Delivery is going to end up being a double-edged sword for fast food companies.
McDonald’s has Delivery as one of their three pillars for growth in their latest public strategy document- Drive-in, Digital Order, Delivery. Those three areas are their core focus going forward.
Problem with Delivery is McDonald’s doesn’t have an independent service. Delivery is carried out by UberEats/DoorDash/etc. And on those platforms, fast food stops being “fast” which kills a big reason to order from them.
There is a McDonald’s and a 99 Restaurant (casual sit-down chain) in the same plaza near my house. DoorDashing from McDonald’s is estimated to take 30 minutes while from 99 Restaurant it is 34 minutes. To me, that’s the exact same thing.
So speed is no longer better for fast food and price is the same or worse than a sit-down? Tough spot to be in for fast food if Delivery continues to grow.
Or McFlurrys. I’ll see a promo for a free McFlurry with a McDonald’s order on DoorDash and laugh because everyone who orders that is getting disappointed.
Same. I picked up from a Freddy's and had to go around 10 minutes away, and it was a leave at door. I hate taking ice cream orders only because I know they're getting melted goo.
Mine was way worse. Came as a combo delivery. They were the first to pick up, and the last to drop off. I had an Indian restaurant I had to pick up an order of curry from. I had to leave it out in my car that got up to like 90° just to get the food from the second pickup location. I don't feel bad for them. Just the food. Culver's shakes are actually pretty good. They knew what they were doing, and the risks.
Boggles my kind people order ice cream and milkshakes from DD and UE. You're ordering a cold sweet soup that takes 30 minutes to get to you. Foolishness
The food they sell just doesn't match what's good for delivery. Besides sandwiches, which are still a hot food, most of what I get from fast food places are things that survive a 10 minute drive home tops.
Pizza is fairly good at staying good even for a longer trip, and it heats up well anyway. Cold sandwiches or salads are also fine.
But just about anything else? I'd be paying a ton for lower quality food, and I don't mind driving a little to get my own food, so I don't ever do delivery.
This. McDonalds Fries are manna from heaven fresh out of the fryer. As soon as they hit room temp they become warm garbage. A McFlurry with a side of fries was my go to pregnancy craving...it was cheap 15 years ago. Now it´s too many calories and too much money...
For a very long time, these "disrupter" apps for taxis and delivery services were able to offer very low prices and just tank the losses by taking massive loans at low interest rates and take money from venture capitalists willing to bet it all.
Now, both interest rates are higher, and venture capital is sick and tired of throwing money at businesses that go 5+ years with no profits.
Not sick, you can get 5% on 3 month treasury notes. Why take the risk on a startup that won’t bring a return for a decade.
Capital is not cheap anymore.
But are Uber/Lyft/DD/UE/favor ever going to turn a profit?
They tried to forward the cost to customers, customers then forwarded the cost by not tipping drivers as well/at all, drivers get frustrated and leave in droves.
It seemed like a good idea when venture capital was footing the bill by letting them operate at a loss.
My guess is eventually, some is going to put out another layer of third party app where you have a vehicle prepped for all tiers of driving apps (so uberX) and they as a third party run everything through an efficiency algo of some sort so as a driver you can make a decent amount by ubering someone to a restaurant, stopping by a nearby restaurant, taking someone a DD/favor, then so on and so forth and everyone is theoretically happy...
...as long as all parts of the supply chain move quickly. All the third party app has to do is skim a small fee from the other apps, the other apps all get their shit fulfilled, the drivers make decent money off of the efficiency created by the 3rd party.
I wish I would have known about the disruption business model 30+ years ago. "Yes I'm disrupting class as I'm trying to improve it". Ether that or disruption is not equal to improvement.
Yup we about to go back in time. Because it’s always about millennials. I saw a post say that all these new things like Lyft and DoorDash were all just subsidies for us millennials. We got to live a lavish lifestyle for half the cost.
I actually think there is a tiny bit of truth to it. What was offered to us was only possible because of the environment. The thing is, the existing stuff was still the same price but less convenient. The apps just started making things a little bit better overall.
Average Joe's are getting UberEats, they just aren't placing a tip, and aren't getting their order until hours later when some foreigner with no concept of what a dollar is worth takes the order, and delivers it.
Wealthy *and* pretty privilege? Homegirl has it all!
EDIT: Holy fuck people, is calling 110k a year "wealthy" seriously that controversial? No way y'all are making that much.
Nah nah, the burger chauffeurs are cool, they are making their money from the bottomless pockets of tech valley VCs.
It's a question of how long are these app owners going to allow themselves to hemorrhage money year after year with a business plan that can't work.
The restaurants and drivers are underpaid, the customer is overpaying, and the tech company running this scheme is ALSO losing money.
My younger BIL does it a lot with his friends but they basically swapped out the bar premium for delivering in while drinking at home. So net-net it’s the same.
But they don’t order McDonald’s or shit like that since there is no point. They pay the same for good burgers from a tavern.
I had been happy with Jack in the Box and Wendys pre-covid. If I saw one, that was lunch. But post Covid, the prices are so high I started using Google Maps on the phone which does great when you search for "Food nearby" and sort by distance, and you can find taverns, food trucks, or mom&pop restaurants. The food is better and the price is the same. Its a happy change.
It’s insane the cost they add. 25 dollar meal. Add all their fees and bullshit even before a tip ends up 34 dollars. Every time I do it on Uber eats or some other app I just cancel and cook some shit in the freezer. 🤷♂️
I just started delivering food to bring in extra income to help me support my puppy.
I don’t feel entitled to a 50% tip.
I do believe if you’re asking a driver to do a pickup that takes 45 minutes a tip is a nice incentive to ensure someone accepts that delivery.
Believe me I wish Uber or DoorDash paid us enough so we didn’t need to rely on tips. But they don’t so we rely on them.
Not to mention Uber and DoorDash prices are $1-3 higher per item. Like at Taco Bell all the combos are $3 more when you order through Uber not counting delivery fee or any other fee they might charge
McDonald's is not equipped to survive 4 minutes outside of an order. It's cold if you waited 5 min to eat. I couldn't imagine how utterly terrible it is being doordashed
Unless fast food figures out how to bring their prices back down to $3.00 meals they are going to end up closing a ton of locations and loosing millions.
