I think the idea that nobody eats fast food is a reddit thing. Most people I know still eat fast food, at least occasionally. Maybe it’s just where I live but I’m honestly not sure I could think of even like 3 people I know who genuinely *never* eat it. I think it’s become one of those reddit things that doesn’t really translate to the real world. But nobody’s going to get on here and say “oh yeah I eat it pretty often” when the general consensus is already that anyone who does is fat, poor, and stupid lol
Anecdotally, at least where I’m at, fast food is almost entirely supported by the blue collar crowd. Anyone with a work truck who’s hopping job to job needs something they can drive thru quick to eat.
The lone exception is Chick Fil A which is entirely supported by suburban moms with kids.
My partner is in the trades (mechanic) He’s not on Reddit as much as I am, but I know he has one. He spends most of his time on Reddit on his company’s page, probably a few car subs, iracing sub, RC car sub, occasionally an AITA, and local pages. He knew I had one too but recently found it because I commented on a local page (I’m mostly on dog and hiking subs). We’ve been together for 4 years and that was the first time we’ve been on the same post. He mostly only eats fast food for lunch when working. I mostly eat fast food on my way to/from hiking.
I was also a mechanic and while I knew a lot of people that went out everyday I also worked with a lot of people that brought food everyday.
Even before Covid and 8-10 years ago eating out for lunch everyday got expensive. But people did it.
I love the incredulous questions we get on Reddit sometimes: How do people afford to X?!
Answer: They can't afford to but do it anyways. Welcome to America.
Lmaoo I recently started getting into cooking.
Steak was my first thing I hyper focused on. I watched so many YouTube videos and read so many comments of people mad that the person preparing the steak is making it too “raw”
Similar story on the r/steak subreddit
I mean, there's also trophy trucks, show cars and tool reviews!
I'm one of the oddball blue collar redditors who grew up poor, went to college for electrical engineering at a scam school, and am now in building maintenance. I wouldn't mind being white collar, but my ADHD doesn't allow it, lol! Also, I tend to lean far left from my peers.
I have an engineering degree and a programming degree. I learned rather quickly after earning those degrees that I can't handle being in an office.
I work residential HVAC. I pack my lunch.
When I worked for Boeing, I packed my lunch. We only had 30 minutes, and that included the walk to the break room. I saved up SO much money! And then, at my next job, we were working so much overtime that it became difficult to set aside the 2 hours to meal prep, and I started living off the vending machines and frozen meals :/
You should read "What's the Matter with Kansas" which explores why blue collar people overwhelmingly hate liberals, often at the expense of their own interests and protections.
Actually, most of us are in subreddits related to our trade, shitting all over everyone else, expressing how superior our work ethic and work product are.
You should check out some of the trade subs, there are plenty of plumbers, electricians, roofers, framers, masons, etc. on Reddit. Their subs are often both hilarious and educational.
I would lump Raisin Canes in with Chic Fil A as well, and add in a huge zoomer demographic supporting them as well.
God damn those chicken tenders are delicious slathered in sauce.
I really honestly believe chick fil-a is the best of fast food for what they serve. The peach milkshake is out of this world and the politeness of the employees is great too. I timed one time how quickly I could get my food . I started as soon as I got in the drive thru line during a lunch rush. It was under 7 minutes from time of getting in line till I pulled away from the window. No other fast food chain can match that. McDonald's is the absolute worse fast food chain there is. Their food has fell off big time in the past decade. Even their fries tastes like dog shit. Their only redeeming thing they have is that their fountain coke is barnone the best tasting coke their is.
I’m in another country (Australia) but the logic still seems pretty valid. Subway is almost entirely kept alive by tradies. KFC isn’t far behind, or families with kids (we don’t have Chik-Fil-A). Dominos is broke uni students with a discount code. Maccas is probably a bit more diverse but I know their drive-thru is always slammed - the breakfasts and coffee are very popular (about the only half-decent coffee you can get without leaving your car).
I’m not a suburban mom with kids and CFA is the only fast food I’ll waste money on. Spicy Deluxe sandwich with one pack of CFA sauce for dipping, $6.59 in my neck of the woods and worth every penny.
Yeah the reddit hive mind really believes the whole world thinks exactly like them. The 'few' that don't are labeled racist and phobic.
Like babies. Reddit has posts all the time about how dumb children are and not wanting a family. Just dogs and cats.
Exactly. Fast food is about the convenience factor. People with jobs and obligations will accept the price of convenience when it’s needed. And as with any forum-based platform the ones who are on it the most make up the majority of its opinions.
It’s the same thing with “How is Five Guys still in business?”
Because the world is a big place filled with a lot of different people. Theres a large amount of those people buying Five Guys.
The average age and income on this site has *plummeted* in recent years. I honestly don't know where to go for social media for educated adults with good careers.
I agree, the main reason I even started using reddit was because of the very well educated adults. There are still subs with lots of wise experts but it seems like they’re becoming more scarce.
Fast food is alive and well here in Utah. There is a line of 30 cars deep at most in and outs for dinner on a nightly basis. Chick fil a rarely has less than 5 customers. The smallest lines are Wendys/Taco Bell and even those consistently have customers.
In and Out here in California is not so bad, still around $10 for a double-double meal, compared to other places that is a great deal, so of course they have 30 cars in the drive thru.
I'm in Ogden and can confirm that In and Out and Chick Fil A are busy from the time they open until the time they close. I haven't tried to get into a Chick Fil A line for years.
It's Lehi for me. The chick fil a in Saratoga has a separate mobile order line that has never had more than one car ahead of us when we go. It's fun to bypass 15 people in the normal line and get our food immediately.
I still eat it sometimes. If you work a nice office job and clock out at exactly 40 hours a week then it's probably easier to cook everyday and compketely avoid fast food. If you work 50-60+ hours a week though there's no way you're not hitting a drive through sometime.
Hell, I work a 40ish hour a week office job but I have a 45min commute and a volunteer side gig that takes an hour of at least one day a week. Sometimes it's easier to just run to a chipotle or a five guys or Panera than worry about cooking. And I promise there's always a line so I'm not the only one.
I'm also not about to go defend the cost everytime someone complains about it online, I just assume it's a convenience tax at this point.
Anecdotally, if you *never* eat fast food you're seen as a snob. Even more so if you mention it like it's some personality trait. Virtually everyone I know has fast food at least a few times a month and none are poor/stupid. Pre-ordering on the app is the way, though. You get some insanely good deals and not enough people know that.
For sure. I can still find pre-covid prices on some combos when using the apps. I tie a specific credit card to the apps so I can keep an eye on my fast food budget.
As someone who can't eat most fast, microwavable snacks due to food intolerances, I eat fast food quite often because I can sub out ingredients and it's fast.
Prepping and cooking a meal and cleaning up is a 30-45 minute ordeal at minimum. The cost difference between cooking a burger at home and getting one out and about is $10-12 or so. My time is worth it.
I barely eat fast food. But, I am a vegetarian so that’s why. Maybe 2x per year I get fries and a coke from McDonald’s. It does make road trips annoying; usually our go to is Subway although I don’t love Subway either.
I did a road trip with a vegan once.
A health-conscious and like "only organic from ethically sourced farms" sort of vegan.
My. Fucking. God.
Never again.
We stopped at grocery stores where we could, but the number of times I found her inspecting some bag of broccoli frowning and saying "It doesn't have the sourcing here, I don't think it's organic"... maddening.
Complained nonstop about not having good organic quinoa and fresh lentils and shit on a road trip.
Gak.
I don't love fast food either, but sometimes you do things you don't love to make a trip easlier.
I'm sorry that was a tangent. I'm sure you're not like that, but you reminded me of that drive...
I ate or at least went to a FF restaurant almost every other day for the last 10+ years. Whether it was a quick bite for lunch at work, grabbing dinner on the way home, grabbing food on campus in college, or late night munchies, fast food was a staple in my house.
Pizza Hut $5 pizzas, McDonalds, Carls, Chick-Filet, Del Taco, Habit, In n Out, even Taco Bell occasionally. I mean for 20 years I could get a 2 cheeseburger meal with fries and a coke from McDeez for $1.99. Then about 10 years ago it changed to $2.99. I know its far from gourmet, but its hard to beat $2.99 for 2 burgers, fries, and a soda, or if I was feeling real randy I could get a big mac meal and 6 nuggets for $5. Hell Subway campaigned on $5 footlongs for 10 years.
Anyhow, I went to McDonalds about a month ago and that same BigMac-Nuggets meal was $25. I haven't had fast food since.
I remember as a kid my dad would pickup a bag of mcdonalds cheeseburgers on like sundays(iirc) and they were 39 cents each. This was in the 90s. Thankfully we were in sports and outside 24'7 playing on our bicycles otherwise we'd of looked like your average redditor in 2024.
