If you suddenly get hungry, where do you go? Of course, there is a chance that you will go to some gourmet restaurant, but you must admit, the probability is rather negligible. After all, the main goal is to get full quickly, with something relatively tasty and, what is important, not for all the money in the world. That is, the answer is obvious - fast food.
For several decades now, fast food has been the main food industry on the planet, and burgers, French fries, shawarma, pizza, donuts and other classic elements make up the lion's share of the diet of many people worldwide. However, not all of us are actually delighted with fast food, realizing that good marketing is far from good food.
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Starbucks. The coffee tastes burnt and is way overpriced.
I can't understand the attraction of Starbucks. My guess it has more to do with image, than substance.
Buying self-esteem is much easier than developing a character.
Load More Replies...I don't like their coffee, but I once got a chocolate muffin filled with cream cheese that was delicious. 😋
I purchased a super expensive coffee machine that makes whatever I want with the press of a button. I give it high quality beans. That thing paid for itself in 6 months. Even the fanciest drinks that machine makes only cost me 50 cents.
And you don't even need an expensive machine to make better coffee than Starbucks. ...cheap machine, fresh beans and a grinder
Load More Replies...Starbucks failed miserably in Australia because we like coffee and realised how bad and expensive their coffee was. Now their main market is tourists and people who want confectionery drinks, not coffee. The only good thing about Starbucks coffee is that it is consistent. You can go anywhere in the world and you know what you will get, even though it is bad
The beans are roasted that way. Other coffee chains' coffee tastes different because of how the beans are roasted. If you have time, get a Starbucks barista to get a pourover of a nice origin coffee, like Sumatra or Kenya. That coffee will taste smooth and not have the over-roasted burnt taste
Starbuck's primary product isn't beverages, they sell self-esteem at $8 a cup.
This isn't about coffee. It's about Starbucks.
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Subway sucks a*s nowadays. It's so expensive now and the quality is s**t.
In Ireland, they are not allowed to call their bread 'bread' b/c they use so much sugar
That's usually my issue too - like the places that only put 2-3 olive slices on, and when you ask for extra olives, it's just another 2. I would like an olive sandwich seasoned with pepperoni, please!
Load More Replies...The amount of issues I have had with subway lol I have gotten food poisoning twice and found a screw in my wrap...this was like the maybe ten times in my life I have ate it hoping it would be better or desperate lol
I miss Subway from my college days when it was actually tasty. These days, Jersey Mike's wipes the floor with these dudes.
The last time I ate at a Sunway I got a severe case of food poisoning. I complained to the store and to Corporate. Never got a reply, or even an acknowledgement.
People see this as a healthy option because they don’t know what is in the meats
Five Guys. It's good, but not "this meal cost me $30" good.
We only tried it once because a friend's girlfriend had hyped it up so much... Meh, it was good but still just fast food but more expensive
We might have to give them another chance as Wendy's and McDonald's donated to the orange Cheeto destroying the country
Load More Replies...It's not really fast food and it's about the same price as every other major burger restaurant.
Yesss! Ridiculous prices for average food. I do like the peanuts though while I'm waiting.
A couple of weeks ago, a thread appeared on the AskReddit community, where the author, the user u/Fueled_By_Tacos (ain't a damn appropriate username?), asked the question: "What is the most overhyped fast food?"
Interestingly, today the thread has almost twice as many comments as upvotes, which means the discussion has been quite lively. So, let's find out together which fast foods people think are really overrated and overhyped.
Panera is overpriced hospital food.
The hospital cafe where I live is legit almost exactly like Panera, down to the color scheme.
They must have a hell of a microwave in the back. It's like applebee's with a drive through.
Some hospitals have really good food and very reasonably priced. Depends on the hospital.
I’ve never had hospital food that tastes like Panera. Hospital food is more like school cafeteria food in (the US) in the 80’s or 90’s.
McDonald’s. It’s not cheap. It’s not fast. It’s not good. Whatever I want that McDonalds sells, someone has a better one. And it probably costs about the same or less.