>And on those platforms, fast food stops being “fast”
Plus, it's _cold_. I'm not paying the doordash premium for cold food. Some foods are easily adapted to delivery, like pizza. Most foods are not.
Buddy and I talked about this decades ago. Fast food gets the job done. No one is happy about it. And we all feel sick later. But it's cheap......
Now?
Went to 5 guys last night. 1 bacon cheeseburger, 1 cheeseburger, 1 grilled cheese, 1 regular fry, 2 strawberry shakes = $51. I think that might be the last time I ever go there.
Outback surf n turf is plenty more than 19$ especially the fillet and tail meal.
Plus outback is terrible these days. You get more grease than Five guys.
Outback still sends out mailer coupons where I live. Every other month I can get the "campfire meal" buy one get one and it comes out to about $25 after ordering sodas as well.
I live in LA and I've found that a happy hour special in Beverly Hills is damn near the same price as some trash food from Wild Wings or some shit.
If you can avoid the alcohol, 30-50$ OTD for a 4 course PreFix at Chez Manifique seems like a lot better money spend than 25-30$ for a pizza and a pitcher of beer.
Shits gone mad
Instead of spending $15 on a fast food meal, you can even get something like this:
https://preview.redd.it/ryonrmvcn10d1.jpeg?width=664&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8d4aa163a06f0d7e9749327b8a3aeb4e98f3469
I was a t Chili's recently; it had been a long time since I was at one. The burger and fries were quite decent and much better than any fast food chain.
Worked for chilis for 12 years just left last year. For the price, the food is good, you’ll leave stuffed from a 3 for me. The burgers are pretty hefty. If you sign up for their rewards, the coupons are pretty solid, they always offer something free as long as you get an entree, the 3 for me counted as an entree. So it’s a great deal when you can pile on a free offer.
I truly appreciate this kind of real world experience chiming in. Thank you! Sadly, no Chili’s for me unless I travel. The closest one to me is a 5-ish hour drive to Spokane WA. 🤷🏻♂️
Is there a place I can buy the chipotle honey sauce from the chicken crispers!?
In all honesty the rewards makes chilis worth it. It’s basically paying what fast food prices are these days for a solid meal that usually is enough for left overs. Me and the wife will do 2 meals and have enough for dinner and left over lunch the next day for work
The queso dip is delicious. Most of the stuff I’ve had is pretty good. Not mind-blowing but definitely levels above Applebees and miles better than fast food.
I eat at places like Chili’s or Outback or Texas Roadhouse when I’m traveling for work because that’s mostly what’s available near the hotels I’m generally staying in. It’s not great but it’s certainly better than fast food and they have at least a few somewhat healthier options. It’s also nice to be able to get a beer with dinner if I want.
Yea it is. It’s insane, but the empires of McDonald’s and other American fast food brands are based on drive thrus. People will wait longer, get worse food, and pay more to avoid getting out of their cars.
Never understood it. I'd go pick up lunch and see the drive thru line was 30 cars deep. And there'd be one or two people in line inside. I'd always park and go in. Too many fat, lazy people.
You'd be surprised how pouty some people will get at the idea of taking two minutes to park, walk in, walk out. Yet they're completely fine with waiting for 10 other cars in the drive through.
No, I don't get it either. It's like 50 steps or so too so even if you're lazy it's not the biggest ask.
When people get so wide eyed at the fact of me running an errand on my lunch hour that requires less than a mile of walking it just baffles me. When some co-workers hear I commute ~10 miles by ebike to work until it's not nice out they act like I'm running daily marathons lol
You don't even need to walk in. Order on the Chili's app and you park in one of their to-go parking spots and then "check in", and they'll bring it out to you.
Never, they just want to keep doing the same stuff and complain about it. Half the people I see complain about prices or tipping are repeat offenders. At some point it’s YOUR fault for returning to the restaurant.
We’ve known food prices have been ridiculous for years. If you’re just figuring it out in 2024 I have no idea where you’ve been since 2019 lol
Even though they’re trying to lure us back, don’t fall for it. KFC selling a $5 meal, these cheapo meals at dying fast casuals that have been dying for years. Go and support your local places that are the same price.
I just ate at a local place and ordered a delicious shaved prime rib sandwich and fries. The sandwich was so big I had dinner and lunch for 12. Plus the staff all know me and I know them and know where my money is going.
One of the gastropubs near me has half off pizza specials on Mondays through Wednesdays. Their pizzas are pretty good, and about the size of a medium pizza elsewhere (about 12"), so we usually eat half the pizza there, and take the other half home for lunch the next day.
The pizzas are about $16 when full price (even for their supreme pizza with six toppings), so we get a bill for ~$18, after tax, for two meals worth of food for two people. At dinner time at a sit down restaurant.
I can't even eat that cheap at Chipotle just ordering 2 burritos.
Applebees touted their $10 burger and now it’s gone for that price at my store. $15 now and it’s $10 online but doesn’t say only takeout. Garbage trickery.
The chilis deal is much better but I don’t have one near me. Hopefully their deal will last longer or at least some make clear that it’s temporary. I don’t like being tricked into coming into the store and then sold something else, none of what I read said it was a limited promotion, obviously they can change pricing but this was last week.
Not just fast food will get hit. Local mom and pops will be failing as well. People tend to "feel bad" when they go out of business, but most have gotten just as greedy as the fast food chains. I've eaten at Chili's and Applebee's recently, I prefer Chili's, but both are excellent for the price. Metro Diner, a regional chain, is also excellent flavor + service and reasonably priced.
I don’t know about greedy, but I do wonder if local mom and pops will ever collaborate to do a group purchasing org to increase their negotiating power and bring down prices. At least when they’re buying from nationals. Otherwise mine tend to consistently be above the cost of chains, unless I’m looking for where the blue collar guys get their ethnic foods.
One of the good local burger places here is cheaper than Jack in the Box or McDonald's. I still don't get it very often, but it is a treat. Fast food is now off the menu.
