Fast food - a true reflection?

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Jhamin1@reddit

The biggest fast food chains are McDonalds, Subway, KFC and (depending on if you count them or not) Starbucks.

Burger King, Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell are huge, but not quite as huge as the ones I listed previously.

Cheescake Factory is a sit-down restaurant with waiters which to most Americans means it isn't Fast Food. Its still a giant chain, just not Fast Food.

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LemonSlicesOnSushi@reddit

KFC is dying in the states. They are doing well in Asia.

Taco Bell (ironically owned by Yum Brands like KFC) is everywhere.

Then you have regional stuff like In-N-Out, Whataburger, White Castle, Krystal, Johnny Rockets, El Pollo Loco, Taco Cabana, etc.

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notthegoatseguy@reddit

KFC is dying in the states

Colonel Sanders says they completely ruined his gravy.

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Subvet98@reddit

Yum foods is putting no effort in maintaining KFC in the states.

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There’s KFC in Uganda too, but mostly in Kampala. Not really my stumping grounds so I don’t know if they’re doing well or not. They seems to be doing good given how full them seem every time I see one.

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poopoodapeepee@reddit

Culver’s

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shbd12@reddit

Shake Shack

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poopoodapeepee@reddit

Tom’s (deep cut, Wisconsin)

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

I just learnt a tonne (.. and got hungry). Thank u!

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Picklesadog@reddit

Please, when you come, don't eat at these places. We eat fast food generally either for convenience or to save money. We have significantly better food.

Even the best fast food burger won't be half as good as the average burger at a local sit down restaurant. And eating at a US chain sit down restaurant generally means serving food that was poured out of a bag and microwaved.

We have countless fantastic local restaurants in every town and city in America. Those are the places tourists should go to.

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arkstfan@reddit

I mostly agree. Hard to imagine anyone going to Mickey D when it’s basically everywhere in the world.

There are some fast food places that do represent a region or an era. Whattaburger, Dairy Queen, In n Out, Bojangles, Culver’s etc.

Wouldn’t make them first go to over good local food but in a hurry or looking to shave costs, nice to experience vs what people have back home.

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shbd12@reddit

In the eastern metro areas, a Shake Shack burger is usually better than a diner burger by a lot. There are some outliers, like a bar with a good kitchen, but not many. Of course, a legit restaurant would be better.

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Dr_Watson349@reddit

Cheesecake factory is the only restaurant where Americans go, "holy fuck these portion sizes.".

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Thayes1413@reddit

Also for you Aussies, Burger King = Hungry Jacks

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therealdrewder@reddit

Strangely enough Chick-fil-A has the 3rd highest revenue, after McDonald's and Starbucks despite having far fewer restaurants and being closed on sunday.

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VoluptuousValeera@reddit

I love a succinct response. <3

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AskAnAmerican-ModTeam@reddit

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bjanas@reddit

First thing's first, Cheesecake Factory isn't really "fast food," per se.

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dgmilo8085@reddit

Nope, it’s sit down microwaved food

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baalroo@reddit

Easily the worst chain restaurant that hasn't gone out of business yet.

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TillPsychological351@reddit

I would rate Cheesecake Factory as spectacularly average food. I never understood the hype.

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ShipComprehensive543@reddit

no that would be waffle house or crackle barrel.

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notthegoatseguy@reddit

Nah, Cracker Barrel is legit.

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dangleicious13@reddit

Why are you shitting on Waffle House? How many places can you actually watch them cook your food?

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physical-vapor@reddit

Don't you dare speak ill on waffle house. At 1 am, drunk, it's a waffle home.

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notthegoatseguy@reddit

Nearly everything is made in-house except for the cheesecakes, which are delivered from a central facility.

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JimBones31@reddit

Right, cheesecake factory is on the same level as ruby Tuesday and the 99

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TheBimpo@reddit

Fast food comes up often in American TV/movies

It does? Maybe it's what you're watching, I certainly don't notice this. Foreign interest in our fast food baffles me. It's cheap, ubiquitous, and homogenous. We also are largely a car culture and fast food thrives in this environment.