How is this not #2? Given Starbucks is the worst, but McDonald's is gross and expensive.
McDs sells consistency, not quality. Unless the f*****g fries are cold and the soft serve machine is down!!!
McDonald’s is pretty cheap if you use the app and don’t get a meal
I got coffee there and it was so strong I couldn't drink it. I like the sausage biscuits but last time I got lunch the burgers were cold and rubbery.
Their coffee used to be my favorite. (I don't drink stuff like Starbucks, I just drink regular black coffee). I haven't tried it in a long time.
Load More Replies...It always surprises me that the poorest people, in the poorest areas, flock to this bloody expensive stuff. Of course the location of their stores in these areas is no accident.
KFC has been dry and s****y for years.
Popcorn chicken isn't even on the menu anymore. That was the only thing I liked from there.
It's still available in some places; here, it sadly tastes like hot dogs...
Load More Replies...If you think that fast food is something relatively modern, tracing its roots back to the 20th century, then you are definitely mistaken. The prototypes of fast food date back to ancient Rome, where a significant part of the inhabitants lived in rented rooms in large houses called "insulae." These rooms didn't have a separate kitchen, so the tenants usually bought ready-made food, eating it all down with bread soaked in wine.
Well, and then, already in the 19th century, we go to England, experiencing an industrial boom, and workers who urgently needed to go to the factory didn't always have enough time to cook their own food. Therefore, already in the middle of that century, small shops appeared selling standardized portions of typical British food - fish and chips.
By the way, even then, they were all heavily criticized from the outside - for example, by the heroes of Dickens' famous novels. So we can say that even then, fast food was quite overhyped.
Chick Fil A.
Cruel company!!! Hateful to anyone who is not white, christian nationalist views. Vile slick chicken. IMO
Philosophical conundrum - Can I truly boycott a restaurant chain where I wouldn't eat anyway?
Load More Replies...The only thing they have that's good is the mini's for breakfast. They are so d**n lazy, I went to the drivethru and ordered a sandwich with only mayo and lettuce. They didn't put the mayo on it, they gave me packs of mayo in the bag. This was a few mins after having to have my 15 yo dog put to sleep. It was the only place close to where I was and I hadn't eaten. It was almost burnt and the sandwich went out the window and the trash was thrown away when I got home.
I hate Chipotle. It’s just garbage in a bowl.
Every Chipole I've seen (in Pennsylvania) are FILTHY; garbage and stale food on the floors and tables. Also the staff is beyond rude - I went to one once, arriving a half hour after opening time. After waiting a full ten minutes a staff person came out from the back and said "Ain't nobody here yet" then turned around and left.
I used to love chipotle, it was good and affordable with a lot of food. It has changed a ton and it is just more and more diappointing
Used to be decent. Now enshittification has claimed them as well.
People keep getting sick from eating there but there is always a line when they open
Oof, I have to disagree with this one. I wonder what fast food the person who posted this actually likes.
I travel a lot. The best and most consistent fast food in America is the taco truck/trailer/stand. Regular American fast food has reached a new low in the last few years. Even a simple hot dog surrender now has about a 75% chance of being a major disappointment. Subway has probably fallen the most.
I just Googled it, and AI came up with surrendering a dog to the council in summer? Hopefully unrelated!
Load More Replies...Only 75% chance of disappointment? I think it has been at least 40 years since I *wasn't* disappointed with a hot dog.
I’d have to drive at least two hours to get to a food truck and back home. At that point I might as well make it myself.
Well, in America, the first fast food in the classical sense appeared in 1912 in New York. The Horn & Hardart company opened the first "Automat," where food and drinks were served through a vending machine. It gained lots of popularity - and then came the era of hamburgers, hot dogs and whatnot...
What has always distinguished fast-food chains is thoughtfulness down to the smallest detail, and marketing. Aggressive, viral and not always truthful. For example, in the first half of the last century, the White Castle company, which sold hamburgers en masse, faced scientific studies that questioned the health benefits of burgers. But they successfully dealt with these studies.
