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[-] WHYAREWEALLCAPS@fedia.io 367 points 3 months ago

Saw an article recently, can't remember where, that basically said that the sole reason fast food was doing so poorly was pricing. That McDonald's was charging Texas Roadhouse prices, so people were choosing to skip McDonald's and go to Texas Roadhouse.

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 216 points 3 months ago

I believe it. The whole appeal of fast food is that it's fast and cheap.

[-] abfarid@startrek.website 58 points 3 months ago

As a european, fast food is just like a category of food, and more of an occasional treat for me. Normally, I just eat my own homemade food, which is even cheaper. So I guess I see it a little differently, and fast food is allowed to be not cheap if it's "good".

Hell yeah, gimme that cancer patty and those artery clogging fries, baby! But make the obesity water size "for kids".

[-] samus12345@lemmy.world 54 points 3 months ago

"Fast and cheap" as in cheaper than buying precooked food somewhere else. Of course stuff you make at home will be cheaper.

[-] boonhet@lemm.ee 23 points 3 months ago

The thing is that at least in my corner of Europe, fast food costs about the same as a filling meal in a sit down restaurant that doesn't deep fry or microwave everything.

There is an exception but they only have 3 locations in one single town. They've barely raised their prices in the last decade, they're actually pretty fast, and there's nearly always a bunch of people queued up.

[-] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 months ago

EUn ‘n’ Out?

[-] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

True, McDonald's is so expensive now that for 15€ I can go to Mc or I can go to a bib Gourmand restaurant for lunch (dinner is more expensive)

[-] Miaou@jlai.lu 6 points 3 months ago

Was not my experience in the US. $1 fast food meals were a thing in 2016. A disgusting one.

[-] dudinax@programming.dev 17 points 3 months ago

For many Americans it's just lunch. If McD's costs $5 they're buying. If it costs $15 they're packing.

[-] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 66 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Unless you get the promoted deals it's starting to be like that everywhere. Near me if im getting two burgers and two fries, I spend less at five guys than I do at burger king. Why would I ever go to BK?

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 47 points 3 months ago

Even FG is unreasonable.

My wife and 6YO kid went to FG last week and spent $27 on a meal for two and they split the fries.

A few ounces of meat, 50 cents of soda, a couple potatoes and an arguably 2 nice quality rolls. That meal cost them $5. Even with inflated labor it should be more like $15.

[-] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 63 points 3 months ago

Fucksake man, will you PLEASE think of the shareholders

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 26 points 3 months ago

Five guys has been expensive for a long time. The rest just caught up more recently.

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

I would kill for an in-and-out burger on the East Coast. You can get a burger, fries, and drink for less than an Five Guys cheeseburger.

[-] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 1 points 3 months ago

Five Guys at least has better food than most fast food and the portions are so massive you basically have to share

[-] KillingAndKindess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 3 months ago

Five guys is at the very bottom of my "list of things that are so needlessly expensive that now I actively hate".

Cause they're so fucking good, and they use better stuff than most.

The moment that changes... will be the day I either go no-beef, or start rioting.

[-] Serinus@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

They’ve barely raised their prices in the last decade, they’re actually pretty fast, and there’s nearly always a bunch of people queued up.

Depends on the location too. For my location everything on the menu is $2 more than it is in the nearby, similarly-sized city. And there's a high quality Wendy's right next door.

I'll take good Wendy's at half the price of Five Guys.

Of course everyone is doing tiered pricing. You either use their apps or pay double. I think half of it is to get the app on your phone, and the other half is simply to make you jump through hoops for lower pricing. They all want to charge obscene prices, and then if you object, give you an option other than not going there. "Just install our app" could just as easily be "pat your head while standing on one leg and rubbing your stomach, and we'll give you 40% off."

I'm sorry, but fuck Wendy's. Yes, capitalism is in decline around us all, but fuck Wendy's for deciding they're gonna be the first in fast food to push that envelope to full-blown-shit mode. And their burgers are just eh.

(Hey, pssst... so, quoting etiquette typically means you're not using the quoting carrot on something not in the the comment you are replying to without noting it in the comment somehow. I was staring very confused at my replies inbox for, like, 4-5 read throughs of your reply, because its an opinion I could have typed, and couldn't remember at all lol. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️)

[-] whotookkarl@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Pretty sure it was around after Dave Thomas passed that the quality took a dive at many franchise locations, similar poor business decisions looking for short term profits over long term customers affecting many businesses these days.

[-] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago

The data is delicious for ‘em. Assists in world domination plans. Not really but they’ll eventually fine tune who gets deals real good IMO.

Connect to LinkedIn to see pricing

[-] Serinus@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Income based fast food prices

[-] Dkarma@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Culver's destroys fg for quality and price

[-] subignition@fedia.io 2 points 3 months ago

Sometimes I go there just for an order of fries because they're just that good. I can't bring myself to pay $14 for a burger though.