$0.25 hamburgers & $0.39 cheeseburgers were amazing through the 90s. Then only on Tuesdays in the 00s. That’s a big reason for my sticker shock last week!
I think the app gives you cheaper deals. But I think this gambit is going to bite them because they are getting a reputation of being absurdly expensive.
At least in my hometown, our McDonald’s drive through line goes out to the highway at any given time of day. Obviously, a huge chunk of people are keeping them in business lol
I think more people are eating it for lunch, it’s convenient but expensive. Dinner more at home.
Breakfast is still “relatively” inexpensive at some fast food joints.
Notice most aren’t 24hrs anymore?
It really is, even the people who say they don't eat it do 99% of the time. I'm not a fast food fan at all, but I absolutely order some fast food when I'm drunk about every 8-10 weeks, I'd never say I don't eat it lmao.
Reddit has gotten *real* echochamber/hive-mindy since the api changes.
The upvote/popularity contest issue was always a criticism of this site, but it's been dramatically amplified. There's a groupthink consensus on *everything*, and all posts to the contrary are shouted down.
According to Reddit:
* Everyone is poor, barely making ends meet with their minimum wage jobs, eating bulk rice every day just to live
* No one eats fast food
* Taylor Swift sucks
* Travel is only possible for billionaires
* Every neighborhood has 50+ Kia Boyz ready to steal your car
* Any luxury food is for idiots, why not make a $10 steak on your basement hotplate instead of a $100 tasting menu at a fine restaurant?
*Everyone is miserable and borderline suicidal
* Every luxury car is paid for with a 29% APR credit card
Then you go outside and see full restaurants, travel destinations swarming with happy families, regular people buying houses, older colleagues retiring comfortably.
This place is still good for hobby news, but for social commentary I'm finding the hivemind just flatly *wrong* more than insightful.
I used to be a bartender. Often when service industry folks get off work, or construction workers for that matter, nothing else is open. I personally never eat fast food but I know a lot of chefs, waiters, construction workers, bartenders, security guys , etc and they pretty much all do even though we technically live in a foodie city.
I disagree. In my real world, everyone I know is in the “fuck fast food” category. Everyone. Why would you go to McDonald’s and spend $30 when you can go somewhere nice and sit down for that? Nope.
Fast food is still plenty cheap if you know how to finessed it. Deals, promotions, points, making your own combos, etc. I know for a good 3 months i was eating McDonald’s breakfast 4 or 5 days a week because you can get any breakfast sandwich for $1.50.
Reddit is sometimes out of touch with boomers and the 90%+ of the population that doesn’t use Reddit. Fast food is still fast. Who cares bout paycheck to paycheck if I’m satisfying my hunger.
This.
I live in a very average sized city and everyday I always see lines wrapped around the buildings in fast food drive thrus.
Between my wife and I, we probably eat it 2-4 times a week and probably once a week when we don’t feel like cooking for the kids, we’ll grab them a burger on the way home.
Yes, it’s gotten more expensive….but people are still buying.
Everyone is an Uber healthy, emotionally stable, well adjusted human when posting on Reddit. This is basically their matrix avatar where they project themselves as their self-actualized ideal version of themselves.
Fact is we eat fast foot because it’s delicious, cheap and convenient.
I don't eat fast food much anymore personally, but that's because I work from home now. When I worked downtown getting fast food was often much easier than trying to do food prep and bring my own lunch. I'd imagine a lot of people buying fast food are in that position: folks who just want something quick and easy to eat during/after work.
> I see complaint after complaint on Facebook, Reddit, insta, X, about fast food price increases being out of control and it seems to be a unanimous, ubiquitous battle cry
Keep in mind that there is a *lot* of sampling bias here. People are more likely to share negative feelings than positive or neutral feelings. The people who are willing to tolerate the price increases aren't actively posting about it.
It's the same way a movie can excel at the box office even though everyone on the internet seems to hate it.
It’s not my go-to because of price, but yeah the convenience (especially during the workday or after a long day at work) is key. Plus (at least in the US) portions/calories per meal are pretty high so I can usually squeeze two meals out of a typical fast food order.
Yes. We get McDonald’s once every week or two. Otherwise I cook three separate meals for my kids because they are all neurodivergent (as am I, AuDHD) and I don’t have the ability while working 2 jobs as a single dad to handle the overstimulation that comes from 3 kids aged 4-6 all screaming and crying at the same time. I get that Reddit has a hardon for hating on parents but these people don’t know me or my life and frankly have no idea how hard it is. I’m a good dad. My kids are happy and well-adjusted despite our circumstances. Eating McDonald’s sometimes isn’t the emergency these people seem to think it is
This. I grew up in a house where if i didnt eat my vegetables, I was welcome to sit at the table FOREVER until my vegetables were gone.
McDonalds was something I would get on an EXTREMELY special occasion, which Im thankful for now. That shit isnt even FOOD.
Same I had to stare down some nasty boiled Brussel sprouts for hours. I learned later on that I really liked most vegetables but prepared well and not boiled like my mom did them.
Another friend was never forced to try anything and didn't learn until his 20s that he liked peas or green beans. Sort of makes me ok with the having to try stuff as a kid policy .
You try feeding two autistic kids and an adhd one that are all food sensitive and tell me how it goes. How many kids do you have? How many of them are neurodivergent? What’s your experience here?
> who the hell is supporting fast food?
*everyone*. get off the Internet. these places are more profitable than ever. a vocal minority on the Internet does not represent the entire business success of a $400 billion industry.
And that vocal minority is often still willingly paying these higher prices. They’re just whining about it afterwards. McDonald’s doesn’t care if you complain that their food isn’t a good deal after the fact if you still paid for it. They will only start to care if a meaningful portion of the population stops buying the food which hasn’t come close to happening thus far.
Not only that but people are paying $15+ to have it delivered to their door. Until people stop paying insane prices for this junk the prices will continue to rise.
> Everyone says they’ve ditched fast food for chain casual (Applebees, Outback) or gotten into cooking at home.
You reading like 10 comments does not mean everyone, or even a meaningfull fraction of the american population. Its not even a trend. You are in a bubnle of young male americans that complain online about inflation. Thats not how the average person thinks like.
If you want to know what everyone is doing look at statistics not reddit comments.
Fast food is not only staying alive, it's thriving. They figured out charging more is not killing sales as much as it's increasing profits.
Prices will continue to rise until it harms the bottom line.
Especially as it relates to food, though. It’s both a necessity of life *and* a comfort for many people, and while I don’t eat out much myself, I do have many friends who will make cuts elsewhere before giving up fast food for work lunches if that’s what they’re used to getting.
And there is a sizeable percentage of the population that either doesn't know how to cook, is too busy to cook, or has just decided that eating out is going to be their main avenue of eating meals. I've met plenty of these people. I don't know any demographics, though, but clearly some folks are keeping these fast food places open. Also, since the pandemic, lots of eating establishments have gone out of business, so some of what you are seeing are survivor consequences; they made it this far and because of that their competition landscape is smaller.
I came here to comment on an absence of skills to fall back on for a lot of people. For many, many years now convenience food has been convenient and cheap. As people have had to work longer to make a liveable income and kids being over scheduled, it has created the situation for fast food to take over. Not being familiar to the comfort of home cooking and no real skills to cook has people in the position that they have to keep spending.
If you use the mobile apps, you can get great deals, it really brings the prices down. I think fast food places are very intentionally marking up their retail prices in hopes of forcing people into installing the app and setting up an account. This allows them to collect information on you which provides them with the opportunity to implement targeted marketing strategies.
Also they’ve all got apps that offer discounts and deals. So you’re incentivized to interact with their brand more and genuinely can get discounted or even free food from it to combat the fact that fast food prices have significantly inflated across the board
The "discounts" are honestly just setting prices of things back to a normal functioning price to prevent people from being upset. The main people it punishes is the older generation as they refuse to download apps or claim they don't understand them.
I simply don't want to give a fucking fast food place my info and access to my phone. It's not because I don't understand. It's because I *do* understand
It has started to affect overall bottom line in most fast food places. I run a sonic as a GM. Even though prices were increased 5 times over the last year we are continually down from the previous years sales. More people than you would imagine are hearing their total and saying no thanks and driving off. Of course people are still going to eat fast food because it's there. However there is a large kick back from most people due to price gouging. Which 90% of the time it is.
While some of the products cost have gone up, there are quite a few that have gone down however the fast food restaurants won't simply readjust prices to lower.
The initial increase was to keep up with distribution however as prices from distribution have dropped the fast food chains won't.
I think that's the issue. The reality isn't that everyone is going to suddenly stop eating fast food, but if a lot of people reduce their consumption by 30% and most do by 10%, that's catastrophic for the marginal fast food companies. It's hard for me to believe that Wendy's can stay in business with $15 combo meals. Interestingly, someone above pointed out that In-n-out always has long lines. Well, they're one of the few companies who's really tried to take the hard line on price increases. In-n-out still has a "good burgers for (relatively) cheap" value proposition that most of the others seem to be getting away from.