Taco Bell, was great when you could eat for 5 bucks. Now it costs more then a real Mexican restaurant.
The Mexican pizza was edible. That was about the size of it.
Load More Replies...I miss the tostadas and the taco salads. Oh and the little cups of beans and rice. That was back when the quality was ok and the price was great!
I can't eat at Taco Bell anymore post-surgery, but even in 2023-24 I never spent more than $7 on an order. Three value menu burritos and good to go. By far the cheapest fast food place extant.
Nachos Bel Grande now $11.49 in my town, used to be $3-something. Chalupa was $1 now over $5.
I went to Taco Bell for the first time last month, it’s reasonably new in Australia and there isn’t a store in my local area, but I was staying on the Gold Coast for work and gave it a go. Very salty, not a fan.
it sa good when they first opened in the early 80s...the beans and meat were coked on site and all the veg was chopped on site...once kfc purchased them, all that stopped
They're heading towards the priciness of Demolition Man, but without the quality.
Dunkin. I'm a New Englander so we have them eeeeeeeverywhere. I want to love them. I really do. But the food they have is pretty terrible not to mention the coffee.
Again, back in the 70s they were great but they just tanked. Personally, I won't eat donuts from anything other than a mom & pop place. They're a bit more expensive but far better tasting.
Seems to be a running theme with these places...
Load More Replies...Always terrible coffee. Always. Donuts are mass produced never onsite and they are disgusting.
had great fresh donuts into th 80s, but they stopped making them on site adn they have sucked since...
Only thing I've ever had there is donuts. We now have NC jelly donuts and they are awesome!
No Contact jelly donuts??!! But seriously, what is the NC for in this sentence?
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McRib, used to work at Mcdonalds, s**t is garbage.
Bits n pieces of animal parts, as in cartilage that I pulled outa my mouth. Drowned on sauce. Yeah, NOPE!!
McRib is a sandwich and not a place. The place is McDonalds and it has always been garbage.
Mcribs are the exact things they served for school lunches and that you buy in the frozen food aisle lol
It's a product name, not a product description. People don't get a McRib expecting to get actual ribs or rib meat, Val.
Load More Replies...Like many of the foods/restaurants here, this started out as good. It’s all downhill for several years.
Even more lips and a******s than your average hot dog. Hard pass.
The company hired people who came to its restaurants during lunch breaks and ordered burgers while wearing white coats. That is, in the eyes of the average consumer of that time, they looked like doctors or scientists. So, well, if a doctor or scientist orders a burger, it means there is nothing harmful in it, right? The result was even an increase in customer flow.
However, marketing has always been an incredibly important component of the expenses of any fast-food chain. For example, McDonald's invested 1.9 billion U.S. dollars in advertising in the United States in 2022, according to Statista, thereby becoming one of the leaders in advertising costs among American companies.
So, yes - when buying almost any fast food from a popular chain, we pay not only for the food, but also for the advertising.
WINGSTOP. I think the fries are the worst thing on the menu. They’re horribly soggy and underseasoned.
The last time I ate there, I was treating myself to a lunch out, a simple meal and coke was over $15. That was probably 2 years ago, so I imagine it's even more now.
Load More Replies...When you see 'Crafted for' Followed by 'by your flavor expert', you know its going to be very very average. Much like 'sandwich artist'
I remember back when Sonic first came to my city. It was on the local news and everything. And they sorta suck.
100% Drinks Amazing. Any food that is not Tator-Tots is absolutely garbage. But hard to mess up fried shredded potato nuggets. Also all the drinks are sugar on sugar delivery systems. So pure American... 0_o
Load More Replies...They closed the one near me because of road changes, they had a couple of good things a long time t
Th sonics that are in this area are magnets for druggies and other sorts of shenanigans.
Unpopular opinion: as a Florida boy traveling to In-N-Out Burger while in San Francisco, it wasn’t great. I’ll take my 5 Guys and the down votes now.
