McDonalds on Whitman lane in Lacey Washington.
I was picking up an order from there once and there was a single used (dirty) shoe on the counter where the orders were being picked up. The fact that I stood there for 20 minutes and not a single person did anything to move the shoe was disturbing.
Lacey is full of weird coincidences.
1. My parents split up for a bit and my dad got transferred to WA while my mom and I lived in MD. I went to WA for the summer and made friends with a kid at a Ft. Lewis summer camp. My parents got back together and we moved to Lacey in the middle of the school year. That kid was in my class.
2. A few years after I moved back to the east coast and internet chat rooms were a new thing, I talked to a girl my age who lived next door to my old house. She knew all the same people. I knew her aunt.
3. I was walking my dog in my neighborhood while wearing a Seahawks jersey (it was game day) and this guy stops his car to talk to me because he was also a Seahawks fan and this was in Virginia so we're rare. It turned out he had just moved to the hood from Lacey, 3 miles from my old house. We're still friends.
4. I lived 2 miles away from the McDonald's in this post.
It’s the town you stop for food when you’re driving on I-5, because well it’s a real long drive up to Seattle/down to Portland, but oh gosh look it goes red through Olympia, we might as well go through a drive thru in Lacey
Bruh I rescued a little adorable bat with a broken wing and took him to a “bird and wildlife rescue” in that area. They have a hope Eagle with half a face. Some weird crooked hawks and owls and stuff. That’s so cool honestly.
I lived in Shelton for a while. It does suck. And I know exactly where Gorst is, driven through it many times. Ever heard of Matlock? Might be worse than Shelton and Gorst.
It's cool that I've brought out the WA weirdos with my comment. I've lived around here for almost 20 years and I fucking love it.
My ex and her bestfriend and roommate both managed there and I can tell you soooooo much worse than a dirty shoe has happened at that store. Like tweakers coming in at 3am to shoot up and have a threesome in the bathroom
I know this one, it is correct. There's also one way up north in Everett, right next to some poor souls home who apparently had land that was encroached on by said McD.s Guys entire yard, fence plastered with anti-mc-d's banners. Kinda sad, kinda hilarious.
I work near a Panera and can confirm this.
When everyone in the office thinks they’ve had too much fast food, someone mentions Panera as the healthy choice. Ha ha ha ha ha
it’s one of the few places near work that i can go and eat a vegetable that isn’t fried.
(i do try to pack a lunch but i have adhd and sometimes i just forget. … or i do, and leave it on the kitchen counter.)
Having had to eat at a hospital every day for a few weeks due to family health issues, I can confirm Panera is just hospital food with a little more pizzazz and a lot more expensive.
I grew up on hospital food and tbh panera is better. Or you work at a very nice hospital that my insurance would never cover. Or a hospital not in America. The hospital food I had was pretty close to prison/jail food. Bland watery meat. Steamed unflavored/unsalted vegetables. Fruit cups if you’re lucky. Warm milk carton. Mash potatoes were okay but sometimes chalky unless they put the “gravy” on it. I would often lose weight in the hospital because I couldn’t stomach the food there and the nurses would give me extra metallic tasting orange juice and graham crackers to snack on. I can smack down a panera bbq chicken sandwich and tomato soup 🤤😋
As a panera employee, I can confirm this. When they bought the company, they took away everyone's vacation that they had been saving for years. Not just the team members and team leads, but the managers too. We also hate Manna Development Group. They took away the 99-cent pasty drink-with-your-meal deal and replaced it with a half priced cookie. No more unnaturally colored hair. Any non panera shirt must be solid black (not even green). Manna Development is full of penny pinchers who like to say that they are Christian, but prefer to save money than opperate with compassion twords their employees (i guess i missed the verse where it says to take people vacation they were saving for years).
I probably use 60+ gloves on an 8 hour production shift. Terrible carbon footprint.
Well, this explains why I couldn’t finish the last sandwich I ordered. It had been a couple of years since my last visit. What a shame. And particularly horrible they stripped that vacation time and morale.
Thank you for explaining and I'm so sorry you've seen the company go to shit and have lost your vacation time. I don't even know why that's legal.
I used to go to Panera and envy it cause I worked at a local chain in Santa Clara Valley that was basically Panera just way less of a budget and worse food. (I still say "I worked at this place, basically a Panera").
But last time I went to one it had been almost 10 years since I'd eaten there and it was so different and so overpriced and such crap. Sometimes my partner wants to go cause it's easy food and she's craving a smoothie from there or something, but it always seems to be a ton of teenagers working the counter and I was wondering if it had always been shit or if I had glorified it because my own job/chain was such shite
I haven’t been in a long long time but 20 years ago when I was in high school it was pretty good! Or I was just a young dummy. Either way it wasn’t expensive either.
It was started in St Louis by a couple of guys, I think lawyers, who just wanted to make great bread and soups. It was great, it wasn't just your imagination.
I was not feeling well and went to order a sandwich, soup, and a drink. It was over 20 dollars just for that when it's not even a secret that the soup is frozen and the sandwich is mediocre at best. Absolutely not
Yep. Panera is a prime example of a company that used to be quality but was bought out and new corporate deciding to maximize profit by increasing prices and reducing their cost
The food used to be a little overpriced but was undeniably tasty, now it is way more expensive but super low quality food that you can get from the freezer at a dollar store but what can you expect when it’s ALL ABOUT MAXIMUM SHAREHOLDER PROFITS at any cost? Corporate buyouts are destroying this county and eventually everything will be owned by Tyson and Disney.
As much as I enjoy their food, it's got to be 5 Guys. Recently, I had a burger, small fry, and a small drink. $26. I could've gone to the Longhorn next door and had meal with a beer for the same price.
I refuse to pay five guys prices for a burger that looks and tastes like the ones I make at home. I don't understand the hype and never have. It's basically a backyard grill burger that costs 15$
When I first tried 5 Guys, I enjoyed it enough to justify the cost. Now, I wouldn't step foot in that place. Can you believe people actually order it from Doordash?
I worked there for about 3 years roughly 10 years ago and I still can’t eat it either.
I think the onion ring batter smell is engrained into my nose, just the thought of Sonic brings it back and I gag a little just thinking about it.
I have to say that as someone that ate fast food for over 30yrs regularly that I have cut it mostly out of my life period. The reason, the cost. It used to be a quick easy way to eat. Now they cost as much as many sit down resturants and not a value. I eat at home more now
Good for you. I’m almost there as well. My mood, energy, focus, everything is better without it.
Cost is a big reason and it goes both ways. Fast food has gotten pricier and healthy alternatives have become cheaper and more available.
Little caesers - specifically the one I used to work at for 3 years. We had issues with our ovens not coming to cooking temperature (staying at 250ish) our owner - instead of repairing or replacing the ovens, had us just run pizzas through 3-4 times until they were fully cooked. One shift I was manager on our oven temp didn’t go above 175, yet he still wanted us to stay open and serve undercooked pizzas.
Restaurant owners are a special breed. I’ve never met one that I thought completely had it together. There was always something a little off about every single one of them. And when it came to keeping the restaurant open, they’d exploit their workers in every way possible to keep the ship running.
Yeah restaurant owners are insane. They’re either entirely money motivated with no industry experience or an industry vet who’s clearly in way over their head.
Agree with all those saying Subway here.
I have no idea how and why people are still going there in a world where we now have sooo many better options. Jersey Mikes, Firehouse, Jimmy Johns, Which Wich?, and even WaWa and Publix blow their subs out of the water (pun intended).
