Will Fast Food only be for the Rich?

Went to Chipotle for a quick lunch while I was shopping.

I had a bowl, with a side of chips and an Izzy soda.
$19 BUCkS! For one person, for mostly beans and rice when you think about it.

This is insanity. The whole purpose of fast food was to be quick, easy and lastly cheap.
There is no way this is sustainable for regular folks.

I’ve always seen fast food as a quick convenient treat. Yes I could make it at home cheaper but I was willing to pay the price to have the convenience while out. Now it’s just ridiculous, shocking really.
There is no way a regular family could go out and have a lunch like this.
A family of five would pay around $100 for just LUNCH!

I have a feeling depression era cooking is going to be real popular real soon.
SOS anyone?

a reply to: JAGStorm

I’ve always seen fast food as a quick convenient treat.

Interesting.

I've always seen fast food as an absolute last resort.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Fast food chains rely on food stocks distributed from large, central warehouses.

If/when shipping the supplies they depend upon becomes more expensive, the chains have little recourse other than to pass on the added costs to their customers.

Home, or "depression era" cooking will likely become more popular, and thankfully so, since fresher, locally supplied foodstuffs are healthier, and require less shipping.

Problem will be that not everyone, especially in urban "food deserts", has access to fresh food to cook at home.

The rich don’t eat fast food, too much processing and seed oils. That’s for you cancer and diabetic loving poor people.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Chipotle may not be as bad as some fast food restaurants, but that super sized option, and a lot of those fast food menu items are probably what is driving a lot of the obesity in this country.

For some reason my body threw me only on craving healthy foods for the last month, so until my body let’s go of my food choices, I doubt I will be fast food it anyways. My weight started out at 125, where I was comfortable. I weighed in at 112 this morning and not happy, my husband says I am losing my curves

originally posted by: JAGStorm
I have a feeling depression era cooking is going to be real popular real soon.

It's a good thing I have a Depression era cookbook or three.

I always thought fast food was for people who.... Well, never mind what I thought. Let's just say I don't do fast food and prefer to eat at home.





TCB

originally posted by: Tortuga
The rich don’t eat fast food, too much processing and seed oils. That’s for you cancer and diabetic loving poor people.

Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Trump are all obsessed with McDonald’s…

originally posted by: JAGStorm

I have a feeling depression era cooking is going to be real popular real soon.

The “This is what I have, what can I make with it and how far can I stretch it?” recipes?

Also the days of going to the grocery store at 5pm, with 1/2 hour lines at the deli while the baking & frozen aisles are empty, might also be coming to a halt.

That's what happens when you force minimum wage on the economy. Places like BK, McD or Subways have always been places where entry qualification is very low, thus the payment reflects that. That's why, besides the cheap and bulk bought ingredients, fast food is (was) cheap.

It's hard but this is the real world and the real world is tough. Someone here wrote that someone flipping burgers in fast food all day should be able to afford rent and food but how would that work?

For example, the minimum wage here is 12€. When I was leaving school 15 years ago, that was what an qualified electrician or plumber earned. Hard working people, 10-12 hours a day, plus the time getting to the construction site and back. And these people underwent apprenticeship for 3+ years and earning like 300€ a month during that time.

Now, someone cleaning floor get's the same and people wonder why prices are going up. Fact is that the economy of 1st world countries always benefited from a steady flux of low qualified work forces. Many of these workers then worked hard to qualify and get better jobs.

Some don't, because that's the way life is. Now, I am self employed and I go to yearly self employed (employer meetings) because I am invited by the Chamber of Crafts. There, I speak to other entrepreneur and there's something that many do not speak out in the open, but it's the truth.

Many of the people from poorer countries, are in for a rude awakening. Many quit their jobs because they expected overall work ethics, to be as relaxed as they were used to. That does not say these people are lazy, but it's connected to the mindset. Show up 2h late or not at all, leave the workplace because they feel like.

Laying tiles is something most can do but it takes skill and dedication to do it right, to reach quality. Quality means that they are orderly laid. People from countries that struggle with life and survival, give a # if their tiles are not accurate laid. Understandable, because they have more important things to worry about.

Someone who thinks it's his life mission to grill burgers 5 days a week at McD's should expect their quality of life being reflected in that. And being replaced by a machine very soon, too. I don't like how it is, but this is how economy works. I myself can not allow such a sloppy mindset, what again reflects in my work quality and that's why I can charge the amount of money and people are willing to spend it.

And this thread is the best example. JagStorm is saying 19$ is too much and I agree, so where does that lead? Business closing, because no one pays like 2.5€ for a heartless made cheeseburger with the cheapest ingredients. Me not.

