Cost of Living Crsis: Fast Food

[Bamspeedy]

First what is fast food?

-you order at the counter (there isnt a waiter/waitress).
-drive thru an option
-they have some stuff pre-prepared to handle rushes, like stuff on a warmer, etc.

Its easy to tell the difference between 'fast food' and 'sit down' restaurant. But is a deli 'fast food'?

Is subway 'fast food'? People like to think so (they even can have a drive thru!), but many will insist it isnt because the customer picks every topping, so no sandwhiches are pre-made (everything "made to order"), and thus do more terribly compared to other restaurants when there is a mad rush of customers.

 

[Bamspeedy]

And actually after reading the thread, and too show my age, an app for fast food? Can I ask how that works? Is this for delivery, perhaps via some gig worker app as well, or is this installing some closed source code made by McDs on your device so you do not need to tell someone your order when you go there?

The app is a way to place your order. Its like shopping online. Your name and stuff is saved on the app so you dont need to enter that in everytime. It tracks all your orders, so you can earn loyalty rewards and stuff and corporate likes it as it gives them more data on customers and their purchases.

Yes, it can be used for delivery, but can also be used for picking the order up yourself. 'Curbside' is an option where you use the app to tell the store "im here" so the workers will bring the food out to your car if you dont want to go inside.

 

[Samson]

The app is a way to place your order. Its like shopping online.

Yes, it can be used for delivery, but can also be used for picking the order up yourself. 'Curbside' is an option where you use the app to tell the store "im here" so the workers will bring the food out to your car if you dont want to go inside.

Thanks for the reply, but I have to say if you have to go to the shop it is not very like shopping online.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Thanks for the reply, but I have to say if you have to go to the shop it is not very like shopping online.

I shop online at walmart but sometimes choose 'store pickup' to get it from the store instead of having it go through the mail.

Using the fast food app, i dont need to place my order at the store. One could place their order with the app as they leave their work or whatever and its ready when they arrive. Calling in an order over the phone is a thing of the past. And if you order the same thing you did last time 'order it again' is an option.

The future is there wont even be someone to take your order at the counter, you will HAVE to use the kiosks (similar setup as the app).

 

[Samson]

The future is there wont even be someone to take your order at the counter, you will HAVE to use the kiosks (similar setup as the app).

The key problem I have with the app is that it involves running untrusted and closed source code on an android device device that has poor permission management options. At the using a kiosk does not have that issue, if it does break the convenience somewhat.

I do not call "click and collect" online shopping.

 

[Bamspeedy]

A kiosk at the store isnt online shopping, no.

Using the app requires the internet, so i consider that it is online shopping. Shipped/delivered to your home (by someone else) is not a requirement. Picking it up yourself you are choosing to hire yourself as the delivery driver, paying yourself by saving money.

Fast food apps also have deals not available otherwise (promo codes). With coupons or promo codes, people can 'order out' alot more often.

 

[Bestbank Tiger]

Ten bucks for a footling? Yikes.

Haven't been to Subway in years but there are much better options for less than $10.

 

[abrish21]

Even BBQ sauce is ridiculous.

Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce has 8 grams of added sugar per tablespoon.

I got the 'No Sugar Added' version of the same sauce, and it tastes the same to me!

The regular version is fattening just for the hell of it.

That’s exactly why I keep an eye on what I eat now. Too much hidden sugar in basic stuff.


Lately, I’ve been switching things up with the Popeyes Jumbo Fish Sandwich—tasty, satisfying, and way more balanced when I want something filling without all the sugar tricks.

 

[warpus]

I've started boycott food at work to some degree and have been bring in my own lunch, saving money and in theory eating healthier. I buy this sourdough loaf of bred, some salami or ham, cheese, mayo, mustard, BAM there's your lunch. Sometimes I chop up some cucumbers and throw it in some yoghurt and add almonds. That's the sort of stuff I had to eat for 2 weeks a couple months ago, so I've still got it in my routine. It takes like 6-7 minutes to make one of those and package it up, so essentially all you need to do is wake up in the morning 10 minutes earlier than usual and you can live x years longer and save y amount of moneys. I'm trying to eat less of these sandwiches, as processed sliced meats like salami are not the most healthy of things either, but the sandwiches i eat are def a lot more healthy than the junk i can get at work.

Eating out just gets so much salt, sugar, and bad fats in your system, and not only at fast food restaurants. A lot of restaurants will have premade stuff they heat up, these days if you want an actually nutrutious and healthy meal at a restaurant that also tastes good you gotta pay a bit more.

