• solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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    4 months ago

    nobody ever went to mcdonald’s because it’s “good” but because it was cheap and fast

    now it’s none of those 3 things. no reason to go there at all. that applies to most other fast food shit too.

      • thermal_shock@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        it was a franchise choice for that community. not to defend mcdonalds, but this happens, just not usually by genocidal groups.

        “In regard to the news that McDonald’s in Israel was donating meals. We affirm that it was an individual decision on their part,” McDonald’s franchise in Saudi Arabia said in a statement. “Neither global McDonald’s nor us nor any other country had a role or relationship with that decision, neither directly nor indirectly.”

        McDonald’s is a global chain but its franchises are often owned locally and operate autonomously.

        McDonald’s Corp declined to comment but a source close to the company in the U.S. said the Israel franchise was an independent business that licensed McDonald’s brand. The source said it’s not unusual for franchisees to engage with their local communities when they are in need.

        • Kalysta@lemm.ee
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          4 months ago

          Honestly? I don’t care if it was just a local franchise. Corporate HQ can force local franchises to stop this if they want to stay open.

          Plus, the food is shit. There are better places to eat.

        • roboto@feddit.org
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          4 months ago

          I recommend eating McDonald’s every day to support your beloved genocidal friends. The more you eat McDonald’s, the better for the IOF. They really need your support in eating as much McDonald’s as you can!

    • Atrichum@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      When big mac is made right, and the ingredients haven’t been sitting around all day, it’s pretty dang good. Even their basic hamburgers.

      • DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz
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        4 months ago

        Trusting that the underpaid and overworked employee is going to deliver a “pretty good” burger from a fast food joint isn’t a gamble many people are willing to make anymore. And I don’t blame those employees at all.

      • Artyom@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        Have you ever had a cheeseburger at a real restaurant in your life? This is a serious question.

        • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Depends where you are from. Food standards are higher in Europe, McDonalds can’t use cardboard for their burgers. Has to be actual beef.

          McDonalds isn’t as hated in the UK or Europe as it is in America.

          • sushibowl@feddit.nl
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            4 months ago

            I’m from Europe, and this doesn’t match my experience. McDonald’s is bottom tier fast food. Probably KFC is worse, but that’s about it.

            In general, to me it always seemed like Americans value fast food and chain restaurants way higher than Europeans.

            • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              I think there’s some wiggle room on “bottom tier,” but yeah, it’s down there somewhere. I dont think KFC is worse, not in my experience. but regardless of this, the meat is real in the UK (at least) and across Europe (at most).

              Your individual tastes are subjective. I was arguing that the quality difference of a mcdonalds burger and a restaurant burger is not as big a chasm as OP made out. I’ve worked in plenty of restaurants, and many buy their burgers from the same suppliers that fast food places buy from. It’s the same meat in a different setting. In fact, I used to order food for a whitbread chain restaurant and a greene king chain restaurant, and a lot of it came from the same manufacturers. But people would swear by the quality of the more upmarket whitbread restaurant over the cheaper greene king one.

              • SRo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                4 months ago

                Doesn’t help that the meat is real when the patty is 2mm thick. McD is so shit it’s ridiculous.

              • sushibowl@feddit.nl
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                4 months ago

                Your individual tastes are subjective. I was arguing that the quality difference of a mcdonalds burger and a restaurant burger is not as big a chasm as OP made out.

                I agree that they are basically the same meat from the same cows, but in my opinion there is still a big quality difference due mainly to preparation. A McDonald’s beef patty is too thin, too homogeneous, and overcooked. The lack of flavour is the result of optimizing for cooking speed.

                If you are willing to wait 5-15 minutes for your burger to be cooked you can achieve dramatically better results from the same cow.

            • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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              4 months ago

              If every business has to keep to certain food standards, then McDonalds will still be bottom tier as they are in every other region. But the quality is still higher because every other business is too.

            • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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              4 months ago

              Mcdonald’s food in Europe is at least edible though. It’s not necessarily high quality but it’s not as bad as American to seem to make out.

              Not that I really eat there very often because to be honest there are better places, but the existence of better places does not necessarily mean they’re terrible. Just not as good as the better places.

              They may very well be bottom tier but the whole ladder is higher up in Europe.

