fast food versus eating out

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Disneysteve wrote something that made me question, do you think it's true that spending a bit more you can get a better meal than fast food?

This weekend we went out to eat at a burger place. It was $90 for 3 of us. $22 average price of burger. Then DK got truffle fries and I got onion rings for up charge. That plus 10% and tip 20% and $90 was spent. I think I could get Mcdonalds for $30 - 3 x $10 meals. But definitely not that quality. So I'm not sure it's only a slight difference.

That was our meal out for the week. Gosh it's so expensive now.

[disneysteve]

It depends what you’re comparing. I think there are a number of fast casual places that have decent food at reasonable prices that are only modestly higher than fast food. For example, McDonalds vs Panera or Taco Bell vs Chipotle.

if you’re going to compare fast food to table service, the gap will be wider. Just the 20% tip alone makes a big difference.

I also think there are many independent places, mom and pop sort of counter service options, that are much better quality than fast food joints without being much more expensive.

[Fishindude77]

I also think there are many independent places, mom and pop sort of counter service options, that are much better quality than fast food joints without being much more expensive.

These are the places we prefer, privately owned establishments.
Fast food s#cks for the most part and all of the chain brand sit down joints are nothing exceptional.

[myrdale]

I understand being on the road but, $90 to feed three people is insane.

Five Guys is stupid expensive, and What-A-Burger isn't much cheaper.

Cheeseburger Bobby's is the best I know of and they are only $15 maybe?

Keep in mind, for a total $15 you each could have had a cheeseburger and small fry from McDonald's. But if you want truffle fries, well you're going to have to pay. Our proportions are out of control as is the luxuries we now expect on a daily basis.

[ua_guy]

A lot of places are just a complete ripoff given the price, low quality of food, service. Best to avoid. When you want to eat real, high quality and minimally processed food, you typically pay more for it, and there tends to be less of that available in fast food places.

[disneysteve]

I understand being on the road but, $90 to feed three people is insane.

There’s a casual Italian family place around the corner from us. We do takeout from there occasionally. If we get 3 entrees it’s $75 and that’s with no tip and no beverages. Very good food and we get at least 2 meals out of each entree but still that’s what it costs to get dinner. And that’s with nobody ordering anything expensive like seafood. No appetizers. No desserts.

[EasyMoney00]

I guess for some fast food is where it's at. Others would rather go to a "sit down" restaurant. One thing is for sure, dining out and fast food have gone up a lot. And, the quality of food has gone down. Both fast food and sit down are guilty.

We typically only get fast food when on vacation. My guilty pleasure is Taco Bell. I love their regular tacos, hard or soft shell. Last I had it was in October. It's garbage food, and I'm ok with that...once or twice a year.

I'm probably one of the few but one thing I dread is actually going to a restaurant to eat. Even on vacation, we will get take out and bring it back to the hotel or VRBO from time to time.

I feel like when I was a kid going to a restaurant with my parents was more of a big deal. It was more of a treat. Now, people seem to literally eat out every meal. No wonder people are broke.

[riverwed070707]

I'm so perplexed about eating fast food on vacation... isn't the point of traveling to see, eat, and do what the local area does differently than where you come from?

We don't eat traditional fast food much (ever?) and we have largely stopped going to eat specifically because prices have gotten so expensive. Mexican used to be our go to because you could still feed a family of 3 for $30-40, but even the Mexican places here are $15-20 a plate now Last time we ordered Chinese carryout it cost over $70 and I don't think we've had carryout since. Working from home definitely helps with my ability to meal plan and cook. Even on days when I don't feel like it, I can always pull together a pasta dish or some quesidillas with whats in the cupboard and fridge. I like dining out, but I like saving money more

[EasyMoney00]

I'm so perplexed about eating fast food on vacation... isn't the point of traveling to see, eat, and do what the local area does differently than where you come from?

I doubt anyone eats fast food exclusively. What i mean is we only eat fast food when we travel. We never get it on the regular when we are home. Minus Chipotle or Panera...which is basically fast food at this point.

Also, where I live in the East Coast isn't much different than when we visit Colorado, or Orlando, or San Diego (last places we visited). It's not like traveling overseas.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

fast food is super easy in airports and in transit. Traveling international yes I'll eat locally. but in the us, it sort of depends. We try more local stuff, but I my go to is fast food at airports.

