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Post by Merge on Oct 26, 2023 17:54:37 GMT
Maybe fast food chains should step up and offer some healthier options. 100% this. I cannot count the number of times I’ve been out running errands, get hungry, and realize my only decent choice is to stop at a grocery store with a good prepared foods section. If I could dash into a FF place and get a tasty salad with nicely cooked protein on it, I’d be all over it. We have a newish drive through restaurant here called Salad and Go. Literally just to-go salads and salad wraps. Healthy and tasty, and the price isn’t terrible. But of course these only pop up in the most affluent parts of town. We also love Sweetgreen, but it’s yikes expensive for fast casual. |
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Post by MichyM on Oct 26, 2023 18:02:15 GMT
100% this. I cannot count the number of times I’ve been out running errands, get hungry, and realize my only decent choice is to stop at a grocery store with a good prepared foods section. If I could dash into a FF place and get a tasty salad with nicely cooked protein on it, I’d be all over it. We have a newish drive through restaurant here called Salad and Go. Literally just to-go salads and salad wraps. Healthy and tasty, and the price isn’t terrible. But of course these only pop up in the most affluent parts of town. We also love Sweetgreen, but it’s yikes expensive for fast casual. Oh I’ll have to Google both those places to see if there are any around here. I was in Portland (OR) last month and we discovered a local chain called Crispy. Omg, best salads. I cannot tell you how many times my friend and I have messaged each other “I am craving a Crispy salad” since we returned. There is clearly a need! As far as I can tell, there is nothing like it in Seattle. ETA: sweet green is “coming soon” to the Puget Sound region (with one location not far from me), and their menu looks awesome. Hurray! |
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Post by papersilly on Oct 26, 2023 18:04:52 GMT
yeah, but wasn't it the other way around first? weren't the fast food chains partly responsible for needing the Ozempic now?
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Post by Merge on Oct 26, 2023 18:48:04 GMT
We have a newish drive through restaurant here called Salad and Go. Literally just to-go salads and salad wraps. Healthy and tasty, and the price isn’t terrible. But of course these only pop up in the most affluent parts of town. We also love Sweetgreen, but it’s yikes expensive for fast casual. Oh I’ll have to Google both those places to see if there are any around here. I was in Portland (OR) last month and we discovered a local chain called Crispy. Omg, best salads. I cannot tell you how many times my friend and I have messaged each other “I am craving a Crispy salad” since we returned. There is clearly a need! As far as I can tell, there is nothing like it in Seattle. ETA: sweet green is “coming soon” to the Puget Sound region (with one location not far from me), and their menu looks awesome. Hurray! Three words: Crispy. Rice. Bowl. |
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Post by Merge on Oct 26, 2023 18:49:12 GMT
yeah, but wasn't it the other way around first? weren't the fast food chains partly responsible for needing the Ozempic now? Yes. Make Americans fat and sick so the drug companies and weight loss industry can profit. |
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Post by ~summer~ on Oct 26, 2023 18:57:56 GMT
My absolute favorite “fast” food chain is Mixt.
Second place would be Sweet Greens. I probably get a salad almost every day - but they are close to $15.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Oct 26, 2023 19:30:10 GMT
Yes the prices these days are crazy. I remember a whopper being .99 not the jr but the large one. I couldn’t even finish one 20 years ago. I also remember the 59/79/99 honestly I think I remember tacos being 29/39/59 at one point. I get sticker shock every time I think about going for fast food.
I can’t imagine eating fast food multiple times a week these days.
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Post by MichyM on Oct 26, 2023 19:37:26 GMT
Oh I’ll have to Google both those places to see if there are any around here. I was in Portland (OR) last month and we discovered a local chain called Crispy. Omg, best salads. I cannot tell you how many times my friend and I have messaged each other “I am craving a Crispy salad” since we returned. There is clearly a need! As far as I can tell, there is nothing like it in Seattle. ETA: sweet green is “coming soon” to the Puget Sound region (with one location not far from me), and their menu looks awesome. Hurray! Three words: Crispy. Rice. Bowl. It looks amazing. Question, is the crispy rice essentially just rice that has been browned? Their website is not clear. Thanks. Dang, I’m literally considering signing up for email updates about the new locations and I don’t willingly sign up for emails pretty much ever. |
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Post by hopemax on Oct 26, 2023 19:52:13 GMT
So the article reads to me as a forward thinking article, not trying to understand current declines. I think they understand *current* declines are due to inflation and customers making different choices for budgetary reasons. I interpret the article as fears that in *addition to that* there could be another wave of bad news from people simply eating less because of the new drugs. Inflation can be managed by altering supply chains, improving efficiencies, but people eating less? That's a problem that is not so easily solvable by those who profit from people's over-indulgences.
