# Waiting over 2 hours for fast food **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529 "2017-12-29T17:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/61 "2017-12-30T18:33:41Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Not so. In-n-Out uses REAL potatoes for theirs. so does McDonald’s. this s\*\*t is getting really tiring. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/62 "2017-12-30T18:36:18Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > In n Out have simple but perfect cheeseburgers served freshly cooked. Apart from the wait, what could possibly keep you away save vegetarianism? Last two times I ate at In n Out the burgers were not just pink but cold in the middle. No thank you. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/63 "2017-12-30T18:38:13Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Last two times I ate at In n Out the burgers were not just pink but cold in the middle. No thank you. I don’t even know how that’s possible unless they didn’t cook it at all. I’ve never been able to get anything under well there, due to the thinness of the patties. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/64 "2017-12-30T18:55:59Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > do you have taste buds? Yes. Which is why the only French Fries that are allowed to grace my pallet are made from potatoes grown in the Ukraine. Washed and cut by the hands of immigrant slave children at precisely the stoke of midnight. Anything less is for rubes. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/65 "2017-12-30T19:34:53Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Yes. Which is why the only French Fries that are allowed to grace my pallet are made from potatoes grown in the Ukraine. Washed and cut by the hands of immigrant slave children at precisely the stoke of midnight. > > Anything less is for rubes. Ah, a fan of Smashburger, I see. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/66 "2017-12-30T19:37:26Z")
The only restaurant I ever saw a really long line at was that rain forest restaurant at Disney’s Boardwalk. Needless to say I didn’t eat there. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/67 "2017-12-30T20:15:52Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > In n Out have simple but perfect cheeseburgers served freshly cooked. Apart from the wait, what could possibly keep you away save vegetarianism? I’m with the other responders. Their burgers are okay (not as good as the local places) but their fries suck big time. I’ve had them both styles - one was crunchy, the other was underdone. Worst fast food fries I’ve ever had, and I’ve been to Burger Chef. Not worth going out of my way and standing in line for. I also don’t like the snotty “we have good food but you need the secret code word to get it” vibe. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/68 "2017-12-30T20:36:35Z")
In-N-Out burgers are great, but they must be laced with heroin or something – that’s the only explanation for the ridiculously long drive-thru lines every time I go there. What’s really crazy is that if you park and go inside, there’s rarely more than a 5 to 10 minute wait at the walkup counter. But that would require actually _parking_ and _walking inside_, which defeats the whole purpose of going out for fast food, right? Every so often I’ll order In-N-Out’s french fries just to see if I get a batch that doesn’t totally suck. Hasn’t happened yet. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/69 "2017-12-30T20:41:52Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > In-N-Out burgers are great, but they must be laced with heroin or something – that’s the only explanation for the ridiculously long drive-thru lines every time I go there. What’s really crazy is that if you park and go inside, there’s rarely more than a 5 to 10 minute wait at the walkup counter. But that would require actually _parking_ and _walking inside_, which defeats the whole purpose of going out for fast food, right? > > Every so often I’ll order In-N-Out’s french fries just to see if I get a batch that doesn’t totally suck. Hasn’t happened yet. As long as they do the cut fresh and single fry, they will never improve. As **jz78817** outlined, the way to good crispy fries is a double fry-par cook at a lower temp then high temp fry for crisp. Fries will still taste as fresh if they cut, cook, cool and then 2nd fry to order. The frozen fries used by McD. and others are par-cooked at the factory then frozen. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/70 "2017-12-30T20:51:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, yeah, I remember the Krispy Kreme Kraze. . . Me too. I was driving taxi in L.A at that time, which eventually taught me where the best (Cambodian made) donuts could be found at 3:00 am. So when everyone started ranting about Krispy Kreme, I thought they must be some kind of heavenly treat. I finally got to try one and couldn’t believe how ordinary they are, like any other donuts. I suspected that they had contracted some kind of viral marketing firm to generate the undeserved publicity. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > When I stop for fast food it’s often funny to see a long line at the drive-up and almost nobody inside. I can usually park, go inside, order, get my take-out food, and walk out to find the last car in line when I went in hasn’t ordered yet, much less been served. This is especially true with drive-through Starbucks. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/71 "2017-12-30T21:01:55Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > two stage cooking (where you par-cook them first, then finish off at a higher fry temperature) is not “reconstructed potatoes.” I can’t say I ever have given french fries that much thought, but now that I do, this makes sense, because the same essentially applies to “home fries,” etc., which people serve for breakfast. If you take a fresh potato, cut it up, and just fry it only, the results aren’t usually that good. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/72 "2017-12-30T21:03:19Z")
Fast food needs to be fast. Anything more than a small queue and I’m headed elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/73 "2017-12-30T21:03:31Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Me too. I was driving taxi in L.A at that time, which eventually taught me where the best (Cambodian made) donuts could be found at 3:00 am. So when everyone started ranting about Krispy Kreme, **I thought they must be some kind of heavenly treat.** I finally got to try one and couldn’t believe how ordinary they are, like any other donuts. I suspected that they had contracted some kind of viral marketing firm to generate the undeserved publicity. This is especially true with drive-through Starbucks. i understand that you have to get them right out of the oven for the “specialness”. The was a KK in Modesto some years back. Didn’t last long. They couldn’t have picked a _worse_ location for access. Near the freeway on one of the major roads. The traffic light sequencing was the most fucked-up mess I’ve ever seen and made getting to the side street a near impossibility. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/74 "2017-12-30T23:26:38Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Are you sure you’re not thinking of Five Guys? > > In and Out fries are pretty much identical to McDonald’s. “Five Guys” is probably called that because it would take five guys to eat one of those meals. I patronized them a few times when I lived in the St. Louis area. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/75 "2017-12-31T20:58:43Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > _“Would you wait that long for fast food?”_ > > I didn’t know waiting for junk food was a thing. In 2 hours I could buy ground beef, make the healthier burgers and enjoy eating them in the comfort of my living room. Junk food outlets are the last resort, not something I’d wait for! ^ this. I eat fast food if it is the only option available, and since that’s almost never the case, I rarely eat fast food. I remember when Sonic first opened in Omaha years ago, and there were huge lines/waits. I tried it eventually, and was underwhelmed by what seemed like perfectly mediocre burgers. I couldn’t believe people waited for that when there were a dozen other fast food joints within a stone’s throw with no lines at all. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/76 "2017-12-31T21:39:29Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > “Five Guys” is probably called that because it would take five guys to eat one of those meals. > > I patronized them a few times when I lived in the St. Louis area. 4 guys to hold the 5th guy down and force-feed him? Because that’s what it would take to get me to eat there again. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/77 "2017-12-31T22:35:17Z")
Agree they’re nothing special. It’s not a McD’s factory burger, but other than that it’s simply yet another generic hamburger n’ fries joint. I can think of a half-dozen equivalent chains in most areas of the country. I suppose there are connoisseurs of fast food. Like **Arrendajo** I’m not one of them. There are times it’s necessary. But they’re always an evil necessary, not a nice necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/78 "2017-12-31T22:59:43Z")
I was in a tiny village once (pop. 83) they had a cafe that was open 7am to 1pm and only se bed hasbrowns, eggs, bacon, and toast. Café was filled to capacity, all 4 tables had patrons in every seat. Long story short I waited 2 hours for hasbrowns and eggs ---
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/79 "2017-12-31T23:02:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 4 guys to hold the 5th guy down and force-feed him? Because that’s what it would take to get me to eat there again. Greasiest burgers on earth. But sometimes it hits the spot ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529/80 "2018-01-01T00:31:54Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Worst fast food fries I’ve ever had, and I’ve been to Burger Chef. I was only eight or nine when mine became Hardee’s, but I don’t remember anything particularly bad about them. Disclaimer: like I said, I was only eight or nine! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waiting-over-2-hours-for-fast-food/805529.md?page=5)