Minor things that bother you

[Max Rockatansky]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

Didn't back the future claim some stupid level of inflation where a quarter in 1985 became the equivalent to $100 by 2015?

The other direction is seeming more likely now...

To rephrase, 2015 $100 was analogous to the purchasing power of a 1985 Quarter in the continuity of the films.

[skluth]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

Didn't back the future claim some stupid level of inflation where a quarter in 1985 became the equivalent to $100 by 2015?

The other direction is seeming more likely now...

You're confusing real money with cryptocurrency

[webny99]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

But are there any fast food places where that's not the case?

Aside from snacks or meal deals (I can't believe Wendy's still has the $5 Biggie Bag), I can't remember the last time I spent less than $10 at a fast food restaurant.

[CoreySamson]

I can get a good hearty lunch for about 5 or 6 dollars at Taco Bell:

3 Bean or Beef burritos: $2.97
1 Medium Drink: $1.89
Tax: $0.39

Total: $5.25 (cheaper if you get a smaller drink)

Probably the best fast food value I've seen anywhere.

[dlsterner]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

Heck, the last time I was in Five Guys (by myself) I topped $20 (Little Bacon Cheeseburger, Little Fry, Large Drink plus tax)

(I do remember spending $1.62 at Mickey D's in college - Quarter Pounder, fries, drink back in college - many moons ago)

[Scott5114]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

But are there any fast food places where that's not the case?

Aside from snacks or meal deals (I can't believe Wendy's still has the $5 Biggie Bag), I can't remember the last time I spent less than $10 at a fast food restaurant.

I regularly could before the pandemic.

Heck, the last time I was in Five Guys (by myself) I topped $20 (Little Bacon Cheeseburger, Little Fry, Large Drink plus tax)

If you're comparing Five Guys to Taco Bell, that really doesn't make Five Guys look very good.

(I also only rarely go to Five Guys, because I feel like it's overpriced for what you get. The burger is really not any better than Wendy's, but it is a heck of a lot more expensive.)

[webny99]

Five Guys is worth it if you like an exorbitant number of toppings, since they're all included. The few times I've been there, I've gotten almost every possible topping and enjoyed it thoroughly, but I recognize that's not for everyone.

[Scott5114]

Yeah, and I don't care for the toppings, since to me the most important flavor in a burger is the beef. If I can't taste that, I'm not happy. (I also don't care for the cognitive load of having to keep a bunch of toppings inside the sandwich while I eat it.) So the ideal burger for me is either lettuce, ketchup, and mayo, or mustard and ketchup. (I don't even put onions on unless I'm the one building the sandwich, because most burger joints think you want a giant handful of onions that fucking blasts every other flavor in the burger out of the sky. One or two slivers of onion is the perfect amount.)

Given my preferences, then, Five Guys is a tremendous waste of money.

[US 89]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

But are there any fast food places where that's not the case?

Aside from snacks or meal deals (I can't believe Wendy's still has the $5 Biggie Bag), I can't remember the last time I spent less than $10 at a fast food restaurant.

I regularly could before the pandemic.

I still can. The typical burger+fries+drink meal tends to run me somewhere between $7.50 and $9.50 depending on location.

I paid $11 for the Arby's beef and cheddar meal somewhere off I-75 in Georgia, and that was noticeable enough that I decided I'd never go back to that location. That same meal was like $8.50 at another Arby's.

[Bruce]

Buying fast food without the app or coupon code just isn't worth it at all.

[Scott5114]

Buying fast food without the app or coupon code just isn't worth it at all.

And see, I refuse to use apps belonging to a single company. I deal with enough companies in my life that if I have to install an app for every single one of them, my phone will be full of money-grubber apps and I won't have any space for anything I actually want to use the phone for.

So I judge a company on its cash prices, without any apps or coupons. If their cash price is too high, they lose my business. End of story.

[jakeroot]

Buying fast food without the app or coupon code just isn't worth it at all.

And see, I refuse to use apps belonging to a single company. I deal with enough companies in my life that if I have to install an app for every single one of them, my phone will be full of money-grubber apps and I won't have any space for anything I actually want to use the phone for.

So I judge a company on its cash prices, without any apps or coupons. If their cash price is too high, they lose my business. End of story.

I don't understand the logic here. Single companies are, theoretically, more important to the economy than large conglomerates. Yet you prefer things like Amazon, or Groupon? I don't get it. Most apps are individual apps by individual companies anyway; where do you draw the line?

[Scott5114]

No. I prefer to go to McDonalds, give them a piece of paper the government gave me, and get some pieces of metal the government gave them and a burger in return, without my phone being involved in the transaction at all.

If someone is feeling like they might be conglomerating, they should take medication and lie down until it stops.

[SSOWorld]

No. I prefer to go to McDonalds, give them a piece of paper the government gave me, and get some pieces of metal the government gave them and a burger in return, without my phone being involved in the transaction at all.

If someone is feeling like they might be conglomerating, they should take medication and lie down until it stops.

Download the AARoads app today to access the advanced features!

[jakeroot]

No. I prefer to go to McDonalds, give them a piece of paper the government gave me, and get some pieces of metal the government gave them and a burger in return, without my phone being involved in the transaction at all.

If someone is feeling like they might be conglomerating, they should take medication and lie down until it stops.

