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What do you think of fast food restaurants?

I'd like to see them cleaned up.

Both literally, and in terms of menu options. Some of that could just be scaling back portions and dropping prices commensurately.

Burger and hot dog joints were seldom seen as problems 50 years ago and more. Menus were simple and most of the "inputs" were less processed. Portions were much smaller, and most people just didn't eat too much of it. There were less bad fats used, sugary drinks were simpler otherwise and again came in smaller sizes like 12 ounces or less.

However it seems possible to add better choices, instead of fries maybe half a baked potato in cubes or wedges along with a steamed vegetable. Keep burgers down to a reasonable size, thinner bun with less added sugars, eschew most sugary/salty/fatty condiments. Unsweetened iced teas might be another possibility.

But if economics don't permit improvements then eliminating them might be the only option.
 
In a couple of ways, FF is a necessity.
We’re a fast paced nation complete with a couple of generations of impatient people so fast food goes with it.

I do heartily agree that many need a good cleaning but I have also seen some terrifying cases of unhealthy environments within the casual and fine dining realms of the hospitality industry.

Banning FF grab joints is a little far fetched in as much as places like Subway and Panera Bread are both considered FF and seeing that the reach would have to go as far as limiting what the snack counter at the movies can serve so better monitoring yes, banning no.

Added to all that, they serve as starter jobs for hundreds of thousand of kids who need to learn a work ethic and how to manage $.
 
RelaxedFit said:
But if economics don't permit improvements then eliminating them might be the only option.
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Economics is why they are what they are, and will never go away. The fast food industry is estimated to have made nearly $900 Billion last year. And that estimate does not include so-called "higher quality" restaurants. I believe McDonald's is the largest fast-food chain.

Did you know that of the world's wealthiest and most influential companies, two seemingly unrelated companies have a vast amount of control over the world's food supply? Bayer (#822) and Bayer Crop Science (#3751), both of which are divisions of the larger Bayer AG, a multinational chemical and pharmaceutical company. These two companies, along with a few other large corporations, hold a significant amount of control over the global food supply, particularly through seed and agricultural chemical markets.

Have you ever heard of the March Against Monsanto? At one time than were millions strong, but then the march just faded away. Most likely because Monsanto is now part of Bayer...
 
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I personally avoid them as they make their living from dead animals but I respect the right of others to use them.
 
I don't remember the last time I have ate at a fast food place. I avoid them, if all possible. The food has a ton of calories, sodium, fat, sugar, preservatives, chemicals, and antibiotics, which is not good for people that are watching their calories, blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar intake. Fast food is especially not good for growing children, in my opinion.

During Covid, what people complained the most about was not being able to get take out. When they ran out of all the prepared freezer food they had bought, they complained about having to have to cook, plan meals, and clean up the dishes.
 
Now this thread keeps taking me back to Principal Skinner's "steamed hams" and all of the memes built around that over the years. :ROFLMAO:

But don't look it up. It isn't worth the effort if it's new to you.
 
I love going out for hamburgers, but Bobby does not like to do that; so we seldom even go out for any kind of fast food. Occasionally, we go to IHOP for a breakfast (which is our meal of the day).
I know that fast food is not a healthy choice , and is a much worse one now than it used to be back when everything was made from actual food and not processed foods.
I remember French fries being made from freshly cut up potatoes, and now they come from frozen mushed up potatoes formed into the shape of a crinkled French fry and loaded with preservatives.

It used to be that people mostly cooked real food and ate it at home, and going to a drive in for a burger and fries was a very occasional treat. Now, we have people who barely cook at all, and order food delivery to their home for dinner.
I think that we should not ban those kinds of cafes and drive-ins; but people need to be better educated about healthy food and learn meal preparation.

When I was in high school, all girls took a class called “Home-Ec”, and all boys took a class called “Shop”. Boys learned about things like woodworking, and we girls learned about cooking and sewing, and things like that.
We need to be teaching people these kinds of things.
It used to be that kids learned a lot from their parents, but if the mother can’t cook, and she orders in dinner from Uber Eats, there is no way the kids are going to learn to cook healthy foods.
 
If I stop anywhere (though I haven't in years now) it tends to be Burger King ("Have it your way"). I don't like the mystery sauces that most of them goober the burgers up with.

I'd request the Rodeo Cheeseburger and ask for pickles on it. Often not on the menu but they always seemed to be able to make it. I also used to like their Breakfast Bagel when they had them.

The downside was their Breakfast Hash Browns, which were coin-like tatertots full of grease with too much salt and prone to causing heartburn.
 
Yvonne Smith said:
Occasionally, we go to IHOP for a breakfast (which is our meal of the day).
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Next time you go to any restaurant, ask to speak to the Cook. If a Cook comes out, ask if their food is processed, pre-cooked, or pre-packaged. And don't be surprised when they say it is. Be specific and ask about what you plan to eat, because things like pancakes that are "made fresh to order", and made from processed mixes. While that does still sort of mean they are made fresh, you have no idea what the ingredients of the mixes are.