[-] Thwompthwomp@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Five guys has been bad for a while. Super expensive for a really greasy burger. I had to stop eating there several years ago.

[-] lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 3 months ago

The recent Disney lawsuit reminded me of this. In order to get those deals, McDonald's makes you use their app, and part of signing up for the app is agreeing to their ToS which has an arbitration clause

[-] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 3 months ago

Selling your rights to Disney so you can get a cheaper burger is a uniquely American flavor of dystopia

[-] Kalysta@lemm.ee 6 points 3 months ago

Yeah but there’s no way a judge will follow that reasoning. The response to the arbitration argument was that the argument was “unconscionable” and “no reasonable person” would think signing up for Disney Plus means they can’t file a wrongful death suit for a restaurant that has nothing to do with Disney Plus.

Also the lawyer who made the arbitration argument just got his client so much bad PR that i’m sure Disney Plus will take a hit over it.

[-] subtext@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago

I was with you until

Disney Plus will take a hit over it.

The average consumer is just so damn apathetic that nothing will happen

[-] VolumetricShitCompressor@lemmy.dbzer0.com 47 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

That happens when you just think of a bigger number and forget the customer somewhere down the line.

Also publicly traded companies and shareholder value. Everything could be much cheaper if not for shareholders draining every penny from companies. Edit: and CEOs/ managers of course.

[-] Asafum@feddit.nl 45 points 3 months ago

This is exactly what subway is doing.

"A regular deli charges $16 for a sub/hero/grinder/hoagie/pickafuckingnameforalongsandwitch so we're charging $14! It's less they'll still come the econ 101 book says they will! I'll take my multimillion dollar bonus now tyvm."

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 50 points 3 months ago

Yeah, but a regular deli makes a decent fucking sandwich and isn’t using the cheapest institutional ingredients imaginable.

[-] Kalysta@lemm.ee 18 points 3 months ago

Except a regular deli actually puts meat on their subs instead of lightly rubbing the sub with a piece of turkey then filling it with lettuce.

[-] yamanii@lemmy.world 38 points 3 months ago

found this, they all outpace the inflation rate so it's just greed as always.

[-] Crismus@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

It's sad that Taco Bell thinks it is gourmet Mexican Food now. Any local taco shop with Mexicans working in the kitchens will give you huge burritos for cheap. Without adding tofu to the ground beef.

[-] aniki@discuss.tchncs.de 32 points 3 months ago

I very rarely eat out but if I am going to end up blowing on 30 on two meals I may as well blow 45 on a local spot with a seat and a hefty tip to the waiter.

[-] FutileRecipe@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

and a hefty tip to the waiter.

And I detest tipping culture, though I of course don't fault the wait staff. I'd rather go to a local joint that pays its people appropriately...which are hard to find, admittedly.

[-] spamfajitas@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

There are a couple floating around out there, CNN/investopedia/Eat This Not That. The most scathing one I saw was from CNN, oddly enough: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/09/business/consumer-spending-travel-value-nightcap

[-] Lookorex@lemm.ee 10 points 3 months ago

Might as well, I've only eaten at two Roadhouses, but they were damn good for a chain steakhouse

[-] paddirn@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I just stopped eating fast food altogether and started using our company cafe, prices at the drive-thru got absolutely ridiculous and the service got worse. I just eat a small salad and a drink, still costs around $6–7/day, but it's way better than fast food prices. I could probably get it down cheaper if I prepped at home, but fruit and vegetables go bad so frequently and our cafe's rates are ok-ish, so I just make due with that.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

prices at the drive-thru got absolutely ridiculous and the service got worse

And in the case of McDonald's, the burgers and fries both taste like compressed napkins now. Idk WTF they've done to their burgers, but that's not beef.

[-] Crismus@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

They added some food-grade sawdust filler and cut out the majority of beef with their latest round of shrinkflation. Their regular patties are so small and thin that they're impossible to stay moist in th burger. There's no more fat left.

[-] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago

I haven't even considered McDonald's because their pricing skyrocketed post pandemic when inflation was high. They saw other businesses justifying large price increases by blaming inflation and the idiot consumers accepting the lie, and just ignored the niche their product is in, cheap shit.

Before the pandemic to be able to get a McDouble, Spicy McChicken and Fries for $4 with tax. Granted, the fries were only $1 with a digital coupon, but that coupon was always there. It was like the 2 tacos for 99¢ deal at Jack in the Box, you just gotta use the app.

Now that same group of food is $9 and the coupons available are dogshit. 15% off my $10 meal is not a good deal when sales tax is $12%. I'm not really saving much compared to things like BOGO offers and $1 items like it used to be constantly.

this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2024
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