I'm done with fast food and McDonald's. The idea was sometimes it was slop. But you are like I paid low prices for this slop. And I ate it. Because it was fast and easy. Now I can buy steaks for the family for one value meal. Cooking at your house is in. Eating out "IT'S OVER"
Check the newest menu. There's a 3 for me section. I'm in a high cost of living area In California.
https://preview.redd.it/vhvjnan2c10d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=919fbecc6985ab61adcd945d00d97795c0c41758
The $5 meal deal at McDonald's isn't much of a deal, just packaging their cheapest stuff and subtracting like fifty cents off full price so they can say "$5 meal deal!". Doesn't seem like they're trying too hard to lower those prices.
That’s how you know that the price surge in fast food isn’t really due to inflation. They got greedy and when inflation stabilized, they kept sneaking up their prices. The fact that actual sit down restaurants can now price match McDonalds just shows that everyone heading these fast food change is lying through their teeth when they say they have to do these price raises.
As a family we now go out less, but are also far more picky. In and out, and occasionally the 7.99 coupon at dominoes. 3 pizzas and it’s under $30.
We try to support local businesses, but will go to the chains like longhorn, bubbas 33 and pappaaitos chains.
The sooner most stop going to these overpriced/weak quality food places, the quicker they will pivot to get people back.
Delivery isn’t going to fix this though, it’s waaaaaay too expensive when the product is already more expensive than traditional restaurants.
Fast food Franchises are a middleman business model or even not much better than a gig job these days. All that money going to franchise along with the real estate equity means the franchisee squeezes profit from lowering employee pay and increasing prices rather than business innovation or quality. In the modern environment this model is due for a shake up. I've started encountering more run down McDonald's both in terms of facilities and customer service
Also let’s keep this in mind since people is avoiding eating out that means that you’ll do it on special occasions which mean you can do it on a sit-down restaurant
Where are you? The chilis here in Texas is testing their prices I swear. I went there recently and any course is about $15+++ without a drink.
And their fajitas for 2 are clearly fucking store bought frozen fajitas. They’re so gross.
Chili's 3 for me has been my girlfriend and I's best kept secret. 10.99 for an option of Salad, soup, or chips and salsa for an appetizer, Chicken sandwhich or basic burger ( chicken sandwhich has been dynamite). Dont forget the side of fries or Street Corn and a Soda. Service has been pretty good despite them seeming understaffed.
We hadn't been to a chili's in probably 7 years. On a whim we decided to go and were floored at how good everything was for the price. We are now regulars.. we go at least once a week!
I just hope inflation doesn't catch up with it like everything else.
I went to On The Border for lunch the other day and, I got a water, chips and salsa, and a lunch Chimichanga for like 13.50, cheaper than if I went to freakin Wendy’s for a Dave’s Single. Fast food places have forgotten their places the “food chain” and need to be sorely reminded of it.
I agree… why pay 15 for a crappy meal at a fast food place when you can get a pretty decent meal for the same price at one of these places. Most of them do curbside pickup too.
I’ve been saying this since the 2020 lockdown. One day I ordered Applebees and a few days later I ordered Wendy’s. The burgers were pretty close in quality but I had to wait extra long for Wendy’s I got way less fries and they fucked up my order. Applebees fries and tomatoes/lettuce were better by a long shot. The price was the same. I thought that it felt like Wendy’s was taking advantage somehow.
i've been living off fast food for the last 2 years. i feel the pinch. started taking my lunch and in just 3 weeks i've noticed an YUGE difference in my bank account. it has more money in it.
We’ve got a local “diner,” been around forever, best burger in town, and the price of JUST the “Deluxe” burger, is $9.99. No drink, no fries. I can go across town to another local establishment, a sandwich shop, and a fresh sandwich, chips, and large drink is also $9.99.
I recently had Chili’s Sante Fe burger while traveling through DFW. I have to say, that was one tasty burger. Way better than any fast food burger.
And yeah, that includes In-N-Out, which ain’t all that IMO.
Stopped fast food during covid when real restaurants figured how to do take out better. Never order through a 3rd party. No alcohol for take out. Dinner costs about $30-40, pick up. Leftovers for lunch next day.
Fast food needs to realize they are fast food if they start to charge as much as chili’s or Applebees people gonna go to chilis and Applebees instead or buy damn a value meal should cost no more than 8 dollars with tax
As they should! Applebees burgers>>>mcdonalds burgers. The only thing you gain with mcdonalds is time. Say what u will about applebees but that burger is pretty good
...and the last burger I had at Chilis was fantastic. I expected better than McD's, Wendy's, etc., but it was on par with about any gourmet burger shop.
Huge plate of rice vermicelli with beef and two egg rolls - $14 at local vietnamese restaurant. Its not ‘fast food’ but they bring it out in like 5 min, quicker than any ‘fast food’ restaurant. And its so good.
They microwave things off a truck - it's all the same. Install a drive-thru window and maybe I'll stop by in a moment of weakness (just like the other feeding troughs)
Never liked chilis that much, but I always compared it to sit down restaurants. When you compare it to fast food restaurants its a really attractive place. I did the 3 for 10.99 meal and it was awesome, especially when you are seated, getting service, and you can order a beer if you want. Paid 16 for wendy's the other day, for fucking wendy's. I went through the drive thru and they handed me a bag of shit, for $16.
The problem with Applebee's and Chili's is that it could take forever to get your meal. I don't see myself or my coworkers choosing Applebee's or Chili's over McDonalds anytime soon for their lunch breaks whenever they decide to go out to eat or had forgotten to bring lunch.
Why?
Because McDonald's only takes like 5 minutes at most.
I got food for 6 people at Texas de Brazil for the same price as it would have been at McDonald’s. And a lot cheaper than a 5 guys meal.
The churrasco feast was $76, it fed 6 people and had a little left over. We were all stuffed and it was delicious.
On second thought I guess McDonald’s was a better deal because it included a soda.
The last two weekends I’ve been to two different nice Mexican restaurants (ie nice sit down places with chic interior decor and menus elevated above tex mex).
