Not cheap, not convenient, not fast, and, let’s be real: It’s barely food.
A while ago, I was charging at a highway stop, so I decided to quickly get something to drink at McDonald’s. I just asked ordered a drink, nothing more. One lady started preparing the drink and put it somewhere behind the counter. I was right there, but she didn’t hand it to me. I asked if she could give it, as it was the only thing I had ordered. She mentioned she was not allowed to hand over the order to customers, and she was waiting for someone else who was allowed to. It took roughly 10 minutes before I had my drink, it was very frustrating, especially for a “fast” food chain.
I’ll have a double corporate slop with extra gruel please
Sonic Boom predicted it with Meh Burger
I don’t usually eat fast food, but one night I was starving, and there happened to be a drive-thru right next to me. I saw only two cars ahead in line and thought it would be quick. I pulled in and waited. Fifteen minutes passed. Then nearly twenty. By that point, a long line had formed behind me, trapping my car.
At the thirty-minute mark, I started asking the cars around me if they could maneuver to let me out. After almost forty minutes, I finally managed to escape.
Frustrated and still hungry, I drove a little further to a local gyro joint. I walked inside, placed my order, and within five minutes, I was enjoying a fresh, delicious lamb platter.
If this had been an isolated incident, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. But the reality is, experiences like this are all too common. Fast food isn’t fast, and to make matters worse, it’s often not even cheap anymore. Unless you’re scraping the bottom of the so-called “value menu”—which has become scarce and filled with low-quality options—you’re likely paying the same, if not more, than you would at a local spot.
When you stack up the cost, the wait, and the disappointing quality, it’s hard to justify why anyone bothers with fast food at all.
America has too many drive thru’s. Cars waiting all the time because understaffed fast food places are squeezing labour. I’ve started just walking inside to no line up, but even then, drive thru gets priority.
Yeeeess! Gyro is my go to “fast food” too! My favorite gyro place loads plates up enough that I can get a large lamb plate for $15 and split it into two meals. I order on my way there, and it’s always ready within 10 minutes of ordering, without fail.
Same… And the food is so goddamn good.
It’s a real bummer that half of Americans seem to want to get rid of all of the fucking people willing to make all of these delicious varieties of food. What a boring fucking place that would be.
Right!? They have no idea what culture is, or what they’re missing out on. :/
I had that happen at a Taco Bell once.
I really wanted Taco Bell, so I waited 40 minutes in line while the person in front of me was arguing with the employees at the window. I’m not sure if it was someone arguing over expired coupons for 40 minutes, or if it was some annoying shithead trying to do a viral stunt or what the problem was, but I really wanted Taco Bell and I was going to get it.
edit: It was worth the wait, but only just barely.
When I was in high school, we’d split a gram of weed four ways and go to Wendy’s for the $4.20 meal. For less than ten bucks, you got stoned, a junior bacon cheese, four nuggets, small fry, and a small chocolate frosty. This was in the mid oughts so not that long ago!
The mid oughts was a different world, hundreds of years ago.
Y’all oughtta know the mid oughts were a lit time to behold.
We got 2 kids meals at Culver’s and ate for $15. We are in 60s and it was enough food for us, and on the plus side it included ice cream!
Small McDouble combo is like $5.80 in Canada right now. Shit’s almost cheaper than groceries.
And yet people keep going. And why? Because those companies hire people with psychology and chemistry degrees to ensure they do. They play every psychological trick in the book to keep people coming back. And as much as anyone here (me included) think a burger from McDonald’s is shit, there are people, a lot of people, who feel like they just can’t live happily without their regular dose of Big Mac.
And, of course, McDonald’s has used those psychological tricks to convince such people that McDonald’s cares about them.
The whole thing is sick.
I mean, I can get a double cheeseburger from McDonald’s for under $3. It’s pretty good for that price range and accessibility. I’m not about to claim they give a fuck about me though lol
$25
What’d he get, a whopper with no drink or side at Burger King?
