# Fast Food “Freebies” **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 27, 2024, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776 "2024-09-27T02:47:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/61 "2024-09-30T05:54:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > when ordered well done, they’re just dried out. But still better then just regular. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/62 "2024-09-30T20:39:48Z")
> [@pirviii](#): > > But still better then just regular. Yeah, if I get them well done, i can dip them in the spread and they aint bad. But still, I rarely bother. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/63 "2024-09-30T21:40:14Z")
Luckily, every In-N-Out near me has a place with much better fries within a couple hundred feet, if that. Grab my Double Double Animal-Style, then slide next door for some decent fries from Bakers or hell, 5 Guys. The only thing I miss out on is the peppers at In-N-Out. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/64 "2024-10-01T01:49:36Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Luckily, every In-N-Out near me has a place with much better fries within a couple hundred feet, if that. Grab my Double Double Animal-Style, then slide next door for some decent fries from Bakers or hell, 5 Guys. I have to admit- if i was hankering for salty greasy goodness, and there were an In & Out near a 5 Guys, I’d be tempted. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/65 "2024-10-04T14:15:42Z")
No mention of free chips and salsa, yet? Maybe it’s just a thing on the central coast, but almost all casual (order at the register) Mexican places offer AYCE self serve tortilla chips and a variety of salsas. On Taco Tuesdays, the paper chip trays will often disappear and you have to buy one for $1 or $2. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/66 "2024-10-04T15:10:03Z")
That’s a selling point of a sports bar a buddy and I drink at often. Free chips and a salsa bar. That and a beer and call it dinner. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/67 "2024-10-04T16:50:49Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > No mention of free chips and salsa, yet? I’d say that over 80% of the places I’ve been that used to do that charge now. Sometimes a LOT if it’s “bottomless” - so like $5.99 for a single generous serving of chips with a small bowl of salsa, and at least $9.99 for bottomless, probably because of people like @silenus (no blame attached). In fact, the only places I know of that still did it as of the last few years are places like bars, because the salty chips get you to buy more beer. Just like another bar I visited that still did free (salty!) peanuts and popcorn as they didn’t serve food and didn’t see the need to compete. Though they did partner with local food trucks a couple times a week. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/68 "2024-10-04T17:24:08Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > In fact, the only places I know of that still did it as of the last few years are places like bars, because the salty chips get you to buy more beer. That’s still the case [here](https://www.johnnysredlands.com/). The chips are plenty salty and the beer isn’t cheap. The “Family” side gets all the local sports teams every weekend, while the adults can retire to the bar. Decent salsas, too. All Sysco products, I’m sure. Decent menu if chips don’t cut it. The free chips are really the only reason we go there, because they only have macrobrews on tap and they aren’t dog-friendly. Down the road a couple of blocks is a [brewery](https://hangar24brewing.com/taprooms/redlands/) that makes special dog treats for the puppies. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/69 "2024-10-04T17:52:18Z")
Mexican restaurants sometimes give free totopos or tortillas to accompany meals. Not usually the fast food places though, more the sit down family type. Quebec supposedly passed a law saying bars had to serve food with drinks, so the student dives started serving nasty salty nachos. Salty snacks can be very good. The spicy baked mixed nut recipe in Bourdain’s cookbook ain’t bad, but actually needs more salt than he says. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/70 "2024-10-04T18:19:54Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Quebec supposedly passed a law saying bars had to serve food with drinks, so the student dives started serving nasty salty nachos. Not unlike the [Raines sandwich](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/raines-sandwich#:~:text=It%20was%20also%20inedible.&text=Near%20the%20end%20of%20the,the%20sandwich%20was%20not%20edible.) of pre-Prohibition New York. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/71 "2024-10-04T18:28:18Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Quebec supposedly passed a law saying bars had to serve food with drinks, so the student dives started serving nasty salty nachos. I don’t know if this is still true, but years ago Evanston (Chicago suburb) had a similar law; restaurants could not serve alcoholic beverages unless ordered with food. One time a group of friends and I went to a restaurant for dinner, and one of us wasn’t hungry and just ordered a drink. The server told him that he had to order something to eat or she couldn’t give him the drink. So he ordered an appetizer, then set it in the middle of the table for the rest of us to share. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/72 "2024-10-04T18:35:26Z")
Happened in NY during the pandemic- led to “Cuomo chips” being served with salsa, because chips alone was deemed not substantial enough. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/73 "2024-10-04T20:04:13Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > No mention of free chips and salsa, yet? Here in Ca, they are served to you, but you can ask for more. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/74 "2024-10-04T20:14:35Z")
The hole-in-the-wall Mexican place down the street has free chips (freshly made) and a 6-item salsa bar. They have small bags and containers if you have a take-out order. A nice compliment to my usual carne asada super burrito. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/75 "2024-10-04T21:59:45Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > No mention of free chips and salsa, yet? > > Here in Ca, they are served to you, but you can ask for more. I’m on the Central Coast and if there is a self serve soda fountain in a Mexican place. there is almost always self serve chips. From experience, I know that’s less likely in the Bay or LA areas. The free chips you are talking about in table service Mexican restaurants is nearly universal. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776/76 "2024-10-04T23:16:51Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The free chips you are talking about in table service Mexican restaurants is nearly universal. Except, oddly, in Mexico. Totally a Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex thing. Gustavo Arellano talks about in [Taco USA](https://www.amazon.com/Taco-USA-Mexican-Conquered-America/dp/1439148627/ref=sr_1_4?crid=16L8BU9PXRDNL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.O5ZE6SVNDs4Wg3WG0NxUNsrfJAXq0f870XGgfinOCCvGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.zOoCejumr-xk5ZkPM1A1RmFkbTBecG1yKo0W7SjILBI&dib_tag=se&keywords=ask+a+mexican+by+gustavo+arellano&qid=1728083786&sprefix=ask+a+mexican%2Caps%2C1116&sr=8-4). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-freebies/1007776.md?page=3)