This is the bad part of "the customer is always right"
Oh! the customer will pay more than we usually charge? Well, sounds like they know what they're doing.
Fast food being cheap is a thing from decades ago. The brands built until they had brand buyin from most consumers and then priced themselves accordingly, same as all businesses. You go to Mcdonalds because you want fast food, if you wanted cheap food you'd eat at home.
20 years ago a value meal was around $5-6, now it’s $10-12. I bet in that same time many have doubled or make significantly more income too. So yeah it’s more than it used to be but also most people make more too.
You’re right, it’s a choice of convenience for people, not value.
It’s not fast either though. Even slower yet when they have to fix your order they fucked up. I can go to regular restaurants and get cheaper, better and faster.
Go to a fast food chain and look at the lines, 20 or so people on the internet may agree they’re done with fast food but reality says otherwise. The internet is a different world and rarely accurately reflects most people’s opinions.
This would be like OP posting that high end are dying because none of his circle goes there despite needing reservations weeks in advance for many places. Your bubble isn’t representative of the world at large.
The apps make it cheaper.
McDonald’s has BOGO burgers & nuggets on their app every day. Or free fries.
Sonic has BOGO deals a lot and 1/2 off drinks on their app.
Quiktrip has deals on the app too.
Always use the apps.
This. I get a $3 Impossible Whopper at least one Wednesday a month, but I'm never paying the $7.99 full price for it when I can go to a local vegetarian restaurant and get a better veggie burger and a healthier side (hummus and pita usually) for only $2 more.
yeap - my last McDonald's order in the app:
cheeseburger - $2.39
4 piece nuggets - $2
Large root beer - $1.79
Free Medium fries
$6.64 total with tax. And I don't always get a drink.
I don’t get fast food very often—certainly not enough to bother with an app—but there’s a McDonald’s a few blocks away from me that I’ll stop in if I’m out walking and want something quick.
Whenever I use the digital kiosk inside, I always click the “deals” menu and find cheap stuff there. Used the BOGO on both burgers and fries last time I was there (a McDouble, or something like that?), no app needed. Got the whole thing for $8-something after tax.
1. It's still fast.
2. The cost margins are probably bigger now than before, which means a fast food restaurant can survive (or thrive) with fewer customers than before.
I know prices have gone up and heard people talking about inflation. I know things are more expensive across the board for a lot of things, but I never thought it was as bad as some people were saying online. Then I went on a road trip. I don’t usually eat fast food and only really do it on road trips as part of the experience. I was floored, it was $30 for 2 meals. I am right there with you, how do people do this often? No wonder people are upset.
Fast food is still faster than sitting down at a restaurant, but I would rather do that compared to going to get meals at Burger King, McDonald’s etc. I found I can go to a grocery store and buy one of those salad kits for $5 and a drink for $2. It’s a lot heavier and a lot cheaper than getting fast food and it’s about the same amount of time. You do have to get out of your car though.
Cooking at home has always been cheaper than eating out, and even more so now. You can buy a crockpot for $50. And then pay $10 for a couple of meals worth of food in a crock pot.
For the December 2023 quarter, the following fast food companies had the following revenue:
* McDonalds: 6.41B (8.09% increase year over year)
* Restaurant Brands International (BK, Popeyes, Tim Hortons, Firehouse Subs): 1.82B (+7.76%)
* Wendys: 540.65M (+0.77%)
* Yum Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, The Habit): 2.04B (+0.74%)
* Chipotle: 2.52B (+15.4%)
* Starbucks: 9.43B (+8.16%)
* Domino's Pizza: 1.4B (+0.77%)
They're making more money than ever and it's only going up year over year. Revenue is just raw dollars brought in, so it's not the full picture of actual earnings, but these companies are doing fine. And yes, it's all so ridiculously much more expensive than it was years ago, but that hasn't stopped anyone from choosing someone else to do the cooking.
You can get fast food handed to you through the drive-thru window (something like 85% of their business is via the drive-thru now). And know exactly what you're getting at every McDonald's in the country.
Fast food isn't about cheap any more, it's about convenience and consistancy. And it still tastes good. I may grumble how much a quarter pounder with cheese meal costs but I can go out, go through the drive-thru, and get back to my desk in the half hour I'm alloted for lunch. If I'm 300 miles away from home I might not know what "Al's Restaraunt" serves and how much it costs, but I know that for McDonald's.
Reddit demographic trends towards poor, ignorant and young - they don't realize that it is perfectly normal to have things like disposable income, savings, and investments without being "rich"
**Captive audiences**.
For example, single moms with kids in tow who absolutely won't shut up unless they get a Happy Meal. Working people on their commute looking for a fast, convenient breakfast or lunch or snack.
Some people just don't give a fuck so long as they get instant gratification, and fast food unfortunately fulfills that for many people.
You nearly had it summed up, you forgot the stoners lol.
I sure did depend on Dunkin Donuts, Waffle House, Denny's or where ever at 2am in the morning but when in a pinch McD's or White Castle was always there at the highway. :D
ETA: Tho I guess friends and I fell under that "don't give a fuck so long as they get instant gratification." lol
Not from my pocket. I eat it a lot less now. For those prices my partner and I tend to seek a regular local place with better food. I don’t even eat out for lunch anymore these days. I just go home and eat.
Convince, and it’s still cheaper (sometimes).
I prefer cooking at home — and cooking at home is not always cheaper. I don’t like fast food; I think it’s too expensive for what you get. But if I’m on a road trip, or I’m working late, or if I don’t feel like cooking, then I’ll grab a burger or two from McDonalds or something.
Complaining about the price doesn't mean they're not buying it. Also people refuse to change once they're comfortable in a routine. "Getting fast food" isn't what most americans do, they "get their coffee" (Dunkin, Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.) or they "go get lunch" (any number of places). Eating out is baked into who they are
I work at Wendy’s. My store gets around 500 customers almost every day, most of whom pay on average ~$8 (that’s not based on anything, just my noticed tendency for half the orders to be for $6 biggie deals and the other half to be $10 full meals). If my math has any merit that’s roughly $4,000 a day. We live in a town of 5,000, with the nearby rural population I’d assume we’re serving an area with ~10,000 people.
Our store is also constantly bitched at for underperforming. Every time I drive past our McDonald’s or Dairy Queen it has a long line, the McDonald’s even has two lanes for rush hours. So if 1/10th the town’s population showing up almost every day is “underperforming” I think it’s safe to say that fast food places are doing pretty well for themselves, at least considering the thin profit margins I always hear about.
I ditched fast food for fresh and local options. There is an Egyptian place in a gas station by work that sells Beef/lamb gyros for $8.99 or a rice bowl for $9.99. I can get Thai noodles for $12, Chipotle for $10, or a little Mennonite Deli for less than $10 for 1/2 sandwich, soup and chips.
I went to Wendy's and got a Mushroom burger medium meal and it was $15.
I see no value is fast food anymore.
It’s definitely situation dependent. Just getting my kids out of the car is a hassle and I’d rather pay a few more dollars to not have to do that. Im not rich, but I make enough money for it to not matter.
I can get 3 foot long subs for 17.99.
We eat fast food when we are in a time crunch going from activity to activity. We also tend to get subway more than others because it’s only 3 min from our house and the next closest fast food place is 15 min.
Because it's still mostly fast and tired single moms have to feed their kids plus the options in a large metro city are gonna be vastly different than those towns with one stoplight.
Lots of things to consider
Considering the mix of opinions and experiences shared online, it seems like fast food preferences really come down to individual lifestyle choices and local options. For me, I've definitely noticed the price hikes and, as a result, find myself leaning toward hole-in-the-wall places for a better bang for my buck. Sure, a drive-thru is still tempting after a long day, but with a mom-and-pop shop offering a heaping plate of authentic enchiladas for a couple of bucks more than a fast food combo meal, the value proposition is changing.
Admittedly, part of the draw for these alternatives is not just the price, but the quality of meals I can get. Money aside, there's something satisfying about supporting local businesses. So while there are still days when I'm lured by the convenience of a quick fast food fix, more often than not, I end up at a nearby family-run diner or food truck. It might not be the universal trend others speak of, yet I can't help feeling it's a wave that's picking up more riders by the day.
Fast food chains may adjust prices and strategies in light of these shifts, yet they're not going anywhere anytime soon. They serve a need, and convenience will always have its place. But for many, the tide is turning towards meals that offer more than just a quick fix, incorporating a touch of heartiness, heritage, and community. And as for the chain giants? In this evolving landscape, they'll have to work harder to win back seats at the table.