The point is the same it ever was. You sacrifice money for time and convenience. What’s so hard to understand about that? Some will be more or less expensive than others and no one forced you to choose either option
If you have a Braum’s nearby you can get a bomb-ass burger with two quarter pound patties, crinkle cut fries, and drink or shake for about $9.
But you probably don’t have a Braum’s around unless you are in the US and in one of like two shithole states.
Penn Gillette wisely said eating is mostly habit, and I agree. There are people who actually like McDonalds, etc, but the ones who still buy it even though they think it sucks are just slaves to habit. I personally know somebody with $200 to their name who had Doordash deliver Wendy’s to their apartment so they didn’t have to go anywhere or figure out how to cook. Ingrained habits and cravings are powerful forces.
Double Whopper with medium fries and drink is now $14 and change where I live.
Looking at you five guys.
Story time. We t to five guys, go up to the country asked for a burger combo. Person behind counter says they don’t have combos so I have to say out loud: lemme get a burger fries and a coke.
Like I get it but a combo is a burger fries and a coke.
Aren’t combos usually discounted over everything getting billed individually? I would understand that as useful information that I’m not saving anything and might as well deviate if I like.
Yeah. I could see someone ordering a combo and then complain when instead of a combo they have to pay for burger, fries and drink. It’s stupid that 5 guys doesn’t have a combo option but the person behind the counter did what they’re supposed to do, take the order and make sure the person ordering also understands what they’re ordering.
One regular fries is $8 at my local five guys. Just fries. $11 if I want a regular drink with that. That’s more than I want to pay for a burger combo and it doesn’t even have a burger with it.
Me when I go to my local hangry chicken and order the chicken + fries nachos only for them to give me dark meat.
Dark meat at least tastes better and is more desirable where I’m at. Now you just get less meat in general for however much you’re spending.
Give it five years and the taco bell quesadilla is probably gonna cost $10 and use the small tortilla instead of the big one. They may have won the franchise wars in fiction but reality is stranger.
deleted by creator
As long as Chic Fil A is at the throats of LGBT people, no the fuck it aint.
True. Even ignoring that though, chic fil a is fine at best but overrated if you ask me. Their best menu item is the shakes, everything else is mid. Not bad just mid.
It’s definitely overrated. Where I live a solid meal will set you back $12-$14, and it’s always super crowded and hence slow. Instead, I can just walk a few minutes, and get better chicken for cheaper ($10-$12) and faster at the local place.
Yeah, it’s gone downhill over the past couple of years as well, likely in an effort to eek out a little more profit.
deleted by creator
This is sadly not news, the feud between the LGBT and Chic-Fil-A is pretty long
It goes like this
-2011-
Chic-Fil-A: Our money goes to Christian charities
LGBT: Well that’s fine, you are the Jesus Chicken place, pass me some waffle fries my man
Chic-Fil-A: Sure, that’ll be a dollar, a dollar that prevents gays from getting married
LGBT: Wait, I thought you said charities
Chic-Fil-A: We lied
-2015-
Chic-Fil-A: Okay Gay Marriage is legal and Caitlyn Jenner + Lavrene Cox seem to be getting the ball rolling on trans rights. I guess we have no choice but to abandon “Traditional Marriage” and other such causes and just stick to charity work…
Caitlyn Jenner: I’m the worst human being alive, I hate all other transpeople, the only moral transition is my transition, and I am literally guilty of vehicular homicide but am too rich to be charged with it!
Chic-Fil-A: Okay just Lavrene Cox then… So you hungry my rainbow friend?
LGBT: Oh thank God, I can finally have a decent chicken sandwich, God what is your secret?
Chic-Fil-A: Why the lies we tell about what we fund go into every mouth-watering bite of our Homophobic Chicken!
LGBT: What?
Chic-Fil-A: Shit, did I say that out loud? Fuck, okay you got us, we’re still funding Anti-LGBT causes we’re just trying to be quieter about it, also we don’t think abortion should be legal and are lobbying to have that banned to.