On the road and need a quick lunch with a predictable menu? Fast food. Picky kids need something after soccer? Fast food.

would u say this is a reflection of some of the most popular atm?

Most of us go because of price and convenience. These places are not driving the food culture or inspiring us with amazing quality. I just need something to eat and it's what's available in a hurry.

Our country is huge, we don't have densely packed downtowns with food stalls or central markets...fast food and cars go together like...fast food and cars.

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DegenerateCrocodile@reddit

-Chick-Fil-A: A chain originally from the Eastern US that’s fairly recently expanded to the Western US and is proving quite popular in the region despite some controversy over the owner’s religious beliefs and political views. I’ve personally grown to like them more as I’ve gotten older due to their relatively clean dining rooms, friendly staff (fake or otherwise), and decent chicken sauce.

-Cheesecake Factory: Not a fast food restaurant, but a standard chain restaurant with counter service for their desserts. Not bad, but not the best restaurant (or even chain) that you can go to for the prices they charge. I’m not quite sure what you watched to want ask about this one.

-Taco Bell: Very widespread, fairly low quality. They’re not terrible as far as fast food goes, but they’re nothing special. I’m personally not a fan and I’ll pick nearly any other “Mexican” place (chain or otherwise) before Taco Bell.

You didn’t list the next two, but they’re fairly popular around where I live, so I’ll mention them.

-In-N-Out Burger: Very popular in the Western US, with drive-thru lines literally stretching around the parking lot. Low cost, good quality, friendly staff, and quick service. It’s my favorite fast food burger overall. The food isn’t fancy or particularly unique, but it’s prepared well and tastes good. Every store also has two kitchen staffs to ensure that the dine-in and drive-thru lines are completely separate. They’re starting to expand to the East Coast, but have been slow since they rely on non-frozen beef in their restaurants and need to reliably source from areas that can be reached by truck quickly.

-Raising Canes: Another chicken strip place. Also receives decent crowds compared to larger chains. Redditors seem to hate it, but it’s not bad. Clean locations and a simple menu. The chicken by itself is bland, but is really meant to complement their sauce, which tastes great.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

I definitely hear about Chick-FIL-A here but never Raising Canes. I swear I’m coming over for a food feast trip one day .. pack larger sized clothes with anticipation 😂

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ssk7882@reddit

There's so much good food in the US. Please don't come here only to eat at chain restaurants and fast food franchises! That would be such a long way to travel only to eat the very worst food we have on offer!

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DegenerateCrocodile@reddit

I’d recommend looking for some well-regarded local places if you do end up traveling here. The best food you can get here won’t be found at national chain restaurants.

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ssk7882@reddit

When chain restaurants come up on a TV show, it's usually because the company has paid for the product placement.

I have no idea what television shows you've been watching, but the Cheesecake Factory is not fast food, Chic Fil A is rather notorious for its homophobic right-wing owners and is therefore not a place that anyone I know has ever eaten, and Taco Bell is just your typical shitty fast food franchise, mainly known for being extremely inexpensive and often causing GI distress.

None of those places occupies much of my mental real estate at all, honestly. The only one I've ever even experienced is Taco Bell, and that only a couple of times in my nearly 60 years in this country.

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JadeHarley0@reddit

Sadly? Lol. Stay in Australia. Things are going to hell in a hand basket here. You are better off there.

But all kidding aside, it varies state to state. Some like McDonald's are everywhere but some are more popular in some places than in others.

In Ohio the most popular are McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Taco Bell, probably followed close behind by dairy Queen, subway, and chipotle. Every town, even small ones, will likely have these franchises. Chick fil a is popular but there isn't one in every town.

The cheesecake factory is not fast food. It's a sit-down chain. They are not popular in Ohio and I cannot recall even seeing a cheesecake factory from the outside much less eaten at one. The chain sit-down restaurants most common in Ohio are probably Applebee's, outback steakhouse, and olive garden.

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evil_burrito@reddit

When you come here, don't eat all the shit food.