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            Where I’m from in NorthEast US

            • Taco Bell is absolute bottom, is not food
            • KFC is mostly chicken skin and fat
            • McDonalds is bottom tier that’s actual food

            I don’t go to any of them willingly.

            Minimum acceptable fast food

            • Chipotle
            • Five Guys
            • Panera

            Then again, on road trips, I generally stick with whatever swill paid to be in rest areas, so I don’t have to get off the highway

    • rekorse@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Only reason to go there now is because they’ve tricked my kids into being addicted to it.

    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Hole-in-the-wall ethnic food shops/take out are the way. If you want 'murican fast food, you gotta break the bank… but find a little family owned taqueria that does their shit right and you can stuff your face with the best tacos you’ve ever eaten for like $3. Highly dependent on your local options ofc, so keep an eye out.

      In my experience, the sketchier the restaurant looks, the better the food is.

        • Ms. ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml
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          4 months ago

          And if it’s a front the food might still be awesome because it’s some rando doing their home cooking to cosplay as a restaurant worker

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          4 months ago

          Does this pretty much imply that if it looks shady and stays in business, but the food is shite, then then business is a front for money laundering or other criminal activities? Because there is this absolutely trash Mexican place near where I live and it’s always dead (no business) and the food is suspiciously bad like “the refried beans are dry and look like they’ve been sitting out for days” kind of bad. And this place has been “in business” for like 15 years.

          • Soggy@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            It could also be a hobby business to keep someone’s spouse/family busy and out of the house.

          • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            There’s a Bosnian place right next to an amazing Mexican place we like to go to. The Bosnian place always has people coming and going, but never staying for more than 5 minutes, and never walking out with food in hand. I’m pretty sure it’s a front.

          • Croquette@sh.itjust.works
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            4 months ago

            Yes. Otherwise there wouldn’t be any point in keeping it open.

            Restaurants have notoriously thin margins, so to stay in business 15 years, something shady is happening most likely.

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        4 months ago

        I was amazed to find out the chicken place I order from looked nice (for a sketchy hole in the wall ethnic food place). $30 CAD for two or three days worth of INCREDIBLY good chicken and fries

        Like seriously, it was dying mall food court sketchy when I expected, “…You killed the health inspector with a pan to the head didn’t you?” sketchy

      • almar_quigley@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        You absolutely can get great American food from a hole in the wall. Also, I’m not sure why you had to say ‘murican as if our food has something wrong with it. Just a weird flex. I’m lucky to live in a city with a plethora of food trucks all around and you can get pretty much any kinda cuisine for cheaper than fast food joints.

      • PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        In Louisiana some of the best fried chicken and other Cajun food is in gas stations. Not even joking. It’s usually small towns, but there are some around NOLA and other cities, too.

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          4 months ago

          Best fried chiicken i ever had was at a gas station in the middle of nowhere off ther interstate in Mississippi.

          • ElegantBiscuit@lemm.ee
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            4 months ago

            One of my best fried chicken experiences was a $5 fried chicken buffet somewhere in rural Kentucky near Lincoln’s birth home.

        • nomous@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Those breaded skewers with chicken/pickle/onion/potato you can get at roadside stations down in the MS delta area are absolutely incredible and I love them. Any time I’m passing through there I have to find some.

        • Jerkface@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          What is Dick’s charging these days? My local equivalent burger joint has a double with fries for just over $8. Easily the best I can do around here.

          • somethingsnappy@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            $8.10. Their advertised base wage ($21/hr) must be lower than their actual base wage. I saw a posted at location janitorial position with a $23/hr start.

          • travysh@lemm.ee
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            4 months ago

            $5.30 for a deluxe, $2.80 for fries.

            Dick’s and a taco truck in the same area ($2.50/taco) are my go to cheap but delicious lunch options.

      • catloaf@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        I wish we had those around here. Even the hole-in-the wall Indian places start their plates at like $12. It’s absurd.

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      4 months ago

      Cheap food is still out there, but it’s not corporate food.

      Corporations put profit above all, which is anathema to how every successful chain became successful. Whatever mechanism they had to stresamline production, negotiate with vendors, push addition products (would you like fries with that?), their primary goal was always consistency and value. You know what to expect, and it’s worth the money.