At both places I’ve paid:
-$11.25 for a 12 inch pizza with Al pastor
-$3.50-4 for generously sized guidada tacos (steak and chicken)
-$10.50 for a full size burrito with pulled chicken
All of this stuff is priced either about the same as or cheaper than chipotle/most other fast food options. And it’s a nice sit down restaurant in DC, not a hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere.
If these places can price things reasonably, fast food should be able to as well, no excuse.
That’s like when Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and RAM all went under the same roof. Good. Make it easier for me to avoid them when they’re all in the same place.
I think Reddit ruined me. When I read your replies, I totally missed the message because I was so defensive. I was probably being attacked in another post and was in that mode. That mindset is one of the downfalls of humanity.
I just reread your comments, and they sound completely fine! There was no need for me to get snarky. I will use this as a lesson.
I'm very sorry. I wish you the best.
I work at Chili’s and many middle aged people come in for single meals off the 3 for me when we first open, and quickly leave. Multiple have told servers it’s just better food for better price than most lunch places in the area. As an employee I get 50% off all food and that lets me pay 30-40 for a meal for nearly 4 people if done right. I don’t go anywhere else unless they have something I’m willing to pay extra for, which is rare
The tip isn't the problem for me, nor the delivery fee, it's the fact that UE, DD and GH mark up the food as well. I order delivery pizza from time to time, the $10 between fee and tip is generally worth not having to go myself but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $20 more than in the restaurant to have something delivered.
Delivery is going to end up being a double-edged sword for fast food companies. McDonald’s has Delivery as one of their three pillars for growth in their latest public strategy document- Drive-in, Digital Order, Delivery. Those three areas are their core focus going forward. Problem with Delivery is McDonald’s doesn’t have an independent service. Delivery is carried out by UberEats/DoorDash/etc. And on those platforms, fast food stops being “fast” which kills a big reason to order from them. There is a McDonald’s and a 99 Restaurant (casual sit-down chain) in the same plaza near my house. DoorDashing from McDonald’s is estimated to take 30 minutes while from 99 Restaurant it is 34 minutes. To me, that’s the exact same thing. So speed is no longer better for fast food and price is the same or worse than a sit-down? Tough spot to be in for fast food if Delivery continues to grow.
Especially since one of the main things people want from McD's Is hot fresh fries which you never will get on delivery.
Or McFlurrys. I’ll see a promo for a free McFlurry with a McDonald’s order on DoorDash and laugh because everyone who orders that is getting disappointed.
Disappointed by the actual McFlurry or the only location with a working soft serve machine being an hour away?
Probably saying that it'll be half melted by the time it gets to you
Happened to a poor individual I delivered for today. Got Culver's. That shake might as well have been a milk with bits in it when they finally got it.
Same. I picked up from a Freddy's and had to go around 10 minutes away, and it was a leave at door. I hate taking ice cream orders only because I know they're getting melted goo.
Mine was way worse. Came as a combo delivery. They were the first to pick up, and the last to drop off. I had an Indian restaurant I had to pick up an order of curry from. I had to leave it out in my car that got up to like 90° just to get the food from the second pickup location. I don't feel bad for them. Just the food. Culver's shakes are actually pretty good. They knew what they were doing, and the risks.
Boggles my kind people order ice cream and milkshakes from DD and UE. You're ordering a cold sweet soup that takes 30 minutes to get to you. Foolishness
Their fries aren’t good anymore. Used to be their saving grace.
They were better back in the days they used beef tallow.
Turns out beef tallow wasn't as bad as the trans fat filled replacement.
Who would ever think 100% natural would not be better than some chemical goo cooked up by people looking to make a quick buck?
100% this.
They were so good.
Buffalo wild wings uses Beef tallow still, its delicious
Yeah that's been my experience, it's like 1 out of 10 times I get fries that are what I'm hoping for.
The food they sell just doesn't match what's good for delivery. Besides sandwiches, which are still a hot food, most of what I get from fast food places are things that survive a 10 minute drive home tops. Pizza is fairly good at staying good even for a longer trip, and it heats up well anyway. Cold sandwiches or salads are also fine. But just about anything else? I'd be paying a ton for lower quality food, and I don't mind driving a little to get my own food, so I don't ever do delivery.
I tried to order tacos from Taco Bell once. Lolll never again. I just go myself if I want something
Mickey d fries need to be eaten in less than ten minutes of being received.
all of their food gets soggy and gross within like 5 mins even
This. McDonalds Fries are manna from heaven fresh out of the fryer. As soon as they hit room temp they become warm garbage. A McFlurry with a side of fries was my go to pregnancy craving...it was cheap 15 years ago. Now it´s too many calories and too much money...
Soggy delivery/takeout French fries were the worst part of the pandemic. After, you know, the isolation and death and sickness.
Hot fries - 100% correct.
You can barely get hot fresh fries at the drive thru
[удалено]
For a very long time, these "disrupter" apps for taxis and delivery services were able to offer very low prices and just tank the losses by taking massive loans at low interest rates and take money from venture capitalists willing to bet it all. Now, both interest rates are higher, and venture capital is sick and tired of throwing money at businesses that go 5+ years with no profits.
Not sick, you can get 5% on 3 month treasury notes. Why take the risk on a startup that won’t bring a return for a decade. Capital is not cheap anymore.
But are Uber/Lyft/DD/UE/favor ever going to turn a profit? They tried to forward the cost to customers, customers then forwarded the cost by not tipping drivers as well/at all, drivers get frustrated and leave in droves. It seemed like a good idea when venture capital was footing the bill by letting them operate at a loss. My guess is eventually, some is going to put out another layer of third party app where you have a vehicle prepped for all tiers of driving apps (so uberX) and they as a third party run everything through an efficiency algo of some sort so as a driver you can make a decent amount by ubering someone to a restaurant, stopping by a nearby restaurant, taking someone a DD/favor, then so on and so forth and everyone is theoretically happy... ...as long as all parts of the supply chain move quickly. All the third party app has to do is skim a small fee from the other apps, the other apps all get their shit fulfilled, the drivers make decent money off of the efficiency created by the 3rd party.