But, if you're going to, Chic Fil A and Taco Bell are more or less the same tier. Cheesecake Factory is one tier above, has sitdown dining and tableservice.

Skip Chic Fil A. The food is good, but the owners are bigots. Taco Bell is fine, but you have to eat there in permadeath mode: walk in with $2.78 and try to buy as much food as you can afford. This emulates student ilfe. Any of these fast food places are largely salt and fat with some artificial coloring added.

The quintessential experience is Denny's at 3am, hopefully while drunk. Since you're Aussie, you should be able to manage that.

Do yourself a favor though, and try to find a locally sourced restaurant where ever you visit. This is the kind of place that serves organic food sourced from as nearby as possible. It will be more expensive, but the food will likely be an order of magnitude better.

People sometimes like to visit the US and go to 7-11 for groceries and the Hardrock Cafe for dinner. They drink budweiser and eat a big mac and go home and say, "the food and beer in the US sucks".

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Character_Wait_2180@reddit

Depends on region and context. Taco Bell is always popular with drunks and stoners. Chik Fil A is more popular in the south and the east, but still has a big following in a lot of places. Very popular with religious people.

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winteriscoming9099@reddit

Yep sounds about right. Chick Fil A is closed on Sundays, which helps follow that religious standard. Taco Bell is great for drunk food (I can attest, at the moment)

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Character_Wait_2180@reddit

Around in my area, (Seattle Metro) Dick's burgers are peoples go-to for drunk grub. Every Taco Bell I walk into still smells like weed.

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winteriscoming9099@reddit

That’s fair. I’m living in Chicago and Taco Bell’s my go to drunk spot because I live a block from one. There’s better spots by neighborhood, and the Taco Bell definitely also smells like weed, but it’s cheap and it’s pretty good. But you can definitely get better stuff elsewhere

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

Popular with religious people?!? How does that work exactly?? Payment to the church and they hand out fliers at mass on Sunday mornings?? My mind is blow here .. thinking up so many scenarios!!

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Character_Wait_2180@reddit

No, it's because the owner/founder of the franchise was pretty religious, donated a lot of money to religious causes, and they don't open their stores on Sundays because you know, the sabbath and all that. Religion, politics, and money are inextricable in this country.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

That makes much more sense. I feel like an idiot haha

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Ristrettooo@reddit

The company’s founder and leaders are vocal about their Christianity. Stores are closed on Sundays in observance of the sabbath. They’ve been involved in controversy, for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick-fil-A_and_LGBTQ_people

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Vixter4@reddit

Fast food has been slipping a bit, at least some of your major anchors The prices have skyrocketed to actually match those of sitdown restaurants, while fast food quality has either stagnated or dropped. With food prices how they are, we see 2 things happening:

1.) an increase of people cooking at home. It's just not affordable to eat out as much anymore

2.) an increase in people eating at casual sitdown chains. Chains such as Chili's and Texas Roadhouse are taking advantage, and offering deals that cost as much as a fast food meal, but at a significantly higher quantity and/or quality. For example, Chili's with the 3 for me (burger, fries, chips + salsa, drink) for less money than a crappy burger and fries and drink at McDonalds. People would rather pay the 2 or 3 dollars for a vastly superior product and experience.

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TeamTurnus@reddit

Fast food is highly regional, so for example some restaurants that are popular in say, California may not even exist on the east coast. Regarding you question, taco bells certainly seem widespread in my ecperince in the south and Midwest and Chick-fil-A is definitly popular in the south (not sure about the rest of thw country).

Cheesecake factory isn't really the same category or food, more of a chain casual sit down than fast food as we'd call it.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

That’s all really interesting to me .. but esp the cheesecake shop being more of a restaurant 🧐

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ShipComprehensive543@reddit

Its actually not a cheap diner or restaurant either - check out their menu - they have tons of different styles of food. Menu | The Cheesecake Factory

I have only eaten there once or twice, because I typically don't eat a chains, but its not bad.

