What is the point of fast food anymore

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So has literally everything. It’s inflation + price gouging.

Fast food isn’t special here. It’s shit quality food. The price went up just like everything. The food quality has always been shit and always will be.

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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.

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Everybody being mean to you, but I ate at the same Chinese joint all my life. Chicken lo mein special was 6 bucks for most of my life.

I ordered the same special a few weeks ago and it was nearly 20 bucks.

After covid the restaurant went downhill as far as cleanliness goes too. For a couple years you’d call in your order and grab your food from a table blocking the door. They only take cash and they trusted the public to pay and then reach into a basket to collect their change. That meant a lot to me so I ate there pretty often.

Once they opened back up though, I went in and the floors didn’t look like they’d been mopped the whole time. I thought, “maybe people were excited to come back and that’s why it’s so dirty.”

Nope. Still hasn’t been mopped.

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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.

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it doesn't need to be complicated. You only need a few ingredients and can buy certain pre-made things like crumbed fish or chicken. If you do it right the first meal takes 30 mins, then eating the same thing again in the next few days should only take 5-10 mins.

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Japan is a cheat code for healthy cheap meals.

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Hey now, those poor businesses need to make up for their profit situation! Even though they have all made record profits year after year... After year...
We will be in a recession once they decide it's time for one.

Buglefingers

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

Sabata

Don't forget about the "meat" wafers on the "burger".

swab148

Get this person a ten-year sitcom deal!

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Exactly. Take three main ingredients and use that as a base, or keep it like that.
For example: rice + tofu + tomatoes.
Another: couscous + chickpeas + green beans.
Simple, quick, easy, and nutritious. Add some flavour with herbs, spices, soy sauce, etc

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This was my exact thought. If you frequent fast food 2-3 times a week, you can substitute meal kits and have fresh cooked food for the same cost and time it takes to leave the house. Once you’ve mastered kits, everything becomes more apparent in recipes, and the world is your oyster.

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Not a country, but Quebec does place the dollar sign after the amount.

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Sure, but then the wait staff expects you to tip at least 20% for simply being given one, and if you don't you're an asshole.

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4 entrees and a side for $100 is supposed to be normal?

2ugly2live

Honestly, it's been a great help reducing take out. It's such a gamble, I'd rather spent nothing on a sure thing (even if it's boring) than nearly $40 for a meal I may not even finish.

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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…

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RIP Stalinwolf

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Sure, but then the wait staff expects you to tip at least 20% for simply being given one, and if you don’t you’re an asshole.

That's the neat part about affordable food, 20% on $10 only means you tip $2.

They bring you the food, refill your water, and serve you on ceramic plates with metal silverware then take your dirty dishes away, no trash. The burger and the fries are way better than McD.

IMO The only FF place you still can't touch is a $6 Taco Bell with the cravings box. It's a huge amount of shitty food for a total of $6, it is super fast and it runs through you super fast.

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The funny thing is that we've hosted like eight exchange students and they all agree that the quality of our fast food is noticeably worse than from the same chain back home, and for way more money after accounting for exchange rates.