How do you feel about the influx of US fast food chains coming into the uk?
Posted by trashmemes22@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 245 comments
With chipotle being the next US brand to come the UK I’m wondering how people feel about it . Not trying to stir anti US sentiments but I’m starting to become bored of chains coming over here for two reasons 1) we aren’t allowed the carcinogenic ingredients that makes their fast food probably as tasty as it is so we are just getting sub par fast food and 2) I would rather see more independents or even fast food chains from around the world coming here .
That being said there wouldn’t be so many chains coming here without a huge demand for them so I must be in the minority
Tall_Stick5608@reddit
I have been eating at the Chipotle in Baker Street for 13 years. There is definitely a demand for US chains and we have had US chains for decades so more chains just means more variety
Ok-Explanation1990@reddit
I'm waiting for the day when Bleecker Burgers goes nationwide and Wimpy makes a big comeback.
ZonedV2@reddit
I love Bleecker but their prices are crazy, £16 for a cheeseburger and chips is practically restaurant price if not more
Ok-Explanation1990@reddit
True, although similar price to Five guys.
ozsB@reddit
Chick-fil-a opened up near my work recently. We got some for lunch and its actually really good. If it's tasty its tasty.
Popeyes is also decent, although find it a bit sickly compared to KFC.
Would be neat if the UK had its own fastfood but Wimpy couldnt keep up I guess.
KezzaJones@reddit
I cannot wait for chick-fil-a to open up near me. It is by far the best fast food I’ve ever had
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
Wimpy was also American.
trashmemes22@reddit (OP)
There’s still some about suprisingly although I’ve never dined there
C0nnectionTerminat3d@reddit
People might not agree with this take but after growing up with the same 4-6 fast food chains (mcdonald’s, KFC, burger king, greggs, starbucks and costa) the sudden influx of places like wendy’s, popeyes and now chipotle makes a nice change. I’d like raising kanes to come over too.
Fingers_9@reddit
I do miss proper bakeries though. The kind that do sandwiches and cakes. Greggs seems to have killed a lot of them off.
listen3times@reddit
I love going to France for this reason. There's a chain called Boulangerie-Ange and if anything like that came to the UK I would be in there everyday.
Goodbye Tesco meal deals and Greg's sausage rolls.
pajamakitten@reddit
We need our own chains IMO. We do not need to import more from the US.
LegolasleChat@reddit
I'm old enough to remember when we had Wendy's in the UK back in the 80s 😅
Low-Cauliflower-5686@reddit
Raising canes is coming
trashmemes22@reddit (OP)
As a kid I wanted more American chains to come over too and for a while I liked it I just feel like we are reaching saturation point
xcixjames@reddit
Popeyes blows KFC out the water as does Wendys with Mcdonalds. The rest can fuck off
Rosetti@reddit
The banned ingredients don't make their food better, they only make it cheaper. We're not missing out on anything in that regard.
LinuxMage@reddit
I've yet to try the more recent ones like Taco Bell, Five Guys and Wendys. Though the nearest branch of any of those is >20 miles away, so its something I would have to go out of my way to find.
InfectedEllie@reddit
I just want "in and out" I don't care about the rest.
LinuxMage@reddit
Interesting fact -- Its only on the west coast of the US. They don't even have it in most of the USA, let alone abroad.
charlierc@reddit
Tbf they've not even made it to New York, let alone across the ocean
Superb_Copy1644@reddit
The reason it’s so good is staying a “small” operation. The Atlantic is a lot of water
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
A small operation with 424 restaurants, 27,000 employees, and $1.8 billion in revenue.
ampmz@reddit
Only operates in 10 states out of 50, so yes by the US standards it’s a small operation.
AhhGingerKids2@reddit
So sad I travel to the US frequently but have never been on the West Coast. I have had 2 trips that way cancelled (because of covid and sickness). I have hyped up a double double and animal fries in my head for the past 5 years!
Icy_Consideration409@reddit
It’s also in Utah, Texas, Colorado, and Tennessee so you don’t have to necessarily hit the west coast.
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
Yeah and those states only cover a combined 113 million people. Tiny.