      You’ll find that now in local diners, in food trucks, in cafes, and in small restaurants where they value good food over profit, but you won’t find it at most chain restaurants.

      • nomous@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Food trucks are hit or miss. The food can be OK but the ones here tend to be very overpriced for the quality.

        Someone else mentioned ethnic places which have become my go to for good, cheap food. There’s a gyro place near me where you can get a gyro and fries for like $7. It takes 5 minutes and the food is fresh.

        • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          BBQ trucks tend to be way overpriced in my experience. But that may be biased because I make damn good BBQ. I have friends that ask me to make food for their birthday parties, diaper parties, bachelor parties etc. paying $12-15 for a sloppy mess of a pulled pork sandwich with no taste other than the sauce is absolutely unacceptable. That being said, I’m far enough away from any BBQ “hub” that nobody here knows what good BBQ is.

    • Bye@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Taco Bell still has $1.25 bean and rice burritos where I live. It’s like 400 calories so it’s a pretty good deal.

        • Zorsith
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          4 months ago

          They aren’t even cheap anymore, damn near $2+ basic bitch tacos. I can go elsewhere and get a street taco (with multiple meat options) for a buck that’s actually flavorful and warmer than room-temp, and that’s in fucking Ohio

      • ArxCyberwolf@lemmy.ca
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        4 months ago

        Not here! The burritos at Taco Bell here are outrageous. A single bean burrito is 4.50CAD. The 7-layer? 8 BUCKS. The Grilled Cheesy? Fuck you, over ten dollars for a single burrito. A burrito that isn’t heated right, has all the ingredients separated into disgusting pockets of single ingredient, and makes you feel terrible after eating them.

        And mind you, these aren’t even combos. This is just one burrito.

        • GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk
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          4 months ago

          UK Taco Bell is somehow worse.

          They seem to be trying to trade on the novelty/name, because there is no chance I’m paying £8 for a taco the size of a hamburger.

    • Mereo@lemmy.ca
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      I assume you are North American, look for small ethnic food shops. You will find better food at a cheaper price.

  • ef9357@lemmy.sdf.org
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    4 months ago

    Notice they are too embarrassed to post their prices online. To see the price, you have to put the item in the cart then use some bs 3rd party app. WTF McDs?

    • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      “If you have to ask the price, then you can’t afford it” happening in a McDonald’s, while people are out here financing a pizza from Dominos. It’s like we lost the Cold War.

      • ours@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        That’s too insanely dystopian for anybody in sci-fi to have predicted it.

        The closest would be Demolition Man having Taco Bell (or Pizza Hut) as fancy dining. But they imagined the chain upping its game when it gained monopoly. How naive.

      • rekorse@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Warning! This definitely reads like a taco bell add but I just really appreciate taco bell for having food for vegans and not price gouging like the rest did.

        Hard disagree, if you learn what to order and how to customize your food.

        Fat ass burritos for 3.50 are not a bad deal imo, and I regularly make my own burritos at home.

        They have some trap items to avoid for sure, but the staples are still cheap. Hard shell and soft shell, rice and bean burritos, nacho fries are sort of in the middle price wise, etc.

        They are the easiest place for me to make a vegan order from hands down, they actually label shit on their order tablets. They have some freebies that are totally worth it some people never find out about because they order at the speaker exclusively. Fresco replaces cheese and dairy with a pico de gallo, you can toast most regular burritos, and even though its extra you can add nearly anything into anything for super cheap.

        Im actually not sure if I’m scamming them somehow because choosing their cheapest items and modifying is always cheaper than buying the same thing but premade. Not in any rush to ask about it either.

        • ArxCyberwolf@lemmy.ca
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          4 months ago

          No, they absolutely price gouge. A 7-layer burrito here is 8 bucks before tax, just the burrito alone. They don’t have anything that’s actually cheap here in Canada, and I can get much better for the same price. Their “vegan” options here are also basically just their regular burritos with beans, and are just as ridiculously overpriced. It’s bottom-tier garbage food at way-too-high prices for what you get.

          • rekorse@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            What is Canada doing to make taco bell so expensive. I’ll have to check next time I go, I know some of their menu items are poorly priced for sure but I just avoid them. 8$ for a burrito I’d be shocked to see at my local one though.