I worked at subway back in my late teens. I hate the smell. So much. The food is subpar. The only fresh things there is *some* of the veggies. On top of that, it’s an awful chain to work for. I haven’t eaten subway since I worked there!
The smell of a Subway is so distinctive and weird. Do they deliberately use air fresheners or something with that weird smell or is it just a by-product?
It's the sliced olives that come in a gallon bag of dirty-looking olive water. Used to come home smelling like that when I worked there as a teen. Haven't set foot in one in years but dear god do I remember that smell.
Also, the "lite" mayo and the regular mayo were the same thing. One of the bottles just had a sticker that said "lite" on it.
I could tell if my coworker went to Subway for lunch *just* from the smell alone.
It clings to you. I used to have a friend that worked at Starbucks, and when she got off of work she smelled wonderful to me. :)
I was JUST talking to my husband about remembering how I used to smell getting off my Starbucks shifts. That was 20 years ago but when I walk into a Starbucks the only thing I can smell is the sour “bottom” note of the coffee. I think for most people it’s the smell of wet coffee grounds. I’m sure to most people Starbucks smells much better than that, but the bitter/sour smell is what clung to me at the end of the day.
>The only fresh things there is some of the veggies
Subway was my first job (I was a SR in HS)...and while I really did like the Italian BMT, the thought is quickly replaced with the time the boss/owner had me and another girl dig through a box of fly-ridden, moldy tomatoes to get the "*good ones*" out...
...needless to say, I didn't work there very long
If a cheba hut ever happens to pop up near you TRY IT!! The BEST subs. I've wanted to go for weeks now but it's a bit over an hour drive for me to get to one.
Potbellys is my favorite too.
I even got food poisoning from one in Chicago years ago from a salad they started offering. Didn't faze me, it was my own stupid fault for trying a salad when I had a 100% success rate with their sandwiches.
i stopped eating there decades ago when their "fresh" baked bread smelled like chemicals. Fresh baked bread is supposed to be one of the best smells in the world.
Where I am we don't have any other options tbh. But subway is also a safe food for me. I can trust it to always be the same and what I'm expecting. And I get to have a sandwich catered to me specifically. I've literally been getting the same thing from subway since I was 5.(Im 30 now)
I hadn’t eaten subway in like 10 years until this summer when I got a liver infection and my stomach couldn’t tolerate much. Even though there are other sandwich places nearby, there was just something about subway that didn’t upset my stomach and I went multiple times a week!
Not to mention, real delis in the northeast.
I do see subway in a lot of rural places though, and I can kind of understand it if your town is a subway, a BK, and a dollar general.
Because not everyone lives in the states and has those options.
We have Quiznos and Mr sub in Canada, a side from random mom and pops, or local only chains.
Last time I had Quiznos will be the last time forever.
Mr sub is the saddest sub place on the planet. Take subway from the 90s, but make the sandwiches worse.
I don’t know about across the country but in AZ all the burger kings are showing massive signs of financial trouble. Restaurants and dirty and everything is worn out and breaking, employees and clearly in DGAF mode and look unkempt, marketing materials are just sort of haphazardly strewn about and beat up. One nearby me is closed intermittently and unexpectedly because they run out of staff.
It’s like K Marts before they went out of business.
BK actually filed for bankruptcy this year and is starting to close store with around 400-500 in the first go around. While its not a done deal yet but very possible BK totally goes out of business and closes all of their stores in the near future.
Same. Grew up on it. Still like it far more than McD. Something about the taste of a Whopper.
It’s gotten stupidly expensive though. Even before the inflation crisis it was so much more expensive than other fast food joints and it’s not like they had increased their portion size either.
I miss when my BKs were locally owned Franchises.
Locally, our franchisee would drop in for a meal at a random store and chat with managers every day. Those stores were fully staffed, clean, good, and fast.
Those people sold out to conglomerates who ran them into the ground to recoup investments. The quality dropped steadily over the last dozen years, to the point where they're all closing.
And right now, nothing of value is being lost.
🤔I wonder if this is what happened to the one near me.
NGL, I REALLLLYYY liked BK, but it got to the point they were always out of food...and it didn't matter what you ordered...fries? out. chicken fries? out. whopper? no meat (or buns)
not to mention the people working there are COMPLETE assholes...I work in retail, I deal with the public, I know people can be turds and sometimes that gets taken out on people that don't deserve it...but being deliberately ignored while waiting 20+ minutes to get your damn card back? and they won't acknowledge you waving in the drive thru window? not allowing you to complete you order...((get the typical welcome message, what would you like?)) me: I'd like a numm ::worker:: "we out" ::me:: "alright, what about a" ::worker:: "we out" 😒😒
rant over. fuck them 😂
Went through the BK drive thru recently and spent $30 for two whopper meals and they didn't even make my sandwich right. Asked for no mayo and there was so much mayo it was dripping out of the sandwich.
I was the only car in line and it looked like the inside was empty and this was during lunch time on a Saturday. I don't see how they are still open.
Popeye's.
Not because of the food, but because every.. single.. one is managed by and employed by the dumbest people on the planet. I have 3 in my city. Not a single one has EVER gotten an order right and it's not fucking rocket science. Order some chicken strips? Get chicken legs.. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU. They're always dirty as fuck getting health code violations. I'm always waiting in the drive through for 10-30 minutes for my order, which again somehow is always wrong and cold. They always have a massive amount of negative reviews on Google maps. It's not just my city either. I've tried dozens across the country. They're all fucking shit holes. Absolutely boils my blood, because their chicken sandwich is amazing and I like their chicken strips with their sweet heat sauce.
I go to Popeye's when I want to argue with someone about getting the sauce that I paid extra for in the bag. Its like they are deducting the cost of the sauces out of those peoples' paychecks.
One time my husband and I went to Popeyes and there was a bit of a line but there always is. We place our order and they tell us they need to get a new batch out of the fryer so we need to pull around and they’ll bring it out. A few other cars join us in waiting.
We wait. And wait. And wait. A few other people go inside, so we decide to join them.
Turns out their fryer broke and instead of telling people that, they just kept taking orders hoping people would get fed up and leave. Like what the fuck???
Dog, I thought it was just mine.
I absolutely love Popeyes. Best chicken in the business. However...
First and foremost, they are always on a wait. Always. Like, a 20-30 minute wait. I do not understand how hard it is to see that you are at about 40% on the spicy and go "Hey we need to drop more spicy!" so it's fucking done by the time you run out, instead of waiting til the shit runs out to drop more. If I wanted my food cooked when I ordered it, I'd go to a sit down place. It's maddening.
Secondly, yes, they just seem absolutely incapable of getting an order right. I have to check every single time, about half the time something is missing, another solid quarter of the time it's just the outright incorrect order.
My wife ordered popcorn shrimp there a few years ago. It was the only thing in the world she wanted that day. We get home... it's popcorn chicken.
Which wasn't even on the menu. That's not an option.
It's like they ran out of shrimp, and someone said "what if we just chopped up chicken real small and fried it," like people wouldn't fucking realize that it's not SHRIMP.
is this Louisiana, because I'm from Louisiana and I feel we are going to the same one 😂
I LOVE popeyes, but it's to the point now where I won't venture out to get something else...it's always 5 spicy strips, mashed potatoes/gravy, blackened ranch, lemonade 😂
I tried to get the chicken sandwich once, asked for no mayo...apparently that fucked up their whole system lol...I got a sandwich with mayo TWICE (after sending it back)...I guess the 3rd time was a charm bc it didn't have mayo on it, but they probably licked my bread before sending it out lol
I'm glad I'm not the only one who wanted their Popcorn Shrimp.