That reply had nothing to do with what I asked.

If McDonalds, BK, Chick-Fil-A, Subway, and others teamed up on an app, would you download that? Because you clearly stated:

I refuse to use apps belonging to a single company.

Are you just thinking of reasons to not like smartphones, or are you genuinely partial to companies like Amazon, Groupon, WhatsApp, etc?

[hotdogPi]

One restaurant I go to, Bertucci's, is fairly expensive for my price range. (It's in line with some non-chain restaurants but above most chains.) However, they often give out coupons that are really good, such as $15 off $30, making it cheaper than most places when I use it. No smartphone app required, though; email is enough. Pretty much every other restaurant has moved to a point rewards system rather than giving out really good coupons.

[JoePCool14]

No. I prefer to go to McDonalds, give them a piece of paper the government gave me, and get some pieces of metal the government gave them and a burger in return, without my phone being involved in the transaction at all.

If someone is feeling like they might be conglomerating, they should take medication and lie down until it stops.

Just wait until cash is outright banned because the government decides that they can't track it (and you) and that's a huge problem for them...

As for fast food prices, what do you (not directing this specifically at you, Scott) expect when these businesses were forced to pay all employees $15/hr (which now isn't enough in the eyes of those who pushed for it in the first place) plus the increased fuel costs (which I don't think will be coming down)? Working as a cook at McDonald's or a bagger at Kroger was never meant to be a career that could support a family.

Mandating higher minimum wages is a surefire way to increase inflation. Either that, or a surefire way to replace more jobs with computers.

[ZLoth]

There are two features of the fast food apps that I like The first is that it's nice and easy to ensure that my order is customized right (no pickles no onions on my burger). The second is the reward points which I plan to use for free food during my next road trip.

Also, if someone looks at my life, they will either determine that I am "extremely boring" or "mostly harmless".

[J N Winkler]

Fast-food meals are still routinely under $10 per person in my area.  This said, I hardly ever get drinks with mine.  I all but gave up on sweet carbonated beverages decades ago, and while I still like milkshakes, I view them more as a dessert course.

[mgk920]

I'd love to see some of those self-actualized protesters gather around outlets of the local McD's franchise here in the Appleton, WI area and *DEMAND* they pay their crew members $15/h!

-------

The last few times I dined with them, it was 3 cheeseburgers and a large SODA (Diet Coke without ice) for between $6 and $7 (Grrrrr....) and there were help wanted signs in the doors offering fifteen dollars per hour to start.

Mike

[kphoger]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

I can get a good hearty lunch for about 5 or 6 dollars at Taco Bell:

3 Bean or Beef burritos: $2.97
1 Medium Drink: $1.89
Tax: $0.39

Total: $5.25 (cheaper if you get a smaller drink)

Probably the best fast food value I've seen anywhere.

Yeah, Scott, you're just ordering wrong.

$1.00 – cheesy bean & rice burrito
$4.98 – soft taco supreme x 2
$1.00 – medium drink

$7.98 – total

[1995hoo]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

So I guess that was the last time I'll have Taco Bell.

The 21st century sucks.

I would ask whether Taco Bell is worth approximately $10, since that's really the scenario if you have two people and the price was a bit over $20–averages out to around $10 a person. Unless one person didn't eat.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Taco Bell is one of the trickier ones to navigate because they have an extensive a la carte menu in addition to their standard combos and whatever rotating specials they currently have. The standard combo prices are nothing special, about $8-9 per. A la carte selections vary based on what you get, but if you want a drink this is where any savings can go out the window (although, TB does have a $1 medium drink special from 2-5 PM). The $2 value burritos are fairly filling in my experience too.

The special "box" combos centered on whatever limited time item they're promoting are probably the most bang for your buck, especially if you save some of it as leftovers (typically the hard shell taco won't hold up so well, but some of the other stuff might).

[kphoger]

The special "box" combos are probably the most bang for your buck, especially if you save some of it as leftovers (typically the hard shell taco won't hold up so well, but some of the other stuff might).

Yeah, if my family of five gets Taco Bell on the way home from church, we generally get the Supreme Soft Taco Party Pack to go, which has a dozen tacos for $21.99.  If everyone eats two tacos, it works out to $3.67 per person with leftovers.

[webny99]

Taco Bell is one of the trickier ones to navigate because they have an extensive a la carte menu in addition to their standard combos and whatever rotating specials they currently have. The standard combo prices are nothing special, about $8-9 per. A la carte selections vary based on what you get, but if you want a drink this is where any savings can go out the window (although, TB does have a $1 medium drink special from 2-5 PM).

The special "box" combos centered on whatever limited time item they're promoting are probably the most bang for your buck, especially if you save some of it as leftovers (typically the hard shell taco won't hold up so well, but some of the other stuff might).

That first part is actually true of most fast food places, but I do agree that the box combos are by far the best value at Taco Bell. (I didn't even know you could get burritos for $1 - not sure that's the case here.)

I went to Taco Bell the other day and the total for two people was over $20.

Taco Bell isn't worth $20.

...

I would ask whether Taco Bell is worth approximately $10, since that's really the scenario if you have two people and the price was a bit over $20–averages out to around $10 a person. Unless one person didn't eat.

I'm sure he knows that. I think the math was implied