Chick fil a is like $70 for the four of us. I get that where we live plays a big role when minimum wage is $20/hr. But still it's sort of ridiculous. Takeout for pho? $80 - 4 servings @ 17.95 plus tax 10%. $17-20 per entree is running norm and 10% tax.

I am now craving a fast food since I posted it.

[EasyMoney00]

fast food is super easy in airports and in transit. Traveling international yes I'll eat locally. but in the us, it sort of depends. We try more local stuff, but I my go to is fast food at airports.

Chick fil a is like $70 for the four of us. I get that where we live plays a big role when minimum wage is $20/hr. But still it's sort of ridiculous. Takeout for pho? $80 - 4 servings @ 17.95 plus tax 10%. $17-20 per entree is running norm and 10% tax.

I am now craving a fast food since I posted it.

We don't have a chik fil a near us so that's always a special treat when we come across one. Last one we went to was near garden of the gods in CO on the way back to our hotel. Definitely not cheap in terms of fast food but it always tastes good.

[disneysteve]

I'm so perplexed about eating fast food on vacation... isn't the point of traveling to see, eat, and do what the local area does differently than where you come from?

Totally agree. I hate when I hear people went out of town and ate at Chilis and Applebees and Texas Roadhouse. You might as well stay home.

When we travel we seek out the local gems. We want new and different places.

Fast food only happens on the road when we want fast and easy right off the exit of the interstate or at the rest stop on the highway.

[kork13]

I like dining out, but I like saving money more

This exactly. Eating out of definitely a treat for us, but an expensive one. There's 5 of us. My wife is far more prone to eat out, because she doesn't enjoy cooking like I do (nor, honestly, is she very good at it .... Bad cooking influence growing up from her mother). There are some standbys that we will go to more regularly (Chick-fil-A, pizza, local burrito place, etc). But when we do eat out, I try to focus on local/small-regional restaurants.

We eat out very infrequently.... Maybe 1-3 times a month. The last time we did (~2 weeks ago), it was $60 for a variety of Korean dishes from the wife of someone I work with (home business for her). That's really expensive for me, because I can normally cook a great meal for our entire family for less than $10-$15.

True fast food chains (excepting CFA) is a rarity for us. It's almost always too greasy, not sufficiently filling, and too expensive. I'll do it sometimes while traveling, line if I just need a quick bite while driving for hours on end or passing through an airport... But half the time it makes me feel sick afterward. Hard pass.....

[EasyMoney00]

Totally agree. I hate when I hear people went out of town and ate at Chilis and Applebees and Texas Roadhouse. You might as well stay home.

When we travel we seek out the local gems. We want new and different places.

Fast food only happens on the road when we want fast and easy right off the exit of the interstate or at the rest stop on the highway.

Depends where you are traveling to. We've driven from national Park to national parks throughout Utah. Let me tell you, we've eaten at plenty of one off local restaurants. I would have taken a cheeseburger from McDonald's compared to the local places.

If you're sticking to a more populated area/city, sure...local places are where it's at. More restaurants, more competitions, better food. Good luck in remote areas. Although Moab has a great Italian joint. We've been excited to find a subway on our adventures. I'd rather have crappy food sitting on a mountain overlook in a NP rather than tripping over a homeless person on our way to a bangin restaurant.

[disneysteve]

Depends where you are traveling to. We've driven from national Park to national parks throughout Utah. Let me tell you, we've eaten at plenty of one off local restaurants. I would have taken a cheeseburger from McDonald's compared to the local places.

That makes sense. At least with a chain, you have a pretty good idea what to expect. That's exactly why people gravitate towards them. And that's part of why we hit fast food on road trips. We don't want to spend a bunch of time searching for a place and checking Yelp reviews. We just want to pull off, eat quickly, and get back on the road.

Now one time we were driving to Florida and I wanted authentic Carolina BBQ. I had my wife searching online as we were driving and she found a place not far off I-95. It was excellent. We were clearly the only non-locals in the place but everyone was very nice and the food was great. I'd happily go back if I could ever find it again.

Trying new places and discovering local flavor is part of what we enjoy about traveling. We almost never go to chains at home or when we're out of town.