LGBT: WHAT!?! I’M PROTESTING YOU SO HARD!
Left-Leaning Americans: And we’ll help!
Fox News: Chic-Fil-A, which is not homophobic at all, is being protested because Democrats are mad that a store is closed on Sundays because they hate the bible! No really, this is a spin we actually went with to demonize our political enemies!
Right-Leaning Americans: I believe that whole-heartedly because I have no ability to question any information that sounds like it’s even remotely true unless it comes from a Democrat. I always knew that gays hated Jesus and will now give all my money to Chic-Fil-A.
-2025-
Chic-Fil-A: So uhh now that we’re all being mask off, can I interest in you a lemonade, you must be very thirsty after playing in girl’s sports you filthy degenerate.
LGBT: Oh fuck off, you know damn well we don’t and that you don’t care about women’s sports anyway, how are you still in business?
Chic-Fil-A: Actually we’re making record profits because of those guys
LGBT: What guys?
Left-Leaning Americans: We know it’s homophobic, but we’re addicted to fast food and it tastes just so fucking good. Your suffering is no reason for me to be slightly inconveinced, even though everyone from McDonalds to KFC has a chicken sandwich just like theirs…
Right-Leaning Americans: MAGA! MAGA! MAGA! GOTTA PWN THE LIBS! WHITE LIVES MATTER! I’M ORDERING EXTRA SANDWICHES JUST TO SPITE THE DISGUSTING FREAKS… cut off by the munching of fries WHO… slurping coke ARE COMING FOR OUR KIDS!
LGBT: Okay yeah that sadly tracks…
And that’s basically the whole story
How can a chicken be homophobic that didn’t even make sense, chickens don’t have feelings
They’ve been Bigot Chicken for decades now. Sorry.
Bruh, the Chick-Fil-A, anti-LGBTQ+ stuff started like 15 years ago…
I didn’t learn of chick fil a’s existence until like a few years ago
Dude it’s insane. I don’t understand how the hell these places stay in business anymore when the quality still sucks ass and it’s all so expensive now. Like even taco bell, who used to be the king of cheap, costs a fuckton these days.
☁️🌈CORPORATE✨PROFITS🌈☁️
It’s an addiction for a lot of people.
deleted by creator
It’s become a habit for many people. Cooking is a really difficult habit to (re)learn. It’s possible though and good meal prep is very convenient on long days at work.
I just hate cooking. I cannot stand it. It takes so much effort and you have to clean all the mess you made (even cleaning as you go sucks). And then you end up with something that may or may not pan out. And if you’re trying to meal prep then you have to eat the same meal for the whole week which I hate also.
If this was the only thing you’d ever have to do, fine. But the majority of the rest of our time is spent at work or sleeping. We have few precious hours where these things aren’t the case. I hope this doesn’t make me sound too much like an asshole, but I’m fortunate enough to purchase things like pre-prepared foods and get takeout a couple of times per week. So I take advantage of that because I don’t want to spend my few moments of free time slaving away over a stove or cleaning the mess of pots and pans and cooking utensils.
Another this about cooking when you live alone…a lot of perishable foods can only be bought in somewhat larger quantities and then they go bad before you use them all up. I tried to make a recipe out of a cookbook several months ago and I was frustrated at how many things I had to buy a large thing of when I only needed a very small amount for the recipe. Ended up with a lot of food waste.
I’m gonna agree that cleaning sucks ass, as does the time of it.
I made do by usually having to have something stimulating my dopamine-addicted ADHD ass while I’m washing dishes. Youtube documentary video, podcast, whatever is at least 30 minutes so I can just grind thru. Upgrade the dish tools as well, I really like these ikea dish brushes so much more than a sponge because I feel like I can actually clean with it and not constantly go through sponges, and replaced the flip top dish soap with one of those squeeze bottle ones. Big secret is you can refill those with whatever you want, you don’t have to buy a new one when you run out.