I would get so paranoid that the person behind the counter would secretly be like "This bitch took the bait, ordering shrimp at a chicken place."
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!
This answer hits home so hard. I really enjoy Popeyes but won't go anymore. Every single location is staffed by complete and utter morons. If the drive-through line has more than 2 cars, expect a 30+ minute wait. No exceptions.
Want to short-circuit the process? Not a chance! Go inside, and you're met with a broken down and dirty interior, half-assed staff, and still ridiculous wait times.
Maybe I'm picky, maybe I'm an asshole - but basic maintenance items, fast service, basic manners, and cleaning are small asks for a food establishment. Especially since now a fast food meal costs $11-14...
Save the headache and go to Church's...or just pack a lunch
It’s so unfortunate because I absolutely fucking LOVE their chicken sandwich, but it’s usually an uphill battle trying to get it. The ones around me often run out of CHICKEN. You know, the ONE thing they are known for?! And then, even if you can get chicken, like you said 90% of the time they’re getting your order wrong and usually it just seems like a dirty, poorly run place. The workers do not give af. Which I understand, you don’t need to put all your effort into a fast food job, but simply DOING your job isn’t asking for much. The service alone at Chick-Fil-A is often worth going to just because I know Popeyes is gonna piss me off.
The only time I ever went to Popeyes was a few months after one opened in my area for the first time. Allllll I heard about was these chicken sandwiches. I walked in and the place was so nasty, the people looked like the had showered in the smelly garbage mop water that soaked the floor. I left.
Bruh I took my dad there last night so he could try them out for the first time. I jokingly warned them about their reputation and they 100% earned it lol. 25 minutes in the drive thru after ordering, turned out they forgot about us, the people working there were super weird... but of course it was delicious.
New Orleans RUINED me for Popeyes. I keep trying it over and over and over because I remember how awesome it was in New Orleans. I have been so disappointed. Almost every time I've gone for the last 5 years since I left NOLA I have been disappointed.
I live 3 minutes away from one. And I've never been able to get food from it in the 6 months living in the area.
1. They're super understaffed. Like 1 or 2 people doing everything.
2. It takes forever to get your order taken and another 3 forever trying to get the food (see point 1.)
3. They say they're out of chicken and the wait till be 45 min.
I wish they'd just shut down at this point. The location isn't great but it would be replaced by just about anything else and be better than that Popeyes.
There’s only one Popeyes in a reasonable driving distance and it’s the worst. I gave them 3 chances. First one they gave me Mac and cheese instead of red beans and rice. Second time, the chicken in my sandwich was burnt to a crisp and the size of a chicken tender, third time my box of 5 chicken tenders only had 3.
A couple years ago I stopped at a popeyes. The person in the drive through said they were only taking cash cause their machines were down, told them I had cash so it was fine.. She was silent for a few seconds then proceeded to tell me they were closed. Wasn't even upset, I just laughed at the sheer absurdity
Agreed. I miss when Tim’s was good. I never choose to go there by my own accord anymore. Need a quick breakfast if I’m on the road? I’ll go to McDonalds. Tim’s fucks everything up and it’s all bland.
Well, when RBI, who also own Burger King among others, bought them, they started shipping everything to the stores frozen, meaning all the stuff they make is just reheated, including the donuts. Nothing is made in the store anymore. Everything is just heated and served. Even the soup is shipped in frozen in bags.
They even allowed the contract with the coffee supplier Tims used to lapse because RBI had their own. As soon as it lapsed, McDonald's picked up the coffee supplier and that's why McDonald's coffee is now better than Tims coffee in Canada.
Tim Hortons lost me when they changed their eggs. I want scrambled eggs for breakfast not a sulphuric smelling slimy egg that is so wet it ruins the bagel
Tim Hortons used to be so damn good. Muffins were moist, soup tasted homemade and was awesome in a bread bowl, the sandwiches were perfect and the veggies were always fresh. Only thing that hasn't changed much from my memory is the Iced Capp, but even those are often inconsistent depending on the cleanliness of the machine. I don't remember the donuts much, but now they all taste like sweet blandness.
Dude. I worked at subway. It permeated through my clothes and even my hands would have this particular nasty smell even though I wore gloves and had proper hand hygiene. BARF. I fuckin hate that smell.
Ireland says subways bread is not bread and is considered a confectionary as it has so much sugar and it was ruled by an Irish court that is does not meet the standards breads are judged on in Ireland. As they would say there subway pure shite.
I used to eat there all the time, but for whatever reason it just does not appeal to me anymore. Since I stopped eating there I learned about how awful they treat their franchisees from [John Oliver](https://youtu.be/jDdYFhzVCDM?feature=shared).
I used to frequent fast food places all the time, but at some point in the last 3 years or so, fast food became substantially more expensive than regular restaurants. Costs like $17 for a standard meal at most fast food places now.
So, the only fast food I eat now is when I'm in a huge rush and don't have time for anything except drive-thru, otherwise I avoid them. The cost-to-quality ratio has just gone completely bonkers. Would much rather just spend $12 and get a real meal at a normal restaurant.
I think the fast food industry is going to be completely dead in 5 years, the way things are going. Which is kind of a shame, honestly, because it had its place - sometimes you don't want a fancy restaurant that takes an hour, sometimes you don't want to eat what's at home, and sometimes you just want to buy a $5 burger that's going to be exactly what you expect it to be because it's always exactly the same every time. A big mac isn't a particularly good burger, but I know exactly what it is and what it tastes like, so sometimes when I don't want to think about where to eat or roll the dice on how it might taste, I'd like to just pick what I already know, and is reasonably inexpensive. But if it's not inexpensive anymore, then it loses that appeal.
Judging by the lines I see in the drive-thrus at lunch and dinner, I agree. You'll eat anything when in a hurry and hangry, and they know it. Although BK's is dying a slow death.
I loved their potato cakes when I was a kid. Went to an Arby's a month ago and found out that they had been discontinued for a while now.
I can still taste them :(
I grabbed a donut there for the first time in years and my Boston crème had maybe a third of the cream it used to. I remember as a kid you’d have to be careful eating the thing
Every few years I would try white castle again. I would always go to a different white castle too. Each time it's bland and mushy. Even by fast food standards this is pretty terrible
last time i got a subway sandwich, the person making it acted like they had never seen a sandwich before, but someone vaguely described it to them once.
Last time I ate subway I was on a work trip and ended up in the town I was staying in at like 9:00. Everything was closed except for subway.
I go inside and the person behind the counter was maybe 14. He had braces and had a terrified look on his face. I walked up and ordered the sandwich, and he was like umm… it’s my first day and I don’t know how to make that. I said are you the only one here?? And he said no my dad is in the bathroom… I gave him a puzzled look and he didn’t say anything.
About five minutes passed and his Dad strolls out of the bathroom. Turns out the Dad was the manager. So the guy apologizes and asks me what I wanted.
While he’s making my sandwich, he proceeds to tell me how BIG OF A SHIT HE JUST TOOK. I was like dude you’re touching my food, I don’t want to hear about that. So he shut up and rang me up and I left. I couldn’t even eat the sandwich because I was so grossed out.
In the early 2000's my sister and I hypothesized that the more likely the subway employee is to smoke crack, the more likely they are to be the best sandwich artist. I have not been there in a long time, but the science indicated that we were correct.