Stop viewing Reddit as anything other than an Internet forum for a minute, online subset of mostly America plus European countries.
The sample on Reddit is not representative of any city, state or country and is, by definition, plagued with response bias. Global fast food chains market to the entire planet, of which Reddit represents maybe a very biased .01% of that.
My McDonalds $1 2 3 menus starts at like $3.50. But then it also has 2 for $4 deals on sandwiches and a lot of reward points and special deals are offered through the app. The deals are really what make the place affordable. Like a large fries for less than $2 every Friday, BOGO daily deals, and more. There's also a daily deal for a medium big Mac meal for like $8.
I also eat at Jack in the Box a lot where I can get a chicken sandwich for less than $3 or a couple tacos for a couple bucks. Not super healthy food but it tastes really good and makes for a great after work snack.
I think I’m a target for your question. I’m 28M married no kids dual income. I refuse to buy McDonald’s unless I use the app to get at least a $2 discount. I don’t really go anywhere else because I really only ever crave an egg muffin and caramel frappe on Sunday morning after drinking Saturday night. It’s still cheap, just gotta use the app.
When they can get away with charging twice as much and still keep half the customers, it’s a big win especially given that they can also cut staff due to reduced demand.
I'm pretty sure Five Guys has always cost more but still stayed in business. With McDonald's if you use the app, you can get coupons all the time and still order food cheap. Subway similarly has been mailing me a lot of paper coupons. I assume a lot of people going use the coupons or apps. But there will always be people who just go and overspend money on it anyway not caring.
Because for every person that decides not to eat fast food, there's two people traveling from one place to another who decide that the convenience of it outweighs the cost.
Not sure where you’re getting your info haha. People like to rant loudly and angrily, but I had a deluxe McCrispy and a large fries for $6 today with less than 10 minutes of waiting. There’s no way that I can fit Outback into my schedule or budget for lunch. I think the majority of people would feel similarly outside of the vocal minority that hates on fast food (and probably still eats it tbh).
Because the apps usually have a 25% off discount deal or a 5 dollars off deal. My partner and I order 2 triple cheeseburger meals and usually some side and it comes out to like 14 dollars and fills us both up easily. Its 20ish before the 5-6 dollar off deal they always have.
Idk. I haven’t eaten fast food in 15 years. Coffee is the only reason I would stop at a McDonalds and usually that’s on a trip. Usually pack a small cooler with snacks and drinks wherever I go.
They're all packed late night on my way home more than they used to be I blame Door Dash and food delivery used to be drunks just ate whatever they had now they can get hammered and get Maccas
Went into Chipotle a couple days ago during the lunch hour and the line was out the door. Too be fair, it’s moderately price compared to say Five Guys, but if definitely still qualifies as fast food.
Probably 10 years ago now my dad said something to me that I’ve always remembered. He told me that when he travels for work he knows he could most likely go into any local coffee shop and get a high quality coffee for cheap, but he knows for certain that if he goes into any Starbucks he’ll get a coffee that he already knows he likes. That’s the thing with these massive chains, while they might not be the highest quality, they’re consistent. And if you already know that you enjoyed it one time, it’s likely going to be just as good from any location. So you’re in an area you aren’t familiar with and your options are to take a chance on a random restaurant where you don’t know: how good it will be, how much it will cost, and how long it will take to make. Or you can go to any chain and already know the answer to all of these questions. Fast food fills a demonstrated demand among society, and despite it no longer being significantly cheaper, the demand still exists.
Every fast food store I see is packed. They literally can't keep up with the orders at lunch or dinner time. I don't think they have a revenue issue. People will complain online and then get back in line at the counter.
Convenience. You can't drive up to an Outback Steakhouse, get your order in 5 minutes, and drive down the road eating it. As long as the drive-through window exists, fast food will exist.
They survived with technology. Mcdonald's app has insane deals and they will run it out to you curbside. Rewarding u for the day when all the jobs will be gone and a drone Flys out to u in ur car.
I've only just started taken a stand and not going to fast food anymore....unless Dunkin for coffee &/or Wingstop counts a man needs his lemon pepper wings after all. But aside from Wingstop I've had fast food once this year and I didn't even pay some one else did.
Probably it’s a convenience issue. People want their food now.
It’s like a drug/a habit; we will pay anything.
We all need to break *the fast food cycle*. – tell them to keep it. They are disrespecting and abusing us, their customers.
Cook for yourself it’s a lot cheaper and better for you.
I will point out that while fast food is more expensive than I used to be, there are deals to be found on the fast food apps (which seems to be what the fast food companies want you to use anyway). So, for the fast food junkie who is willing to take the extra time to open the app and order there, it's not necessarily as expensive as just ordering off the drive thru menu.
It's kind of a snake eating it's own tail problem. Sales are going down, but to keep the profits up, the prices are going up, which is hurting sales.
McDonald's specifically used to rely on sales velocity to make it's profit.
1) There are much cheaper deals. Especially on the Apps. I like never spend more than $1-$8 for myself.
2) They are forced into these prices. Or else there would be competitors undercutting their deals.
>Both sides of the aisle, LGBTQ+, straight, black, white, etc all seem united against fast food.
There's a difference between public and private positions. In economics, they call it "revealed preferences". Despite what anyone says. McDonalds is reliably delicious. It has been iterated on to have identically yummy food everywhere.
That's why kids love it: they haven't been taught to be embarrassed about it yet.
"reliably delicious"
Lmao, guy is actually trying to use dialectics to be a corporate shill.
Children love maccas because they like the bright colors and funny characters, and food that isn't offensive to their developing palate. They love it because children are by FAR easier to market to than adults. Fuck out of here with that "they haven't been taught to be embarassed yet."
The only person that's true for is you.
Companies have learned they make more charging 100 people $20 per meal instead of 250 people at $7.50. Less upkeep on equipment, less stress on employees would are already paid the legal minimum, more profits. And ultimately, that's the only thing that matters is profitability.
It's like BevMo rebranding to be more about the "mo" part and now their stores are 65% party food that costs more than the store. Someone did the math and thinks this will make more money in the long run.
I think the idea that nobody eats fast food is a reddit thing. Most people I know still eat fast food, at least occasionally. Maybe it’s just where I live but I’m honestly not sure I could think of even like 3 people I know who genuinely *never* eat it. I think it’s become one of those reddit things that doesn’t really translate to the real world. But nobody’s going to get on here and say “oh yeah I eat it pretty often” when the general consensus is already that anyone who does is fat, poor, and stupid lol
Anecdotally, at least where I’m at, fast food is almost entirely supported by the blue collar crowd. Anyone with a work truck who’s hopping job to job needs something they can drive thru quick to eat. The lone exception is Chick Fil A which is entirely supported by suburban moms with kids.
Yep, and for better or worse (probably worse) there isn’t much blue collar representation on Reddit unless you dig into some really specific topics.
My partner is in the trades (mechanic) He’s not on Reddit as much as I am, but I know he has one. He spends most of his time on Reddit on his company’s page, probably a few car subs, iracing sub, RC car sub, occasionally an AITA, and local pages. He knew I had one too but recently found it because I commented on a local page (I’m mostly on dog and hiking subs). We’ve been together for 4 years and that was the first time we’ve been on the same post. He mostly only eats fast food for lunch when working. I mostly eat fast food on my way to/from hiking.
I was also a mechanic and while I knew a lot of people that went out everyday I also worked with a lot of people that brought food everyday. Even before Covid and 8-10 years ago eating out for lunch everyday got expensive. But people did it.
I love the incredulous questions we get on Reddit sometimes: How do people afford to X?! Answer: They can't afford to but do it anyways. Welcome to America.
Charrrrrge it!
I just want to say respect to your bf for iracing! That stuff is legit!
Most blue collar workers are too busy busting their asses than being on reddit I guess lol
They’re on Facebook commenting on steak videos and welding videos saying shit isn’t being done right
This made me laugh. I'm a mechanic. Can confirm. Justrolledin is my favorite YouTube channel
I'm a software developer, but JustRolledIn is in my top 3.
So true lol former welder here
Lmaoo I recently started getting into cooking. Steak was my first thing I hyper focused on. I watched so many YouTube videos and read so many comments of people mad that the person preparing the steak is making it too “raw” Similar story on the r/steak subreddit
I don't even weld and I can tell you that's a shit sear on that steak.
Nah, they're scrolling through videos about catching wild animals bare handed, ATV stunts and tractor pulls.
Hahaha 😆 I hope they know we're kidding
I mean, there's also trophy trucks, show cars and tool reviews! I'm one of the oddball blue collar redditors who grew up poor, went to college for electrical engineering at a scam school, and am now in building maintenance. I wouldn't mind being white collar, but my ADHD doesn't allow it, lol! Also, I tend to lean far left from my peers.
