Fastest Fast Food

[webny99]

I also think the price equals the quality at Five Guys.  $7 is less expensive than a diner or crap chain, like Applebee's.

I don't even have to pick sides here - I think both Five Guys and Applebees are overrated (and overpriced) 

Can't beat Taco Bell (which, hey, is actually fast food!) when it comes to value.

[Rothman]

Really.  You are going with Taco Bell.  The sludge factory.

[webny99]

Really.  You are going with Taco Bell.  The sludge factory.

The day they stopped offering nacho fries was almost the apocalypse. Crunchwraps are good. And you can't deny they have good value even if you want to call some stuff "sludge". $5 for two tacos, nacho fries, and a medium drink? I'm not complaining.

[adventurernumber1]

Really.  You are going with Taco Bell.  The sludge factory.

The day they stopped offering nacho fries was almost the apocalypse. Crunchwraps are good. And you can't deny they have good value even if you want to call some stuff "sludge". $5 for two tacos, nacho fries, and a medium drink? I'm not complaining.

They stopped selling nacho fries? It is indeed the apocalypse, my friend! That stuff was good, and it was an incredible deal. Taco Bell has a bad habit of getting you excited about these big deals and special items, but then it's hardly any time before they take them away.   

I love Taco Bell. It may not be as good as authentic mexican food, but it suffices and impresses for a fast food restaurant, IMHO. And speaking of this thread, I believe that from my experience, Taco Bell is actually typically pretty fast in service as well.

However, I do have to laugh, and would have a hard time arguing with, the running joke online that the "worst job in the world" is the bathroom attendant at Taco Bell. Now that's pretty funny.   

[Rothman]

People actually praising Taco Bell.  Reason #1,431 for why I am losing my faith in humanity.

[Scott5114]

I mean, Taco Bell is not remotely the same as legitimate Mexican food, but it's not meant to be, any more than McDonald's is meant to be the best of American food. You can get a tremendous amount of food for very little money, however, and it's not awful-tasting.

[RobbieL2415]

Fastest to slowest:

1. Wendys, Chic-fil-A (tie)
2. Dunkin' Donuts
3. Burger King
3. McDonalds (Super quick during rush hours, late nite is always slow near me.  Might be because they switch to made-to-order)
4. Dairy Queen (Only get ice cream there, but usually quick)
5. Sonic (car-hop service is reasonably fast, but MAN is drive-thru notoriously slow.  They are all made-to-order there I think and that may be why it can take a while sometimes)

[slorydn1]

Really.  You are going with Taco Bell.  The sludge factory.

The day they stopped offering nacho fries was almost the apocalypse. Crunchwraps are good. And you can't deny they have good value even if you want to call some stuff "sludge". $5 for two tacos, nacho fries, and a medium drink? I'm not complaining.

You're 18. 30 years from now when you are going steady with your Gastroenterologist you will be. 

[hbelkins]

Shake Shack opened in Lexington, but it's in a busy area off Nicholasville Road that I avoid at all costs because of the traffic and the crowds. Guess it will be awhile before I try them out unless I encounter one somewhere in my travels.

Find a time when traffic and crowds are not a concern.  Or fight the traffic and crowds.  It's worth the trip.

Are they any different than Steak n Shake?

[webny99]

They stopped selling nacho fries? It is indeed the apocalypse, my friend! That stuff was good, and it was an incredible deal. Taco Bell has a bad habit of getting you excited about these big deals and special items, but then it's hardly any time before they take them away.   

Yes, they did indeed 
A lot of people I know were bummed. I was too, especially because I only got to enjoy them a few times 

I mean, Taco Bell is not remotely the same as legitimate Mexican food, but it's not meant to be, any more than McDonald's is meant to be the best of American food. You can get a tremendous amount of food for very little money, however, and it's not awful-tasting.

I love Taco Bell. It may not be as good as authentic mexican food, but it suffices and impresses for a fast food restaurant, IMHO. And speaking of this thread, I believe that from my experience, Taco Bell is actually typically pretty fast in service as well.

Yeah, I agree with all that. Taco Bell isn't really fine dining, but it's very cheap for what you get, hence my comments about value. Also, it's not terrible-tasting (even though it doesn't compare to true Mexican food, or even Chipotle).

They also have some really good menu items that aren't even remotely related to Mexican food, such as Cinnabon Delights and Breakfast Crunchwraps.

[kkt]

Really.  You are going with Taco Bell.  The sludge factory.

The day they stopped offering nacho fries was almost the apocalypse. Crunchwraps are good. And you can't deny they have good value even if you want to call some stuff "sludge". $5 for two tacos, nacho fries, and a medium drink? I'm not complaining.

You're 18. 30 years from now when you are going steady with your Gastroenterologist you will be. 

Or your heart specialist.

[jeffandnicole]

Really.  You are going with Taco Bell.  The sludge factory.

The day they stopped offering nacho fries was almost the apocalypse. Crunchwraps are good. And you can't deny they have good value even if you want to call some stuff "sludge". $5 for two tacos, nacho fries, and a medium drink? I'm not complaining.

You're 18. 30 years from now when you are going steady with your Gastroenterologist you will be. 

Or your heart specialist.

Just remember: The mortality rate of the healthiest 1% of the world's population: 100%.

Obviously, everything in moderation. 

[abefroman329]

Shake Shack opened in Lexington, but it's in a busy area off Nicholasville Road that I avoid at all costs because of the traffic and the crowds. Guess it will be awhile before I try them out unless I encounter one somewhere in my travels.

Find a time when traffic and crowds are not a concern.  Or fight the traffic and crowds.  It's worth the trip.

Are they any different than Steak n Shake?

