What is the value proposition of fast food in its current state? Or: The price of fast food is too damn high.

[DjDeathCool]

I just paid $18 at Arby's for a large value meal + a cookie. Last weekend I went out to eat at one of the best burger joints in town and only paid $15 for a drink and two sides. With carryout being a thing, why in the ever living hell would anyone choose to eat fast food in this day and age? App deals are designed to make you pay a boat load extra and the worker shortage has lead to abysmal wait times/customer service. As fast food prices continue to outpace restaurants/diners, what do Americans get out of going back to their cardboard burgers?

 

[Septy]

If you're paying more money on deals then you're using the deals wrong.

 

[Deleted member 24052]

The meals are where you are getting wrecked.

Sticking to their $1 or $2 value menus are where you want to be. Or the $4-$5 combos like Wendy's $5 biggie bag. It's enough food, and it's cheap.

 

[808s & Villainy]

I don't know how you get up to $18 at Arby's, granted I haven't been to one (but i'm assuming it's in line with other fast food places) but that might be on you...

 

[AmirMoosavi]

Yup, it's only worth it with the deals you get in apps (so they can get your data) or with big promos. In the UK the only thing I find worthwhile at KFC is the £6 Tuesdays, and I recently got a 50% off voucher at McDonald's so spent just over a fiver on 20 McNuggets and 5 Chicken Selects.

I had Burger King for the first time in almost a decade and it is overpriced dog shit now, I remember when it was superior to McDonald's. Wendy's isn't a bad value proposition in the UK and I love Shake Shack but Five Guys is far too expensive and I have no idea why they've become so popular here. I liked it the one time I had it in the States back in 2011 but the couple of times I've had it in the UK it's been rubbish.

Pizza Hut has closed a lot of locations the past few months in the UK, people can get better pizza at Franco Manca or a lot of the newer Neapolitan style pop-ups.

 

[ThatsMyTrunks]

Now that every fast food place has an app, I find fast food is wildly inexpensive. Especially McDonalds since they always have a giant list of coupons like $1 breakfast sandwiches or 20% off everything.

 

[mrmoose]

Arbys is expensive. Well, every place is expensive if you don't use the deals/app/coupons, but Arby's has been expensive at least around here for a long time (same for Carl's Jr./Hardees).

 

[Soapbox Killer]

A $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy's seems solid.


Also, I hate when they advertise for Fast Food Places that are no where close to me. There aint a Hardees/Carl's Jr any where close to me yet they always show commercials like I have that option, bunch of jerks.

 

[TaySan]

Avoid the meals. Download the app if the establishment has one and look for deals there. Mcdonalds in paticular has all of their deals through the mobile app

 

[BassForever]

Gotta order via apps and take advantage promotions if the goal is to save money. Beyond that the other appeal is obviously the "fast" part. If you can get in an out in 2-3 minutes even if it cost $10 it's still time saved.

 

[brawndolicious]

Familiarity/routine is a big part of it. Also, if there's always a franchise chain five minutes from your work while the nice burger restaurant takes 15 minutes to get to, it kind of limits your options during your lunch break.

Personally, the pandemic has seen me go from getting fast food five days a week to maybe once a month. I'm not even a health nut, just cheap/lazy.

 

[Nilson]

gotta use coupons only

I use a bk coupon every once in awhile and save like $20 lol

 

[DjDeathCool]

I'm aware of McDonald's app deals but they are designed in really unsatisfying ways to get you to pay for more stuff in other areas.

Plus, the idea of needing an app to have the primary function of fast food (cheap food) just doesn't sit well with me. I feel like it's only a matter of time until the deals become increasingly less and less lucrative.

 

[7aged]

I mean the clue is in the name. People go there for speed and convenience. Plus they're a known quantity, so you know what you're getting.

Having said that I rarely go

 

[kyle mechlachlan]

I'm not really looking to minmax my life to the point that i'm looking to save a buck or two on a fucking burger tbh. If I'm going to burger king or someshit i'm just looking to get something quick that'll make me feel bad about myself.

 

[Deleted member 36578]

I'm aware of McDonald's app deals but they are designed in really unsatisfying ways to get you to pay for more stuff in other areas.

Plus, the idea of needing an app to have the primary function of fast food (cheap food) just doesn't sit well with me. I feel like it's only a matter of time until the deals become increasingly less and less lucrative.

Click to shrink...

As long as people like you and me don't use the apps they'll keep being lucrative for those that do. I can't bother with them. When I get fast food its on a whim when I'm driving by and don't see a line.

 

[DJ_Lae]

I don't buy too much these days but I exclusively use the apps as there are lots of coupons to be had.