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              4 months ago

              I wish I had a better answer than just “pure and unchecked greed”, but that’s what’s most likely. They can’t even be considered the “cheap” option anymore and the quality isn’t any better to make up for the increased prices.

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                3 months ago

                Well at least burritos and tacos are stupid easy to make. I make a bean and rice and tomatoes mix in rice cooker all together. But yeah thats a bummer taco bell is awful near you, they’ve been great for me especially with the vegan friendly menu. Is it possible its only cheap if you avoid meat and dairy? Maybe thats the trick.

                • ArxCyberwolf@lemmy.ca
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                  3 months ago

                  The vegan friendly stuff is the same price as their beef equivalents here. Taco Bell in Canada is obnoxious.

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    4 months ago

    Honestly, I’m amazed people still go there to eat. The food was never really good, but at least it used to be fast and cheap. But these days, it’s neither anymore. McDonald’s is now more expensive than the gourmet burger places in my city; that feels insane.

    • Serinus@lemmy.world
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      It always takes a year or two for the business to really feel it. First, it takes consumers awhile to visit and realize the prices are so high. Most people aren’t going to McDonald’s every week. And sometimes it takes a few visits before they really notice the sting.

      Eventually, the place just gets a reputation for being pricey, and people slowly stop going. But it’s a frog in a boiling pot thing, and of course the executives search for any other reason besides their own pricing decisions from 18 months ago.

      Have you ever noticed in those surveys they always ask “what can we do better?” And the answers usually don’t include “be cheaper”.

        • Serinus@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Another reason it “can’t be pricing”. Look, these locations are doing fine. What’s wrong with yours? Clearly the problem lies with local management and, clearly, vitally, not with executive decisions.

  • Muffi@programming.dev
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    4 months ago

    I’m so glad that I live in a big city, where there are hundreds of awesome small burger joints that sell better quality burgers at a much lower price.

  • carvine1@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Oh wow… Increased prices resulted in people going else where… Who would have seen that coming 🤔

    • Empricorn@feddit.nl
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      I mean, you’re half right. Yeah, it’s gotten expensive, but it’s now expensive for McDonald’s-quality food. It’s not the worst of the worst, but you can easily find better quality food cheaper.

  • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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    4 months ago

    the only fast food that didnt go stupid during covid in my area … quality, price or service… seemed to be five guys

    i think its the simple menu plus it was already quite expensive, and so i assume they are paying a fair wage to keep good people.

        • calabast@lemm.ee
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          Yeah but you put a “please stop reading now” gap before your first line, and the one where you said they were already expensive.

          I know I’m being a bit tongue in cheek, but I had to reply because I literally did the same thing your replier did. I read your first line, and my immediate thought was “wait, aren’t they already expensive?” And I felt compelled to stop reading and immediately see if any replies confirmed that. And then I saw YOUR reply saying you already said they were expensive, and I had to go back to read the second half of your comment.

          So yeah, not really my proudest moment, or a good sign for how the Internet is affecting attention spans… But I think that’s what happened.

          (If I can make ANY defence for myself and your replier, it’s that your first sentence initially says five guys didn’t give in to gouging like other joints, which might imply that five guys has lower prices than the restaurants that raised their prices. So maybe we stopped reading because we thought we knew where you were heading.)

    • Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world
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      5 guys is insane where I live. $45 for 1 double hamburger, med drink, 1 kids hamburger, med drink and a med fry to share. I stopped going to 5 guys after that one a few months ago.

    • randon31415@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      I would go to five guys if one of them would put in a drive thru. Drive thru food and ambiance but as a sit down restaurant? Why?

        • LordKitsuna@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          A drive-thru would be a disaster, their average turnaround time on orders is like five plus minutes drive-thrus need to be able to be pushed out in generally under 2 minutes.

          I feel like people forget that they don’t pre-cook their burgers. Drive-thru’s only work because a lot of the food is pre-made based on popularity and just sits under a warmer

          • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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            they don’t pre-cook their burgers

            this is a great point… But… we are post-covid. i would bet a non-insignificant percent of their orders are now ‘pre-ordered’ unlike before

          • adarza@lemmy.ca
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            4 months ago

            culvers isn’t quick service either, but they do it.

            you order, pay, and if there’s a line behind you (there always is), you get a number, pull ahead and park. they bring it out.

