I’m genuinely curious. Years ago, I was a chubby young pothead who lived on fast food. Taco Bell, McDonald’s, KFC, you name it—I ate it. Back in college, fast food probably made up at least 50% of my diet. And it wasn’t just because it was quick and cheap—I actually enjoyed it.
But these days, I find myself craving it less and less. Besides being more health-conscious, it just doesn’t hit the spot like it used to. It’s more expensive than ever, mostly bland, and I feel terrible after I eat it. So what’s changed? Is it just part of the enshitification of everything? Have I just gotten old, or has fast food really gone downhill?
Taco bell has turned to ass. Even their bean burrito tasted off and most of the menu items I see are crazy shit that doesn’t resemble anything in terms of Mexican food.
It’s always been trash …
I’m in my 40s… similar to you, used to eat fast food often, and enjoyed it. I was having a horrible day a couple weeks ago, and thought “fuck it… I’m eating at McDs.” It was disgusting, not like I remembered it all.
Deny these parasites profit!
As far as I can tell, Wendy’s took a dive after the founder passed away, and Pizza Hut took a dive at least 20 years ago.
The rest it seems dependent on location. I often wonder how much of the variable issues of quality I see are result of continued pressure on the workers as capitalism continues to grind them down.
I think enshittification is hitting everything, but it’s probably also that you are old. I find that I just can’t eat the same way that I could 20 years ago.
It’s gotten worse. I don’t bother eating any of it because I make better food at home.
It doesn’t pay a living wage so the people working there don’t give a shit about anything
Genuinely shocking to me how disgusting fast food places have gotten. But I’m also not sure if it’s just my perception
It super isn’t. Pizza is still alright in my experience, but everywhere that has fried chicken tastes significantly worse than it used to.
The big chains got worse since there is basically a cheese monopoly in the US and its products have gotten cheaper to produce and worse quality. The expensive pizza places are still great because they typically don’t source their cheese from them. Can’t remember where I read that.
Ex. Pizza Hit in the 80s was incredible pizza. It’s meh now.
If you eat it regularly then you become accustomed to it, but when you stop for awhile it no longer appeals
Most certainly. When I was young a burger king the food was better and you did not need to say fresh from the broiler as that was default that way. Ironically mdconalds has in some ways gotten better compared to long ago. they made the warming light thing famous. Wendys I would say has kept its quality up the best but still has fallen. taco bell does some interesting things over time but I swear they have invented new technology to slather less and less of their meat flavored slop onto the product. Chicken places have kept up quality in their main sutff but have come out with more and more cheap stuff to stay competitive and cheapened the sides to. Honestly when you had buck stuff and meals under 5 bucks combined with needing something fast to fill your pie hole it was a temptation, but now with many meals over 10 and anything a dollar is now pure trash I find I prefer to miss a meal than pick up anything. Heck even gas station roller stuff is like 5 bucks now.
I miss $1 jumbo jacks that were the size of a whopper…and cheesy bean and rice burritos that had pico and creamy jalapeno sauce…also for $1…now it’s like everything taste bland and is 1/2 the size for 3xs the money. It’s really shit, about the only fast food I’ll even consider these days is the hot and readys from little Caesars, but even those have dropped in quality.
Doesn’t pot famously make food more enjoyable?
I agree, fast food is not worth what it costs. The reasonably quick food landscape has expanded though, we can get different things, better Mexican food, a Chinese fast to go place with some really good tasting stuff, a restaurant that advertises “curry in a hurry” even.
Popeyes is still good though.
Gonna have to disagree with you on Popeyes. They’re generally good for the first few months they’re open, the nosedive. The fries are good, the chicken is dry and extremely thin for what you pay.
It’s still good where we are, is in a run down part of town, not generally even fast, technically, but still so good. Publix has good fried chicken too but the spicy Popeye’s, so good and the only ‘fast food’ I will eat. Even french fries I generally just make oven fries now, but I never even try to make fried chicken.
Both?
Yes it has gotten worse and time is a relentless asshole.
RIP Trans fats. So delicious, so terrible for you.
Depends on the company and where you live, I feel. Some has gotten worse, some has improved.
But they have all gotten more expensive. So goddamn expensive. These days I can order a well made, flame-grilled burger at a burger joint for the same price as fast food slop.
The only thing I’ll say there is that with burgers you can sometimes get out over your skis and take a tumble. A lot of sit-down places think some giant watery meatball is a good burger. While photogenic, it is not necessarily good, and a short-order smashed patty or (smashed patties) generally taste a lot better and are easier to eat.
The best burgers are almost certainly not fast food burgers, but the worst burgers aren’t either.
And about the same speed. Most places take call in orders too now so call ahead and it’s basically ready when you get there
i freakin love fast food, and as soon as covid hit i had to start a ‘blacklist’ of places that have gotten so bad (chipotle/tacobell/bugerking), its just not even kind of worth it.
fiveguys is one of my favorites as it did not change in any way.
fiveguys is one of my favorites as it did not change in any way.
Besides that price haha
20 bucks you can get a proper burger at a pub
Yeah. But their fries go hard. Lmao.
They used to load up… We get two burgers and mid fry to split with partner. Last time they shorted me on the fries on 30 bucks order for two.
Haven’t been back since
Oh fuck. That’d give me pause too. Haven’t experienced a lack of fries yet. But for 2 burgers at 30 bucks. I’d expect enough for both of you lol
I work at McDonald’s, it is not good and is best avoided.