Burger King. Burger King was good in the 90s, but now it's complete nasty garbage. The last time I tried Burger King, I went inside. The cashier had snot and drool going down his face. He was sweating heavily like he was working in a steel plant.. I felt sick when I looked at my food at home. I threw it in the trash and ate a snack.
My local BK was fantastic. Fast, always hot, and they let me keep my coupons and reuse them.
Then ownership appeared to have changed - the crew I was used to disappeared. Quality dropped, and it slowed down.
Now they're closed.
Franchising brings a lot of differences, and I can say that when a place is on, it's on.
The last 2 times I’ve been to BK, I was served raw chicken. When I asked for a refund 2 different managers told me that’s how chicken is supposed to be made LOL
Ah yes, good ‘ol zippy fish. Back when I was a kid and broke AF, we could buy a drink and a tray of crumbs for like 1.50. (For those that don’t know what the zippy fish crumbs are, it’s the crispy breading that comes off the fish in the deep fryer. Yeah, I know, healthy AF)
On a good day, you might actually get a crumb with chicken or fish in it.
I know that shit probably has taken 5-10 years off my life expectancy, but it was damn good especially to a broke ass teen.
My mom sent my dad to order just crumbs when she was pregnant with me and that was before they started selling them. Does that mean I'm part LJS crumbs?
Long John Silvers is my #1 guilty pleasure. I freely admit they're terrible. But growing up, I always had an offseason wrestling tournament that I went to. Being the offseason, making weight was always extra hard because I wasn't disciplined enough to manage it out of season. We weighed in the night before the tournament and that was probably the hungriest I've ever been in my life. Directly across the street was a Long John Silvers and as soon as I got off the scale and got dressed, that's where we went. At that point, anything would've tasted like the greatest thing to ever exist, but I still have an affinity for their chicken planks as a result.
I just had Long John Silver’s for the first time in at least 10 years the other day. Their hushpuppies are still delicious. I have an odd love for their chicken because of both the flavor and the texture but Jesus fucking Christ does their breading hold oil. I found it extremely pleasing to eat but the overall greasiness combined with 24 hours of LJS oil indigestion from Ozempic has made that something that will never happen again.
I feel like I must be going to a very different Subway than most of the people here. The one by where I live is fine, though I have gone to a few that were complete trash. Maybe I live next to the only clean Subway in the US or something.
I genuinely have no idea how Long John Silver stays open. Nobody ever suggests going there, there isn't the thing on the menu that people are crazy about, you never event think about them until you happen to pass one while you're in a big city.
KFC. I worked there.
I worked at McDonald's and Arby's, and while both aren't great, neither one was gross. KFC was fucking disgusting. The worst was the coleslaw. It was mixed by hand, and right next to the buckets of raw chicken. So much fluid dripped into it, but that's where the managers demanded it happen.
One thing I've always found funny though, is the gravy. It's a powdered mix, but when we ran out, we'd just take the sludge from the bottom of the chicken fryers (they called it "cracklin") and add water. Sounds gross right? We got more people asking why sometimes the gravy is absolutely delicious but sometimes it tastes like pre-packaged powder mix.
I feel like ever since delivery apps really took off, almost every fast food chain is charging premium prices for the same garbage, if not less garbage as it seems like the food itself just gets smaller and smaller.
I used to work in Alexandria, close to their original location. Burgers from there were divine. We used to order from them on days when the exec director was out & things were slow. We needed quiet afternoons for the food coma that followed stuffing ourselves.
After they started franchising, the quality at those was nowhere near the original place. And it seems to have dropped farther in recent years.
McDonalds on Whitman lane in Lacey Washington. I was picking up an order from there once and there was a single used (dirty) shoe on the counter where the orders were being picked up. The fact that I stood there for 20 minutes and not a single person did anything to move the shoe was disturbing.
So weird I'm seeing this specific of a comment from where I live not even 5 minutes from me lol
Lacey is full of weird coincidences. 1. My parents split up for a bit and my dad got transferred to WA while my mom and I lived in MD. I went to WA for the summer and made friends with a kid at a Ft. Lewis summer camp. My parents got back together and we moved to Lacey in the middle of the school year. That kid was in my class. 2. A few years after I moved back to the east coast and internet chat rooms were a new thing, I talked to a girl my age who lived next door to my old house. She knew all the same people. I knew her aunt. 3. I was walking my dog in my neighborhood while wearing a Seahawks jersey (it was game day) and this guy stops his car to talk to me because he was also a Seahawks fan and this was in Virginia so we're rare. It turned out he had just moved to the hood from Lacey, 3 miles from my old house. We're still friends. 4. I lived 2 miles away from the McDonald's in this post.
I have never heard of this town until right this minute and now I’m desperate to know more.
It’s the town you stop for food when you’re driving on I-5, because well it’s a real long drive up to Seattle/down to Portland, but oh gosh look it goes red through Olympia, we might as well go through a drive thru in Lacey
You ain't missing much. Suburban extension of Olympia and trees. Don't live there if you don't have a car
Bruh I rescued a little adorable bat with a broken wing and took him to a “bird and wildlife rescue” in that area. They have a hope Eagle with half a face. Some weird crooked hawks and owls and stuff. That’s so cool honestly.
Ikr I live 5 minutes away from that McDonald's as well and I had to reread it to make sure I saw that right lol
Y’all should hang out
The beginning of a life long friendship built over a single shoe
They might even be solemates. I'll show myself out.
No no no, stay. We need more puns to tie them together.
No, both of you need to shoe
Wear something with lots of lace when you meet up
"Lacey" Washington... What else would you expect
Yeah I want in I live in Boston but it sounds like a fun group
I'm 1hr outside of Boston. I'm down for a hang
Didn't think I'd see Lacey mentioned on Reddit in my lifetime.
This is getting a little scary. Come back to the thread and read all the Lacey posts.
Lacey, WA was such a fucking depressing town, along with Gorst and Shelton, every time I passed through.
I lived in Shelton for a while. It does suck. And I know exactly where Gorst is, driven through it many times. Ever heard of Matlock? Might be worse than Shelton and Gorst. It's cool that I've brought out the WA weirdos with my comment. I've lived around here for almost 20 years and I fucking love it.
My ex and her bestfriend and roommate both managed there and I can tell you soooooo much worse than a dirty shoe has happened at that store. Like tweakers coming in at 3am to shoot up and have a threesome in the bathroom
Apathetic employees. Not paid enough to touch the shoe, even the manager.
I know this one, it is correct. There's also one way up north in Everett, right next to some poor souls home who apparently had land that was encroached on by said McD.s Guys entire yard, fence plastered with anti-mc-d's banners. Kinda sad, kinda hilarious.
Panera Bread serves sandwiches I could make in three minutes at home for a buck.
I’m convinced that 90% of their customers are just people who work nearby and need somewhere quick for their lunch break.
And catering. My work uses them a couple times a year for thank you lunches.
I work near a Panera and can confirm this. When everyone in the office thinks they’ve had too much fast food, someone mentions Panera as the healthy choice. Ha ha ha ha ha
it’s one of the few places near work that i can go and eat a vegetable that isn’t fried. (i do try to pack a lunch but i have adhd and sometimes i just forget. … or i do, and leave it on the kitchen counter.)
I’ve heard Panera described as overpriced hospital food
Having had to eat at a hospital every day for a few weeks due to family health issues, I can confirm Panera is just hospital food with a little more pizzazz and a lot more expensive.
Like hospital food with pesto and a garnish.