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              I feel like that’s stretching the definition of drive-thru. I guess you still don’t need to get out of your car but it feels like curbside delivery with extra steps

              • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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                4 months ago

                Also, Culver’s has a tendency to turn their burger patties into weapons by overcooking them. If they make them right, they’re amazing. If they burn them, they’re worth more as throwing stars than as food.

  • Gork@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    Last month, the head of its US operations formally responded to the complaints with an open letter to customers, saying social media was painting an inaccurate picture. He said the average price of a Big Mac in the US, which is now $5.29 (£4.11), was up 21% since 2019 - roughly in line with the pace of inflation - and many items had risen by less.

    Sure, place the blame on anyone but themselves.

    $5.29 is ridiculous for a Big Mac, which is super tiny.

    • megopie
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      4 months ago

      Especially because that’s just the sandwich, not a side and a drink. A combo meal is like 10.15$

      I’m sorry but the quality of the food does not justify 10 dollars.

      For comparison, I remember in Berlin not even 5 years ago I got a currywurst with fries and a drink for 3.60 € (about 3.90$), and in London I got an absolute mound of fish and chips with peas for like 6.50 £ (about 8$). Both of these I got as much or way more food than a Big Mac combo and they were much better quality.

      • GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk
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        I won’t defend McDonald’s, but you’ll struggle to get fish for under £7-8 now, and the chips are £2-3.

        In the south, at least.

    • TastyWheat@lemmy.world
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      I think you hit the nail on the head there. Even if they were to lower the prices, they’ll just make the fucking burgers even smaller.

      Does anyone remember how much bigger the Big Mac was in the 90’s? Shrinkflation is everywhere.

  • Nougat@fedia.io
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    I think we have two classes of “fast food” now. The higher class places like Five Guys, Poke Bros, Panera are going to cost you more, and you’re not going to go there every day (or even every week), but they’re pretty damned good.

    The OG fast food places - McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr., Arby’s, Taco Bell - they’re just not good enough to command the higher prices that the new class of fast food can. Not to mention that the quality of all of those chains has declined dramatically in the last decade. Obvious drop in quality plus increase in price, people notice that.

    • citrusface@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Except you can get a Duo meal for $7 at Panera that’s soup sandwhich and chips and that’s 3$ cheaper than McDonald’s

      • Organichedgehog@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Lol no you can’t. I didn’t believe you, so I checked. $11.79, and that’s for mostly cheaper options of the pick 2 (broccoli cheddar + frontega chicken). And I live in Missouri, where shit’s cheap.

        • citrusface@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Sorry, they are called Duets, not duos. They still come with apple/bread/chips. You cant sub anything out, but it’s still a good portion for healthier fast food option.

            • citrusface@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              They must have gone up in the past few months. It was 6.99 last I got them I thought. Oh well! Still cheaper than a big mac or whopper

              • Organichedgehog@lemmy.world
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                4 months ago

                Last time I tried to get fast food was like 2 or 3 months ago. I went to Taco Bell, saw that the beefy 5 layer burrito was like $4.50, and just left the drive through. Fuck all that

                • citrusface@lemmy.world
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                  4 months ago

                  Taco Bell is my go to - I am vegetarian so my opinions are slim. But for $7 I can’t get a crunch wrap with black beans, a cheesey bean and rice burrito, and a fiesta potato and a drink with thier app combo. Then after every other meal (like every to weeks) I get a bonus something. So. Yeah, I only mess with the build your own cravings box… 9 dollars for 3 tacos and a drink is ridiculous.

      • thesohoriots@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I’ve never met an Panera that has everything in stock, so you’re going to be making a second or third line choice. One of your items is guaranteed to be out. Regular sandwiches, god knows why, are $14.

        • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          I used to love Panera back in high school, which was early 2000’s. As someone who hung out with friends at a movie theater on weekends it was the best place to eat at in the same strip mall. I still remember getting sandwiches for $4 or $5 at the time. If I was in high school today there is no way I could eat there, and if I could I also couldn’t justify spending that much. I feel like they are scrambling as well, changing a lot, making products worse, adding items nobody wants, just trying to hit big with one of them. My wife really wanted to try the new caprese sandwich they have, we were dying when she got it and all you saw was bread… when she opened it up there was like 1 slice of tomato and 1 slice of mozzarella and it was the saddest sandwich I’ve ever seen. I thought it was hilarious until I realized we paid over $10 for that joke…

          Sharing the pic so everyone else can join in on the laugh. Bad sandwich

          • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            My biggest gripe with them is they always add one hipster element that totally ruins the sandwich. Oh you want a high end grilled cheese? How about we put a blackberry reduction in that bitch? Grilled chicken sandwich? Why not try one with our new habanero peach marmalade?

