people woho regularly go to fast food chains like Burger king - why?
Today I went to burger king for the first time in years. It was even worse than I remembered it. (had the vegetarian option, don't know if it's as bad with the meat burgers) Additionally it's fucking expensive and not as quick as it used to be. So my question is why do some people go there regulary?
Sometimes I channel my spirit animal
And I hunger for a pile of garbage.
Hi, that's me. I get an hour for lunch during the week, and there are a handful of fast food places minutes from my work. I drive through, and sit in the parking lot eating my lunch and playing games on my phone. It's my quiet time for the day.
There's a bit of a game for some of these fast food places. Most people just roll up and order a #1 or whatever was in the commercials. That's how they get ya!
Sometimes you need to download the app, or check the menu for a budget meal. A slightly smaller burger and less than a pound of fries is an adequate meal for around $5-7.
I used to order a kid's meal, and it was more than enough food for an adult. My kids enjoyed getting toys at the end of the day, too, but they were all plastic garbage.
One of my coworkers lost a lot of weight, and when I asked him what he was doing to lose weight he said he was ordering kids meals.
for a time during the 1990s they had an 'all american meal' which was small burger or cheeseburger, small fries, small drink. was cheap, too. basically a dollar-store happy meal without the toy or box. this was before those went 'kids size' and swapped in "healthier" items.
then they jacked the price up so far, it literally cost more than ordering a la carte.
Honest question: Why not cook a bunch of meals once or twice a week and eat that instead? It can be cheaper and it's way less likely to get you sick in the long run.
Honest answer: Because that sounds terrible.
I'm not going to waste my time cooking food that I won't eat at it's prime, just so it can take up my fridge space until I inevitably ruin it with a microwave later in the week.
Also, storing and reheating good creates MUCH more potential for contamination and food borne illness.
I can pay for my lunch with the money I make in the first half hour of the day. It's not breaking the bank.
This is what I do - make a big pot of chili or soup for the week. But I recognize that this might not work for everyone. At my work there’s a conveniently located fridge and microwave, and I can eat in my office with the door shut for a quiet meal. If any of those things weren’t there it might not be worth it.
I also enjoy cooking, and don’t mind spending time making my meal for the week. If the prep work was a real chore then it’d be much more tempting to buy something premade every day.
Same, when I ate fast food a lot it was because there were places next to work. Eat in my car and read for the short amount of time I had.
Well, you see, the combination of mayonnaise and melted cheese creates a chemical chain reaction in my brain that makes me feel good.
Lack of time, lack of energy, or both. Cooking is exhausting and difficult when you're already tired from working.
It seems like way more work to go out to get fast food than to pop something in the microwave, instant pot, air frier, or to pull something out of the fridge.
You can put together some pretty cheap, easy, healthy meals with maybe 1-2 minutes of actual prep work. It may not be obvious, but search and you will find. 👌
Before the pandemic I was on the road sometimes and it surprised me how many towns / tiny cities would have 1 grocery store and then a couple fast food chains as the only (obvious) to-go food options.
Many seem to have one particular mini-mart or gas station that has surprisingly good food, but you tend to need some local knowledge to find that.
I visit some fast food chains but I avoid Burger King at all costs. Some of the worst burgers I have ever seen and eaten in my entire life have come from that dump.
Prices are getting out of hand, though. Fast Food is quickly reaching price parity with actual quality restaurants which is insane.
Lovers of asparagus, how and why do you eat it? No matter how it is cooked, I don't enjoy it. There's something about the taste I do not like. I had some again recently, and it was just as bad as I remembered it.
Why do you eat a food I don't like?
To increase the area of effect when I piss on something to claim territory
I have trained myself to enjoy a wide range of foods. Only thing I can't get behind is mango
C'mon, you can't say no matter how its cooked. You sure I can't interest you in some fried asparagus with a cheese-based sauce? Yeah, any nutritional value you're getting out of them is pretty much ruined, but who cares.