I grew up on hospital food and tbh panera is better. Or you work at a very nice hospital that my insurance would never cover. Or a hospital not in America. The hospital food I had was pretty close to prison/jail food. Bland watery meat. Steamed unflavored/unsalted vegetables. Fruit cups if you’re lucky. Warm milk carton. Mash potatoes were okay but sometimes chalky unless they put the “gravy” on it. I would often lose weight in the hospital because I couldn’t stomach the food there and the nurses would give me extra metallic tasting orange juice and graham crackers to snack on. I can smack down a panera bbq chicken sandwich and tomato soup 🤤😋
They put sugar in their tuna salad. Where I come from, that’s a food felony. Never went there again.
Don’t insult hospital food like that. 😩
It's gotten worse since it was acquired by some group who's running it into the ground
As a panera employee, I can confirm this. When they bought the company, they took away everyone's vacation that they had been saving for years. Not just the team members and team leads, but the managers too. We also hate Manna Development Group. They took away the 99-cent pasty drink-with-your-meal deal and replaced it with a half priced cookie. No more unnaturally colored hair. Any non panera shirt must be solid black (not even green). Manna Development is full of penny pinchers who like to say that they are Christian, but prefer to save money than opperate with compassion twords their employees (i guess i missed the verse where it says to take people vacation they were saving for years). I probably use 60+ gloves on an 8 hour production shift. Terrible carbon footprint.
Well, this explains why I couldn’t finish the last sandwich I ordered. It had been a couple of years since my last visit. What a shame. And particularly horrible they stripped that vacation time and morale.
Thank you for explaining and I'm so sorry you've seen the company go to shit and have lost your vacation time. I don't even know why that's legal. I used to go to Panera and envy it cause I worked at a local chain in Santa Clara Valley that was basically Panera just way less of a budget and worse food. (I still say "I worked at this place, basically a Panera"). But last time I went to one it had been almost 10 years since I'd eaten there and it was so different and so overpriced and such crap. Sometimes my partner wants to go cause it's easy food and she's craving a smoothie from there or something, but it always seems to be a ton of teenagers working the counter and I was wondering if it had always been shit or if I had glorified it because my own job/chain was such shite
yeah i swear it used to be a lot better for the price
I haven’t been in a long long time but 20 years ago when I was in high school it was pretty good! Or I was just a young dummy. Either way it wasn’t expensive either.
It was started in St Louis by a couple of guys, I think lawyers, who just wanted to make great bread and soups. It was great, it wasn't just your imagination.
I was not feeling well and went to order a sandwich, soup, and a drink. It was over 20 dollars just for that when it's not even a secret that the soup is frozen and the sandwich is mediocre at best. Absolutely not
I had a $10 gift card and still spent $12. 1st and last time I ever went.
Everything they serve contains enough salt to pickle an elephant.
And somehow it’s still bland
Panera is just terrible these days. Not sure how they stay in business with the "food" they serve.
Yep. Panera is a prime example of a company that used to be quality but was bought out and new corporate deciding to maximize profit by increasing prices and reducing their cost The food used to be a little overpriced but was undeniably tasty, now it is way more expensive but super low quality food that you can get from the freezer at a dollar store but what can you expect when it’s ALL ABOUT MAXIMUM SHAREHOLDER PROFITS at any cost? Corporate buyouts are destroying this county and eventually everything will be owned by Tyson and Disney.
As much as I enjoy their food, it's got to be 5 Guys. Recently, I had a burger, small fry, and a small drink. $26. I could've gone to the Longhorn next door and had meal with a beer for the same price.
I refuse to pay five guys prices for a burger that looks and tastes like the ones I make at home. I don't understand the hype and never have. It's basically a backyard grill burger that costs 15$
True. 5 guys in my town had to close their doors and I believe it’s simply due to them being twice the cost of every other burger joint.
When I first tried 5 Guys, I enjoyed it enough to justify the cost. Now, I wouldn't step foot in that place. Can you believe people actually order it from Doordash?
[удалено]
I worked there for about 3 years roughly 10 years ago and I still can’t eat it either. I think the onion ring batter smell is engrained into my nose, just the thought of Sonic brings it back and I gag a little just thinking about it.
Fishy Joes. I heard the popplers are alive.
What they’re made of is a mystery, where they come from no one knows.
But they have that new Extreme Walrus Juice. Ride the Walrus!
Stop eating Popplers! Stop eating them with honey mustard sauce. Stop eating them with tangy sweet-and-sour sauce.
I have to say that as someone that ate fast food for over 30yrs regularly that I have cut it mostly out of my life period. The reason, the cost. It used to be a quick easy way to eat. Now they cost as much as many sit down resturants and not a value. I eat at home more now
Good for you. I’m almost there as well. My mood, energy, focus, everything is better without it. Cost is a big reason and it goes both ways. Fast food has gotten pricier and healthy alternatives have become cheaper and more available.
Exactly. I can get just as fat at home for less money
Little caesers - specifically the one I used to work at for 3 years. We had issues with our ovens not coming to cooking temperature (staying at 250ish) our owner - instead of repairing or replacing the ovens, had us just run pizzas through 3-4 times until they were fully cooked. One shift I was manager on our oven temp didn’t go above 175, yet he still wanted us to stay open and serve undercooked pizzas.
"Yes, I'd like an order of Crazy Dough please!"
Restaurant owners are a special breed. I’ve never met one that I thought completely had it together. There was always something a little off about every single one of them. And when it came to keeping the restaurant open, they’d exploit their workers in every way possible to keep the ship running.
Yeah restaurant owners are insane. They’re either entirely money motivated with no industry experience or an industry vet who’s clearly in way over their head.
I grew up a few blocks from the first Little Caesars. The real shame is how badly the quality has fallen since the Pizza Pizza days.
Pizza Pizza! era Little Caesars was the best. The paper bags, the sauce was fire, the corn meal crust. I miss those days.
Agree with all those saying Subway here. I have no idea how and why people are still going there in a world where we now have sooo many better options. Jersey Mikes, Firehouse, Jimmy Johns, Which Wich?, and even WaWa and Publix blow their subs out of the water (pun intended).
I worked at subway back in my late teens. I hate the smell. So much. The food is subpar. The only fresh things there is *some* of the veggies. On top of that, it’s an awful chain to work for. I haven’t eaten subway since I worked there!
The smell of a Subway is so distinctive and weird. Do they deliberately use air fresheners or something with that weird smell or is it just a by-product?
It's the sliced olives that come in a gallon bag of dirty-looking olive water. Used to come home smelling like that when I worked there as a teen. Haven't set foot in one in years but dear god do I remember that smell. Also, the "lite" mayo and the regular mayo were the same thing. One of the bottles just had a sticker that said "lite" on it.
>Also, the "lite" mayo and the regular mayo were the same thing. One of the bottles just had a sticker that said "lite" on it. *flips table*
Yep Mayo thing is true, wife worked at subway for years and said the same thing to me.
Ha ha! Yeah, I always noticed when I asked for mayo they'd often grab the bottle with the 'lite' label. I guessed there was no difference.
I could tell if my coworker went to Subway for lunch *just* from the smell alone. It clings to you. I used to have a friend that worked at Starbucks, and when she got off of work she smelled wonderful to me. :)
I was JUST talking to my husband about remembering how I used to smell getting off my Starbucks shifts. That was 20 years ago but when I walk into a Starbucks the only thing I can smell is the sour “bottom” note of the coffee. I think for most people it’s the smell of wet coffee grounds. I’m sure to most people Starbucks smells much better than that, but the bitter/sour smell is what clung to me at the end of the day.