Yes there is still the time factor with cooking, but I like to cook enough that I can make 2-4 servings so it’s more like cook once and minimal work for the reheating. Also as for the time, idk how it is in your area, but where I’m at ever since COVID drive thru and in store times suck ass now for ordering. If you’re on an hour lunch break or on the way home where I’m at it always takes them 30 minutes or even longer to get my order ready from ordering to out the lot. At that point, I might as well just go home and cook the damn thing myself, that’s what set it for me.
Lastly for food waste, a few things learning to change how much you make so that you “use up” the materials is helpful. Same with freezing things, turns out most things can be frozen and thawed with minimal change to the item. For example I now buy bacon in a bulk pack but split it up into bags of 4 slices, keep all in freezer except one. Now I would only have four slices going bad instead of the whole package. A few other things I do is sometimes dried herbs / seasonings in a shaker are better than fresh ones that will go bad, learn what you use less of so you buy less (like I only buy eggs in a six pack because I don’t go through enough), etc.
Stick with easy meals. I really want to make a cajun red beans and rice sometime, but I looked at the list of what I need and said fuuuuck that. I’ve got a few easy to make items that I like to rotate through: homemade pizza, mac and cheese and hot dogs, got frozen burger patties and a george foreman, burritos with ground beef beans and canned hatch green chile, etc. I also get my groceries delivered, it helps me time and money wise because I’m not shopping in the moment and only buying what I need, and now the whole process of grocery store shopping that I hate is gone. No more traffic to the store, no parking lot spot searching, no walking around the whole store and dodging slow people stopping in the middle of the aisle to have a conversation, no bullshit line for checkout or receipt checks and packing / leaving. Now it’s literally just order only what I need and it shows up at my door.
I do like the idea of “take home meals” though, sometimes that just hits the spot I get it. For me sometimes I’ll do that and just get some store made chips and queso and fuck it I’m eating that while being a couch potato that night. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good enough :)
None of these problems mean you have to resort to buying fast food though.
You can buy things like crumbed chicken tenders that last over a week in the packaging and take 15 mins to cook in an air fryer. Mix some mayo and hot sauce, steam some veg and you’ve got a cheaper, healthier meal than most fast food, in about the same time it takes to drive through and order.
That actually makes up a decent amount of what I eat already. The majority of my diet comes from the frozen food section at the grocery store. I get both the prepackaged dinners and also the precooked meats and “steam in bag” veggies you’re talking about. But on days where I don’t want that, I get takeout as a treat. Most often, I actually order food delivery instead of fast food, but I get fast food now and then too. I’ve actually got into the habit of going to the chick fil a near me because it’s literally a 5 minute walk and they have a good salad. McDonald’s seemed like they stopped selling salads some years back for whatever reason.
One of the points of my previous post is that I don’t care about the cost though because I’m fortunate enough to not be scraping by. I don’t get this takeout or fast food every day, but it doesn’t bother me financially to do it a couple times per week. Plus, sitting in your car listening to music and browsing your phone while someone prepares food for you is hardly a comparison to putting together something yourself. The time might be the same, but the effort is significantly lower which is the point.
Fair enough. I’m not scraping by either. I just choose to vote with my wallet because that’s capitalism.
Most times I buy fast food these days (few times a year) I just feel ripped off, because I know I’m paying extra just for shareholders; not for actual value.
Yes, I fully relate with this as if you spoke from my heart. Agreed on all points, haha.
I do cook, kind of have to when you have kids. But I definitely do not enjoy doing it. Especially because I’ll slave over a new dinner idea and my kids will just refuse to eat it.
My friend with kids also talks about this. She is like I work so hard to cook and even make it simple for them but they still refuse to eat it half the time lol
You can always ask the butcher to get you a smaller piece of meat. You can also separate pieces of meat and freeze part.
If produce is by weight, you can break the package to be smaller. Even things like squash can be cut in half (ask the produce people, places like Aldis will not do this).