They are good to their employees, which is sometimes the best reason to go there. Everything is made fresh and is customizable (though they do have a limited set of ingredients to work with). It's an unpopular opinion, but I love their fries. They are like popcorn. This is my preferred fast food hamburger, but it is always crazy busy where I live.
Not that good. During the pandemic they told employees they needed a Dr's excuse to WEAR a mask --because people should see our employees' faces. FFS. (I have not gone since. Boycott for life.)
Load More Replies...Meh. Yeah, it's fresh not frozen. It doesn't suck. Overpriced, tho.
I get in and out burger when I got to Vegas, and it is good, but its basically 5 guys on the west coast lol
I'm with you on Five Guys. Not cheap, but I happen to think their food is good. Probably, like all franchise operations, it's a matter of the quality of the people working at each local outlet. Ours are pretty darned good.
Haven't gone. My nearest In-n-out is a 19 hour drive from here.
We don't (I don't think?) we have these here in Florida? Celebrities just rave about them, so I'll never know.
We do not have them in FL, that’s why op got it when they went to SF. But I have heard a lot of good things and I am very curious!
Load More Replies...As for overhyped fast food - each of us actually has our own thoughts and points of view on this matter. And that, by and large, is what is wonderful about human society - you can always find like-minded people, as well as folks who will hotly dispute your views.
So please feel free to read this selection to the end and maybe add your own comments - after all, as the ancient Romans wisely said (while eating antique fast food with bread soaked in wine), "truth is born in debate."
The pricing of fast food makes basically all of it seem overhyped to me because it never justifies the price even if it tastes good. So far the only fast food I would willingly pay current pricing for is Jollibee.
The Wendy's near my place can't get your order right! There's usually an item missing!
Load More Replies...Remember when McDonalds had their dollar menu? I don't know if they still have it but you used to be able to get like 4 double cheeseburgers for around $10. May be c**p food but at least it cost what it was worth.
I don't know if this is just a regional thing, but my area suddenly has two Nashville Hot Chicken places in every d**n shopping center and they are all mid, at best.
I've only had this style of chicken once or twice. I was underwhelmed. I prefer to sauce my own chicken - and that's not a metaphor! (Also, it *is* a metaphor.)
Raising Cane’s chicken has been described to me BY RAISING CANES FANS as merely a “Cane’s Sauce delivery vehicle.” Again, this was the best description FANS of the brand could give me. Because they primarily make chicken, and the chicken is pretty tasteless, yet somehow, they’re opening up a new one on every other block.
The main advantage of Cane's is that everything is fresh to order. That alone elevates their chicken above almost every other fast food place that I know of. But that sauce - get some d**n BBQ at least!
I buy it (because whenever I've had it, the chicken was fresh, hot, tasty, - and MOIST! Not dried out like too much other chicken. And I'm a sucker for their toast.) Then I take it home and use my own barbecue sauce.
Load More Replies...I only like it because you can get "naked chicken" - chicken without breading. I like to pretend it's healthy fast food.
Shake Shack. Burgers are good, not amazing. Fries are mediocre. Expensive.
Watch the last 10 mins of Grease... Those who know will know... LOL
Load More Replies...In Austin, the Shake Shack at The Domain had amazing fries. Burgers were OK.
As a fellow Texan, unfortunately, Whataburger ever since it was sold to corporate 😔.
We tried it when we were in the states and found it actually gross, as in we each had two bites and literally threw away the rest of the burger we shared. That could just be the one location we were at, it was totally empty inside and the drive through. I was disappointed by In and Uut but we ate the whole meal. I was grossed out by Whataburger.
Totally hot or cold on Whataburger. Definitely depends on the location. Used to live near Austin TX. Pflugerville location was good. Hutto location was mediocre. Spicy ketchup is good tho.
Maybe it's nostalgia, but when I'm near these I go there. I take a bite into the dry burger and reminisce about the good ol days. The one closest to me closed recently. Not sure if it has to do with the deadly shooting that happened there.
