# Fast food lunch - do you eat inside the restaurant or in your car? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013 "2019-02-05T16:13:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/41 "2019-02-06T21:19:00Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > A thousand bucks a year? šŸ˜• Probably no mobile device data plan. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/42 "2019-02-06T21:46:48Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I agree. Plus no matter how careful I am, Iā€™m in imminent danger of making a mess. I try not to eat in my car, but once I got tickets at the last minute from a friend for a Bob Seger concert at the Fabulous Forum. I didnā€™t have time to get a real meal anywhere before the concert, and I was starving, and I _know_ how crappy the food was at the Forum. I picked up a Carls Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger and managed to eat it while driving on the 710 and 105 fwys without spilling a drop or crumb. > > It was a miracle! lol thatā€™s an accomplishment! I cant even do that sitting down at a table although I usually get the double western ā€¦ā€¦ id think it depends on how generous they are with the BBQ sauce ā€¦. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/43 "2019-02-06T22:16:32Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I enjoy taking my food to a local park on a nice day. Roll down the windows and enjoy the sun with my meal. > > I usually wouldnā€™t eat at the park tables because thereā€™s always some sketchy folks hanging around. > > The best lunch option is a nice sit down restaurant that serves quickly. Thereā€™s a couple local Mexican restaurants that I can enjoy and still get back to work within my hour break. It didnā€™t fit the definition of the OP, but this is what I do literally every day. 5 min from my office there is a little park with 2 shaded benches and one out in the sun. Iā€™ll (usually) pack my lunch and take it to that park and eat outside while reading a book/my kindle. Itā€™s literally the most enjoyable part of my workday and what Iā€™ll sorely miss when I inevitably leave here. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/44 "2019-02-07T02:03:18Z")
I see no appeal whatsoever in eating inside a car, Iā€™ve only done it a couple times in college and that was when we had bunch of people sleeping in the living room and it was late after being out and didnā€™t want to wake anyone. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/45 "2019-02-07T02:08:03Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Iā€™ll either eat in the restaurant or bring it back to work. The only time I eat in a vehicle is when itā€™s moving. Thisā€¦itā€™s bad enough to transport the food, but eating in the car guarantees the car stinks like fast food for two weeksā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/46 "2019-02-07T02:47:36Z")
Other: I go through the drive-thru, then eat while driving to my next appointment. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/47 "2019-02-08T15:13:43Z")
Iā€™m a vegetarian. My standard fast food ā€œmealā€ is large fries, two apple pies, caramel sundae and a large coffee. I also hate discussions about food and eating habits, and refuse to explain my eating habits beyond I donā€™t eat meat. Yet, total strangers will come up to me and ask ā€œYouā€™re not having a burger?ā€ Some even offer to buy me food. I do not usually eat in the restaurant, but in the nearest park. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/48 "2019-02-08T21:09:16Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Iā€™m a vegetarian. My standard fast food ā€œmealā€ is large fries, two apple pies, caramel sundae and a large coffee. [Youā€™re not eating those fries at McDonaldā€™s are you!?]]([The non-vegan ingredient McDonaldā€™s adds to their fries](https://nypost.com/2017/07/17/the-non-vegan-ingredient-mcdonalds-adds-to-their-fries/)) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/49 "2019-02-08T21:22:50Z")
I donā€™t see the problem for **Annie-Xmas** , who said that she is vegetarian, not vegan. The article says the ā€œnatural beef flavorā€ is milk-based. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/50 "2019-02-09T14:55:09Z")
Right, Iā€™m a vegetarian. I do eat dairy and eggs. Sometimes Iā€™ll go to McDā€™s for breakfast with a friend on Atkins. We both order two breakfast sandwiches, she gets the meat from mine and I get the buns from hers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/51 "2019-02-09T15:22:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I donā€™t see the problem for **Annie-Xmas** , who said that she is vegetarian, not vegan. The article says the ā€œnatural beef flavorā€ is milk-based. ā€œVegetarianā€ is a bit ambiguous and Iā€™ve heard it used to mean everything from vegan to even pescatarian. (Typically more often the former than the latter.) While most people do use vegan now to describe a stricter form of vegetarianism now the wordā€™s been pretty well-known, I still have friends who call themselves vegetarian but donā€™t eat eggs and/or milk. For example, many Hindu people I know are vegetarian, but lacto-vegetarian (they donā€™t eat eggs.) So itā€™s always good to ask, though if people are on restricted diets, itā€™s also on them to clarify. Whenever I cook vegetarian for others, I do ask ā€œhow vegetarianā€ they are in terms of milk and eggs, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/52 "2019-02-09T20:01:00Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I donā€™t see the problem for **Annie-Xmas** , who said that she is vegetarian, not vegan. The article says the ā€œnatural beef flavorā€ is milk-based. The ā€œnatural beef flavorā€ is beef tallow, which is rendered cow fat. If cow fat is vegetarian, then so is bacon! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/53 "2019-02-09T20:06:07Z")