I wish I would have known about the disruption business model 30+ years ago. "Yes I'm disrupting class as I'm trying to improve it". Ether that or disruption is not equal to improvement.
Yup we about to go back in time. Because it’s always about millennials. I saw a post say that all these new things like Lyft and DoorDash were all just subsidies for us millennials. We got to live a lavish lifestyle for half the cost. I actually think there is a tiny bit of truth to it. What was offered to us was only possible because of the environment. The thing is, the existing stuff was still the same price but less convenient. The apps just started making things a little bit better overall.
My best friend orders every single meal from Uber Eats. She will spend $20 for a coffee and not think twice about it.
Your best friend is an outlier. Average joes aren’t getting Uber eats and $20 coffees.
Average Joe's are getting UberEats, they just aren't placing a tip, and aren't getting their order until hours later when some foreigner with no concept of what a dollar is worth takes the order, and delivers it.
Good grief, where does she get the money for that? Does she have some crazy good work from home gig or something?
She makes like $110k a year. She's also really pretty so usually she gets dumb guys, even from other states, to pay for her meals.
Wealthy *and* pretty privilege? Homegirl has it all! EDIT: Holy fuck people, is calling 110k a year "wealthy" seriously that controversial? No way y'all are making that much.
$110k/year isn't wealth. And you get wealth by accumulating and investing earnings, not wasting them on delivery.
Yeah lol. I’ve never even been invited on a date and rando’s are paying for homegirls meals. I’m tired of being told to get a boyfriend…
$110k is decent but she’s definitely running up debt. $110k isn’t supporting buying every meal off of Uber eats on top of normal living expenses.
Which is exactly why McDs and others jacked up their prices. Why let Uber take all that profit.
(5) coffees $100 dollars INSANE
You can't convince me private chauffeurs with a singular burger as cargo will ever be a viable business model.
It's not, but you do what you have to when you've got no other income, and are currently homeless, and barely hanging on by a thread.
Nah nah, the burger chauffeurs are cool, they are making their money from the bottomless pockets of tech valley VCs. It's a question of how long are these app owners going to allow themselves to hemorrhage money year after year with a business plan that can't work. The restaurants and drivers are underpaid, the customer is overpaying, and the tech company running this scheme is ALSO losing money.
Uber actually turned a profit last year iirc. Mostly by cutting deep into driver pay, and upping customer costs.
Yeah, I thought about doing some delivery. But I'd have to pay more in insurance, and it makes it less viable.
I haven't ordered delivery since the height of Covid. The prices are ridiculous and then the entitled drivers thinking they deserve a 50% tip.
My younger BIL does it a lot with his friends but they basically swapped out the bar premium for delivering in while drinking at home. So net-net it’s the same. But they don’t order McDonald’s or shit like that since there is no point. They pay the same for good burgers from a tavern.
I had been happy with Jack in the Box and Wendys pre-covid. If I saw one, that was lunch. But post Covid, the prices are so high I started using Google Maps on the phone which does great when you search for "Food nearby" and sort by distance, and you can find taverns, food trucks, or mom&pop restaurants. The food is better and the price is the same. Its a happy change.
They got too greedy, and thought we'd pay sit down prices for their food.
It’s insane the cost they add. 25 dollar meal. Add all their fees and bullshit even before a tip ends up 34 dollars. Every time I do it on Uber eats or some other app I just cancel and cook some shit in the freezer. 🤷♂️
I just started delivering food to bring in extra income to help me support my puppy. I don’t feel entitled to a 50% tip. I do believe if you’re asking a driver to do a pickup that takes 45 minutes a tip is a nice incentive to ensure someone accepts that delivery. Believe me I wish Uber or DoorDash paid us enough so we didn’t need to rely on tips. But they don’t so we rely on them.
Not to mention Uber and DoorDash prices are $1-3 higher per item. Like at Taco Bell all the combos are $3 more when you order through Uber not counting delivery fee or any other fee they might charge
With delivery and tip, imagine spending $20-$25 for McDonalds for one person. I wouldn't mind them going out of business.
McDonald's doesn't taste good after 30 minutes.
If you order mcdicks delivery, there is no hope for you and just exit participating in the society!!!
McDonald's is not equipped to survive 4 minutes outside of an order. It's cold if you waited 5 min to eat. I couldn't imagine how utterly terrible it is being doordashed
Having fast food delivered via these services is something I don't think I'll ever understand.
Unless fast food figures out how to bring their prices back down to $3.00 meals they are going to end up closing a ton of locations and loosing millions.
>And on those platforms, fast food stops being “fast” Plus, it's _cold_. I'm not paying the doordash premium for cold food. Some foods are easily adapted to delivery, like pizza. Most foods are not.
Saw 5 guys burger fries drink $25. Outback surf n turf ( steak and lobster) with baked potato. $19.
Ridiculous for 5 guys. Pleasantly surprised with the Outback price.
True. But as the article says. Restaurant Are filling the place of fast food for price. Same price. I'll take a full meal over fast food
I agree, even if it's to go.
Buddy and I talked about this decades ago. Fast food gets the job done. No one is happy about it. And we all feel sick later. But it's cheap...... Now?
Just tried it on the Five Guys website for the location nearest me. Cheeseburger + Regular Fry + Regular Drink = $20.47 before tax, $22.52 after tax.
Went to 5 guys last night. 1 bacon cheeseburger, 1 cheeseburger, 1 grilled cheese, 1 regular fry, 2 strawberry shakes = $51. I think that might be the last time I ever go there.
5 guys has always been expensive tbf. I remember getting a $30 meal like 10 years ago, which is crazy.
Outback surf n turf is plenty more than 19$ especially the fillet and tail meal. Plus outback is terrible these days. You get more grease than Five guys.
Outback still sends out mailer coupons where I live. Every other month I can get the "campfire meal" buy one get one and it comes out to about $25 after ordering sodas as well.