McDonald's (in Canada, anyway) has the shittiest deals recently but both Burger King and Wendy's seem to offer lots of freebies and decent sales. I can combine Whopper wednesday with some app deals and end up with enough food to feed five of us for under $30CDN.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

I just paid $35 for a deal at pizza hut that will last my family of 4 for at least 2 meals and perhaps a midnight snack. That breaks down to about $4 per person, per meal, which isn't bad at all.

 

[julia crawford]

gotta go fast

 

[sfedai0]

Just fast food? All restaurants are insanely expensive now. And in the US, you have to account for tip as well. I havent gone out to eat for over a year now. Just cooking at home. The cost/value is non existant now.

 

[henhowc]

Food prices have gone up and fast food has adjusted accordingly. Those of us who were around for 29 cent burgers at mcdonalds understand but also our memories skew things (food prices for some of these things we remember were probably like 15-20 year ago). There are still deals to be had through apps and stuff. I don't think I ever order at Mcdonalds or chain pizza places without using apps or coupon codes.

I don't think Arby's was ever cheap though?

 

[Aztechnology]

I just get like two McChickens or double cheese burgers for like $5 or other app deals. That or a few tacos at Jack in the box for like $2-3, 2 tacos per dollar.

 

[jml]

I don't know how you get up to $18 at Arby's, granted I haven't been to one (but i'm assuming it's in line with other fast food places) but that might be on you...

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tbh you'd be a little off in assuming it's in line with other fast food places. A roast beef sandwich + fries can run you about $10 without even getting a drink. I'm not a big eater and I usually need 2 roast beef sandwiches to fill me up so the sandwiches aren't even that big.

$18 for one person isn't super tough to reach at Arby's if you're kinda hungry and want a drink too.

 

[Walter White Walker]

Arby's has long been completely overpriced, even using coupons. I don't go there. Otherwise, I'll only use deals on apps.

 

[Ferda]

The main problem with those deals like the biggie bag or taco bell boxes are how high the sodium is! I used to not care but I'm old now.

 

[spyroflame0487]

I think the mistake is Arby's is now trying to promote itself as a more bougie fast food place. Quite a lot of their meals/sandwiches are in the $8-$10+ range alone before you even get anything else.

Its a shame there's not much of a value menu any more, but usually those are fine for what you're getting. Wendy's seems to have the best deal with the $5 Bag. Same with Taco Bell and their $5 box.

 

[rObit]

Wendy's and Taco Bell can still get you a decent amount of food for fairly cheap, but I agree the rest has priced itself out of its lane. For the most part, fast food has been replaced by take-out for me. Which I'm actually okay with, because I'd rather support the local teriyaki place than McDonald's.

 

[G_Shumi]

Yeah, I got 2 Asiago Ranch chicken sandwiches and 2 medium fries for me and my husband a few days ago at Wendy's, and the total was $21! I didn't even get any drinks or extra sides. It was ridiculous.

That's just how it is now, unfortunately. Eventually people might go to fast food restaurants less, which will affect the employees working there if they close down, which will continue with the worker shortage.

 

[construct]

ive been thinking about this too. fast food is starting to feel just as expensive has doing takeout from a restaurant

 

[brinstar]

Yeah I realized I was done when I got a quesadilla, a bottle of water and a cookie at Qdoba and it was like $18 lol. I need to be cooking more anyway.

 

[DjDeathCool]

Food prices have gone up and fast food has adjusted accordingly.

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Yeah, but my issue isn't fast food prices going up. It's how quickly they're outpacing the price increases and thus making themselves irrelevant.

Wendy's and Taco Bell can still get you a decent amount of food for fairly cheap, but I agree the rest has priced itself out of its lane. For the most part, fast food has been replaced by take-out for me. Which I'm actually okay with, because I'd rather support the local teriyaki place than McDonald's.

Click to shrink...

I agree! I'd much rather get better food, better service and support a local business for a lower price with the only caveat being a need to call my order in 15 minutes in advance. (Although, to be fair here, I did spend 30 minutes in a McDonald's drive through last week. So idk if citing time as a caveat is completely fair.)

 

[henhowc]

Maybe its just my area (los angeles). But Fastfood is still like $10 a combo meal versus like $15-20 for a more expensive restaurant for just an entree. Obviously it still varies by restaurant but everything is going up.

 

[Frankie Williamson]

Every time I have to download an app to do fucking anything I die a little more inside.

 

[rObit]

I agree! I'd much rather get better food, better service and support a local business for a lower price with the only caveat being a need to call my order in 15 minutes in advance. (Although, to be fair here, I did spend 30 minutes in a McDonald's drive through last week. So idk if citing time as a caveat is completely fair.)

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I'm with you there. It's taken the impulse factor away. But that's probably also a good thing in my case.

 

[Jebusman]

Ordering from fast food places is a game of min-maxing food to cost ratio now.