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TeamTurnus@reddit

How is the cheesecake factory presented there? Take a look at their menu. Its much more varied than you'd see at a fast food restaurant and the food is of the sort that would typically take longer to prepare https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu

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macoafi@reddit

“Penny works at the Cheesecake Factory” is all I can recall encountering of it in media, and I’m from the US. I was surprised to find out they have non-cheesecake foods the one time I was at the mall with my husband and he suggested going to the one inside the mall.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

WT ACTUAL F! That menu is blowing my mind! I’m starving here now haha. I pictured it being a huge cafe with drive through service.

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upvoter222@reddit

Here's what they actually look like.

They're infamously decorated with idols of the Eye of Sauron.

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reyadeyat@reddit

Another key difference - that maybe OP doesn't realize - is that the Cheesecake Factory has servers and you order at the table rather than at a counter.

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QuantumAttic@reddit

I hope you're sitting down. We also have a Spaghetti Factory.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

Id Google the menu but I think I’m about to die of starvation here. Going to get something to eat .. STAT!!

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ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit

They have a famously huge menu of different entrees. The cheesecake is just for dessert.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

I pictured it as a huge cafe but with drive through 😂

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DegenerateCrocodile@reddit

The Chick-Fil-A’s that have opened up in the Western states seem to be pretty popular with locals. The one near me in Las Vegas regularly has a long drive-thru line.

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Draxxsus@reddit

I'll give my two cents, I had the day off yesterday (Friday) got paid and the wife had to work so I ran errands all morning/afternoon. I stopped to get myself some Taco bell for breakfast as a nice 'treat' and her a breakfast sandwich (which I dropped off at her work) from McDonald's. It was the first time for us in over 4 months. Not because we can't afford it but because the food we could make at home is 10x better. It is the convenience of it. Most people don't eat fast food like is portrayed or often thought of abroad.

Sometimes you get a craving too :P

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winteriscoming9099@reddit

Not Cheesecake Factory. That’s a chain sit down place. The other two yes. Some other major fast food places are McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, etc. But yes, chick Fil an and Taco Bell (which I am currently eating as a late night drunk snack) are both popular.

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WalterWriter@reddit

I don't eat fast food very often except from the deli case at the supermarket. I have never eaten at Chic Fil A or the Cheesecake Factory (which is not fast food, but a chain of sit-down casual restaurants known for gluttonous portions). I ate at Taco Hell all the time when I was a kid, but no more than 1-2 times in ten years.

I don't think I'm particularly unusual. My wife hasn't been to any of the major chains except Subway in 10 years, either.

Many people avoid Chic Fil A and to a lesser extent In N Out Burger (which is almost entirely confined to the US West Coast) due to their outspoken right wing politics.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

Random question: Do u think the tv shows/movies that mention going there might be right leaning too?

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macoafi@reddit

Most likely they’re just not anti-right-wing enough to reject the advertising money. Mentioning restaurants, brands like Coca Cola, etc, is paid advertising.

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professorfunkenpunk@reddit

https://www.foodindustry.com/articles/the-top-50-fast-food-chains-in-the-u-s-2024/

Subway is the biggest by number of stores. McDonalds dwarfs everybody in sales. I eat more McDonald's than I'd care to admit, because one of my kids is picky, and we end up there once a week on music lesson night. It's fine. Not a great deal anymore, and not as good as quite a few other burger places. Subway is just shit all around. I don't know how they keep that many locations open. Chick Fil A gets a lot of attention in some sectors because they are openly conservative. I"ve seen Republican politicians make a big deal from ordering from them. I think their chicken is just OK, which makes it easy for me to skip them for their politics. Taco bell is a sentimental favorite from when I was a teen. It's not really Mexican, but on it's own terms, it's not bad. LIke McDonald's, it's not a good value any more. Their prices have gone up almost triple the rate of inflation. My other kid likes to eat there, but honestly, I can get more food for the same money from local mexican places.

There are a lot of smaller fast food chains that are regionally popular.

As others have pointed out, Cheesecake Factory isn't fast food, and it's not that widespread (there are 5 McDonald's within a 10 minute drive of my house. It's 2 hours to the nearest Cheesecake Factory)

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macoafi@reddit

Subway stays open on marketing themselves as “the healthy fast food.”