I keep it simple: steamed in a microwave + lemon juice.
Some people like the taste and don't mind paying for the convenience - full stop.
Also the vegetarian option at most fast food places is generally more expensive and worse tasting
I like tasty gourmet food. But I also like junk.
I genuinely like a big Mac or a domino pizza. Are they as good as a gourmet burger or a wood oven pizza? Not even close. Can I enjoy them regularly? Absolutely.
Same. I’ve had Michelin star meals, meals from world famous chefs, and everything in between. And sometimes the only thing I want is a McDs double cheese burger.
Tastes are funny. Sometimes I want a steak and salad, sometimes I want a shitty greasy burger with a pile of fries.
Same. There's a strange allure to cheap fast food. Ig it's a childhood thing for me, forbidden fruit and all, but I really love cooking all kinds of meals myself too.
All the answers will be the same:
Fast food is pretty gross if you don't eat it regularly. I think a lot of it is how addictive it can be. A hit of caffeine, sugar, salt, and fat when you are hungry and tired hits the spot.
People get stuck in these routines, and the companies have apps and reward programs to gamify people into coming back.
Yeah I remember being in my twenties and absolutely salivating over a $2 Tuesday lunch special near my work, which is not something I could stomach now that I've got some years of home cooking in me.
I think this is the only answer that I can understand
Yeah I was just reading through these comments totally confused what was going on, I might get a KFC once a year and that's it. All the rest of them make me feel slightly ill just from the smell.
I do have a great Indian place locally I use fairly often and a couple others, just can't imagine buying the chain stuff.
I know this is a bad reason, but I'm lazy and don't feel like cooking, so it's convenient.
Honest question, have you tried other places that were not fast food (ie. Chilli's) or cooking quick meals that didn't work out for you? If so, what?
I don't really bother with the middle of the restaurant industry (and it's not just me, as chains like Chili's and Applebee's have complained about the trends hollowing out the middle). It's just not enough of an improvement over fast food or fast casual to be worth the higher cost, slower service, etc.
If I'm hungry and don't want to cook/clean, I'll grab fast food.
If I want to sit down at a full service restaurant, it'll probably be an expensive trendy place with recognition from James Beard or Michelin.
Not the same person but fast food is way faster and cheaper than some place like Chili's as long as you stick to the more value focused options. I can get a full meal with leftovers for $5-6 bucks usually
It's also cheaper than a lot of home cooking unless you plan very well, make large batches, and are cool with eating the same leftovers all week.
We have not gone to a fast food in the last fifteen or twenty years, if not more. Why would we? It's not welcoming, the food taste like... cardboard, it's rarely a pleasant place to eat, and people are often noisy. When we want to eat a burger, we cook it ourselves with fresh food. Yep, when we want to have some, even the fries are handmade. There is just no comparison.
There's always a local restaurant that can do an even better job.
Most certainly, but I would also not call that a fast food, not one that serves handmade burgers. Those are true restaurants.
We had one a few block block from us, it was real excellent. When they bring the plates to our table (we don't have to queue, and the place was nice and quiet, and comfy) it's almost like looking at a wonderful mix of poetry and painting that's made out of bread, with those little sesame seeds, overflowing salad, the pickles, onions, juicy and thick meat (they have true vegan alternatives) and fries that don't look like fat squishy toothpicks. Their burgers tasted good just by looking at them, and they're even better when you would take a bite :)
But they're also not that fast to prepare the burger, and a tad more expensive than the nearby McDo or whatever.
Same. I've only had fast food once since 2020, and the experience was like yours: gross and expensive.
Before I went WFH, I ate FF pretty regularly. Mostly because it was, well, fast and offered a variety (there's at least 8 or 9 places within walking distance of my office).