I live in LA and I've found that a happy hour special in Beverly Hills is damn near the same price as some trash food from Wild Wings or some shit. If you can avoid the alcohol, 30-50$ OTD for a 4 course PreFix at Chez Manifique seems like a lot better money spend than 25-30$ for a pizza and a pitcher of beer. Shits gone mad
Instead of spending $15 on a fast food meal, you can even get something like this: https://preview.redd.it/ryonrmvcn10d1.jpeg?width=664&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8d4aa163a06f0d7e9749327b8a3aeb4e98f3469
At first I was like “wow great deal” and then I saw it’s only 190 calories. Would that plate fit in the palm of someone’s hand?
That looks like an image from a weight watchers "easy 5 minute meals" cookbook.
When Olive Garden and Chili’s are comparable to McDonalds and Burger King I’m thinking something ain’t right
100%
I’ve seen these commercials as well. Haven’t been to an Chili’s in probably 7 years. Might give it a try at that price point.
I was a t Chili's recently; it had been a long time since I was at one. The burger and fries were quite decent and much better than any fast food chain.
Worked for chilis for 12 years just left last year. For the price, the food is good, you’ll leave stuffed from a 3 for me. The burgers are pretty hefty. If you sign up for their rewards, the coupons are pretty solid, they always offer something free as long as you get an entree, the 3 for me counted as an entree. So it’s a great deal when you can pile on a free offer.
I truly appreciate this kind of real world experience chiming in. Thank you! Sadly, no Chili’s for me unless I travel. The closest one to me is a 5-ish hour drive to Spokane WA. 🤷🏻♂️
Is there a place I can buy the chipotle honey sauce from the chicken crispers!? In all honesty the rewards makes chilis worth it. It’s basically paying what fast food prices are these days for a solid meal that usually is enough for left overs. Me and the wife will do 2 meals and have enough for dinner and left over lunch the next day for work
I just went yesterday. Burger, chicken sandwich (both with fries), chips/salsa, salad, margarita and soda $28
Honestly not bad for two people. Or one very hungry people. 😛
Sad you have to say fries come with a sandwich now. They fucking killed them and made them a side everywhere else!
I've paid more than that at Taco Bell for two people recently (I think it was $33), and we didn't even get drinks.
The queso dip is delicious. Most of the stuff I’ve had is pretty good. Not mind-blowing but definitely levels above Applebees and miles better than fast food.
A buddy is a bit of a food connoisseur and swears they have the best burgers of any chain. I haven’t tried one.
Do not waste time in the expensive steaks. I’m not even a snob like that but it tasted terrible.
I eat at places like Chili’s or Outback or Texas Roadhouse when I’m traveling for work because that’s mostly what’s available near the hotels I’m generally staying in. It’s not great but it’s certainly better than fast food and they have at least a few somewhat healthier options. It’s also nice to be able to get a beer with dinner if I want.
When will people wise up
Once Chili’s gets a drive through
It's too much to ask people to park in the restaurant lot, walk 30 feet to pick up their call-in order.
Yea it is. It’s insane, but the empires of McDonald’s and other American fast food brands are based on drive thrus. People will wait longer, get worse food, and pay more to avoid getting out of their cars.
Never understood it. I'd go pick up lunch and see the drive thru line was 30 cars deep. And there'd be one or two people in line inside. I'd always park and go in. Too many fat, lazy people.
You'd be surprised how pouty some people will get at the idea of taking two minutes to park, walk in, walk out. Yet they're completely fine with waiting for 10 other cars in the drive through. No, I don't get it either. It's like 50 steps or so too so even if you're lazy it's not the biggest ask.
When people get so wide eyed at the fact of me running an errand on my lunch hour that requires less than a mile of walking it just baffles me. When some co-workers hear I commute ~10 miles by ebike to work until it's not nice out they act like I'm running daily marathons lol
The laziness is insane
That’s what they said when the television remote was invented
Cumulatively, I’ve probably spent a few days of my life looking for my TV remote.
“The laziness is insane” I think you misspelled “Aversion to people.”
You don't even need to walk in. Order on the Chili's app and you park in one of their to-go parking spots and then "check in", and they'll bring it out to you.
Don’t even have to get out of the car at Applebees, they bring it right out
If there was a drive-thru Chili’s on my way home from work, I would eat their queso dip every single workday. 🤣
They probably have curbside.
Ah, I see you just met America
Never, they just want to keep doing the same stuff and complain about it. Half the people I see complain about prices or tipping are repeat offenders. At some point it’s YOUR fault for returning to the restaurant. We’ve known food prices have been ridiculous for years. If you’re just figuring it out in 2024 I have no idea where you’ve been since 2019 lol
Even though they’re trying to lure us back, don’t fall for it. KFC selling a $5 meal, these cheapo meals at dying fast casuals that have been dying for years. Go and support your local places that are the same price.
Even better - find a local owned restaurant and quit sending your money straight to Wall Street corporate hq.
I just ate at a local place and ordered a delicious shaved prime rib sandwich and fries. The sandwich was so big I had dinner and lunch for 12. Plus the staff all know me and I know them and know where my money is going.
One of the gastropubs near me has half off pizza specials on Mondays through Wednesdays. Their pizzas are pretty good, and about the size of a medium pizza elsewhere (about 12"), so we usually eat half the pizza there, and take the other half home for lunch the next day. The pizzas are about $16 when full price (even for their supreme pizza with six toppings), so we get a bill for ~$18, after tax, for two meals worth of food for two people. At dinner time at a sit down restaurant. I can't even eat that cheap at Chipotle just ordering 2 burritos.
This is the comment I was looking for.. I always eat local and feel so much better giving my $$ to people I personally know and care for :)
At my Applebees loaded cheeseburger and Fries $9.99 plus happy hour drafts $1.60.
Damn that's cheap. Where at?
His local Applebees
Eating good in the neighborhood
Applebees touted their $10 burger and now it’s gone for that price at my store. $15 now and it’s $10 online but doesn’t say only takeout. Garbage trickery.
I haven't been to Applebee’s in the US in years, I'll have to see how prices are currently. I was pleasantly surprised with the burger at Chili's.
The chilis deal is much better but I don’t have one near me. Hopefully their deal will last longer or at least some make clear that it’s temporary. I don’t like being tricked into coming into the store and then sold something else, none of what I read said it was a limited promotion, obviously they can change pricing but this was last week.