ReneRottingham@reddit
It’s not even that good though…..
clrthrn@reddit
I went to one in San Francisco and I was so disappointed.
alexterm@reddit
Fisherman’s wharf one? Me too, heard so much about it and it was just fine
hoochiscrazy_@reddit
Me too and also agreed. The fries are shit
runningraider13@reddit
The reason it’s good is because it’s cheaper than McDonald’s but much better (I prefer it to 5 Guys for ~half the price). But it’s still cheap fast food, so people who have heard it hyped for years are often disappointed when they try it. It’s more of a “it’s awesome to have this easily accessible to you” than a “it’s awesome to try once in vacation” deal.
SpartanNo7@reddit
Had one in Vegas, tasted really similar to McDonalds in the UK. Really disappointed.
runningraider13@reddit
That’s surprising. I’ve had both McDonald’s in UK and In-n-Out a bunch of times and In-n-Out was vastly better. Certainly it tastes very different even if it’s not to your preference. Maybe a vegas thing?
SpartanNo7@reddit
Potentially, yeah, maybe just a Vegas thing.
nonsequitur__@reddit
Yeah I thought the same. Better than Five Guys and US Maccies but on par with UK Maccies.
max1304@reddit
The one by LAX is good for plane watching, but the food is mid and takes ages to arrive
fsv@reddit
I’ve been to one in Fresno and thought it was excellent for the price. However given their reluctance to expand much out of CA/NV I’m not getting my hopes up.
CrossCityLine@reddit
You wash your mouth out now.
nonsequitur__@reddit
I was quite disappointed by it, but think it’s cos it’d been hyped up so much. It was good by US standards but not amazing.
-Copenhagen@reddit
Even Denmark has one of those!
LordSwright@reddit
Me too but the wife said no.
mdmnl@reddit
Would you give her a Whopper instead?
Time-Mode-9@reddit
Or does she prefer 5 guys?
PerLin107@reddit
Same!!
Big_Miss_Steak_@reddit
As much as I’d love one in the UK, I do enjoy my little pilgrimages to my “local” in n out when I’m staying with my Cali family. Can’t beat a burger and then walking it off whilst browsing Target and letting my basic freak flag fly.
Low-Cauliflower-5686@reddit
They had a pop up a few years back
yepyep5678@reddit
Whataburger? Chick fill a? Do they mean nothing to you! 😄
StereotypicallBarbie@reddit
I don’t really care… we already have all the other shit food places like McDonald’s and Burger King.. what’s a few more really?
FeelingTree9780@reddit
There are loads of chipotles in London already. They’re established.
phantom_phreak29@reddit
They need to spread out...IE please come to he north east! I know it's not "authentic" but any time im in the states I will eat a shit ton of chipotle it's dirt...but glorious dirt
dowhileuntil787@reddit
Billy Mays here, with another fantastic product! If you're like other Americans, you love to eat Chipotle, but you hate all those terrible blood stains in your underwear!
pajamakitten@reddit
But there is more to the UK than London.
elmo_touches_me@reddit
It has always been this way. McDonald's, KFC and Burger King are hardly British are they.
I don't mind - more options is good, and if the restaurants are shit they won't stick around for long.
Unhappy_Performer538@reddit
McDonald’s really is like 300x better in the states. Idk why idk what they’re putting in that shit but it really is
Superb_Copy1644@reddit
Swear Chipotle’s been here for years? I 100% recall one in Charing X Road?
hyperstorm@reddit
Yep, I had a burrito from there in 2017 on a London trip. I was excited because I'd had one years earlier in California and it was great, but that London burrito was such an awful letdown.
formerlyfed@reddit
I just clicked on this post to say this. The one in Camden Passage has been there since at least 2021, though I’d guess it’s probably years older
OAK_CAFC@reddit
It 100% has been for ages
pajamakitten@reddit
Only twenty branches and almost all in London though.
becooldocrime@reddit
Lots of US chains have flagship stores in pretty much every capital city, they don’t meaningfully exist to anyone anywhere else in the countries though.