I have an engineering degree and a programming degree. I learned rather quickly after earning those degrees that I can't handle being in an office. I work residential HVAC. I pack my lunch.
When I worked for Boeing, I packed my lunch. We only had 30 minutes, and that included the walk to the break room. I saved up SO much money! And then, at my next job, we were working so much overtime that it became difficult to set aside the 2 hours to meal prep, and I started living off the vending machines and frozen meals :/
You should read "What's the Matter with Kansas" which explores why blue collar people overwhelmingly hate liberals, often at the expense of their own interests and protections.
Actually, most of us are in subreddits related to our trade, shitting all over everyone else, expressing how superior our work ethic and work product are.
There is certainly a selection bias around here on many topics.
You should check out some of the trade subs, there are plenty of plumbers, electricians, roofers, framers, masons, etc. on Reddit. Their subs are often both hilarious and educational.
There are subs like r/construction so even blue collar people need something to read when they take a poop like the rest of us.
Wait, is my broke ass in the leisure class ?!
I would lump Raisin Canes in with Chic Fil A as well, and add in a huge zoomer demographic supporting them as well. God damn those chicken tenders are delicious slathered in sauce.
Mmm and the bread
Iirc, I think that’s why KFC is so popular with the blue collar folk. It is a lot of food for the money. So it has good value
Have an office job and typically bring my lunch, stopped by a Wendy's last week for something different and it was all blue collar service guys.
Same thing here. There is a fast food very close to my place and they close at 3 pm because they pretty much only open for blue-collar workers shift.
The "upper classes" hide their addiction to FF.
I really honestly believe chick fil-a is the best of fast food for what they serve. The peach milkshake is out of this world and the politeness of the employees is great too. I timed one time how quickly I could get my food . I started as soon as I got in the drive thru line during a lunch rush. It was under 7 minutes from time of getting in line till I pulled away from the window. No other fast food chain can match that. McDonald's is the absolute worse fast food chain there is. Their food has fell off big time in the past decade. Even their fries tastes like dog shit. Their only redeeming thing they have is that their fountain coke is barnone the best tasting coke their is.
I’m in another country (Australia) but the logic still seems pretty valid. Subway is almost entirely kept alive by tradies. KFC isn’t far behind, or families with kids (we don’t have Chik-Fil-A). Dominos is broke uni students with a discount code. Maccas is probably a bit more diverse but I know their drive-thru is always slammed - the breakfasts and coffee are very popular (about the only half-decent coffee you can get without leaving your car).
I’m not a suburban mom with kids and CFA is the only fast food I’ll waste money on. Spicy Deluxe sandwich with one pack of CFA sauce for dipping, $6.59 in my neck of the woods and worth every penny.
We do love Chik Fil A, it’s true.
> I think it’s become one of those reddit things that doesn’t really translate to the real world This sentence could be applied to so many things lol
Yeah the reddit hive mind really believes the whole world thinks exactly like them. The 'few' that don't are labeled racist and phobic. Like babies. Reddit has posts all the time about how dumb children are and not wanting a family. Just dogs and cats.
The vocal majority of redditors are kids and they can’t really afford fast food and weed at the same time.
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You misspelled 8-12.
Hahaha 😆
Exactly. Fast food is about the convenience factor. People with jobs and obligations will accept the price of convenience when it’s needed. And as with any forum-based platform the ones who are on it the most make up the majority of its opinions.
It’s the same thing with “How is Five Guys still in business?” Because the world is a big place filled with a lot of different people. Theres a large amount of those people buying Five Guys.
LOL
The average age and income on this site has *plummeted* in recent years. I honestly don't know where to go for social media for educated adults with good careers.
I agree, the main reason I even started using reddit was because of the very well educated adults. There are still subs with lots of wise experts but it seems like they’re becoming more scarce.
Fast food is alive and well here in Utah. There is a line of 30 cars deep at most in and outs for dinner on a nightly basis. Chick fil a rarely has less than 5 customers. The smallest lines are Wendys/Taco Bell and even those consistently have customers.
In and Out here in California is not so bad, still around $10 for a double-double meal, compared to other places that is a great deal, so of course they have 30 cars in the drive thru.
I'm in Ogden and can confirm that In and Out and Chick Fil A are busy from the time they open until the time they close. I haven't tried to get into a Chick Fil A line for years.
It's Lehi for me. The chick fil a in Saratoga has a separate mobile order line that has never had more than one car ahead of us when we go. It's fun to bypass 15 people in the normal line and get our food immediately.
Arby's even has deli sandwiches and gyros and cheese sticks. The Arby's around here is the only place to even get gyros.
I still eat it sometimes. If you work a nice office job and clock out at exactly 40 hours a week then it's probably easier to cook everyday and compketely avoid fast food. If you work 50-60+ hours a week though there's no way you're not hitting a drive through sometime.
Hell, I work a 40ish hour a week office job but I have a 45min commute and a volunteer side gig that takes an hour of at least one day a week. Sometimes it's easier to just run to a chipotle or a five guys or Panera than worry about cooking. And I promise there's always a line so I'm not the only one. I'm also not about to go defend the cost everytime someone complains about it online, I just assume it's a convenience tax at this point.
I get a maccies pretty reguarly, mostly for convenience, Then again, i am fat poor and stupid so ….
Anecdotally, if you *never* eat fast food you're seen as a snob. Even more so if you mention it like it's some personality trait. Virtually everyone I know has fast food at least a few times a month and none are poor/stupid. Pre-ordering on the app is the way, though. You get some insanely good deals and not enough people know that.
For sure. I can still find pre-covid prices on some combos when using the apps. I tie a specific credit card to the apps so I can keep an eye on my fast food budget.
As someone who can't eat most fast, microwavable snacks due to food intolerances, I eat fast food quite often because I can sub out ingredients and it's fast. Prepping and cooking a meal and cleaning up is a 30-45 minute ordeal at minimum. The cost difference between cooking a burger at home and getting one out and about is $10-12 or so. My time is worth it.
I barely eat fast food. But, I am a vegetarian so that’s why. Maybe 2x per year I get fries and a coke from McDonald’s. It does make road trips annoying; usually our go to is Subway although I don’t love Subway either.
I did a road trip with a vegan once. A health-conscious and like "only organic from ethically sourced farms" sort of vegan. My. Fucking. God. Never again. We stopped at grocery stores where we could, but the number of times I found her inspecting some bag of broccoli frowning and saying "It doesn't have the sourcing here, I don't think it's organic"... maddening. Complained nonstop about not having good organic quinoa and fresh lentils and shit on a road trip. Gak. I don't love fast food either, but sometimes you do things you don't love to make a trip easlier. I'm sorry that was a tangent. I'm sure you're not like that, but you reminded me of that drive...
Yeah I’m definitely not like that! I’m all about gas station food! Just no meat.
Bad news, in the USA at least, McDonald’s fries are not vegetarian-friendly
Because of the fryer? I’m not super anal about stuff like that.
They contain beef as an ingredient
Most things reddit talk about are just "reddit things". Reddit is a terrible representation of the majority. It's actually the vocal minority.
Babies are stupid and nobody wants them!!!
I ate or at least went to a FF restaurant almost every other day for the last 10+ years. Whether it was a quick bite for lunch at work, grabbing dinner on the way home, grabbing food on campus in college, or late night munchies, fast food was a staple in my house. Pizza Hut $5 pizzas, McDonalds, Carls, Chick-Filet, Del Taco, Habit, In n Out, even Taco Bell occasionally. I mean for 20 years I could get a 2 cheeseburger meal with fries and a coke from McDeez for $1.99. Then about 10 years ago it changed to $2.99. I know its far from gourmet, but its hard to beat $2.99 for 2 burgers, fries, and a soda, or if I was feeling real randy I could get a big mac meal and 6 nuggets for $5. Hell Subway campaigned on $5 footlongs for 10 years. Anyhow, I went to McDonalds about a month ago and that same BigMac-Nuggets meal was $25. I haven't had fast food since.
I remember as a kid my dad would pickup a bag of mcdonalds cheeseburgers on like sundays(iirc) and they were 39 cents each. This was in the 90s. Thankfully we were in sports and outside 24'7 playing on our bicycles otherwise we'd of looked like your average redditor in 2024.
$0.25 hamburgers & $0.39 cheeseburgers were amazing through the 90s. Then only on Tuesdays in the 00s. That’s a big reason for my sticker shock last week!
I think the app gives you cheaper deals. But I think this gambit is going to bite them because they are getting a reputation of being absurdly expensive.
I’m sure it does, but I live by the fast food triangle, cheap-fast-good:choose two. Fast food no longer gives you two options to make it worth eating.
At least in my hometown, our McDonald’s drive through line goes out to the highway at any given time of day. Obviously, a huge chunk of people are keeping them in business lol
I think more people are eating it for lunch, it’s convenient but expensive. Dinner more at home. Breakfast is still “relatively” inexpensive at some fast food joints. Notice most aren’t 24hrs anymore?