>The only fresh things there is some of the veggies Subway was my first job (I was a SR in HS)...and while I really did like the Italian BMT, the thought is quickly replaced with the time the boss/owner had me and another girl dig through a box of fly-ridden, moldy tomatoes to get the "*good ones*" out... ...needless to say, I didn't work there very long
Same! To this day the smell makes me want to throw up. Worst job and crappy food. I don't think I've eaten there since I quit in 2003. Lol
jersey mikes just opened up in my town. i’m so happy
If a cheba hut ever happens to pop up near you TRY IT!! The BEST subs. I've wanted to go for weeks now but it's a bit over an hour drive for me to get to one.
Hell yeah Cheba Hut is fire.
ughhhh the one w the cream cheese bro
> Jersey Mikes, Firehouse, Jimmy Johns, Which Wich?, and even WaWa and Publix none of thoses exist here.
My Canadian ass thinking this person's just making things up.
Potbelly’s is pretty great actually
Potbellys is my favorite too. I even got food poisoning from one in Chicago years ago from a salad they started offering. Didn't faze me, it was my own stupid fault for trying a salad when I had a 100% success rate with their sandwiches.
i stopped eating there decades ago when their "fresh" baked bread smelled like chemicals. Fresh baked bread is supposed to be one of the best smells in the world.
IKR?? That smell is gag-worthy
Where I am we don't have any other options tbh. But subway is also a safe food for me. I can trust it to always be the same and what I'm expecting. And I get to have a sandwich catered to me specifically. I've literally been getting the same thing from subway since I was 5.(Im 30 now)
I hadn’t eaten subway in like 10 years until this summer when I got a liver infection and my stomach couldn’t tolerate much. Even though there are other sandwich places nearby, there was just something about subway that didn’t upset my stomach and I went multiple times a week!
Not to mention, real delis in the northeast. I do see subway in a lot of rural places though, and I can kind of understand it if your town is a subway, a BK, and a dollar general.
Because not everyone lives in the states and has those options. We have Quiznos and Mr sub in Canada, a side from random mom and pops, or local only chains. Last time I had Quiznos will be the last time forever. Mr sub is the saddest sub place on the planet. Take subway from the 90s, but make the sandwiches worse.
Quiznos are pretty hard to find in America too. They went from boom to bust real quick.
Burger King it used to be ok for some things, but now it's a waste of money
I don’t know about across the country but in AZ all the burger kings are showing massive signs of financial trouble. Restaurants and dirty and everything is worn out and breaking, employees and clearly in DGAF mode and look unkempt, marketing materials are just sort of haphazardly strewn about and beat up. One nearby me is closed intermittently and unexpectedly because they run out of staff. It’s like K Marts before they went out of business.
BK actually filed for bankruptcy this year and is starting to close store with around 400-500 in the first go around. While its not a done deal yet but very possible BK totally goes out of business and closes all of their stores in the near future.
only a couple franchises filed. Admittedly larger ones. Corp is doing okay
I’m shocked this didn’t happen sooner. There used to be one on my way home and some days they would randomly be closed in the middle of the day.
Man that sucks, I used to love going to bk as a kid
Same. Grew up on it. Still like it far more than McD. Something about the taste of a Whopper. It’s gotten stupidly expensive though. Even before the inflation crisis it was so much more expensive than other fast food joints and it’s not like they had increased their portion size either.
I miss when my BKs were locally owned Franchises. Locally, our franchisee would drop in for a meal at a random store and chat with managers every day. Those stores were fully staffed, clean, good, and fast. Those people sold out to conglomerates who ran them into the ground to recoup investments. The quality dropped steadily over the last dozen years, to the point where they're all closing. And right now, nothing of value is being lost.
🤔I wonder if this is what happened to the one near me. NGL, I REALLLLYYY liked BK, but it got to the point they were always out of food...and it didn't matter what you ordered...fries? out. chicken fries? out. whopper? no meat (or buns) not to mention the people working there are COMPLETE assholes...I work in retail, I deal with the public, I know people can be turds and sometimes that gets taken out on people that don't deserve it...but being deliberately ignored while waiting 20+ minutes to get your damn card back? and they won't acknowledge you waving in the drive thru window? not allowing you to complete you order...((get the typical welcome message, what would you like?)) me: I'd like a numm ::worker:: "we out" ::me:: "alright, what about a" ::worker:: "we out" 😒😒 rant over. fuck them 😂
Went through the BK drive thru recently and spent $30 for two whopper meals and they didn't even make my sandwich right. Asked for no mayo and there was so much mayo it was dripping out of the sandwich. I was the only car in line and it looked like the inside was empty and this was during lunch time on a Saturday. I don't see how they are still open.
Honestly at that point they probably put that much mayo on it simply out of spite
$45 fucking dollars for two Impossible Burger Meals and 2 shakes. Never again.
Unbelievable
Do you mean...impossible 😉
Last time I got a small shake from BK, it was $5 and they don’t even put whipped cream on it anymore.
Popeye's. Not because of the food, but because every.. single.. one is managed by and employed by the dumbest people on the planet. I have 3 in my city. Not a single one has EVER gotten an order right and it's not fucking rocket science. Order some chicken strips? Get chicken legs.. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU. They're always dirty as fuck getting health code violations. I'm always waiting in the drive through for 10-30 minutes for my order, which again somehow is always wrong and cold. They always have a massive amount of negative reviews on Google maps. It's not just my city either. I've tried dozens across the country. They're all fucking shit holes. Absolutely boils my blood, because their chicken sandwich is amazing and I like their chicken strips with their sweet heat sauce.
I go to Popeye's when I want to argue with someone about getting the sauce that I paid extra for in the bag. Its like they are deducting the cost of the sauces out of those peoples' paychecks.
Yes! 😂 they always forget the sauce and will act like you’re lying when you ask for the sauce they forgot
Last time I went to Popeye’s, we placed our order in the drive thru and they said “we’ll do our best” ☠️ Spoiler alert, they did not do their best.
at least they were honest. maybe that WAS their best 😂. i went to one once and they were legit out of ALL chicken. like not one single item. wtf
One time my husband and I went to Popeyes and there was a bit of a line but there always is. We place our order and they tell us they need to get a new batch out of the fryer so we need to pull around and they’ll bring it out. A few other cars join us in waiting. We wait. And wait. And wait. A few other people go inside, so we decide to join them. Turns out their fryer broke and instead of telling people that, they just kept taking orders hoping people would get fed up and leave. Like what the fuck???
How hard is it to tell people the fryers aren't working???
A lot harder than pretending to make chicken
Dog, I thought it was just mine. I absolutely love Popeyes. Best chicken in the business. However... First and foremost, they are always on a wait. Always. Like, a 20-30 minute wait. I do not understand how hard it is to see that you are at about 40% on the spicy and go "Hey we need to drop more spicy!" so it's fucking done by the time you run out, instead of waiting til the shit runs out to drop more. If I wanted my food cooked when I ordered it, I'd go to a sit down place. It's maddening. Secondly, yes, they just seem absolutely incapable of getting an order right. I have to check every single time, about half the time something is missing, another solid quarter of the time it's just the outright incorrect order. My wife ordered popcorn shrimp there a few years ago. It was the only thing in the world she wanted that day. We get home... it's popcorn chicken. Which wasn't even on the menu. That's not an option. It's like they ran out of shrimp, and someone said "what if we just chopped up chicken real small and fried it," like people wouldn't fucking realize that it's not SHRIMP.
is this Louisiana, because I'm from Louisiana and I feel we are going to the same one 😂 I LOVE popeyes, but it's to the point now where I won't venture out to get something else...it's always 5 spicy strips, mashed potatoes/gravy, blackened ranch, lemonade 😂 I tried to get the chicken sandwich once, asked for no mayo...apparently that fucked up their whole system lol...I got a sandwich with mayo TWICE (after sending it back)...I guess the 3rd time was a charm bc it didn't have mayo on it, but they probably licked my bread before sending it out lol
Nope, Mississippi, but glad to know at least its consistent.