FeelingTree9780@reddit
Yes, there are branches all over London, including in Canary Wharf, Baker St, the O2, Moorgate, Bank and West Hampstead.
cb0495@reddit
I live up North so that’ll be why I didn’t know about it
FeelingTree9780@reddit
Don’t make assumptions for the whole country.
cb0495@reddit
Did I make an assumption or am I just unaware about something happening in another part of the country? Lmao relax
FeelingTree9780@reddit
Google says there’s one in Liverpool.
Amzy29@reddit
I was about to comment saying this. It’s been here a while, but maybe they are expanding?
VincentVan_Dough@reddit
At least 10 years, if not more.
thismynewaccountguys@reddit
There's been one on Camden passage in Islington for at least 15 years.
Shitsinhandandclaps@reddit
Yeah been here with its boring rice filled wraps for years.
charlierc@reddit
Only time I've eaten one was in 2015 somewhere near Oxford Street. They've been in this country for a while
FuzzyPalpitation-16@reddit
that charing x branch was the first one to open as well back in 2010/11
cymruaj@reddit
The Chipotle in Cardiff has been there since 2015 I think - had a free one on opening day!
el_diablo420@reddit
Popeyes is far superior to kfc. No complaints
RecentTwo544@reddit
Problem with KFC in the UK is their franchise rules are shite and/or badly enforced. Quality can vary wildly between different KFC outlets and it isn't that unusual to find one with a dreadful food hygiene rating.
McDonalds on the other had is borderline insane about hygiene and quality control which is why it's largely identical everywhere and every single outlet in the UK has a food hygiene rating of 5.
baalroo@reddit
To be fair, KFC has had a reputation for being absolutely awful here in the US for a couple of decades now. Most of the locations in my area are practically decrepit and barely hanging on.
OkIncrease6030@reddit
My friend used to work for them. They promote burger slingers into management and educate them at McDonald’s Uni! They are clean and consistent. The food’s not really my thing but it’s a well run business.
RecentTwo544@reddit
Apparently Usain Bolt used to eat nothing but Chicken McNuggets before a competition in a foreign country because he knew they contained enough protein to keep his strength and stamina, and they weren't going to give him the shits.
feckarse-drinkgirls@reddit
I've heard the nuggets story when he showed up in the reasonably priced car on Top Gear
pajamakitten@reddit
It was everywhere during the 2008 Olympics.
feckarse-drinkgirls@reddit
I was 6 in 2008 so wouldn't have seen it at the time
OldGodsAndNew@reddit
Pretty normal amongst Olympic athletes, when you're loading up in the immediate days before a big competition, the main concern with food is a) enough of it, and b) that your stomach can handle it. I remember hearing that McDonalds always have a popup restaurant in every Olympic village that's free for athletes
I'm not an Olympian, but fairly high level amateur marathon runner; I've done races in a few countries around Europe, and I'll usually go for a chain pizzeria the night before for the same reason
covmatty1@reddit
Yeah totally agree, the "new" brands to the UK are all just so much better than the ones we've had for ages it's not even a competition. Popeye's is so far ahead of KFC they're not even in the same league.
trashmemes22@reddit (OP)
Damn maybe I am in the minority I much prefer a kfc
southants82@reddit
Na when I tried Popeye's it was the worst chicken I've ever had. I would have said tasted but I couldn't taste anything. I'd choose Birds Eye over them.
REidson89@reddit
It tastes of nothing!
nonsequitur__@reddit
I agree! Really enjoyed Slim Chickens though
Mr_Biscuits_532@reddit
Aye same, went to Popeyes in Glasgow about a years ago and I'm not feeling the love. It was... very dry.
melanie110@reddit
Nope. I agree
skehan@reddit
Morley’s is the way forward. Keep it real.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit
I prefer Dallas
REidson89@reddit
I agree with you, I really wasn't impressed with Popeyes.
becooldocrime@reddit
I found popeyes inedibly salty. KFC is crap too. I think fried chicken is one of those that’s always worth going local for.
arabidopsis@reddit
Wendy's is also very good.