    • ulkesh@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Sadly the Panera here has become garbage. The staff were seemingly wholly replaced, they look unhappy all the time, the food and ingredients have shrunk, and now you have to hope you hear them call your name so you can go pick up your food from a completely different counter (they used to bring it to your table which was a nice perk of going there), or stand around like an idiot for 10 minutes while your kid or significant other holds a table for you. And to top it off, the cinnamon roll changed again.

      I don’t mind not having the food brought to me, but they could at least give us the hockey pucks again to alert us when the food is ready. Perhaps that’s just this specific store.

      I used to love Panera. Maybe somewhere it’s still good.

  • ulkesh@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Definitely don’t work to make the “food” better, yeah, just price gouge like every other company now.

    No loss for me since I don’t go there anyway. But my childhood weeps a little for the good ole days.

    • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      McDonald’s may be shit but at least they’re generally consistent. I know what I’m getting when I go there. And (for me at least) it’s a quick fix if I end up coming home late and don’t feel like cooking. The issue is cheap shit is supposed to be cheap. 5 years ago I could get a burger and fries and water for 4-5 bucks. Now it’s almost 9.

      • MadBigote@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Their consistency is sadly what made me buy McD at every country I was in Europe last year. At some point I got tired of.the food I could find there, and just gave up and bought a Big Mac meal at least once per country.

          • MadBigote@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I was backpacking, so my budget was right. McD was a way to treat myself without regretting spending too much money on something disappointing, and I did find disappointing food in Europe. Mainly in Germany, and the UK.

            Convenience store food was great in Switzerland, though.

        • baru@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          McDonald’s is not consistent though. A hamburger can often be flimsy thin. I don’t get why you’d go there. There are enough fast food options with lower prices. McDonald’s is often really terrible.

          • MadBigote@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I always had a close restaurant nearby. I did try KFC in London, and boy was that a terrible experience! Food was too salty and the place I bought it from was so freaking dirty. It was close to Waterloo station.

        • EnderMB@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          It’s fucking ridiculous that you’re downvoted for this. Consistency is why so many of these businesses succeed!

          You can go to McDonald’s practically anywhere in the world and not be surprised by what you get. That’s a really fucking hard problem to solve, especially when suppliers aren’t obviously the same worldwide.

          It’s why people go to Starbucks. You can go anywhere and get a coffee that isn’t the best, but is consistent and somewhat enjoyable, over trying the local barista that might use some fancy coffee you might not like, or charge a ton for a thimble of coffee that barely wakes you up/is like liquid crack.

          There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting something that is familiar.

          • MadBigote@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I can understand if other people had different experiences with McD: in the same trip I tried to buy KFC: in London to be precise, and it was the worst experience ever. The food was salty, and the place was so freaking dirty, loud and unpleasant. Still I find McD the most consistent fast food choice. That, and maybe Burger King.

            I’ll be visiting Japan next year. My opinion may change after that.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Maybe I should congratulate you on being there long enough for that to happen.

          A few years back I had a work trip to Singapore. It was a great experience and memorable in many ways. However the worst part is the client decided to “treat” me to familiar food and bought Pizza Hut. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I didn’t go halfway around the world to visit a different culture to experience my own country’s fast food

          • MadBigote@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I’m from Mexico. The difference with the US is that in Mexico we actually season our food ( :P ).

            But yes, I believe the difference was that I was actually expecting something more than just “edible” in Europe. I bought a beelinese in fucking Berlin, for God sake, and it was the most boring piece of bread I’ve tasted, and I got it in Berlin! Where the bread is from! And it taste like cardboard. I found a nice beelinese in Switzerland, though, and the best part is that I bought it at a convenience store lol.

            I tried Currywurst as well, and it was just a sausage with ketchup and curry powder?!? WTF it reminded me to the cheap food I had to eat while being a broke college student. How in the hell is Currywurst something people want to eat?!? There was a queue and the place was a well-known venue… For a freaking sausage with ketchup!