Goyslop.

a reply to: TDDAgain

Fact is that the economy of 1st world countries always benefited from a steady flux of low qualified work forces. Many of these workers then worked hard to qualify and get better jobs.

That is the heart of the issue.
Supply, demand and labor cost… Then how much will people be willing to pay?

Your question where does it go from here?

One of two ways, it either just become not affordable or …. Robots!

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: Tortuga
The rich don’t eat fast food, too much processing and seed oils. That’s for you cancer and diabetic loving poor people.

Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Trump are all obsessed with McDonald’s…

They know and understand value. If you buy the right stuff, McDonalds is a great value. That means no Big Macs (550 calories). No fries (480 calories). No fizzy drinks, no Happy Meals, and none of their fancy stuff. My God, a smoky BLT double quarter pounder with cheese is almost 1,000 calories! Add a desert and fries to that and you're up to 2,000 calories.Yeah, people get fat over that stuff so why are they eating it?

A regular hamburger is a patty, a bun, ketchup, mustard, some reconstituted onions, and a couple of pickles. That's it. Unless you are a vegan or have some phobia about white bread, there's nothing wrong with it. A couple of these and a senior coffee, which is often free, and you're out of there for less than $5. 250 calories apiece and 12 grams of protein. I maintain that McDonald's coffee fuels the nation's Interstate system.

I don't eat any of that stuff unless I'm on the road, but when I am, I'm sure glad it is there.

try making a homemade pizza these days, not so cheap either

a reply to: JAGStorm

Just last Friday I went to treat myself at A&W and got an Uncle Bacon Cheddar Burger combo and was charged $17.85 for it.
I remember back in the mid 80's my dad complaining it cost $20.00 to feed the whole family of six. When in high school a Big Mac combo was $4.50 back in the late 90's.


I won't be treating myself as much in the future as it would seem.

The prices are up and the quality is down. I ordered Chinese take-out the other day. The chicken in foil wasnt up to par, and the pork chow mein had an "off" aroma. The worst of all was the wonton soup. It was like the broth was salt water, It has no slices of Char Sieu in it, and the wontons were marginal.

The next day I made my own wonton soup from scratch, including wrapping wontons of shrimp and pork. My soup had plentiful delicate tasty wontons, scallions, baby bok choy, rich wonderful chicken broth flavored with toasted sesame oil, and fresh ginger, and plenty of barbequed pork in it to. I even added rice sticks. Three days' worth of wonderful soup for a few bucks

Wife and I went to mom and pop breakfast place. It had been over a year since I’d been there. $25 for 2 coffees, an omelette and a loaded hash browns. More expensive than what I recall. However I’ve cut back my portions so we took home half of our meal to be enjoyed the next morning if desired. We also only order one entree at the local Chinese restaurant…so much food for two
Chic fil a is the only fast food restaurant I’ve been to in years. If I want a good burger I will make it myself

You watch an old movie from the 1940s. There's a guy in front of every hotel. There's an elevator operator. There's a guy with a newstand. There's a stand with cigarettes and cigars, sometimes with a woman or man running it. There were actual gas stations with guys that would come out, fill your tank and check the oil. That's what they were hired to do. These people worked at these occupations and that was their job. Of course it was also their job to raise their families. What didn't they have that we have to deal with these days? They didn't have CEOs making 3.2 million a year. They didn't have to worry about stockholders always wanting bigger dividends. Therein lies the problem - greed; the love of money. That system used to work. Now it can't because of greed, plain and simple. I'll never be convinced it's anything else causing the labor problems and high prices we are experiencing today.


TCB

LOL Damn.

How sad is it, when it is cheaper to make your grandsons a steak at home, then to take them out to eat?

Mind you, that's when you by 1/2 a cow at a time. the last one I bought was 2.00/lb + processing.
I've heard it is up to almost 4.50/lb. now.

Glad they aren't big fast food fans.
Nana couldn't afford it.

a reply to: Zrtst

I saw some Chic Fillet sause in the grocery store and bought it. I barbequed a pack of chicken breasts to 170 degrees, then lais the chicken breast on a slice of toasted crusty french bread, with thin sliced red onion, fresh sliced heirloom tomato, and Chic Fillet sauce, with fresh butter leaf lettuce on top.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: Tortuga
The rich don’t eat fast food, too much processing and seed oils. That’s for you cancer and diabetic loving poor people.

Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Trump are all obsessed with McDonald’s…

Well after seeing your three samples I consider myself proven wrong.