Not according to the article you linked to, which says, ā€œThe beefy addition gives the fries an extra kick of flavor, but it means that they arenā€™t vegan, since the flavoring is actually made from milk.ā€ And if you donā€™t even believe your own source, the McDonaldā€™s [website](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/small-french-fries.html) says, ā€œIngredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]\*), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt. \*Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/54 "2019-02-09T20:09:34Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Right, Iā€™m a vegetarian. I do eat dairy and eggs. And animal fat, apparently. You are certainly free to eat what you want. If you want to add fish, milk, eggs and whatever else to your plant-centric diet, youā€™re absolutely free to do that. Iā€™m not here to judge. My point is that if you add melted cow fat to your diet, itā€™s disingenuous to call it vegetarian. Call it the ā€œPlants, birds, milk and cow fatā€ diet, for all I care. But thereā€™s no way itā€™s vegetarian. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/55 "2019-02-09T23:57:56Z")
Other, ā€œIt depends.ā€ If Iā€™m on the road, travelling, Iā€™ll probably chow down on the road. But I also may want a break from being in the car, on the road, and eat inside. It really depends on my mood at the moment. Itā€™s a bit of a coin toss. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/56 "2019-02-10T01:07:42Z")
Inside. I generally like to play an online game, for a little bit, with their free wi-fi. I can check my emails from the paring lot, but for browsing and clicking, I need a table. Otherwise, same answers other have ā€“ I want to keep my car clean of fast food smells, I find my car confining, and Iā€™ve left work anyway, why stay in my car. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/57 "2019-02-10T14:20:29Z")
Usually, when I eat fast food, Iā€™m either in an airport or at a mall food court. Either way, I eat in the food court seating. If I stop on the highway for fast food, I will eat it in the restaurant unless Iā€™m so pressed for time that I eat it while driving. Why sit in my car and balance my food on my lap when I have access to a table and chairs? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/58 "2019-02-10T15:12:58Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Not according to the article you linked to, which says, ā€œThe beefy addition gives the fries an extra kick of flavor, but it means that they arenā€™t vegan, since the flavoring is actually made from milk.ā€ > > And if you donā€™t even believe your own source, the McDonaldā€™s [website](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/small-french-fries.html) says, ā€œIngredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]\*), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt. \*Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.ā€ Seems a bit cagey to me. I canā€™t find anything on American McDonaldā€™s website claiming their fries to be vegetarian or vegan (well, they donā€™t have to say the latter, as milk is in there, I suppose). Canadaā€™s website says theyā€™re straight-up made without any product of animal origin, but they donā€™t use that beef flavoring. I canā€™t find any sources that definitively say the only animal products in US McDā€™s french fries is the milk. Note the phrasing just says it ā€œcontains wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredient,ā€ and I presume that is for allergen information. Thereā€™s no such disclosure necessary for meat products. So Iā€™m not so sure they are truly vegetarian. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/59 "2019-02-10T15:56:18Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > As sad as it is to eat alone in a fast food restaurant, eating in the car just seems sadder to meā€¦ Sad is in the mind of the beholder. What you see as sad, I see as _thank jeebus I get an hour of peace with nobody needing anything from me._ (I eat work lunch in my car once a week) mmm ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013/60 "2019-02-10T22:26:34Z")
Iā€™d eat inside (or outside) the restaurant. Eating in the car is not an option because I donā€™t have a car. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-lunch-do-you-eat-inside-the-restaurant-or-in-your-car/829013.md?page=2)