            I also had the worst pasta I’ve ever had in Europe. I can’t believe that being so close to Italy their pasta is so bland. I tried a local Italian “restaurant” to treat my and my SO, and lol the food was bad. It was ok for us, though. It was a hot meal for once, and the portions were great, but by no means I could call it “Italian food”.

            At some point we got tired of wasting our money on “eating local” and opted for what we knew for a fast meal…

        • VerdantSporeSeasoning@lemmy.ca
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          4 months ago

          I got the $5 meal deal the other night. Dr Pepper for my drink was an upcharge. I’m not sure what drink is supposed to come with it then.

            • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              Water is a chemical. It is composed DihydrogenOxyde, which is a very polar molecule, allowing it to dissolve a huge number of other chemicals. Anyway, I’m sure it’s dangerous and they can only add soda flavoring to it in order to reduce its effects on thirst.

              It is well documented that every person alive today will die just hours from drinking this chemical. And as you know, everyone who has ever lived died hours or days after the consumption of water. There are only few chemicals more potent that can claim such numbers. One of them is Argon.

              • TheOakTree@lemm.ee
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                4 months ago

                Studies show that 100% of serial killers have Dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) in their bodies while committing murder!

                • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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                  4 months ago

                  Don’t you find it weird looking at all the moms at the park, with their kids, all of them consuming DHMO? Yeah. In plain light of day. And the police don’t care, they drink it too!

  • c4lm@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I feel like lately fast food has lost its appeal.

    It isn’t that fast any more, the service has gone done hill (habbitually checking orders now, because they’re often wrong) and the prices are a joke.

  • CaptSneeze@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    The bigger reason I don’t go to McDonald’s is because of the self serve kiosks they’ve forced on us instead of paying people to run the registers.

    Price is still a reason though, so I’m glad they are at least considering that as well.

    • _number8_@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      i don’t get why people complain about this – i’d so so much rather type my order in myself, see what’s in everything, make modifications easily, etc without having to talk to someone. get those workers on the line and help ease the load on the kitchen

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        4 months ago

        They didn’t “get those workers on the line” though. They fired them. Fuck McDonalds, and FUCK ANY BUSINESS that forces these fucking things on us. I’m not there to work, I’m there to order food and eat. If you can’t be bothered to take my order, I can’t be bothered to drop a fucking dime on your business.

        • Pasta Dental@sh.itjust.works
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          4 months ago

          I can guarantee you nobody got fired for these machines, the turnover is already so fucking high there that it’s not even needed. When I worked at MCD I lasted an entire year and excluding the managers I was probably in the top 3-4 in terms of “seniority”

        • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          The McDonalds near me have people on tills as well as the self order machines. And you say they fired them. Can you prove that?

          To be clear. I dont think you are wrong, I have no idea, and I am genuinely curious and want to know if that happened. since you claimed it with such conviction, I assume you can give a reference or point me in the direction of the search terms I could use to find a source myself?

          • SaltySalamander@fedia.io
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            4 months ago

            I’m saying that the 4 McDonalds in my town don’t have front-line workers that take orders, save for the drive thru. All they have are the kiosks. Fuck that, and fuck them.

      • timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        Because I go there once in a blue moon and it’s easier for the guy doing it 1000x/day to push in my order than me finding it on a big dumb Kiosk menu.

        I won’t frequent places that force me to use a kiosk.

        • Paddzr@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Decision paralysis.

          I don’t know the menu, seeing all the things flash by and not know what’s in them is my reason, but in the 3 years I only been there 2 or 3 times for ice cream or coffee. But the logic applies for all other places.

      • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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        4 months ago

        Maybe i am just too old and go to McDonald’s too infrequently, but i can never figure out how to get my order done properly on the kiosks. Try ordering a McGriddle combo with a Carmel latte. There’s no visible option for that. Unless you ppan on doing a basic order, the kiosks suck

    • iopq@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Why would you want people to take orders? It’s not some amazing work that is satisfying. We should be glad these jobs are going away

        • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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          4 months ago

          Nah, those jobs should disappear. Worthless labour is still worthless.

          Those people could actually be doing something productive with their time instead.