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pilcas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,190 
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Post by pilcas on Oct 26, 2023 19:55:17 GMT
My daughter and I both had a salad and a soft drink at Panera and I paid $40. It was delicious though.
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Post by padresfan619 on Oct 26, 2023 19:55:48 GMT
I was going to go pick up a Boo Happy Meal from McDonald’s for my son but it was going to be nearly $20 for both of us to get lunch. I’m not doing that for crappy McDonalds! It always makes me feel so gross and fatigued after I eat it, not worth it for a flimsy bucket.
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Post by hop2 on Oct 26, 2023 20:33:34 GMT
It couldn’t be that people realize that crappy overpriced food is not good for your health or budget? We’ve severely limited our consumption of fast food, most restaurant food with huge portions, and processed grocery store snacks for years. And I know we’re not alone. Thoughts? When fast food restaurants ‘forgot’ their place in peoples lives, people no longer have use for them. McD & Burger King meal are now about $12-$15 for a burger fries & a drink. The burger Pattie’s are smaller and crappier than they used to be. When I can go to the local deli & get larger fresher burger Patties fries a drink & a side salad for $9-12 why would I choose the fast food place? Heck McD is nearly as expensive as 5 guys at this point for a less quality burger. My local butcher has subs for $8-$12 and the sub is big enough that 2 people can get a decent lunch out of it - frankly it’s cheaper than getting the cold cuts at the grocery & making my own. And there is no skimping on ingredients like at subway. There’s at least a 1/2 lb if meat on those subs plus cheese toppings. I can’t buy that at the grocery any more for that price - the lunch line is out the door many days. Fast food is supposed to be quick & cheap - when it’s neither of those things anymore people will choose other things. People are choosing other things. |
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,756
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Post by anniebeth24 on Oct 26, 2023 21:22:48 GMT
I don't stop as often for fast food because it is no longer fast. Drive thru lines are ridiculously long and a lot of lobbies have very limited hours. Not worth the hassle.
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Post by Merge on Oct 26, 2023 21:32:41 GMT
Three words: Crispy. Rice. Bowl. It looks amazing. Question, is the crispy rice essentially just rice that has been browned? Their website is not clear. Thanks. Dang, I’m literally considering signing up for email updates about the new locations and I don’t willingly sign up for emails pretty much ever. If you ever had a Korean rice bowl it’s like the “overcooked” rice in the very bottom of it. Crispy and a little chewy and very yum. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 26, 2023 21:47:36 GMT
It's the prices. We rarely eat out anymore. Fast food for a family of 6 is $60+, a regular restaurant is easily $120. Also, I'd buy a lot more Sausage Mcmuffins (the only thing I like from McDonald's) if I could still get them after 10:30 am... 100% all of this. We can still eat pretty cheap at McD’s but only because we usually use a deal in the app (buy a McDouble or QPC get one for .29 for DH and DD) and I order a basic McChicken which is about $2.60. We almost never order drinks (we have water or bottled tea in the car from home) and typically the most expensive thing on our order are the three medium fries we also get. The Sausage McMuffin is my favorite thing on their menu too and I was so sad when they stopped selling it all day. Back when they had that, I’d order that instead of a McChicken. Wendy’s, Burger King, Arby’s and KFC have gotten insanely expensive. We sometimes still get Cane’s because we like it, but we drop about $36 for the three of us on it so we don’t go there very often. |
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Post by 950nancy on Oct 26, 2023 21:49:28 GMT
Went to dinner with my old dr. this summer. He's been on it for several months (for the reason it was created), and his wife then got on it. They shared a meal at dinner and were both full.
I can see why people take it. I also don't feel too bad about fast food when three tacos and a drink cost almost $11.
ETA: My kids are much more likely to cook at home than eat fast food. Maybe it is also another generation just making different choices.