Zaxby's. Steamed fries, soggy toast, and a couple of nugget-sized "tenders" is not it.
The Zaxby's near us is really good and the grilled Cobb salad is awesome!!!
Pizza Hut's quality deteriorated years ago but occasionally we'll get a cheap pizza from there and I lament how good it used to be. Papa John's used to be ok, but their quality tanked once Papa was forced out.
Yeah, like over 20 years ago. And Papa John’s always had shítty, cheap cheese.
Load More Replies...I'll cook at home whenever humanly possible and pack my lunch if I'm not going to be at home at meal time. Eating out in America is insane. Fast food is gross and expensive. Restaurants are a-holes who won't pay their own employees. A tip is the customer paying the owners' staff. WTF? I can make food as good as the restaurant and if I do it and I forget something then I don't have to wait for someone to bring it while my food gets cold.
We cook at home, or order and get carry-out so we're not paying for drinks and tips and waiting around for service. I'll tip a few $ on carry-out because who knows if staff are being paid decent wages
Load More Replies...My eat out dollar has become valuable. I only will spend it on good food.
Life is too short to waste on any substandard products. See Larry Niven, 'Fuzzy Pink's Law'.
Load More Replies...I recently discovered that there's still a working Fuddruckers within 30 miles of us. (A far cry from when we had 5 within 5 miles, but still...) So we packed ourselves off to it to see if it was as good as we remembered. I am pleased to report that the ribeye sandwich was still as excellent as always.
Load More Replies...Popeye's. Just got one here a few months ago, was excited because everyone acted like their stuff was God tier. Very disappointed.
are any of these things 'hyped' at all? not overhyped. simply....hyped.
It's hard to believe how many chains exist in the NSM. 'Nited States 'Merica.
A&W for the win! Fresh, tasty burgers. Their onion rings on the other hand, are wretched.
Dollar for dollar in and out is better than 5guys. Next time you go to 5guys ask them what they have for the same price of a double double ?
Five Guys is far, far cheaper than In 'n Out - given that I'd need to buy an airline ticket to eat at an In 'n Out.
Load More Replies...Pizza Hut's quality deteriorated years ago but occasionally we'll get a cheap pizza from there and I lament how good it used to be. Papa John's used to be ok, but their quality tanked once Papa was forced out.
Yeah, like over 20 years ago. And Papa John’s always had shítty, cheap cheese.
Load More Replies...I'll cook at home whenever humanly possible and pack my lunch if I'm not going to be at home at meal time. Eating out in America is insane. Fast food is gross and expensive. Restaurants are a-holes who won't pay their own employees. A tip is the customer paying the owners' staff. WTF? I can make food as good as the restaurant and if I do it and I forget something then I don't have to wait for someone to bring it while my food gets cold.
We cook at home, or order and get carry-out so we're not paying for drinks and tips and waiting around for service. I'll tip a few $ on carry-out because who knows if staff are being paid decent wages
Load More Replies...My eat out dollar has become valuable. I only will spend it on good food.
Life is too short to waste on any substandard products. See Larry Niven, 'Fuzzy Pink's Law'.
Load More Replies...I recently discovered that there's still a working Fuddruckers within 30 miles of us. (A far cry from when we had 5 within 5 miles, but still...) So we packed ourselves off to it to see if it was as good as we remembered. I am pleased to report that the ribeye sandwich was still as excellent as always.
Load More Replies...Popeye's. Just got one here a few months ago, was excited because everyone acted like their stuff was God tier. Very disappointed.
are any of these things 'hyped' at all? not overhyped. simply....hyped.
It's hard to believe how many chains exist in the NSM. 'Nited States 'Merica.
A&W for the win! Fresh, tasty burgers. Their onion rings on the other hand, are wretched.
Dollar for dollar in and out is better than 5guys. Next time you go to 5guys ask them what they have for the same price of a double double ?
Five Guys is far, far cheaper than In 'n Out - given that I'd need to buy an airline ticket to eat at an In 'n Out.
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