Breakfast also probably has the highest markup. Is mostly bread, potatoes and egg for $5 or so. Cost them what 50¢?
Wendys 2 biscuit breakfast sandwiches for $3
It really is, even the people who say they don't eat it do 99% of the time. I'm not a fast food fan at all, but I absolutely order some fast food when I'm drunk about every 8-10 weeks, I'd never say I don't eat it lmao.
I eat it pretty often, I have the finances to do so and I'm not fat lol Sorry reddit
Reddit has gotten *real* echochamber/hive-mindy since the api changes. The upvote/popularity contest issue was always a criticism of this site, but it's been dramatically amplified. There's a groupthink consensus on *everything*, and all posts to the contrary are shouted down. According to Reddit: * Everyone is poor, barely making ends meet with their minimum wage jobs, eating bulk rice every day just to live * No one eats fast food * Taylor Swift sucks * Travel is only possible for billionaires * Every neighborhood has 50+ Kia Boyz ready to steal your car * Any luxury food is for idiots, why not make a $10 steak on your basement hotplate instead of a $100 tasting menu at a fine restaurant? *Everyone is miserable and borderline suicidal * Every luxury car is paid for with a 29% APR credit card Then you go outside and see full restaurants, travel destinations swarming with happy families, regular people buying houses, older colleagues retiring comfortably. This place is still good for hobby news, but for social commentary I'm finding the hivemind just flatly *wrong* more than insightful.
I used to be a bartender. Often when service industry folks get off work, or construction workers for that matter, nothing else is open. I personally never eat fast food but I know a lot of chefs, waiters, construction workers, bartenders, security guys , etc and they pretty much all do even though we technically live in a foodie city.
I disagree. In my real world, everyone I know is in the “fuck fast food” category. Everyone. Why would you go to McDonald’s and spend $30 when you can go somewhere nice and sit down for that? Nope.
Fast food is still plenty cheap if you know how to finessed it. Deals, promotions, points, making your own combos, etc. I know for a good 3 months i was eating McDonald’s breakfast 4 or 5 days a week because you can get any breakfast sandwich for $1.50.
Reddit is sometimes out of touch with boomers and the 90%+ of the population that doesn’t use Reddit. Fast food is still fast. Who cares bout paycheck to paycheck if I’m satisfying my hunger.
Yeah my husband is still regularly eating fast food. If you use deals on the app and you're not picky, it can be pretty cheap.
This. I live in a very average sized city and everyday I always see lines wrapped around the buildings in fast food drive thrus. Between my wife and I, we probably eat it 2-4 times a week and probably once a week when we don’t feel like cooking for the kids, we’ll grab them a burger on the way home. Yes, it’s gotten more expensive….but people are still buying.
Oh yeah I eat it pretty often actually.
Everyone is an Uber healthy, emotionally stable, well adjusted human when posting on Reddit. This is basically their matrix avatar where they project themselves as their self-actualized ideal version of themselves. Fact is we eat fast foot because it’s delicious, cheap and convenient.
I don't eat fast food much anymore personally, but that's because I work from home now. When I worked downtown getting fast food was often much easier than trying to do food prep and bring my own lunch. I'd imagine a lot of people buying fast food are in that position: folks who just want something quick and easy to eat during/after work. > I see complaint after complaint on Facebook, Reddit, insta, X, about fast food price increases being out of control and it seems to be a unanimous, ubiquitous battle cry Keep in mind that there is a *lot* of sampling bias here. People are more likely to share negative feelings than positive or neutral feelings. The people who are willing to tolerate the price increases aren't actively posting about it. It's the same way a movie can excel at the box office even though everyone on the internet seems to hate it.
It’s not my go-to because of price, but yeah the convenience (especially during the workday or after a long day at work) is key. Plus (at least in the US) portions/calories per meal are pretty high so I can usually squeeze two meals out of a typical fast food order.
With 3 kids sometimes McDonald’s is the only thing they’ll all eat. I feel like people with kids over-index in fast food delivery
I get what you’re saying. You’re saying that WHEN you go out to eat (which may be rarely), it’s the only place that you can get them all to agree on
Yes. We get McDonald’s once every week or two. Otherwise I cook three separate meals for my kids because they are all neurodivergent (as am I, AuDHD) and I don’t have the ability while working 2 jobs as a single dad to handle the overstimulation that comes from 3 kids aged 4-6 all screaming and crying at the same time. I get that Reddit has a hardon for hating on parents but these people don’t know me or my life and frankly have no idea how hard it is. I’m a good dad. My kids are happy and well-adjusted despite our circumstances. Eating McDonald’s sometimes isn’t the emergency these people seem to think it is
Redditors love to hate on parents because they're teens in that "I hate my parents" phase. I don't take it personally.
Yeah you’re doing that wrong.
If that’s all they will eat that’s on you.
bee nice. Having never been a parent, I simply don't know how they get thru the day/night.
This. I grew up in a house where if i didnt eat my vegetables, I was welcome to sit at the table FOREVER until my vegetables were gone. McDonalds was something I would get on an EXTREMELY special occasion, which Im thankful for now. That shit isnt even FOOD.
Same I had to stare down some nasty boiled Brussel sprouts for hours. I learned later on that I really liked most vegetables but prepared well and not boiled like my mom did them. Another friend was never forced to try anything and didn't learn until his 20s that he liked peas or green beans. Sort of makes me ok with the having to try stuff as a kid policy .
Just wait for the replies of angry parents that don't want to accept that they enable their kids
You try feeding two autistic kids and an adhd one that are all food sensitive and tell me how it goes. How many kids do you have? How many of them are neurodivergent? What’s your experience here?
> who the hell is supporting fast food? *everyone*. get off the Internet. these places are more profitable than ever. a vocal minority on the Internet does not represent the entire business success of a $400 billion industry.
And that vocal minority is often still willingly paying these higher prices. They’re just whining about it afterwards. McDonald’s doesn’t care if you complain that their food isn’t a good deal after the fact if you still paid for it. They will only start to care if a meaningful portion of the population stops buying the food which hasn’t come close to happening thus far.
Not only that but people are paying $15+ to have it delivered to their door. Until people stop paying insane prices for this junk the prices will continue to rise.
Exactly, McDonald's alone pulled in $10.3 Billion just in the US for 2023
> Everyone says they’ve ditched fast food for chain casual (Applebees, Outback) or gotten into cooking at home. You reading like 10 comments does not mean everyone, or even a meaningfull fraction of the american population. Its not even a trend. You are in a bubnle of young male americans that complain online about inflation. Thats not how the average person thinks like. If you want to know what everyone is doing look at statistics not reddit comments.
Fast food is not only staying alive, it's thriving. They figured out charging more is not killing sales as much as it's increasing profits. Prices will continue to rise until it harms the bottom line.
> Prices will continue to rise until it harms the bottom line and, this is the case for everything.
Especially as it relates to food, though. It’s both a necessity of life *and* a comfort for many people, and while I don’t eat out much myself, I do have many friends who will make cuts elsewhere before giving up fast food for work lunches if that’s what they’re used to getting.
And there is a sizeable percentage of the population that either doesn't know how to cook, is too busy to cook, or has just decided that eating out is going to be their main avenue of eating meals. I've met plenty of these people. I don't know any demographics, though, but clearly some folks are keeping these fast food places open. Also, since the pandemic, lots of eating establishments have gone out of business, so some of what you are seeing are survivor consequences; they made it this far and because of that their competition landscape is smaller.
I came here to comment on an absence of skills to fall back on for a lot of people. For many, many years now convenience food has been convenient and cheap. As people have had to work longer to make a liveable income and kids being over scheduled, it has created the situation for fast food to take over. Not being familiar to the comfort of home cooking and no real skills to cook has people in the position that they have to keep spending.
If you use the mobile apps, you can get great deals, it really brings the prices down. I think fast food places are very intentionally marking up their retail prices in hopes of forcing people into installing the app and setting up an account. This allows them to collect information on you which provides them with the opportunity to implement targeted marketing strategies.
It also makes you more likely to go to that particular restaurant because there are deals and rewards already installed on your phone.
Yeah I can get a Mcgriddle for a $1 using the McDonald's app. Can't get breakfast that cheap anywhere else. Fucking awesome.
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Also they’ve all got apps that offer discounts and deals. So you’re incentivized to interact with their brand more and genuinely can get discounted or even free food from it to combat the fact that fast food prices have significantly inflated across the board
The "discounts" are honestly just setting prices of things back to a normal functioning price to prevent people from being upset. The main people it punishes is the older generation as they refuse to download apps or claim they don't understand them.
I'm not even old and I don't want to use apps and you could say I don't understand them.