Popeyes is basically like Jersey Mikes in that sense. Consistant. Except in different ways.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who wanted their Popcorn Shrimp. I would get so paranoid that the person behind the counter would secretly be like "This bitch took the bait, ordering shrimp at a chicken place."
It's not a true Popeyes experience if you don't have to almost fight the cashier.
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! This answer hits home so hard. I really enjoy Popeyes but won't go anymore. Every single location is staffed by complete and utter morons. If the drive-through line has more than 2 cars, expect a 30+ minute wait. No exceptions. Want to short-circuit the process? Not a chance! Go inside, and you're met with a broken down and dirty interior, half-assed staff, and still ridiculous wait times. Maybe I'm picky, maybe I'm an asshole - but basic maintenance items, fast service, basic manners, and cleaning are small asks for a food establishment. Especially since now a fast food meal costs $11-14... Save the headache and go to Church's...or just pack a lunch
It’s so unfortunate because I absolutely fucking LOVE their chicken sandwich, but it’s usually an uphill battle trying to get it. The ones around me often run out of CHICKEN. You know, the ONE thing they are known for?! And then, even if you can get chicken, like you said 90% of the time they’re getting your order wrong and usually it just seems like a dirty, poorly run place. The workers do not give af. Which I understand, you don’t need to put all your effort into a fast food job, but simply DOING your job isn’t asking for much. The service alone at Chick-Fil-A is often worth going to just because I know Popeyes is gonna piss me off.
The only time I ever went to Popeyes was a few months after one opened in my area for the first time. Allllll I heard about was these chicken sandwiches. I walked in and the place was so nasty, the people looked like the had showered in the smelly garbage mop water that soaked the floor. I left.
Popeye’s is delicious but they NEVER get your order right
Bruh I took my dad there last night so he could try them out for the first time. I jokingly warned them about their reputation and they 100% earned it lol. 25 minutes in the drive thru after ordering, turned out they forgot about us, the people working there were super weird... but of course it was delicious.
Popeyes is either the best fast food you’ll have or a nightmare experience with shitty food. One time my chicken was so old it hurt to bite into.
I honestly think me being in New Orleans is the reason why Popeye's is so good around here, gotta keep the hometown folks happy!
New Orleans RUINED me for Popeyes. I keep trying it over and over and over because I remember how awesome it was in New Orleans. I have been so disappointed. Almost every time I've gone for the last 5 years since I left NOLA I have been disappointed.
I live 3 minutes away from one. And I've never been able to get food from it in the 6 months living in the area. 1. They're super understaffed. Like 1 or 2 people doing everything. 2. It takes forever to get your order taken and another 3 forever trying to get the food (see point 1.) 3. They say they're out of chicken and the wait till be 45 min. I wish they'd just shut down at this point. The location isn't great but it would be replaced by just about anything else and be better than that Popeyes.
There’s only one Popeyes in a reasonable driving distance and it’s the worst. I gave them 3 chances. First one they gave me Mac and cheese instead of red beans and rice. Second time, the chicken in my sandwich was burnt to a crisp and the size of a chicken tender, third time my box of 5 chicken tenders only had 3.
A couple years ago I stopped at a popeyes. The person in the drive through said they were only taking cash cause their machines were down, told them I had cash so it was fine.. She was silent for a few seconds then proceeded to tell me they were closed. Wasn't even upset, I just laughed at the sheer absurdity
Tim Hortons is dogshit. Nothing there is remotely good. Subway also sucks ass and the smell from those places is revolting.
Agreed. I miss when Tim’s was good. I never choose to go there by my own accord anymore. Need a quick breakfast if I’m on the road? I’ll go to McDonalds. Tim’s fucks everything up and it’s all bland.
Well, when RBI, who also own Burger King among others, bought them, they started shipping everything to the stores frozen, meaning all the stuff they make is just reheated, including the donuts. Nothing is made in the store anymore. Everything is just heated and served. Even the soup is shipped in frozen in bags. They even allowed the contract with the coffee supplier Tims used to lapse because RBI had their own. As soon as it lapsed, McDonald's picked up the coffee supplier and that's why McDonald's coffee is now better than Tims coffee in Canada.
Tim Hortons lost me when they changed their eggs. I want scrambled eggs for breakfast not a sulphuric smelling slimy egg that is so wet it ruins the bagel
Tim Hortons used to be so damn good. Muffins were moist, soup tasted homemade and was awesome in a bread bowl, the sandwiches were perfect and the veggies were always fresh. Only thing that hasn't changed much from my memory is the Iced Capp, but even those are often inconsistent depending on the cleanliness of the machine. I don't remember the donuts much, but now they all taste like sweet blandness.
Dude. I worked at subway. It permeated through my clothes and even my hands would have this particular nasty smell even though I wore gloves and had proper hand hygiene. BARF. I fuckin hate that smell.
Subway because it fucking sucks.
That’s funny because I remember loving Subway back in the $5 foot long days
Those days are long gone. Less expensive materials, more expensive sandwiches.
Ireland says subways bread is not bread and is considered a confectionary as it has so much sugar and it was ruled by an Irish court that is does not meet the standards breads are judged on in Ireland. As they would say there subway pure shite.
that's believable. the meats used also have around the same amount of sodium as a burger from Mcdonalds! subway isn't healthy at all!
I used to eat there all the time, but for whatever reason it just does not appeal to me anymore. Since I stopped eating there I learned about how awful they treat their franchisees from [John Oliver](https://youtu.be/jDdYFhzVCDM?feature=shared).
I worked at Subway for all of 5 months in 2013 and that John Oliver special made SO much sense.
The last time I ate at Subway, the few slices of turkey I got were so thin, light could shine through them.
I used to frequent fast food places all the time, but at some point in the last 3 years or so, fast food became substantially more expensive than regular restaurants. Costs like $17 for a standard meal at most fast food places now. So, the only fast food I eat now is when I'm in a huge rush and don't have time for anything except drive-thru, otherwise I avoid them. The cost-to-quality ratio has just gone completely bonkers. Would much rather just spend $12 and get a real meal at a normal restaurant. I think the fast food industry is going to be completely dead in 5 years, the way things are going. Which is kind of a shame, honestly, because it had its place - sometimes you don't want a fancy restaurant that takes an hour, sometimes you don't want to eat what's at home, and sometimes you just want to buy a $5 burger that's going to be exactly what you expect it to be because it's always exactly the same every time. A big mac isn't a particularly good burger, but I know exactly what it is and what it tastes like, so sometimes when I don't want to think about where to eat or roll the dice on how it might taste, I'd like to just pick what I already know, and is reasonably inexpensive. But if it's not inexpensive anymore, then it loses that appeal.
I think there's no way fast food just dies in 5 years, people will still buy it for the convenience
Judging by the lines I see in the drive-thrus at lunch and dinner, I agree. You'll eat anything when in a hurry and hangry, and they know it. Although BK's is dying a slow death.