Back when every location had veggie patties, it was my go-to as a vegetarian. Now? Patties aren’t guaranteed, and I don’t want just a salad on a bun. I go to Burger King if I’m on the road, because they have always had vegetarian options. They had Morningstar Farms veggie burgers and now the Impossible Whooper.

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baalroo@reddit

No.

Next question.

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SunShine365-@reddit

You must watch the Big Bang Theory. Cheesecake Factory is sit down, not fast food. A good way to tell the difference is the lack of a drive through window for sit down restaurants

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Bluemonogi@reddit

I’ve only eaten at a Cic Fil A once. They are popular I guess even though their food wasn’t that great to me but they aren’t everywhere.

Cheesecake factory is not what I would call fast food but again not everywhere- I would have to drive over 2 hours to get to one.

Taco Bell is pretty widespread.

McDonald’s is the most common fast food restaurant I think.

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Fit-Rip-4550@reddit

It's regional dependent, and there are tons of mom and pops.

The American fast food system you are describing is built upon the franchise model. Ownership of the brand belongs to the company, but management of the establishment is handled on a restaurant by restaurant basis. Hence you might find offerings and service not available nationwide in some locations.

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JewelerDry6222@reddit

The biggest crutch is going to the nation wide fast food restaurants. If you ever visit. Enjoy the regional stuff. California definitely try In and Out, and Pollo Loco. For the Midwest, you definitely want to try Runza or Culver's. I can go on and on. Nation-wide stuff like McDonald's, Burger King or Taco Bell cannot compare to regional fast food.

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Saltpork545@reddit

So US fast food has both national players like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc and regional players like In N Out, Braums, A&W, Freddy's, Runza, Dairy Queen, Checkers/Rallys, etc.

Most of the time when movies or TV reference such things it's product placement.

https://www.cracked.com/article_41125_15-sublime-bits-of-fast-food-product-placement.html

This is a real thing, companies can really pay for it as it's advertising and it doesn't necessarily reflect the culture.

All fast food in the US is known as QSR or quick serve restaurants.

QSR's are ranked every year for investing and market people.

https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/top-50-fast-food-chains-ranked-2024/

So this is the table put out by QSR magazine.

So a little help on deciphering the table.

McDonalds is #1 and these are solely US numbers to help provide an idea of the scale of these chains.

So McDonalds food sales in 2024 was 53 billion dollars. 53,135,000,000.

AUV is average unit volume, meaning how much each store earns for the parent company. In other words, more AUV the better because you're making more profit per store, often at the expense of slower growth like how Chik-Fil-A operates.

So again, some truly big players rake in tons of money. Loads of it, but they have tons of stores and lots of franchisees to contend with like McDonalds vs other models of privately owned companies like Raising Cane's that are almost entirely corporately owned, have slower growth, but make more per store they establish.

There's other metrics you can go by buy gross food sales is a common one and the big names are big for a reason.

Just please understand that movies and TV doesn't reflect reality and that Americans don't just eat fast food despite having so much of it. Some people consume little to no fast food, some people consume it regularly. It depends heavily on the person.

Americans love choice and that includes the choice going 5 minutes further down the road to the local taco place over taco bell, which is much harder to track that QSR chains.

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YourIgnoranceOurPain@reddit

I’ve never eaten at or seen a Cheesecake Factory. In my 45 yrs I’ve lived in 15 different states and 4 different countries. I’m sure as I’ve moved to different places, the company has moved in. There definitely isn’t one in the state capital I currently live in though.

I’d try it once just because though.

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Pewpew-OuttaMyWaay@reddit (OP)

Me too

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ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit

Cheesecake Factory is a table-service restaurant. The other two are fast food, but so are McDonald's, Burger King, Culver's, etc.

There are also "fast casual" chains like Panera and Chipotle that are generally a step up in quality.

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tsukiii@reddit

Cheesecake Factory is way too slow to be fast food lol. It’s a sit-down restaurant with servers and all that.