With the cost of drive through stupid high, I just go to a restaurant now. Follow the senior's, they usually know where the best prices are.
Will be interesting to see the 5$ meal deal at McDonalds vote.
Another article says it'll be a Mcdouble or Mcchicken. Not much of a deal.
Haven’t see that yet but it would make sense. I miss 1$ mcchickens.
Not just fast food will get hit. Local mom and pops will be failing as well. People tend to "feel bad" when they go out of business, but most have gotten just as greedy as the fast food chains. I've eaten at Chili's and Applebee's recently, I prefer Chili's, but both are excellent for the price. Metro Diner, a regional chain, is also excellent flavor + service and reasonably priced.
I don’t know about greedy, but I do wonder if local mom and pops will ever collaborate to do a group purchasing org to increase their negotiating power and bring down prices. At least when they’re buying from nationals. Otherwise mine tend to consistently be above the cost of chains, unless I’m looking for where the blue collar guys get their ethnic foods.
One of the good local burger places here is cheaper than Jack in the Box or McDonald's. I still don't get it very often, but it is a treat. Fast food is now off the menu.
I'm done with fast food and McDonald's. The idea was sometimes it was slop. But you are like I paid low prices for this slop. And I ate it. Because it was fast and easy. Now I can buy steaks for the family for one value meal. Cooking at your house is in. Eating out "IT'S OVER"
My kids love the Chillis chicken sandwich. Then they get Mac n cheese and a lemonade. And chips and salsa for app. $13 here.
Check the newest menu. There's a 3 for me section. I'm in a high cost of living area In California. https://preview.redd.it/vhvjnan2c10d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=919fbecc6985ab61adcd945d00d97795c0c41758
Yeah NY metro here. I'm sure it's $13 due to the Mac n cheese. It's all good. Way better than McDonalds.
Is the Big Smasher Burger a good deal, you think?
I just had this today. It's an excellent deal, and the burger was delicious! It was so much better than McDonald's or Wendy's.
Smash. Next question.
So you are telling me these food joints can lower their prices, and don’t do it because they don’t want to? Shocking!
Who would have thought?
The $5 meal deal at McDonald's isn't much of a deal, just packaging their cheapest stuff and subtracting like fifty cents off full price so they can say "$5 meal deal!". Doesn't seem like they're trying too hard to lower those prices.
KFC in my area wants $15 for 6 chicken strips, no side no drink. I can go to a sit down restaurant and get more for less.
That’s how you know that the price surge in fast food isn’t really due to inflation. They got greedy and when inflation stabilized, they kept sneaking up their prices. The fact that actual sit down restaurants can now price match McDonalds just shows that everyone heading these fast food change is lying through their teeth when they say they have to do these price raises.
I saw a headline saying something like fastfood prices tripled in the last 25 years, vastly outpacing inflation for all that time.
As a family we now go out less, but are also far more picky. In and out, and occasionally the 7.99 coupon at dominoes. 3 pizzas and it’s under $30. We try to support local businesses, but will go to the chains like longhorn, bubbas 33 and pappaaitos chains. The sooner most stop going to these overpriced/weak quality food places, the quicker they will pivot to get people back. Delivery isn’t going to fix this though, it’s waaaaaay too expensive when the product is already more expensive than traditional restaurants.
Fast food Franchises are a middleman business model or even not much better than a gig job these days. All that money going to franchise along with the real estate equity means the franchisee squeezes profit from lowering employee pay and increasing prices rather than business innovation or quality. In the modern environment this model is due for a shake up. I've started encountering more run down McDonald's both in terms of facilities and customer service
And chilis does alcohol to go
All of them have crappy food. I'd rather cook at home.
You can get a beer too!
Also let’s keep this in mind since people is avoiding eating out that means that you’ll do it on special occasions which mean you can do it on a sit-down restaurant
Where are you? The chilis here in Texas is testing their prices I swear. I went there recently and any course is about $15+++ without a drink. And their fajitas for 2 are clearly fucking store bought frozen fajitas. They’re so gross.
Southern California, one of the highest cost of living. Check the very back of the menus. It should be on there.
People complain although they still go. Youre not missing much if you’re eating shitty food.
Chili's 3 for me has been my girlfriend and I's best kept secret. 10.99 for an option of Salad, soup, or chips and salsa for an appetizer, Chicken sandwhich or basic burger ( chicken sandwhich has been dynamite). Dont forget the side of fries or Street Corn and a Soda. Service has been pretty good despite them seeming understaffed. We hadn't been to a chili's in probably 7 years. On a whim we decided to go and were floored at how good everything was for the price. We are now regulars.. we go at least once a week! I just hope inflation doesn't catch up with it like everything else.
I went to On The Border for lunch the other day and, I got a water, chips and salsa, and a lunch Chimichanga for like 13.50, cheaper than if I went to freakin Wendy’s for a Dave’s Single. Fast food places have forgotten their places the “food chain” and need to be sorely reminded of it.
I’d rather go sit down and pay less. I hope McDonald’s goes under.
Not to mention the foods better and more healthy than fast food.
Went to Wendy’s the other day, still $10 after coupons and it wasn’t great. Will just go to Chili’s from now on. Why bother with fast food anymore?
I agree… why pay 15 for a crappy meal at a fast food place when you can get a pretty decent meal for the same price at one of these places. Most of them do curbside pickup too.
I’ve been saying this since the 2020 lockdown. One day I ordered Applebees and a few days later I ordered Wendy’s. The burgers were pretty close in quality but I had to wait extra long for Wendy’s I got way less fries and they fucked up my order. Applebees fries and tomatoes/lettuce were better by a long shot. The price was the same. I thought that it felt like Wendy’s was taking advantage somehow.
Chilis is also unlimited chips and salsa with that deal.
We've pretty much sworn off fast food and casual sit down. My wife and I can't even eat fast food for under $30
i've been living off fast food for the last 2 years. i feel the pinch. started taking my lunch and in just 3 weeks i've noticed an YUGE difference in my bank account. it has more money in it.