At McDonald's, rather than order 2 burger/fry/drink combos, you order one combo but large size and then one burger by itself, splitting the large fries/drink. The cost to upsize is typically less than the add-on cost of a second combo.

If you aren't with someone willing to drink from the same cup, ask for a 2nd cup because you just want "water", then split the drink yourself.

Also learn to like the value menu. McDoubles and Jr Chickens at McDonald's, Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers and 4piece nuggets at Wendy's, etc.

The price difference between the main menu and "value" is growing bigger and bigger all the time, at some point you have to ask if the near 2x cost is worth it for just the same trash but arranged differently.

A McDouble meal at a east coast Canadian McDonald's is like, ~$7 right now, and that's with our 15% sales tax.

 

[TrojanAg]

Right now, it isn't that much cheaper than some other places where the difference in quality is so much that it's worth just spending a few more bucks for that instead of eating some greasy food.

 

[Aztechnology]

Costco food court is the real answer

 

[acheron_xl]

For the major items, BK and McDonalds are often more expensive than Culver's, and that's a h2h fight they'll always lose.

 

[henhowc]

Every time I have to download an app to do fucking anything I die a little more inside.

Click to shrink...

💯 Lol i have a folder on my phone that is just fucking food or delivery apps.

 

[Elfgore]

Gotta do those online deals. McDonald's where I am has the most absurd deals. Can get a quarter pounder with cheese, a 10 piece nugget, medium fry, and a large soda for around $8-9. Domino's normally has some insanely good deals. Taco Bell varies from having absurdly good deals to highway robbery. Rally's is a lost cause.

Mix of them apps and knowing which ones to avoid.

 

[napkins]

that's why Wendy's is almost always my choice.

 

[YuriLowell]

Costco food court is the real answer

Click to shrink...

The 1.50 hot dog is the fabric that holds our society together.

 

[Deleted member 19626]

I go Whataburger and Taco Bell, all others imo I would rather go to a sit down restaurant with the amount I end up paying for half ass food

 

[henhowc]

I get a lot of coupons in the mail for places. Feels off having to cut coupons for places that fall in your mind under "cheap food" but it is what it is.

 

[Alfredo]

Beyond that the other appeal is obviously the "fast" part. If you can get in an out in 2-3 minutes even if it cost $10 it's still time saved.

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Unfortunately with worker shortages, a lot of "fast food" isn't fast anymore.

Though one appealing thing about fast food is you don't gotta tip.

 

[9wilds]

Chick-fil-A is really the only fast food I'd eat and it has gone up, though it was always on the upper end so it still feels tolerable.

 

[CatAssTrophy]

I realized I don't get fast food that much these days because most of the locations in my immediate area have long lines that take forever...... except MD's, and I don't want to go there all the time. The value proposition though is usually time and energy to either make something, or buy groceries THEN make something. Sometimes I get too busy with work or errands and the clock just runs out. I don't want to be eating dinner at 9pm with that food in me right before bed.

When I do go, I always whip out the app to see if there's any free stuff I can get with points or deals. I never order drinks either unless there's a specific deal that requires it. It's wild that I can place maybe 3 or 4 orders at MD's with their app, and accumulate enough points to where they will just straight up give me a free big mac or QPwC. It makes it seem idiotic to pay full price for anything there.

In either case, the real suckers are people ordering food delivery. We've already had enough threads on that, but dropping $11 at Whataburger for the chili cheese burger meal isn't as big of a deal as paying $11 IN FEES ALONE to get a bag of cold food a driver probably stole from.

 

[Stooge]

Taco Bell is the only fast food place left that is "a deal" the rest are just as expensive as much better local options for me.

Like Taco Cabana is so fucking expensive I can go to a super good trailer and eat way way better tacos for like 60% of the price.

 

[BringBackSonics]

I just paid $18 at Arby's for a large value meal + a cookie. Last weekend I went out to eat at one of the best burger joints in town and only paid $15 for a drink and two sides. With carryout being a thing, why in the ever living hell would anyone choose to eat fast food in this day and age? App deals are designed to make you pay a boat load extra and the worker shortage has lead to abysmal wait times/customer service. As fast food prices continue to outpace restaurants/diners, what do Americans get out of going back to their cardboard burgers?

Click to shrink...

You order off the value menu. Yeah you are going to get wrecked when you order a large combo and a cookie.

 

[Johnny956]

Costco food court is the real answer

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Sucks as the Costco is too far but Sam's Club does a decent job with their hot dog deal or their pizza slice combo. Problem now is their damn food court never seems to stay open post 2pm which does nothing for me.

You order off the value menu. Yeah you are going to get wrecked when you order a large combo and a cookie.

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Really only way to stay inexpensive but pre-2020 that wasn't the case