Both of them I would say are better than the US version.
melanie110@reddit
I hate it here. I prefer the US. I choose KFC here over popeyes
PuzzleheadedLow4687@reddit
Had Popeyes for the first time a few weeks ago in desperation (we were in a rush and there wasn't much else open nearby). Went in with low expectations and was very pleasantly surprised, I'd go back. Much better than KFC.
smushs88@reddit
The cheese chicken burger they had for a limited time around December last year was sensational.
Needs to be on the menu full time.
ReneRottingham@reddit
It’s a franchise, some are ok some are bad. Same with KFC. Neither are anywhere near the best
Voodoopulse@reddit
I had a Popeyes in Tenerife airport the other week, can't believe how much food you got
Different-Use-5185@reddit
Popeyes here has noting on Popeyes in the US
SwingyWingyShoes@reddit
Very much agree, their burgers are incredibly good.
Celebration_Dapper@reddit
None of these American chains can ever match the sublime excellence that is ... Morley's.
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
Wimpy is originally American.
8bitPete@reddit
Bring White castle
OK_Cake05@reddit
Great! There’s a lack of diversity in UK fast food. Chicken/fish & chips, burgers, kebabs, pizza. Nice see something a bit different
Redsfan1989@reddit
Cue certain types of people crushing each other to get in to the first shop the second it opens....
AvatarIII@reddit
I feel like for every chain restaurant there's 2 independent ones. Basically all fast food that's not burgers is independent.
ActionBirbie@reddit
This is a question from 1985, and I claim my £5.
Werthead@reddit
Good point, but I think there's been an acceleration in the last few years. My town (Colchester) acquired a Taco Bell and Five Guys before the pandemic and has now gone from zero to two Wendys in a couple of years. We did have a McDonalds (three now), a Burger King and a KFC before that, but that was it for a long time (like 30 years).
McGubbins@reddit
Bullshit, it's been an issue since the early 1970s. First McDonalds was open in Woolwich in 1974.
DameKumquat@reddit
I can't see Woolwich being a haven for NIMBYs back then - more 'build us anything, we got bombed to fuck in WWII'.
As opposed to 1980s Surrey where there was definitely a campaign against McDonald's coming to our high street to take over the closed Tesco (back when Tesco was the manky supermarket with bits of rotting veg on the floor, that would make Netto look posh).
My dad said he'd only support McDonald's if they got rid of the KFC, as no town needed two fast food joints. The independent bookshop was turned into a Pizza Hut counter in 1994, which was the end of civilization as we know it.
I don't think McDonalds etc will last another generation - since they removed the cartoons from the walls, took away the soft play, and have removed the comfy booth seats and red and yellow, there's no reason for kids to want to go there - even the divorced dads go elsewhere now.
St2Crank@reddit
As someone with 2 kids, eldest being 6. McDonald’s will definitely last another generation. Once a month or two on a Friday we’ll take them to McDonalds after school for a treat, they absolute love it. Last week they got Mario toys in their happy meals and were buzzing, and the one local to us also has arts and crafts going on, as it was the last school Friday before Easter they had egg painting.
The kids still go mad for it and it’s always packed with other parents doing the same.
Ill_Refrigerator_593@reddit
They really drove the home grown Casserole places out of business.
https://youtu.be/b-2PRJQvc1s
Over-Language2599@reddit
That's about the last time I heard "and I claim my £5".
Mobile-Stomach719@reddit
It's normally £20 now because of inflation 👍
squigs@reddit
Fun fact: The "Lobby Lud" competition this comes from dates from 1927. It's £275 in today's money.
Glittering_Vast938@reddit
Make it stop!!
New_Crow_8206@reddit
Chipotle new? Have you just come out of a coma?
JBEqualizer@reddit
We don't all live in/near London though, so for the rest of the country, it's basically a new franchise.
trashmemes22@reddit (OP)
Yeah
No-Particular-2894@reddit
Ok grandad
Dimac99@reddit
I adore the movie Demolition Man, so when Taco Bell arrived in Glasgow I was looking forward to trying it.
I now understand the joke in the movie in a way I never could before. I don't think I've ever tasted such bland fast food in my life.