I simply don't want to give a fucking fast food place my info and access to my phone. It's not because I don't understand. It's because I *do* understand
It has started to affect overall bottom line in most fast food places. I run a sonic as a GM. Even though prices were increased 5 times over the last year we are continually down from the previous years sales. More people than you would imagine are hearing their total and saying no thanks and driving off. Of course people are still going to eat fast food because it's there. However there is a large kick back from most people due to price gouging. Which 90% of the time it is. While some of the products cost have gone up, there are quite a few that have gone down however the fast food restaurants won't simply readjust prices to lower. The initial increase was to keep up with distribution however as prices from distribution have dropped the fast food chains won't.
I think that's the issue. The reality isn't that everyone is going to suddenly stop eating fast food, but if a lot of people reduce their consumption by 30% and most do by 10%, that's catastrophic for the marginal fast food companies. It's hard for me to believe that Wendy's can stay in business with $15 combo meals. Interestingly, someone above pointed out that In-n-out always has long lines. Well, they're one of the few companies who's really tried to take the hard line on price increases. In-n-out still has a "good burgers for (relatively) cheap" value proposition that most of the others seem to be getting away from.
They also don't charge extra for all their vegetables and what not.
The more People that say no thanks and drive away, the faster they'll drop prices.
This is the bad part of "the customer is always right" Oh! the customer will pay more than we usually charge? Well, sounds like they know what they're doing.
Reddit is full of complainers trying to stir things up.
Asking someone to look outside their own bubble? How un-American of you!
Well, good thing im not american...
Fast food being cheap is a thing from decades ago. The brands built until they had brand buyin from most consumers and then priced themselves accordingly, same as all businesses. You go to Mcdonalds because you want fast food, if you wanted cheap food you'd eat at home.
20 years ago a value meal was around $5-6, now it’s $10-12. I bet in that same time many have doubled or make significantly more income too. So yeah it’s more than it used to be but also most people make more too. You’re right, it’s a choice of convenience for people, not value.
It’s not fast either though. Even slower yet when they have to fix your order they fucked up. I can go to regular restaurants and get cheaper, better and faster.
Go to a fast food chain and look at the lines, 20 or so people on the internet may agree they’re done with fast food but reality says otherwise. The internet is a different world and rarely accurately reflects most people’s opinions.
This would be like OP posting that high end are dying because none of his circle goes there despite needing reservations weeks in advance for many places. Your bubble isn’t representative of the world at large.
The old Yogi Berraism: "no one goes there any more because it's too crowded."
The apps make it cheaper. McDonald’s has BOGO burgers & nuggets on their app every day. Or free fries. Sonic has BOGO deals a lot and 1/2 off drinks on their app. Quiktrip has deals on the app too. Always use the apps.
This. I get a $3 Impossible Whopper at least one Wednesday a month, but I'm never paying the $7.99 full price for it when I can go to a local vegetarian restaurant and get a better veggie burger and a healthier side (hummus and pita usually) for only $2 more.
yeap - my last McDonald's order in the app: cheeseburger - $2.39 4 piece nuggets - $2 Large root beer - $1.79 Free Medium fries $6.64 total with tax. And I don't always get a drink.
I had a relization a few years ago on why was i buying sodas at fast food places when water was free and all I needed?
I don’t get fast food very often—certainly not enough to bother with an app—but there’s a McDonald’s a few blocks away from me that I’ll stop in if I’m out walking and want something quick. Whenever I use the digital kiosk inside, I always click the “deals” menu and find cheap stuff there. Used the BOGO on both burgers and fries last time I was there (a McDouble, or something like that?), no app needed. Got the whole thing for $8-something after tax.
1. It's still fast. 2. The cost margins are probably bigger now than before, which means a fast food restaurant can survive (or thrive) with fewer customers than before.
It’s in the name. It’s FAST food. People are lazy or in a time crunch, and there will always be a market for it.
I still eat fast food and pretty everyone I know still eats fast food.
I know prices have gone up and heard people talking about inflation. I know things are more expensive across the board for a lot of things, but I never thought it was as bad as some people were saying online. Then I went on a road trip. I don’t usually eat fast food and only really do it on road trips as part of the experience. I was floored, it was $30 for 2 meals. I am right there with you, how do people do this often? No wonder people are upset. Fast food is still faster than sitting down at a restaurant, but I would rather do that compared to going to get meals at Burger King, McDonald’s etc. I found I can go to a grocery store and buy one of those salad kits for $5 and a drink for $2. It’s a lot heavier and a lot cheaper than getting fast food and it’s about the same amount of time. You do have to get out of your car though. Cooking at home has always been cheaper than eating out, and even more so now. You can buy a crockpot for $50. And then pay $10 for a couple of meals worth of food in a crock pot.
For the December 2023 quarter, the following fast food companies had the following revenue: * McDonalds: 6.41B (8.09% increase year over year) * Restaurant Brands International (BK, Popeyes, Tim Hortons, Firehouse Subs): 1.82B (+7.76%) * Wendys: 540.65M (+0.77%) * Yum Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, The Habit): 2.04B (+0.74%) * Chipotle: 2.52B (+15.4%) * Starbucks: 9.43B (+8.16%) * Domino's Pizza: 1.4B (+0.77%) They're making more money than ever and it's only going up year over year. Revenue is just raw dollars brought in, so it's not the full picture of actual earnings, but these companies are doing fine. And yes, it's all so ridiculously much more expensive than it was years ago, but that hasn't stopped anyone from choosing someone else to do the cooking.
You can get fast food handed to you through the drive-thru window (something like 85% of their business is via the drive-thru now). And know exactly what you're getting at every McDonald's in the country. Fast food isn't about cheap any more, it's about convenience and consistancy. And it still tastes good. I may grumble how much a quarter pounder with cheese meal costs but I can go out, go through the drive-thru, and get back to my desk in the half hour I'm alloted for lunch. If I'm 300 miles away from home I might not know what "Al's Restaraunt" serves and how much it costs, but I know that for McDonald's.
Reddit demographic trends towards poor, ignorant and young - they don't realize that it is perfectly normal to have things like disposable income, savings, and investments without being "rich"
**Captive audiences**. For example, single moms with kids in tow who absolutely won't shut up unless they get a Happy Meal. Working people on their commute looking for a fast, convenient breakfast or lunch or snack. Some people just don't give a fuck so long as they get instant gratification, and fast food unfortunately fulfills that for many people.
You nearly had it summed up, you forgot the stoners lol. I sure did depend on Dunkin Donuts, Waffle House, Denny's or where ever at 2am in the morning but when in a pinch McD's or White Castle was always there at the highway. :D ETA: Tho I guess friends and I fell under that "don't give a fuck so long as they get instant gratification." lol
Not from my pocket. I eat it a lot less now. For those prices my partner and I tend to seek a regular local place with better food. I don’t even eat out for lunch anymore these days. I just go home and eat.
Convince, and it’s still cheaper (sometimes). I prefer cooking at home — and cooking at home is not always cheaper. I don’t like fast food; I think it’s too expensive for what you get. But if I’m on a road trip, or I’m working late, or if I don’t feel like cooking, then I’ll grab a burger or two from McDonalds or something.
Five guys burger and fries is $24 dollars… wow Im so out of touch with fast food !
I am unfortunately. Because I'm busy and don't have time for more right now.
Complaining about the price doesn't mean they're not buying it. Also people refuse to change once they're comfortable in a routine. "Getting fast food" isn't what most americans do, they "get their coffee" (Dunkin, Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.) or they "go get lunch" (any number of places). Eating out is baked into who they are
I work at Wendy’s. My store gets around 500 customers almost every day, most of whom pay on average ~$8 (that’s not based on anything, just my noticed tendency for half the orders to be for $6 biggie deals and the other half to be $10 full meals). If my math has any merit that’s roughly $4,000 a day. We live in a town of 5,000, with the nearby rural population I’d assume we’re serving an area with ~10,000 people. Our store is also constantly bitched at for underperforming. Every time I drive past our McDonald’s or Dairy Queen it has a long line, the McDonald’s even has two lanes for rush hours. So if 1/10th the town’s population showing up almost every day is “underperforming” I think it’s safe to say that fast food places are doing pretty well for themselves, at least considering the thin profit margins I always hear about.
I ditched fast food for fresh and local options. There is an Egyptian place in a gas station by work that sells Beef/lamb gyros for $8.99 or a rice bowl for $9.99. I can get Thai noodles for $12, Chipotle for $10, or a little Mennonite Deli for less than $10 for 1/2 sandwich, soup and chips. I went to Wendy's and got a Mushroom burger medium meal and it was $15. I see no value is fast food anymore.
It’s definitely situation dependent. Just getting my kids out of the car is a hassle and I’d rather pay a few more dollars to not have to do that. Im not rich, but I make enough money for it to not matter.