There's just crap food options at work, and it's pricy, and at first I had an intestinal infection and had to bring in my own lunch anyway.. but then it was announced that they expect everyone back in the office starting september and yeah yeah they've said that before, and now it's more serial, but either way, we (the workers) have figured out they want everyone back so the eateries and other places here can churn better margins. SO SCREW THAT I'M GONNA BE HEALTHIER AND BRING MY OWN LUNCH IF THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY THIS

 

[Samson]

Eating out just gets so much salt, sugar, and bad fats in your system, and not only at fast food restaurants. A lot of restaurants will have premade stuff they heat up, these days if you want an actually nutrutious and healthy meal at a restaurant that also tastes good you gotta pay a bit more.

This is a thing that really gets me. It is almost impossible to pay money for people to cook you healthy food, while the world is very into both health and eating out. It seems a failure of the market or something.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

As far as I can remember, I've never been to McDonald's. I've been to Burger King, but it was about a decade ago. I use to eat out, but I tend to avoid those kinds of places. This is the 'fastest' I've eaten lately. Some chicharrones (pork cracklings, 24€/kg) and spicy chorizo (pork sausage, 12€/kg), the local version of fast food. There was also some goat cheese (23€/kg). Including some quality beer about 8-9€ per person.

 

[Ordnael]

House made soup and fruit shake (with water) for lunch every weekday since the last 3years. That's my recipe!

 

[warpus]

This is a thing that really gets me. It is almost impossible to pay money for people to cook you healthy food, while the world is very into both health and eating out. It seems a failure of the market or something.

IMO the dynamic being exploited by eateries is that a lot of people value convenience over eating healthy. Another issue is that many chains these days have been bought out by.. what are they called.. venture capitalist vultures? They buy out an existing brand that has customer awareness and respect and cut corners, so they can squeeze out as much profit as they can out of it, all while quality goes down. Tim Horton's here in Canada used to bake stuff fresh, and that used to be their tagline.. They were bought out by some large international conglomerate based in Brazil and now all their baked goods are made in some factory somewhere, frozen, and shipped to the restaurants. The same thing has happened to so many other chains it seems. So as these people are making more and more money, the food available to you at eateries gets less and less healthy, and less and less delicious. It seems the best restaurants to visit are the ones that have just managed to make a name for themselves, or even before that. Before the greedy capitalists jump in, take over, and ruin the flavours.

 

[Akka]

Fast food is about as expensive as an actual restaurant, while having horrible quality, being unhealthy and having lower service. So I don't go there, unless there is no choice (happen sometimes when eating at a highway rest area).
I simply flat-out don't understand why people go there. Unless maybe they have been conditionned since childhood to the industrial taste and feel it's actual good food which is weird. I dunno. I mean, I've seen McDonald in Venice. Why would you eat this garbage when you're living in a city with such a wealth of choice of delicious food (and no, it's not actually more expensive) ?

 

[amadeus]

Sometimes you just want things, or something quick to eat while working or whatever, or not feeling in the mood to scout out a restaurant, peruse the menu, and then have a waiter bring the food to me.

I had a chicken sandwich from a Japanese chain burger place today. Is it the best? No. Cheapest? No. But I just wanted to eat something while I was at work and didn’t want to think about it, and didn’t have anything prepared anyway.

 

[Akka]

If I really need something quick to eat, I'll just buy a sandwich in a bakery. A fraction of the price of a fast-food and not as unhealthy.
Also it might be different in anglo-saxon countries, but here it's common (though, sadly, not as prevalent as some years ago, as the fast-food absurdity is gaining ground) to have "worker's restaurants", which are cheap restaurants with very simple menu (that's where "menu du jour" comes from, it means "today's menu") and rather fast service, as they are designed precisely to feed people during their lunch break.

 

[warpus]

This is a thing that really gets me. It is almost impossible to pay money for people to cook you healthy food, while the world is very into both health and eating out. It seems a failure of the market or something.

The market (in North America at least) is rigged. It's designed to be a failure from your pov, as it is not regulated well enough at all.

 

[Bestbank Tiger]

That’s exactly why I keep an eye on what I eat now. Too much hidden sugar in basic stuff.

Crap like sucralose and stevia are even worse. And you really have to watch. There are protein bars (supposedly aimed at fitness bros) with that stuff.

Prepackaged frozen meals have a brutal amount of sodium.

Ideally you have a grocery store near your office or a fridge in the break room. You don't want fast food to be the most convenient option.

 

[Birdjaguar]

If you are going to fix your food, don’t forget to “fix” the chemicals in your life: herbicides, pesticides, plastics, things that add chemical smells to daily activities, etc.

 

[Samson]

things that add chemical smells to daily activities

Are you talking about beans