Oh yes.  The burgers are cooked in a similar manner, but they're bigger and thicker.  The buns are also bigger and the toppings are fresher.  The fries are completely different, they're thick crinkle-cut fries and cooked longer than Steak 'n' Shake's.  Can't speak to the shakes, I'm not familiar enough with the shakes at either restaurant.

[Rothman]

Shake Shack's shakes > Steak 'N Shake's shakes.

Decent burger at either place;  Shake Shack's burger is very much like In 'N Out, though.  Not sure which I like better between Shake Shack and Steak 'N Shake, though.  Five Guys beats them both, anyway.

[RobbieL2415]

I thought Shake Shack was exclusive to the NYC metro.  They're a national chain?

[adventurernumber1]

I thought Shake Shack was exclusive to the NYC metro.  They're a national chain?

They're definitely a chain. I don't know exactly how many locations they have, but it must be a good bit. I've been to two Shake Shacks. The first time, I went to a Shake Shack which is in the "Buckhead" (more affluent and fancier) section of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. I also went to Shake Shack when I was in New York City at the very beginning of 2015. From both of those experiences, I really, really enjoyed Shake Shack. The food was absolutely incredible (burgers, fries, everything I had). Unfortunately, I never had the chance to try their shakes, but I know for a fact they would have been amazing. My mouth is almost starting to water right now just thinking about Shake Shack.   

[Rothman]

I thought Shake Shack was exclusive to the NYC metro.  They're a national chain?

When the hype hit a few years back, they took advantage and expanded:

https://www.shakeshack.com/locations/

[adventurernumber1]

This is off-topic, but something absolutely hilarious just happened (regarding a fast food restaurant). My mom and I were in the drive-thru at Captain D.'s, and suddenly, something happened. My mom was ordering, but all of a sudden, several wasps or hornets (or whatever they were) started flying around her window (where she was speaking out of). She had to roll up that window (because they wouldn't leave), and she had to roll down the back window. Then, she proceeded to shout our order, and the person could hardly hear us. Because of the whole mess, there were some missed things in our order (though it wasn't their fault this time - it was those flying, stinging demons!). After the whole mess was over, we absolutely died laughing about it. I'm cracking up right now thinking about it.      

[spooky]

This is off-topic, but something absolutely hilarious just happened (regarding a fast food restaurant). My mom and I were in the drive-thru at Captain D.'s, and suddenly, something happened. My mom was ordering, but all of a sudden, several wasps or hornets (or whatever they were) started flying around her window (where she was speaking out of). She had to roll up that window (because they wouldn't leave), and she had to roll down the back window. Then, she proceeded to shout our order, and the person could hardly hear us. Because of the whole mess, there were some missed things in our order (though it wasn't their fault this time - it was those flying, stinging demons!). After the whole mess was over, we absolutely died laughing about it. I'm cracking up right now thinking about it.      

If you were bubbling and/or if this will still crack you up when you're 45 then I know a guy who might be your spirit animal.

[hbelkins]

Stinging insects in the car are no laughing matter, at least not where I'm concerned. I'm not one of those who is terribly allergic to stings, and have to carry a candy bar or some medicine around in case I get stung, but I don't want one in the car with me while I'm driving. I went to high school with a girl who was deathly allergic to stings. She carried a candy bar at all times to eat if she got stung; that would supposedly keep her from suffering difficulties until proper medicine could be administered.

They tend to congregate around trash cans at restaurants and gas stations in the fall, when they're looking for nutrients and are attracted to sugar in discarded pop bottles or cans.

[kkt]

I've never heard of treating a wasp sting with a candy bar.  Do you eat it, or crush it and apply it to the sting?

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Dang, Burger King is so f**king slow when it comes to home delivery. Domino's (Still known as Domino's Pizza in Spain, and in my hometown is right across the street from Burger King) is far faster at this, as well as the largest non-American pizza chain, the Spanish Telepizza. McDonald's doesn't have home delivery in my area.

[jakeroot]

Dang, Burger King is so f**king slow when it comes to home delivery. Domino's (Still known as Domino's Pizza in Spain, and in my hometown is right across the street from Burger King) is far faster at this, as well as the largest non-American pizza chain, the Spanish Telepizza. McDonald's doesn't have home delivery in my area.

Is the home delivery handled by the restaurant itself, or a separate company? Home deliveries are only a thing in the US now with Uber Eats, which allows you to place an order at almost every restaurant with a take-away option, and have another person pick it up and deliver it to you. I've never done it, but I've heard it's decently quick.

I've never heard of treating a wasp sting with a candy bar.  Do you eat it, or crush it and apply it to the sting?

I can't find anything on Google about it either. Wive's tale?

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Is the home delivery handled by the restaurant itself, or a separate company? Home deliveries are only a thing in the US now with Uber Eats, which allows you to place an order at almost every restaurant with a take-away option, and have another person pick it up and deliver it to you. I've never done it, but I've heard it's decently quick.

In all cases the home delivery is done by the restaurants themselves. I've spotted many Burger King and Domino's bikes in my hometown since they first opened (in 2012 and 2016 respectively).

[jakeroot]

Is the home delivery handled by the restaurant itself, or a separate company? Home deliveries are only a thing in the US now with Uber Eats, which allows you to place an order at almost every restaurant with a take-away option, and have another person pick it up and deliver it to you. I've never done it, but I've heard it's decently quick.

In all cases the home delivery is done by the restaurants themselves. I've spotted many Burger King and Domino's bikes in my hometown since they first opened (in 2012 and 2016 respectively).

Interesting. The only restaurants in the US that deliver on their own are, generally, pizza places.

I suspect delivery via motorcycle would be more popular in the US if lane filtering was permitted (outside of California). Outside of places like Jimmy Johns, most delivery systems are by car. No fun in traffic!