost irrational dislike for washing dishes (especially pots+ pans). Sure, I’ll do it when it needs to be done, but my God do I dread it. Is there something wrong with me? Oh absolutely, but there’s plenty else to fix before the dishes issue lol

            • Frozengyro@lemmy.world
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              14 days ago

              I’m not sure, but I know what you mean. I dread doing dishes, but my wife dreads putting dishes away. So before we had a dish washer, she would wash and I would dry/put away.

          • PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works
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            14 days ago

            I left it out because its something that can (theoretically) be left for a more convenient time such as a weekend, so its a less one-to-one comparison. That said, thats still additional work compared to buying food.

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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          14 days ago

          My point being that it is never 5 minutes anymore and it costs the same as any fast casual joint which can also be had. maybe no drive through and maybe thats the selling point for mcds but drive through aint fast either, just dont have to get out of the car.

        • JoYo@lemmy.ml
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          14 days ago

          mcds has never been 5 minutes since ive been alive.

          • SolOrion@sh.itjust.works
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            14 days ago

            It’s like… shockingly faster for me?

            If I have to wait five whole minutes for fast food they’re either slammed or they’re having equipment problems. I can literally count on one hand the amount of times it’s happened in the last few years.

            Tbf, though, I don’t eat fast food incredibly often. Maybe once a month.

    • thrawn@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      Yep. I love high quality food and spend a lot of time learning to copy from chefs I like. I’m very selective about ingredients (e.g. fish, only so much is flown in daily and accessible to normies), often make my own sauces, and have a pretty large collection of dinnerware and lacquerware for accurate plating.

      Yet like clockwork, several times a year I will eat multiple McRib patties in a single sitting. That shit has presumably the worst ingredients, the same sauce as every other year slathered inconsistently, and is presented in a cardboard box that has definitely gotten thinner. It is in no way worth anywhere near the price but I do it anyway.

      Sometimes slop hits the spot. Plus I can’t make my own heavily processed slabs of… whatever those things contain.

    • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      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.

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
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    14 days ago

    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

  • Femcowboy@lemm.ee
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    14 days ago

    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.

  • AgentGrimstone@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    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.

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    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

    • Buttflapper@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Do they have options?

      Returned to Atlanta after a vacation out west in a small town where there were tons of small biz cafes and restaurants… My entire street is lined with nothing but fast food bullshit. In a quarter mile radius we have McDonald’s, Arby’s, Freddy’s, Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, Zaxby’s, Domino’s, Buffalo wild wings. Fast food has basically conquered medium to large size towns and forced out any sort of small business that’s healthy or has real food. You won’t find them anywhere, so you get exhausted and tired of driving and what is left for you? Fast food. No one wants to drive 25 minutes every time they need to get something to eat

    • Kintarian@lemmy.worldOP
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      13 days ago

      We have Burrito Bandito. Really good and a good price.

      We finally have a Penaro that I haven’t checked out yet.

  • Ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    14 days ago

    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…

  • Surp@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    I think you answered your own question. It’s still “cheaper” than your second option.

  • nimble@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    14 days ago

    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

  • Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    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.

  • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    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.