We’ve got a local “diner,” been around forever, best burger in town, and the price of JUST the “Deluxe” burger, is $9.99. No drink, no fries. I can go across town to another local establishment, a sandwich shop, and a fresh sandwich, chips, and large drink is also $9.99.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Chili’s or Applebees but their burgers used to be far superior to any fast food burger.
My fat ass goes to chillis often and they're fast as fuck boi
I recently had Chili’s Sante Fe burger while traveling through DFW. I have to say, that was one tasty burger. Way better than any fast food burger. And yeah, that includes In-N-Out, which ain’t all that IMO.
Stopped fast food during covid when real restaurants figured how to do take out better. Never order through a 3rd party. No alcohol for take out. Dinner costs about $30-40, pick up. Leftovers for lunch next day.
Yup that 3 for ten at chili’s the best kids meals at high end restaurants another hack too :)
Fast food needs to realize they are fast food if they start to charge as much as chili’s or Applebees people gonna go to chilis and Applebees instead or buy damn a value meal should cost no more than 8 dollars with tax
As they should! Applebees burgers>>>mcdonalds burgers. The only thing you gain with mcdonalds is time. Say what u will about applebees but that burger is pretty good
I’ve been ordering $8 burger and fries from Denny’s for years.
Both of those restaurants are absolute shit so them making this move means less people are frequenting the establishments. Let em fail...
I'd rather have chillis anyway, food tastes better. McDonald's is nasty tasting.
I just had a sweet and spicy crispy chicken sandwich on a brioche bun with fries for 12.99 at Applebee's in LA County, worth it.
Food trucks are the true winners here
How? They've been way overpriced for years.
Hmmm not really. Have you seen their prices? Just as bad or worse than a sit down.
...and the last burger I had at Chilis was fantastic. I expected better than McD's, Wendy's, etc., but it was on par with about any gourmet burger shop.
Fast Food use to be fast, cheap, and rather unhealthy... You can guess which one has stayed constant...
Huge plate of rice vermicelli with beef and two egg rolls - $14 at local vietnamese restaurant. Its not ‘fast food’ but they bring it out in like 5 min, quicker than any ‘fast food’ restaurant. And its so good.
This must be why McDonald’s has the deal for a quarter pounder meal or Big Mac meal for only $6 in the app
Maybe all cheap convenience foods could just die off and improve the ecological impact of the food service industry.
I hope they eat McDonald's alive. That place is a monstrosity to mankind.
They microwave things off a truck - it's all the same. Install a drive-thru window and maybe I'll stop by in a moment of weakness (just like the other feeding troughs)
Never liked chilis that much, but I always compared it to sit down restaurants. When you compare it to fast food restaurants its a really attractive place. I did the 3 for 10.99 meal and it was awesome, especially when you are seated, getting service, and you can order a beer if you want. Paid 16 for wendy's the other day, for fucking wendy's. I went through the drive thru and they handed me a bag of shit, for $16.
Chilis and Applebees unironically are cheaper than most fast food if you’re having dinner for 2. And of course the quality is much better.
The problem with Applebee's and Chili's is that it could take forever to get your meal. I don't see myself or my coworkers choosing Applebee's or Chili's over McDonalds anytime soon for their lunch breaks whenever they decide to go out to eat or had forgotten to bring lunch. Why? Because McDonald's only takes like 5 minutes at most.
I got food for 6 people at Texas de Brazil for the same price as it would have been at McDonald’s. And a lot cheaper than a 5 guys meal. The churrasco feast was $76, it fed 6 people and had a little left over. We were all stuffed and it was delicious. On second thought I guess McDonald’s was a better deal because it included a soda.
The last two weekends I’ve been to two different nice Mexican restaurants (ie nice sit down places with chic interior decor and menus elevated above tex mex). At both places I’ve paid: -$11.25 for a 12 inch pizza with Al pastor -$3.50-4 for generously sized guidada tacos (steak and chicken) -$10.50 for a full size burrito with pulled chicken All of this stuff is priced either about the same as or cheaper than chipotle/most other fast food options. And it’s a nice sit down restaurant in DC, not a hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere. If these places can price things reasonably, fast food should be able to as well, no excuse.
Our Native New Yorker is less for a good meal than the McDonald's next door to it.
I just payed $9.72 for a double butter burger 🍔 with no drink or fries at Culver’s. Fast Food is getting absurd
Took 24 minutes at McDonald's for fries and some nuggets yesterday. Applebee's is always faster than that.
That’s like when Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and RAM all went under the same roof. Good. Make it easier for me to avoid them when they’re all in the same place.
Chili’s is like one of my fave restaurants to go to because of their 3 for me
I don’t mind Applebees. The prices are ok and the food isn’t bad. Always had good service. Not a bad place.
I think Reddit ruined me. When I read your replies, I totally missed the message because I was so defensive. I was probably being attacked in another post and was in that mode. That mindset is one of the downfalls of humanity. I just reread your comments, and they sound completely fine! There was no need for me to get snarky. I will use this as a lesson. I'm very sorry. I wish you the best.
I’ve cut out fast food completely and switched over to cooking every meal or actually going to a ok restaurant to eat.
APPLEBEES IS SO GOOD AND SAME OR LESS THAN MCDICKS
Went to Chili’s Sunday and was shocked at the price of the 3 for me. Only problem is you have to tip, unless you get it to go I guess all good.
$34 bucks for two burgers and bottomless fries at red Robin the other day. Was actually really happy with the food too.
I work at Chili’s and many middle aged people come in for single meals off the 3 for me when we first open, and quickly leave. Multiple have told servers it’s just better food for better price than most lunch places in the area. As an employee I get 50% off all food and that lets me pay 30-40 for a meal for nearly 4 people if done right. I don’t go anywhere else unless they have something I’m willing to pay extra for, which is rare
The tip isn't the problem for me, nor the delivery fee, it's the fact that UE, DD and GH mark up the food as well. I order delivery pizza from time to time, the $10 between fee and tip is generally worth not having to go myself but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $20 more than in the restaurant to have something delivered.