comment: >
  
  Listen I have a problem. That's not what this conversation is about ok? Let's stay on topic.
context: I understand what the term "fast food" means literally but I would argue that the modern meaning is just food that is cheap and easily accessible. >
  
  It might be easily accessible, but mcdonalds is no longer cheap. The food is exactly the same but twice as expensive as it was 2 years ago. No longer worth it >
  
  Just to give you an idea, me and my wife's order doubled in price pretty much since we met. >
  
  I'm not spying 2.85 for a regular  hamburger, formerly on the dollar menu >
  
  Well, I guess that first destroying the economy via lockdowns and then destroying the economy via anti-Russia sanctions has some impacts on us as well. >
  
  Yes, it has nothing to do with more and more laws being passed that are directly in favor of coporations doing absolutely anything they want >
  
  The car park method seems to take longer as when I use the drive through or walk in it's far quicker. >
  
  What I mean is that they make me park my car when I use the drive through. >
  
  Oh I’ve never had that, it could just be specific to the franchise you go to? >
  
  It's a regional thing I think. This is normal in the Northeast US. >
  
  So you just completely skip the second window or is someone there telling you to park? >
  
  Essentially, I think it's a way to try to keep the line moving. So let's say I order something and they need another two minutes to finish cooking it or something, like fresh french fries.
  At the second window they will direct me to park at a specific parking spot, usually one of the curbside pickup parking spots, and they will walk my food out to me when it's done.
  This means that if the guy behind me has food that they are ready to hand to him and have him fuck off, they can just do that, instead of him having to wait for my food to be done.
  I'll say that the idea makes sense in principle, but it doesn't feel good to be on the receiving end of it, when it feels like in the past I didn't have to wait extended periods of time  to get food at the drive-thru in general. >
  
  Only time I’ve been told to pull into the parking lot was when I ordered 10 McDoubles and 10 double bacon cheeseburgers for a small LAN party, which seemed fair >
  
  They are a real estate and logistics company that happens to sell food >
  
  THIS!!!!!!!  
  Man its crazy how much they make off their real estate hustle. Burgers are just a side hustle. Money is in the land and franchising. >
  
  I stopped when a quarter pounder meal was $15 >
  
  Absolute insanity. Remember when you could buy a cheeseburger for a dollar and it would take five minutes? Now the same thing takes three times as long and costs three times as much. >
  
  Just... get two McDoubles and a fry. It's like five bucks. >
  
  But then you don't get a drink.
  Although yeah fair point. It'll still take 15 minutes though. >
  
  That's because they ran skeleton crews during the pandemic. Saw how much they were making, and have decided always keeping their restaurants short staffed is good for their pockets.
  Same shit is happening at the hotel chain I work for. We're back up to full capacity for guests just like we were pre-pandemic, but we have a little over half of the amount of staff we had back then.
  They've just completely abandoned room service, and we've been without a concierge for over a year and we're supposed to be "one of the fancy properties".
  It's the same with major corporations all over. A lot of them saw decent profits during the pandemic and had a lot of people desperate for any kind of work so even though their skeleton crew practice was burning out employees, there was always another candidate. Now that's changed, but they've just decided it hasn't. >
  
  Couldn't agree more. Still not fast food anymore. >
  
  Whenever I use the drive thru I normally have food in hand roughly 1-3 minutes after paying >
  
  That's not the case where I'm at. >
  
  Don't you mean the various states you have been? >
  
  Exactly. >
  
  the price is not fast food price >
  
  same, i can go to another place and get the same product kind of product for the same price but way better >
  
  15 minutes, how much food are you ordering???? >
  
  Meal 2b. Bacon cheeseburger, large fry and a large coke. >
  
  Maybe they're trying to give you enough time to reconsider your life choices. 🤔 >
  
  I mean yeah, but they take my money at the beginning so I can't run away, lol. >
  
  That's what's called The Sunk Cost Fallacy. You can still drive away with your good health and come out ahead in the end! >
  
  Would you suggest instead that OP have a....big salad? >
  
  Yes, but make sure proper credit is given to whomever purchases it for you. >
  
  My girlfriend and I went to a diner in PA. The meal ended up being $16. If we went to McDonalds, probably the same price if not more. >
  
  Impossible fuck u lying for?  You each order toast and water? >
  
  I once asked a drive thru employee why they do this now and he explained it’s poor management of the franchise. Maybe his gripe was a bit bias since he’s a frontline employee, but I feel their pressure. Plus almost all fast food companies are in competition with each other so they have a drive thru timer and sensors in the lanes that send data to corporate. If the location doesn’t meet the numbers, they’re alotted a smaller budget for the fiscal quarter/year so the local managers try to cheat the system by having you drive out the lane so the timers basically show quick service to their head office. It’s stupid but that’s corporate America for you… >
  
  Should be considered fraud.. >
  
  I still go to McD about once a month. Never have to pull over. Must be what you're ordering. 
  You've gotten 10 double bacon cheeseburgers recently?