My job only gives a half hour for lunch. I used to pack a lunch, but that gets tedious after a while and takes extra time out of my morning to prepare. Then if I want to heat it up, there's always a line to use the microwaves or to get to the refrigerator in the break room. By the time my packed lunch is prepared, I've got just enough time to wolf it down and head back to my desk.
Going out for FF at least let me take a walk, get some fresh air, and gave me a variety over the handful of things (or leftovers) I would pack from home.
If I ever have to RTO, that's the aspect I'd be most upset about.
Sometimes a Culver's cold custard just hits different.
Especially hits your wallet that shit makes burger king look like it's still the 70s.
in the 1970s, bk didn't suck nearly as much as they do now. but yea, culver's is the good stuff--although they have dipped a bit lately. i think they're expanding too fast in their quest for more dollars.
I think most people only have shit fast food near them as a convenience food. I traveled through the south a lot last year and realized that most of the country must just be massive suburbs separated by strip malls and fast food buildings. Even brand new developments are all banks and Culver’s or some crap.
It’s a stark contrast to urbanized areas. We get so much more in options for convenience food that I don’t even consider fast food as existing.
We dont like your kind here
We are all like a family here, you wouldn't understand
God fearing people!
🤡
You have a point about it being expensive. It used to be really affordable, which made it a convenient option for a quick lunch or something, especially if you didn't have any lunch prepared on a workday.
As far as the taste, I think this varies from location to location around the country. I don't think the food is gourmet or anything, but it's not inedible and the taste of junk food really does set off all the feel-good chemicals in my brain.
I find that Burger King's biggest flaw is that there's zero consistency across their franchise locations. This in in stark contrast to McDonald's franchises that are really well standardized. I can go to one BK location and the food will be shit, and the next will taste pretty good. Even the same location can vary depending on the day of the week and whose shift it is. It sucks, because I am in the minority group of people that think people are sleeping on BK's french fries - they are leagues better than the competition when made correctly, but I get such inconsistent results whenever I go that I honestly can't recommend that anybody try them over an alternative with a more consistent quality. When they are made right, they are golden, crispy, fluffy, and somewhat salty. But sometimes they are undercooked so they aren't golden brown and crispy on the outside, or they are overcooked so they aren't fluffy on the inside, or they don't have any seasoning so they taste bland.
Anyway, I used to go there regularly, but I'm cutting down on calorie-loaded foods and so I will only get to go to get fast food once in a while, and I sure as hell don't waste it on a trip to BK unless I really have a craving for it or someone else I'm hanging out with wants to go there specifically. The cost just doesn't justify the quality you get, even when it does turn out really good.
I eat fast food on every road trip. I don't really travel for the food in random small towns on the way. So if I get hungry, I get either gas station food or fast food.
It's not because it's good, it's because it's fast.
BK is always trash though. Bucc-ees is relatively good, so is Quik Trip. And Dunkin makes pretty good iced coffees for a decent price.
I feel slightly less dirty afterwards than at McDonald's...
You get tired of eating microwave meals, and anything that leaves dishes I have to clean later is certainly not easier than going to fast food
I used to "love" running in to McD when I was in a hurry and ask "what burgers do you have that are ready?" and just take whatever was available. More often than not, it was a cheese/double cheese.
Now I have to wait 5-10 minutes before its ready, and its more expensive.
The trade off of cheap and fast vs quality have disappeared.
Pre-pandemic it was cheap and fast and 24/7 and there were genuine quality items you could get if you knew them and as long as you're not some moron who buys fries/meals and only solo main items, like chicken legend at McDonald's.
I would walk for 5 min at like 3AM or whenever felt right in central London and have a £4 meal back at my flat. Cheap, quick and easy.
Now it's all gone, it's three times as expensive, all the good items have been removed like the aforementioned example and they shut at 6pm. It's just worthless.
Now I WFH rurally, used to go to subway for a quick breakfast on busy days because it was a 10 mins walk, but they shut too and now it's some shitty asian restaurant and/or german kitchen retailer.