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jayfab
Drama Llama
procastinating
Posts: 5,597
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Post by jayfab on Oct 26, 2023 22:09:48 GMT
I have 5 friends on the weight loss meds and we meet at a local bar every Wed to eat and drink. All of us have cut way down on the food orders. I used to get big orders of nachos, pizzas full dinners and such. That's rare now. Yesterday I had a bowl of soup, another had a SIDE salad and another didn't even eat. So I know we definitely spend less. On the other hand their prices have increased a ton! So maybe it is both.
Oh, and as far as fast food, if me and my sis are out and about and want a quick meal we either split a meal or order the childs meal. BK has the jr whopper on sale 2 for 5 a lot so we each get one and split a small fry, less than 10 bucks for both of us. I rarely get drinks since I try to drink more water.
ALL the corporate greed just in about every business now. It's OUT OF CONTROL. I just found out the company I used to work for is cutting out some sick days and sick pay while posting big profits! We can't win.
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Post by Merge on Oct 26, 2023 22:21:44 GMT
Thanks to all who have contributed to this discussion.
DH is out of town for work, and I don't always cook for just myself. Tonight I'm having a spinach/ricotta ravioli bowl with zoodles, fresh spinach, and creamy white wine sauce from the prepared foods section at HEB. It was $8 - cheaper than many fast-food meals - and is way healthier than anything I could get in the drive through. The portion is quite reasonable.
It seems to me that large grocery stores are better set up to adapt to changing choices and lifestyles than most fast-food restaurants are. The prepared foods section of our store has gotten huge over the past few years. During Covid they started selling packaged meals from popular local restaurants, and have continued doing that - you can get a good portion for much less money than you'd get at the restaurant itself. From the store's offerings, a shopper can feed a family of 4 for less than $40, which would be a rarity in any drive-through or sit-down restaurant, and there is a very wide variety of dishes to choose from.
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Post by Zee on Oct 26, 2023 22:39:17 GMT
Ever since I started the Mounjaro I'm sure they think I died, lol.
I really don't eat there anymore but I do still like to stop for my customary large diet Coke on the way to work.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Oct 26, 2023 22:55:47 GMT
We have also switched from McDonald’s and the like for regular restaurants. A local Irish pub has good daily specials snd on Mondays you can get a good cheeseburger that you build based on what they have - you fill out a sheet and give it to the server. It’s $8 for a large burger and fries. We also are more likely to go to Habit vs a drive thru. Their burgers or chicken sandwiches are much better and since they are larger my son only wants one vs two so in the long run it’s cheaper. I really love their grilled chicken better than a burger to.
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,840
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Oct 27, 2023 1:59:38 GMT
I'm not on weight loss meds but I know that my household is eating out much less, eating less processed stuff from the grocery store and we get fast food once a week for DD after her gym class. That's it. It makes me feel like crap when I eat it so I don't. BUT I do love me an in n out cheeseburger meal!
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Post by ghislaine on Oct 27, 2023 12:25:48 GMT
I wonder too if a lot of people who hadn't really had the chance to learn how to cook well for themselves gained those skills while staying home for the pandemic. Sourdough and Charcuterie ware huge in my circles. I think a lot of people got past their intimidation about cooking.
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peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,970
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Post by peppermintpatty on Oct 27, 2023 13:19:39 GMT
We've never been big on fast food. We will only eat it if we are driving somewhere on a trip and we have our pup with us. I always feel sick after I eat even their healthy options. I even have to be careful what I eat at Chick Fil-a. I got a salad there once and ended up in the bathroom for a couple of hours. Nope, won't eat there now.
I cannot understand how people eat at these places all the time! I always see a line of cars at Chick Fil-a near my gym when I come out after working out early in the morning. Seriously guys, spend 10 minutes making a healthy breakfast and save yourself a lot of money! They have to be sitting in that line for more than 10 minutes.
I don't think it is due to Ozempic unless you mean that they have helped to cause the diabetes epidemic.
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Post by smasonnc on Oct 27, 2023 13:46:36 GMT
This is good news. I eat Chik-fil-A on a car trip sometimes, but other than that, I don't eat any fast food and I gave up soda about 15 years ago. I have a hard enough time losing weight without a 1,000 calorie meal of processed food and a giant soda. I don't miss it.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 27, 2023 15:24:31 GMT
Oh, poor fast food chains. The day I apologize for not eating the majority of that food will never come. Lol.
——
Edited to add: Don’t come at me about my Chick Fil A. I will be having one of those every 2-3 weeks. And I’m not apologizing for that either!
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