Buy canned and frozen veggies as much as possible, they last longer. They won’t be as tasty, but will reduce your food waste.
Cook larger portions and freeze the leftovers and eat them in a week or two.
As far as spices, dishes, etc. look at them as “investments” cause you won’t be using them all on one meal…
Meat is actually the easiest one because you can just freeze it like you said. Powdered spices are also a complete non issue. It’s fresh produce that I struggle with.
But for example, the recipe I tried called for…
Jasmine rice - could only find it in a whopping 5 lb bag which was ridiculous for a solo person who rarely ears rice. I know rice keeps, but since I don’t at all like to cook, it was very excessive. Even if I were to have made a larger quantity of the meal or make it multiple times, I still would have an insane amount left over.
A clove of fresh garlic - I know you can get powdered garlic or garlic in a jar, but people seem to say that it doesn’t at all work the same, so I wanted to try it the way the recipe wanted you to. So I had a shitton of cut up garlic left over because I could only find whole garlic bulbs at that particular grocery store if I didn’t want to go canned or powdered. Can you even freeze a portion of garlic?
A portion of whole fresh ginger - again same issue as the above problem I had with fresh garlic. Only this one was even worse because ginger rarely present in any of the foods I eat
Etc. for a lot of the ingredients for that recipe.
Yes, I get that you can do some complex puzzles and math to figure out how to use all of these ingredients in different meals without wasting the excess, but that is absolutely NOT for me. That’s a whole additional ordeal and one of the many reasons I hate cooking. I don’t want to have to perform an elaborate game of ingredient/meal chess to avoid significant food waste when I’m grocery shopping. I do enough work at my job and there are still plenty of other annoying tasks to keep up with like cleaning and laundry.
The point is I don’t want to look at any of these as “investments”. That is is an insane amount of work to put into something I hate.
Where are you shopping? Only having a 5lb bag of jasmine rice is weird.
Just use powdered instead of the fresh herbs. I would consider doubling up on most spices if you are using powdered.
Garlic and ginger both can be frozen. They also last a good while, so you can keep them in your fridge
I don’t mind cooking, I just hate coming up with a dinner plan for the whole week. I’ve begun watching cooking videos on instagram to help motivate me. I do wish there was an alternative to instagram, but so far it’s the best.
Me, limping my ass into a McDonalds for the first time in forever: “I’ll have 20 nuggets, no meal.” (expecting 5$, or something close to it since it had legitimately been a while)
“Yeah, that’ll be 12.47”
The fuck???
I’ve officially stopped going to McDonalds. Their prices make zero sense, and their food quality has dropped to incredible lows.
Only desperate, dumb, or wealthy folks eat at this place in 2025.
$17.99 for the 20 pc. In Canada. $10.79 for a 10 pc. I about shit when I immigrated here and realized nuggets were off the table. I can’t imagine ordering that and picturing one dollar every time I pop one into my mouth. My wife buys me a ten piece for my birthday every year since I won’t buy them myself out of protest. Also, my kid is old enough now to finish her 4 pc. Happy Meal, so I don’t get to scavenge for uneaten morsels like I did before. It’s tragic.
Just eat real chicken at that point…
RIP Stalinwolf
Where in Canada are you? Here in BC, the prices are quite different from what you mentioned.
deleted by creator
The fuck
And the lines show it. I remember the single drive-throughs being backed up around the building and them putting in the dual-ordering drive-throughs to handle the traffic. There are never more than 2-3 people in line these days and there’s almost no one inside. I get it, they’re property banks these days.
Don’t forget about the “meat” wafers on the “burger”.
I don’t go to fast food often, I walked into a McDonalds for the first time in maybe 1yr +? They had the kiosks for self ordering, I looked at the prices and “deals” and decided that the cost/experience ratio was just not worth and just left. I can go to a restaurant or cook myself for those prices (and I did, cooked enchiladas).
It doesn’t seem affordable/worth it even for a one-off now
deleted by creator