When I used to it was because it was cheap, and I didn't have time, energy, or money for cooking very often. When you work 12 hours of physical labor and then commute, there's not much time or energy for anything other than fast food and bed.
Because when its good, its so fucking good. They spend literal millions developing their menu to give you a dropkick to the balls of dopamine. FAT! SALT! MSG! HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! REPEAT!
But that requires the stars to align. You need the buns and salad items to not be stale, the chips and meat for the burger to be hot and fresh, the burger to be assembled by someone giving half a fuck, the postmix machine to be set up correctly and give you the right mix, actually fizzy and ice cold. You rarely get the whole meal "just right" but when it is, that one perfect meal sticks in your brain like a catchy song and will carry you through the next half a dozen so-so feeds while you chase the dragon.
These days I only allow myself one trip to KFC a month and I go in and sit down in the restaurant because if something isnt right I go complain and ask for a remake because I spend 29 days a month counting every calorie and tracking every macro because you are not gonna fuck up my blowout meal.
They‘re everywhere and while the quality isn’t great, it’s a known quantity. McDonalds is never amazing but it’s very rarely terrible. A random hole in the wall is always unpredictable and a proper restaurant usually much slower and more expensive. Also, I’m weak for the Big Tasty sauce.
The only one I typically go to these days is taco bell because I like the flavor and homemade any of it doesn't taste the same no matter how hard I try. I do make tacos at home often, it still isn't exactly the same (good but different). With the mobile app that I run in a sandbox the prices also aren't the worst in the world and the rewards for free food stack fast.
But burger king is garbage, and I say that as a former BK customer. I think it has gone extremely downhill in the last 5-10 years and the prices have also gone up. It just doesn't make sense anymore. I got a griddle at home and can relatively easily cook up some tasty frozen patties seasoned just how I like.
Same for KFC, Wendy's, Arby's, and Carl's Jr. KFC flavor and quality seems to have gone downhill. Wendy's is exceptionally expensive typically. Arby's is not only expensive but I feel the quality has also gone down. Carl's Jr seems to be roughly the same, but the prices have gone up and the one near me is typically slow so you can tell the patty you end up with has been drying under a heat lamp for hours.
Everything at McDonald's tastes too processed and sugary to me, unsure why (and one would think I'd have a similar response to TB...)
Anyway...long story short I probably go when I go because of an attempt at nostalgia or fast convenience - but not to save money or for quality.
I eat it on occasion. I actually really like the taste of Burger King burgers, but I have internalized the fact that the burger I like is 1800 calories by itself, with another 400-500 for the fries, and for that reason, I don't eat it often. I also have to take into account that, yes, it's expensive stuff now.
My parents raised me on fast food so I probably enjoy it more than most due to the aspect of being conditioned to it.
We have multiple Burger Kings, and one of them is actually as good as I remember from being a kid. It is also the one with a high proportion of middle age workers who have worked there for years.
There is an overall trend of fast food declining in quality for sure, and my guess is that most people haven't eaten at one of the few remaining places that still do a decent job with stocking and staffing.
It's fast and McDonalds is one of the only places in my city that is open 24/7
I don't go there regularly anymore after I stopped working as a service technician who had to travel a lot.
I'm vegan and we have a local vegan fast food joint. Sometimes I just want some. It's a small business so I'm supporting them.
Every time I eat a mcD cheeseburger I get a tummy ache. That shit is concrete.
Also a vegetarian. I love the salt, the fried and the fast. I hate cooking enough that I’ll work and exercise more to outrun as many of the negative aspects as possible.
As a vegetarian the only thing I would eat at a fast food restaurant is french fries. I haven’t found a decent veggie burger or other options at a fast food place.
I have a (doubly) unhealthy love for the KFC plant based sandwich. That said, w/o mayo it may suck. Haven’t tried with ketchup or mustard yet but it may be boss too.