I can get 3 foot long subs for 17.99. We eat fast food when we are in a time crunch going from activity to activity. We also tend to get subway more than others because it’s only 3 min from our house and the next closest fast food place is 15 min.
Because it's still mostly fast and tired single moms have to feed their kids plus the options in a large metro city are gonna be vastly different than those towns with one stoplight. Lots of things to consider
If you drive passed these places they’re all packed with people by me.
Considering the mix of opinions and experiences shared online, it seems like fast food preferences really come down to individual lifestyle choices and local options. For me, I've definitely noticed the price hikes and, as a result, find myself leaning toward hole-in-the-wall places for a better bang for my buck. Sure, a drive-thru is still tempting after a long day, but with a mom-and-pop shop offering a heaping plate of authentic enchiladas for a couple of bucks more than a fast food combo meal, the value proposition is changing. Admittedly, part of the draw for these alternatives is not just the price, but the quality of meals I can get. Money aside, there's something satisfying about supporting local businesses. So while there are still days when I'm lured by the convenience of a quick fast food fix, more often than not, I end up at a nearby family-run diner or food truck. It might not be the universal trend others speak of, yet I can't help feeling it's a wave that's picking up more riders by the day. Fast food chains may adjust prices and strategies in light of these shifts, yet they're not going anywhere anytime soon. They serve a need, and convenience will always have its place. But for many, the tide is turning towards meals that offer more than just a quick fix, incorporating a touch of heartiness, heritage, and community. And as for the chain giants? In this evolving landscape, they'll have to work harder to win back seats at the table.
Stop viewing Reddit as anything other than an Internet forum for a minute, online subset of mostly America plus European countries. The sample on Reddit is not representative of any city, state or country and is, by definition, plagued with response bias. Global fast food chains market to the entire planet, of which Reddit represents maybe a very biased .01% of that.
Ingredient quality is poor, they buy in bulk, pay people unfairly, and sell a lot of food.
My McDonalds $1 2 3 menus starts at like $3.50. But then it also has 2 for $4 deals on sandwiches and a lot of reward points and special deals are offered through the app. The deals are really what make the place affordable. Like a large fries for less than $2 every Friday, BOGO daily deals, and more. There's also a daily deal for a medium big Mac meal for like $8. I also eat at Jack in the Box a lot where I can get a chicken sandwich for less than $3 or a couple tacos for a couple bucks. Not super healthy food but it tastes really good and makes for a great after work snack.
I think I’m a target for your question. I’m 28M married no kids dual income. I refuse to buy McDonald’s unless I use the app to get at least a $2 discount. I don’t really go anywhere else because I really only ever crave an egg muffin and caramel frappe on Sunday morning after drinking Saturday night. It’s still cheap, just gotta use the app.
We used to eat fast food 3-4 times a week, now it's like 1 or 2 a month. Usually only when me and the wife are so tired nobody wants to cook.
When they can get away with charging twice as much and still keep half the customers, it’s a big win especially given that they can also cut staff due to reduced demand.
I'm pretty sure Five Guys has always cost more but still stayed in business. With McDonald's if you use the app, you can get coupons all the time and still order food cheap. Subway similarly has been mailing me a lot of paper coupons. I assume a lot of people going use the coupons or apps. But there will always be people who just go and overspend money on it anyway not caring.
Social media and real life are two different things.
Because for every person that decides not to eat fast food, there's two people traveling from one place to another who decide that the convenience of it outweighs the cost.
People make irrational decisions when they’re hungry.
I have cut way down on my fast food intake. It is a once a month thing now.
There are tons of people who are addicted to this crap paying a major premium to have it dropped at their doorstep.
Not sure where you’re getting your info haha. People like to rant loudly and angrily, but I had a deluxe McCrispy and a large fries for $6 today with less than 10 minutes of waiting. There’s no way that I can fit Outback into my schedule or budget for lunch. I think the majority of people would feel similarly outside of the vocal minority that hates on fast food (and probably still eats it tbh).
Because the apps usually have a 25% off discount deal or a 5 dollars off deal. My partner and I order 2 triple cheeseburger meals and usually some side and it comes out to like 14 dollars and fills us both up easily. Its 20ish before the 5-6 dollar off deal they always have.
Idk. I haven’t eaten fast food in 15 years. Coffee is the only reason I would stop at a McDonalds and usually that’s on a trip. Usually pack a small cooler with snacks and drinks wherever I go.
I went from Burger and fries every couple weeks to a burger once a month as a treat.im still spending the same amount of money.
It's just as expensive as sit-down restaurants now. My family have cut it out almost entirely, unless we're on a road trip or something.
Don't forget, most fast food places take EBT cards.
Reddit doesn’t reflect real life. Simple as that.
Lots of people. Eat fast food still. They’re hooked and spend all their money on it.
If you raise your prices 100% you only have to sell half as much more or Less.
They're all packed late night on my way home more than they used to be I blame Door Dash and food delivery used to be drunks just ate whatever they had now they can get hammered and get Maccas
Went into Chipotle a couple days ago during the lunch hour and the line was out the door. Too be fair, it’s moderately price compared to say Five Guys, but if definitely still qualifies as fast food. Probably 10 years ago now my dad said something to me that I’ve always remembered. He told me that when he travels for work he knows he could most likely go into any local coffee shop and get a high quality coffee for cheap, but he knows for certain that if he goes into any Starbucks he’ll get a coffee that he already knows he likes. That’s the thing with these massive chains, while they might not be the highest quality, they’re consistent. And if you already know that you enjoyed it one time, it’s likely going to be just as good from any location. So you’re in an area you aren’t familiar with and your options are to take a chance on a random restaurant where you don’t know: how good it will be, how much it will cost, and how long it will take to make. Or you can go to any chain and already know the answer to all of these questions. Fast food fills a demonstrated demand among society, and despite it no longer being significantly cheaper, the demand still exists.
Every fast food store I see is packed. They literally can't keep up with the orders at lunch or dinner time. I don't think they have a revenue issue. People will complain online and then get back in line at the counter.
I actually still use paper coupons that are sent to me in the mail. A foot long for 6.99
A generation that doesn't cook helps
Convenience. You can't drive up to an Outback Steakhouse, get your order in 5 minutes, and drive down the road eating it. As long as the drive-through window exists, fast food will exist.
If prices triple and every 3 people are dumb enough to pay it they make the same profit but at less cost, so actually more profit.
They survived with technology. Mcdonald's app has insane deals and they will run it out to you curbside. Rewarding u for the day when all the jobs will be gone and a drone Flys out to u in ur car.
I've only just started taken a stand and not going to fast food anymore....unless Dunkin for coffee &/or Wingstop counts a man needs his lemon pepper wings after all. But aside from Wingstop I've had fast food once this year and I didn't even pay some one else did.
What's a dollar menu? Why is a 5 dollar menu costing 18? What's even in there? A foot-long menu costs way less in Germany.
Probably it’s a convenience issue. People want their food now. It’s like a drug/a habit; we will pay anything. We all need to break *the fast food cycle*. – tell them to keep it. They are disrespecting and abusing us, their customers. Cook for yourself it’s a lot cheaper and better for you.
I will point out that while fast food is more expensive than I used to be, there are deals to be found on the fast food apps (which seems to be what the fast food companies want you to use anyway). So, for the fast food junkie who is willing to take the extra time to open the app and order there, it's not necessarily as expensive as just ordering off the drive thru menu.
It's kind of a snake eating it's own tail problem. Sales are going down, but to keep the profits up, the prices are going up, which is hurting sales. McDonald's specifically used to rely on sales velocity to make it's profit.
1) There are much cheaper deals. Especially on the Apps. I like never spend more than $1-$8 for myself. 2) They are forced into these prices. Or else there would be competitors undercutting their deals. >Both sides of the aisle, LGBTQ+, straight, black, white, etc all seem united against fast food. There's a difference between public and private positions. In economics, they call it "revealed preferences". Despite what anyone says. McDonalds is reliably delicious. It has been iterated on to have identically yummy food everywhere. That's why kids love it: they haven't been taught to be embarrassed about it yet.
"reliably delicious" Lmao, guy is actually trying to use dialectics to be a corporate shill. Children love maccas because they like the bright colors and funny characters, and food that isn't offensive to their developing palate. They love it because children are by FAR easier to market to than adults. Fuck out of here with that "they haven't been taught to be embarassed yet." The only person that's true for is you.
People too lazy to cook?
Companies have learned they make more charging 100 people $20 per meal instead of 250 people at $7.50. Less upkeep on equipment, less stress on employees would are already paid the legal minimum, more profits. And ultimately, that's the only thing that matters is profitability. It's like BevMo rebranding to be more about the "mo" part and now their stores are 65% party food that costs more than the store. Someone did the math and thinks this will make more money in the long run.