I very rarely eat fast food. But lately, when I do, the question invariably comes up, “Why didn’t you order on our app?”
Okay, here we go. (A) I didn’t know that I was going to patronize you until I pulled in, and using a smartphone behind the wheel is illegal here, (B) Your app demands too much personal and financial info, (C) I’ve always been able to pull into the drive-thru or walk up to the counter and place a perfectly legitimate order for which I will pay in good cash money. Why are you making that so difficult now? Why are you turning away my business because I don’t want to use some piece of software?
I’ll hit the corner store, buy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and a jar of raspberry jam before I have to go through that “Why didn’t you order on our app?” crap. Homemade PB&Js are a damn sight cheaper than compromising more personal info than I would like to share, just for a fast food burger.
Sorta related: a while back a saw a YouTube video that claimed to do a really semi-scientific investigation of McDonald’s french fries. As in, they bought small, medium, and large size fries from several McD’s and weighed what they got. According to them, there was only a tiny difference in amount between the small and the medium sizes. Somehow because of the less flexible cardboard the smaller paper bag would accommodate more fries than the much bigger looking ‘box.’
Anyway, said video claimed anyone ordering a medium fries was spending ridiculously more money for not much more fries. So maybe a zillion people saw that vid and they’ll all cleverly down sized?
Back in 2020. Prior to 2021, there was some sort of split where the Santa Barbara restaurants remained in control of the original family but the out of town locations had already been sold to some interim owner. But they retired and now Yum owns the whole shebang.
In 2007, KarpReilly, a private equity firm, acquired a majority ownership in the company and began to rapidly expand the chain, including franchising.[10] Not included in the sale were the eight locations in Santa Barbara County, California, which remained under the ownership of the Reichard brothers.[8]
In March 2020, Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Wingstreet, acquired Habit.[19] The brothers decided to retire and sell their remaining restaurants to Yum! Brands in 2021.[20] The operations shifted in March 2022.[21]
Will you back me up on the chili, Homie? They also got rid of the pastrami a few years back which was surprisingly good for fast food. Perfect example of enshtification.
Kinda, sorta, depends? A convection oven is the same theory, but far less energetic in most cases in terms of high direct heat (roughly equivalent to a broiler in an air fryer) and much more energetic movement of air. In most convection ovens, the movement of air is to ensure even heating throughout, so slower speeds. If you have something like a convection toaster oven, it might be possible to get similar results, again depending on heating element and fan speed, and a lot of toaster ovens these days sell with multiple settings, including convection, toast, and air fry.
Back to @wguy123 and @Spoons points though, yeah, I’m in the group where I’m getting fast food only for travelling - most of the time it’s not about getting the best food (especially at their current prices), it’s about something hot and fast with dependably clean bathrooms so I can get back on the road quickly. Otherwise, I’d absolutely get raw ingredients of whatever sort and do better and cheaper.
The question is (and back to the OP) have the last few years of rocket high prices and inflation trained others to do the same when previously they’d used McD and other’s as a valid meal replacement option for when they were just too tired to cook? I’d guess yes, at least in part, especially because there’s so much more variety, especially at the high end of pre-cooked frozen and prepared foods that are still cheaper than the $12 or so price point of a fast food combo.
I can see why Yum Brands would want to buy Habit Burger given that none of their existing restaurants are burger places. But I hope they maintain the quality.
I personally think the quality has dropped off. Not hard to find others online that think the same way…
Has anyone else noticed how much The Habit has gone down hill since the local owners sold it? The quality of food has gone down significantly and the price has risen like crazy. I went today and they’re now charging $1 each for a cup of ranch and more for other sauces. On top of that there is a self ordering kiosk next to only 1 staffed register.
One of my co-workers mentioned that he thought it was salty af and while I never compared the sodium content to other places, it felt like he was onto something. All I tasted from then on was salt burgers, or like they were pumped full of preservatives and artificial ingredients.
I think it is the inevitable enshittification that occurs with most companies.
They start by making a good product at a good price. Then they need to show ever increasing returns so they start chipping away at the quality in many little ways. At first not really noticeable but they add up over time. Eventually it becomes obvious the quality is not there. Then the company rides on its reputation and loyal customers for as long as it can. Some patrons will weirdly stay with them till the end.
Meh. To me, it tastes exactly the same as it did in the 80s (minus the fries), and the Quarter Pounder is actually better (though not in a way I prefer). It’s really hard to get any sort of objective answer on this because tastes also change, and our memories of nostalgic tastes may not be the most accurate. Plus you’ll find support of any opinion you have online. Most people think everything is going to shit, so you’ll find plenty of support of that. I think the overall quality of fast food and options we have now is better than the 80s. McDonald’s looks somewhat worse over time because now we have options like Shake Shack, Five Guys, Culvers, Smashburger, etc.
Price discrimination. They can sell to the people who can’t afford or won’t pay for a large fry at full price, as well as to the people who will happily pay full price to avoid the inconvenience.
This! At least 98% of the time fast food is consumed either in the car whilst continuing towards my destination or sometimes in restaurant if I want a break from driving; I almost never get it to go & eat is somewhere else.
There are a couple that I’ll pass on regular routes, the closest being about ½ hr from home but a lot of times they are impromptu visits, as in I’m getting hungry & look there’s a Mickey D’s in this town I’ve never been in / don’t frequent. Depending upon the traffic lights, I can’t even order ahead at the ones that I plan on stopping at. Forget about the legality of using the app while driving, it’s dangerous & stupid.
I do find it funny when I pull up to the drivethru & the first thing I hear is an automated voice, "Welcome to McDonald’s, we’ll be with you shortly. Will you be ordering on the app today? Ummm, why would I be in the drivethru lane if I was using the app? At that point it’s going to save me 0 time & I’m not going to sell out all of my marketing info for a $1 or $2 off an order of french fries.
Because if the answer is “Yes”, you respond “Yep, my number is ABC123” and they respond “2nd window” because you already paid so you actually get out of there much sooner.
It’s rather fun when you’re pulling into one of two order spots, reading off your app confirmation number, and driving onwards, all while the person in the other lane is still ordering.
I am not worried for or about McD’s. I’m sure they will bounce right back. After all, they’ve got more than enough money to spend on frivolous court cases.
Ah, I just find that so sad. Our go-to post concert chow place was The Hat. Pastrami, piles of fries, o-rings, and beer! And, back in the day, almost as cheap as McD’s and a lot tastier.