I consumed fast food regularly when it was cheap. Maybe today someone consumes fast food regularly, because it can still be cheap, but only if you collect points, coupons and such.
On top of that, they're always around you and you know what they offer, if you get used to it. Sometimes I want a satisfying safe bet instead of an unknown experiment.
I've stopped going to fast food chains. Local fast casual or Sheetz/Wawa is better food, faster, and cheaper. McDonald's et al don't have any fucking value prop left.
At McDonald's, with a coupon I can get a soda, medium fry, and burger for under $4
Enjoy your burger made from sawdust.
People go to fast food places because while it isn't good, you know what to expect. It's going to be mediocre food for a relatively quick wait.
You just need to figure out your meal quickly without too much effort or thought? Fast food.
You could always go to a new restaurant but you don't know if they will take forever to serve you, if the food will be good, etc. But everybody knows what to expect from fast food brands.
I can get two whoppers for about 5 dollars and they are full of flavor over here (Brazil).
I haven't been to Burger King in years, but I have been feeling the call of the void the past few times I've been traveling and needed a place to stop and grab some food.
I stopped eating at "BK" for the better part of a decade after I got terribly sick from eating one of their "Rodeo Burgers". It was basically the low-end burger option, except they replaced the onion with onion rings and used ketchup-based barbecue for the sauce.
The onion rings must've been the previous day's unsold rejects or something. I remember having the worst heartburn I've ever experienced in my life and then feeling so terribly sick for the next 2 days.
I'm 99% sure I have had BK since then, but it was breakfast-only.
Back in the day, it was the only fast food option for onion rings where I was growing up. They sucked compared to the real thing, but despite that they had their appeal. Now my stomach turns just thinking about them.
The only thing I get at Burger King is the original chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets. Their chicken is better than their burgers and I like to say they should change their name to Chicken King cuz the burgers suck.
I don't go to BK regularly, but can confirm my experience with their Impossible burger was also disappointing.
The quality depends on locations and staffing, etc. Also vegetarian options at fast food joints are a guaranteed way to have crappy food. The big name fast food places have never had good choices for vegetarian/vegan stuff.
Their chicken sandwich is like crack. No one else gets the melty fat flavor just right.
the og chicken +cheese +bacon +pickles was pretty popular when i was in high school (80s).
Never had that one unfortunately.
I don't go to our only city with KFC and stuff a lot, so when I go I usually get a vegan burger there even tho it's mad expensive
As far as fast food goes, it's actually pretty good here where I live. Granted, there are better options, and sometimes way better options, but BK isn't bad.
We eat pretty healthy at home. Sometimes I need to indulge in eating terrible for me junk. BK is the only fast food that I do this with because it’s absolutely the best, at least to me.
Because it taste good? Also McDonald's gets old sometimes
McDs is hit and miss with their milkshake machines. If I want a shake I go to BK now, so far havent been disappointed.
i eat at mcD once every 2-3 years just to remind my how awful it is. used to eat there multiple times a week, and i dont know how. all the burgers taste like they were dipped in the dead sea.
They definitely used to be better. Big macs used to actually be good. Not anymore though
Seems more like cardboard to me. I've never liked their burgers, I only ever got the nuggies and their chicken sandwich, whatever it's called. The cheap one that was on the dollar menu back when that was a thing.
Not everyone knows how to cook, and fast food is the cheapest (if not necessarily cheap) option. This is kind of a weird question to me.
TV dinners at the grocery store are cheap and if you can read the box you can cook it. Same with frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, even mac n cheese isn't that hard to cook and is like $2 a box. But instead of that it's fast food despite being just as cheap and require MINIMAL prep.
? thats fast food too. i wouldnt call throwing a fully prepared and frozen meal into the oven/ microwave "cooking".
Cooking actual food has to be one of the easiest things to learn. If you literally cannot feed yourself then wtf are you even doing.