Fast Food Blues
While you might've once been super excited to go to McDonald's as a kid, has it felt like in recent years you've lost that enjoyment? Don't worry, it's not just you. As the years go by, fast food has become less and less popular for a number of reasons, but to be blunt, it simply isn't seen as worth it anymore! Here are 20 major reasons why people are turning away from fast food.
1. Soaring Prices
With fast food meals reaching upwards of $20 now, it doesn't really feel like an affordable way to feed yourself or your family anymore. So if you know it's not healthy, fresh, or cheap, what is there to convince you to spend your money on it?
2. Long Waits
When "fast" is literally in the name, you would expect your food to come in a decently quick manner, but these days, getting fast food often involves waiting in lines longer than you'd like. It kind of takes away the entire appeal of convenience if the process of getting your food adds more stress than comfort.
3. No Deals
You may be thinking that deals provided by fast food chains more than make up for their growing prices, but think again. These days, deals and discounts save you little to nothing. "Two can eat for $25" or "save $1" don't exactly entice customers to spend their money there.
4. Decreasing Quality
Have you noticed fast food quality going down in recent years? No, you're not imagining things. Whether it's trying to keep up with demand, laziness from workers, or changes in recipes, fast food just doesn't hit the same as it once did.
Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
5. Focus On Health
There's a much higher focus on eating healthy and maintaining your well-being these days, meaning fast food is being more and more overlooked. Many people are turned off by high-calorie counts and unknown ingredients, preferring to cook home-made meals instead that fit their dietary needs.
6. Other Options
Fast food used to reign supreme thanks to convenience, but with the addition of delivery apps, they're no longer your only options. Because you can get food from any restaurant delivered right to your door, there's no need to rely on greasy and unhealthy fast food options anymore.
7. Higher Pricing on Apps
Speaking of delivery apps, fast food joints on Door Dash, Uber Eats, and more, tend to inflate their menu prices to offset the cost of paying for these services. But as a result, customers are met with even more dissatisfaction at the already pricey cost of burgers, fries, and drinks.
8. Smaller Portions
If it feels like your burger has shrunk in recent times, it probably has. Many fast food goers have noticed significant size decreases over the years, whether patties have gotten thinner, burritos are less filled, and so on. These disappointing changes lower the value of fast food overall, making them less appealing choices.
9. Few Vegetarian/Vegan Options
Many people these days follow different diets that focus on plant-based foods whether it's for ethical reasons, personal dietary restrictions, or environmental causes. But regardless of why you're vegetarian or vegan, fast food tends to be off-limits. They simply don't provide enough unique plant-based options that taste good, are affordable, and satisfy your cravings.
10. Easy To Make Yourself
If you really think about it, buying a medium fry at McDonald's probably costs the same as an entire bag of frozen fries at the grocery store. So which one do you think is more worth it? Given that burgers, fries, and drinks are much more affordable when you buy or make them yourself, fast food loses a few points in the "is it worth it" debate.
11. Evolving Preferences
We all know that our likes and dislikes change over time, and that's true for all of society. It's safe to say that in today's world, thanks to the prevalence of cooking reels on Tik Tok and Instagram, people have become more interested in learning how to cook. The simplicity and abundance of easy recipes to learn has made it more tempting than ever before.
12. Not Filling
Let's be honest - one cheeseburger from McDonald's is not enough for lunch. And with the growing prices and decreasing portions, it's not worth it! For customers looking to grab a quick bite, they'll be left with disappointment when their tummies are left growling.
13. Growing Food Scenes
With so many different cuisines to explore, less people are tempted to get the same burger combo when there are so many different foods to try. From Japanese to Jamaican and Indian, these professionally made dishes sound much more enticing.
14. Limited Selection
After all, there's little to no variety at fast food restaurants! Selling the typical burger, sides, drinks, and ice cream menu at most joints, what you see is what you get. For people craving something different, you're not going to find it here.
15. Dependent On Area
If you're stuck near a hit-or-miss fast food place like Sonic, your interest in fast food will be incredibly dependent on the store's reputation. Not to mention, if all you have near you is a McDonald's, Burger King, and Subway, chances are you're going to get bored of this type of food very quickly.
16. Growing Up
While fast food items like Happy Meals used to offer a fun novelty aspect to eating out as a kid, as you get older, that obviously changes. Instead of seeing fast food as a reward or fun treat from your parents, it's now just an unhealthy, last resort kind of option.
17. More Money To Spend
As you got older, you likely also started having much more money to spend. What used to be a meal that fit your budget is no longer the case. Most people prefer spending their hard-earned cash on high-quality restaurant meals they know they'll enjoy and find satisfying.
18. Broken Ice Cream Machines
You might think of the "broken ice cream machine" meme as a joke, but it actually happens a lot more often than you'd think. Nothing's more annoying than having driven all the way to a fast food restaurant, waited patiently in line or at the drive-thru, only to find out the ice cream machine is broken. And after the fifth time, you might just give up.
19. Poor Customer Service
Fast food prides itself on being convenient, not as a satisfying experience. Which is why in many cases, most customers experience mediocre to poor service when ordering and eating in at fast food joints. It can really lower your mood having to deal with attitude or watching workers who don't even want to be there.
20. Watery Sodas
Many fast food drinks tend to taste watery likely because the machines dilute the syrup used to create the sodas. But when you're already paying for something that's awfully overpriced, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth knowing you're not going to get quality.
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