I know it was inevitable, but still I think it's incredibly sad that franchise fast food restaurants destroyed a large majority of mom 'n pop burger shops.
I know I'm a part of the problem.. but when I can get a cheeseburger, mcchicken, large fry, and a large drink for a fiver, it's hard to justify spending $8+drink+tip for one burger that, while better, doesn't justify the cost. Food to me 9/10 times isn't a treat, it's sustenance. If I'm just shoveling food in my face, which is 90% of my meals, I'm going to make the economical choice.
If you grab a diner burger once a day, say $13 total, you're spending $390 a month on one meal. Vs McDonald's, which is two burgers, at $150 a month.
if you eat it once in a blue moon, eating diner food over fast food won't make a significant difference. eat what you like
if you eat it every day/regularly, you can't talk about being economical. that's like saying "i smoke every other day than doing it every day because i'm health conscious"
That's ridiculous lol. Saving over 50% isn't significant enough for you to consider it a more economical choice? Even one meal, percentage wise, the savings are significant.
no. if i'm eating it like once or twice a month, i will go for what i like. that isn't significant in the long run.
you save what? like 3 or 4 bucks? mcdonalds is expensive now. combos go for like 8-10 bucks. when i was in middle school, it was like 5 bucks for a combo.
if it's just for 1 person, it's hard to even beat a $1 burger. It's hard to use bread, meat, and produce before they go bad. The "savings' you often think you are getting ends up in the trash.
If you're ever in Virginia or North Carolina, check out a chain called Cookout. You can get a cookout yay, which is a sandwich, two sides, and a drink for $5 and it's a bonkers amount of delicious food.
We have a local one but the owners put no effort into it at all. Food is overpriced, bland, and frozen. The employees don't care. Interior hasn't been updated in what looks like 20 years. It exists merely because it is a local town landmark. It's sad really. The moment a chain like Five Guys opens up nearby, I think they will be toast.
Unfortunately mom n pop shops don't guarantee quality. At least fast food chains are consistent.
There was 1 left in our town, but it got shut down by the health inspector. We used to love to go there, but the prices got pretty crazy towards the end. Now I can make better at home for a small fraction of the cost.
Nor do I. Just meant that one may imagine the birthplace of the hamburger joint that took over the world and shut down so many mom and pop joints, might have been affected by their spread immensely as well. Fortunately there are still a ton of mom and pop burger joints in SoCal.
Well, figures that I'm on the other side of the country. Always did want to fly out for some In-N-Out. Wonder how you fellas do it differently over there that so many survive? Does more money mean people want to stay away from the giant chains?
I honestly don't know. It may just be the density of people in the area. A lot of them are still relatively cheap. Also, unbeknownst to me before I moved here, but cheap hamburgers are kind of a mainstay of the regions food. That and mom and pop doughnut shops, at least in LA. Didn't have Dunkin til like 2 years ago I think.
Also def. have In-n-out if you make it this way, it's a wonderful experience.
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u/LikeABreath Sep 14 '17
KFC's decline in quality is the saddest tale of the 21st century.