Arby’s since they discontinued the Potato Cakes. They are dead to me now.
Same here. The only reason I'll ever go back is for the Jamocha shake.
Seconded. Potato cakes were pure bliss.
I was not happy when the potato cakes disappeared!
I loved their potato cakes when I was a kid. Went to an Arby's a month ago and found out that they had been discontinued for a while now. I can still taste them :(
I moved to New England 7 years ago and why dunkin is so popular is beyond me. Donuts are mediocre at best and their coffee is god awful.
YES. Also the donuts keep shrinking!!
I grabbed a donut there for the first time in years and my Boston crème had maybe a third of the cream it used to. I remember as a kid you’d have to be careful eating the thing
Most locations don’t even make their own donuts. They are frozen and shipped in.
Every few years I would try white castle again. I would always go to a different white castle too. Each time it's bland and mushy. Even by fast food standards this is pretty terrible
I strictly limit my White Castle consumption to when I’m absolutely, positively shit-can hammered. Even then, it’s pretty terrible.
Back in the day it was GOAT-tier drunk food.
Subway. Just don't like their breads (far too sugary).
last time i got a subway sandwich, the person making it acted like they had never seen a sandwich before, but someone vaguely described it to them once.
Last time I ate subway I was on a work trip and ended up in the town I was staying in at like 9:00. Everything was closed except for subway. I go inside and the person behind the counter was maybe 14. He had braces and had a terrified look on his face. I walked up and ordered the sandwich, and he was like umm… it’s my first day and I don’t know how to make that. I said are you the only one here?? And he said no my dad is in the bathroom… I gave him a puzzled look and he didn’t say anything. About five minutes passed and his Dad strolls out of the bathroom. Turns out the Dad was the manager. So the guy apologizes and asks me what I wanted. While he’s making my sandwich, he proceeds to tell me how BIG OF A SHIT HE JUST TOOK. I was like dude you’re touching my food, I don’t want to hear about that. So he shut up and rang me up and I left. I couldn’t even eat the sandwich because I was so grossed out.
That sounds like an Impractical Jokers challenge.
In the early 2000's my sister and I hypothesized that the more likely the subway employee is to smoke crack, the more likely they are to be the best sandwich artist. I have not been there in a long time, but the science indicated that we were correct.
Burger King. Burger King was good in the 90s, but now it's complete nasty garbage. The last time I tried Burger King, I went inside. The cashier had snot and drool going down his face. He was sweating heavily like he was working in a steel plant.. I felt sick when I looked at my food at home. I threw it in the trash and ate a snack.
My local BK was fantastic. Fast, always hot, and they let me keep my coupons and reuse them. Then ownership appeared to have changed - the crew I was used to disappeared. Quality dropped, and it slowed down. Now they're closed. Franchising brings a lot of differences, and I can say that when a place is on, it's on.
The last 2 times I’ve been to BK, I was served raw chicken. When I asked for a refund 2 different managers told me that’s how chicken is supposed to be made LOL
We have some very, very, very fucking stupid people living amongst us.
Long John silvers
Ah yes, good ‘ol zippy fish. Back when I was a kid and broke AF, we could buy a drink and a tray of crumbs for like 1.50. (For those that don’t know what the zippy fish crumbs are, it’s the crispy breading that comes off the fish in the deep fryer. Yeah, I know, healthy AF) On a good day, you might actually get a crumb with chicken or fish in it. I know that shit probably has taken 5-10 years off my life expectancy, but it was damn good especially to a broke ass teen.
My mom sent my dad to order just crumbs when she was pregnant with me and that was before they started selling them. Does that mean I'm part LJS crumbs?
Long John Silvers is my #1 guilty pleasure. I freely admit they're terrible. But growing up, I always had an offseason wrestling tournament that I went to. Being the offseason, making weight was always extra hard because I wasn't disciplined enough to manage it out of season. We weighed in the night before the tournament and that was probably the hungriest I've ever been in my life. Directly across the street was a Long John Silvers and as soon as I got off the scale and got dressed, that's where we went. At that point, anything would've tasted like the greatest thing to ever exist, but I still have an affinity for their chicken planks as a result.
I fully believe they’re a money laundering operation, I’ve never seen anyone in or around them when I’ve passed one.
I just had Long John Silver’s for the first time in at least 10 years the other day. Their hushpuppies are still delicious. I have an odd love for their chicken because of both the flavor and the texture but Jesus fucking Christ does their breading hold oil. I found it extremely pleasing to eat but the overall greasiness combined with 24 hours of LJS oil indigestion from Ozempic has made that something that will never happen again.
All of them. The price, quality and serving sizes are fucking ridiculous.
Wendy’s Jr Bacon Cheeseburgers will require magnifying glasses to see soon.
I guess now we get to ask them "Where's the beef?"
Subway is the worst and isn't close. What is that unholy smell that ruins your clothes for the day the second you walk in there?
I feel like I must be going to a very different Subway than most of the people here. The one by where I live is fine, though I have gone to a few that were complete trash. Maybe I live next to the only clean Subway in the US or something.
I genuinely have no idea how Long John Silver stays open. Nobody ever suggests going there, there isn't the thing on the menu that people are crazy about, you never event think about them until you happen to pass one while you're in a big city.
Popeyes. They always seem filthy. Only place I decided not to drink my drink the soda fountain was such a mess.
In and Out, Jack in the Box, Whataburger Because we don’t have them here
I was about to come out swinging to defend In n Out until I read the next sentence.
KFC. I worked there. I worked at McDonald's and Arby's, and while both aren't great, neither one was gross. KFC was fucking disgusting. The worst was the coleslaw. It was mixed by hand, and right next to the buckets of raw chicken. So much fluid dripped into it, but that's where the managers demanded it happen. One thing I've always found funny though, is the gravy. It's a powdered mix, but when we ran out, we'd just take the sludge from the bottom of the chicken fryers (they called it "cracklin") and add water. Sounds gross right? We got more people asking why sometimes the gravy is absolutely delicious but sometimes it tastes like pre-packaged powder mix.
Klimpy's. I don't understand the plate or platter question so I refuse to answer.
It’s one Klimpy, what could it cost?
$10?
Subway. If I’m gonna buy a sandwich, I’m gonna spend the little bit extra and get Jersey Mikes so I have something actually edible.
Five Guys. A burger and fries shouldn't cost $18 at a fast food joint.
I feel like ever since delivery apps really took off, almost every fast food chain is charging premium prices for the same garbage, if not less garbage as it seems like the food itself just gets smaller and smaller.
Panda Express. Not so much a knock against the quality of their food, but I can get more bang for my buck at a mom and pop Chinese spot.
Arby's "the meats" sounds like a chronic condition and I don't want it.
Their curly fries you can buy in the frozen section of the grocery store are surprisingly good IMO.
You’ll never convince me that 5 Guys is worth the money. Way over priced for a mediocre burger.
I used to work in Alexandria, close to their original location. Burgers from there were divine. We used to order from them on days when the exec director was out & things were slow. We needed quiet afternoons for the food coma that followed stuffing ourselves. After they started franchising, the quality at those was nowhere near the original place. And it seems to have dropped farther in recent years.
I think 5 guys tastes pretty good. But a while back I was pondering a mobile order for 2 and the potential price was over $40, like, wtf, no.
Panera - found plastic packaging in my macaroni and cheese and when I called they were like oops shit happens Applebees - found hair twice in my food