One of the reasons why some and I stopped going to Denny's for Country Fried Steak dinners, is because everything in that meal is frozen, right down to the Garlic Toast. Two of those dinners costs about $35. You can get frozen Country Fried Steak, Hash Browns, Gravy, and Garlic Toast at Walmart or Cash and Carry / Smart and Final for a lot less. But as previously mentioned, yeah, ya gotta do the dishes. The difference in the cost makes it worth it in my opinion.

We still love their Coffee though...
 
While I do agree with you that we can get the same meal and have it at home much cheaper, and probably healthier (unless you are still buying the frozen processed foods that the restaurant has); that is just not the same for me, @Axel Slingerland .
I can make most of the foods that i would eat in a restaurant, and they would taste as good and be made fresh; but I enjoy the experience of going out for a dinner.
We do not do it very often because Bobby was a chef, and he does not enjoy going out to eat like I do; but it is something that I have enjoyed since I was a really young child, going out for dinner with my mom and dad.

My first husband was a Journeyman lineman, so he often worked away from home all week long and was home on the weekends. On either Saturday or Sunday, we took the kids out for a meal together, and it was kind of the time we spent “catching up” together as a family, and we all just enjoyed whatever we had to eat and chatting together.
Of course, even restaurant food was less processed back then, but the main idea was just to have a nice time together, and not being concerned about whether the food was healthy or not.
 
When my ex and I took the kids on vacation we tended to prefer the middling "sit down" places, local if possible or else a Big Boy. The ex had been a waitress for a while and just didn't care for fast food places. I often chose their veal parm and spaghetti or else the Swiss Miss burger (swiss cheese, onion, rye bun).

Our eldest son hated those mom and pop no-name places off the highway. He did not enjoy exploring a strange menu in a small town. One time he sat in the car and sulked while we went inside to eat. :ROFLMAO:

I thought he would freak one trip when we crossed the Straits into the Upper Peninsula. At the time, once you got past St. Ignace there were no more McDonald's, Burger Kings, etc. for a week. We did hit a Hardee's but even that wasn't on-brand enough for his tastes. I think he did enjoy Dogpatch though, a sort of tourist trap sit down restaurant themed for the old comic strip. Probably roughly what you'd expect from somewhere like a Cracker Barrel for the past few decades.
 
None of my kids would have ever sat in the car and missed a meal eating out, no matter where we went or what kind of food it was ……….. I am shocked @RelaxedFit !
Maybe it was because we often went to the small independent cafes when we traveled (which we did a LOT back then); so the kids were always excited about an “Adventure Cafe” that we had never tried before. We seldom ever went to the chain restaurants, even for a hamburger, so they managed to grow up with out McDonalds, unlike most kids back then.

We had a Bob’s Big Boy in Spokane, and that was our favorite place to go out and eat. They had everything from awesome big burgers, to breakfast menu, to the salad bar, and amazing desserts (which we only had very rarely), so there was something for what everyone in the family enjoyed eating, and plenty of refills on coffee for the adults.

When I lived in Bonners Ferry, I had a job at the Subway there, and i really enjoyed working at that place and making all the veggies for the sandwiches and serving people their perfect sub sandwich.
We had breakfast sandwiches and coffee in the early mornings, and it was located near the high school, so we stayed really busy until after all the lunch business was over.

Later, when i was working at the Academy of the Rockies (juvenile rich kids); the kids loved it when i set up one of the buffet tables and made sub sandwiches for them for dinner, just like they would have had if they went to Subway. It was a novelty from their usual meals, but I got permission to do it, and it turned out great.
 
Well he certainly got over it before too long. It only happened one time, though he'd been reluctant about those places for some time. Today he's the opposite, if anything. Always ready to try something wacky or new or offbeat.
 
Don't know what it is, but the meat we use to buy at a grocery store and cook at home for supper, just doesn't taste as good as it use to. However, now that neither of us are into red meat like we use to be, we hardly ever buy meat at the store and cook at home. Fish and chicken are our main meats today.

A few times a month we will go to Chic-Fil-A for a regular Chic-Fil-A sandwich and small fry. We also will go to KFC for chicken. As for fish, I love catfish (frozen and thawed), coated with Bread Crumbs and oven baked. We also have Pollock cooked in oven.

The last time we were at Taco Bell, I was very shocked at how dirty their "preparing" floor was. I told my wife "no more" and we haven't been back. No more McDonald's either. Use to like their FF, but not anymore. We've also been to Panda Express, but most of their food is extremely sugary. When, and if, we want Mexican food, we will got to one of two Mexican Restaurants near us.

So, as for fast-food, Chic-Fil-A and KFC are the only ones we go to, when if fact, we do go.
 
Smithy said:
What do you think of fast food restaurant like McDonalds, KFC etc.
Should they be banned?
Click to expand...
Each person has to decide whether they want to eat fast food that is considered harmful to your health, or Eating the healthiest fast food on the menu.
Prevention Magazine has a list of healthier fast food meals that can be selected from the menu. See the link below.
One example is Chick-Fil-A's Market Salad, or Starbucks Egg & Cheddar Protein Box. They list items that are on the Mcdonald's and Burger King menus.

www.prevention.com

These Are the Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants, According to Dietitians

Plus what to order at each.
www.prevention.com www.prevention.com
 
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