VehicleLast419@reddit
im totally anti america right now but politics compleatly aside we have a million chains already mc donalds kfc nandos subway etc so when i hear wendys chipolate etc i just think same shit different packaging and probaly would still just go to my local takeaway.... i wouldnt go out of my way for them like
P0rk1n5@reddit
Not against it but it’s becoming increasingly important to support domestic companies now. And not the ones quietly bought by the yanks.
hoochiscrazy_@reddit
I got Chipotle in London like a decade ago
Microchi@reddit
Quite happy if all KFCs were replaced with popeyes tbh
miahmakhon@reddit
Chipotle has been in the UK for over 30 years at least.
nonsequitur__@reddit
It only opened in the US around then
HeartyBeast@reddit
Is this a post from 40 years ago?
emgeehammer@reddit
Right? Chipotle have been here for 15 years…
nonsequitur__@reddit
Only in and around London
B0b_Howard@reddit
We've got Jollibee's popping up in various places. Thay are Filipino and the food is apparently amazing.
glasstraxx@reddit
My take on this is they will probably charge the same US price but in GBP so they automatically make 25% maybe less as ingredients need to be substitute.
Eating out in the UK is so expensive. For comparison Australia burgers from a chain similar to five guys is half the price. It's insane.
BertBlenkinsop@reddit
Don't care, don't use them, rather get a sandwich from a local cafe they're not even pretentious enough to call themselves a café. Much better food and better value.
Master-Trick2850@reddit
KFC has become so crap that these new american chains are sometimes better
Riovem@reddit
Chipotle has been in the UK longer than Deliveroo and Charlotte Tilbury
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
Longer than Charlotte Tilbury?!
Wow, that's a long time!
Riovem@reddit
Fair fair!
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
I have literally no idea who Charlotte Tilbury is or how long she has lived in the UK.
ComfortableEarth5787@reddit
I don't go to any of them because they're all shite. I haven't been to a McDonald's in 25 years and I've never set foot in Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendys or any of the rest. I'd rather go hungry, and on occasion I have done because there was no alternative. This is not about being anti-USA but rather I'm unwilling to submit to a poor experience for expensive, crap food.
rayoflight110@reddit
Fucking love it. Can't wait for Raising Kanes to open soon.
aj_speaks@reddit
On ethics grounds right now - boycott American - buy british or European or Asian even
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
FYI, you posted this on a website owned by an American company, hosted by an American company, almost certainly through a browser created by an American company, on an operating system created by an American company.
If you have a pension (which almost every adult does), about 2/3 of that money is invested in American companies.
aj_speaks@reddit
Yes and that fact is not lost on me.
Those are things I am not able to change, atleast I can make a decision on things that I can choose. If I can use 20% less American, that would be a win.
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
You can change what your pension is invested in. That's probably the biggest impact an individual can have.
NaturalOk2492@reddit
Bet they don’t pay tax as well like Starbucks, if your British you should snub all the American companies that don’t pay tax and also stay away from crappy fast food, get a Greggs or some clean food.
Namiweso@reddit
CHIPOTLE IS COMING TO THE UK? FUCK YEAH
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
Yeah, literally 16 years ago.
Namiweso@reddit
Noted on London - can’t say it’s been very well advertised but I haven’t been searching either
Admiral_Eversor@reddit
I don't like it. We are becoming more and more colonised by the US and it needs to stop.
I'm not really talking about fast food though, that's just the visible tip of the iceberg. I'm talking about private equity.
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
You don't know what private equity is.
markedasred@reddit
I'm not buying American until the current administration leaves the scene, in whichever way. So irrelevant to me and thousands of others doing the same.
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
FYI, you posted this on a website owned by an American company, hosted by an American company, almost certainly through a browser created by an American company, on an operating system created by an American company.
If you have a pension (which almost every adult does), about 2/3 of that money is invested in American companies.
evuhleena@reddit
Yep, same here! No holidays in America either for this exact reason
Tski247@reddit
I don't use them. Like Starbucks, Costa Coffee, McDonald's they all avoid paying corporation tax on their millions if not billions of pounds they make in this country. No thanks I won't be supporting them. Independents and Greggs for me.
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
You also avoid corporation tax. So do I.
repair-it@reddit
Same here. Independents first, UK next, then European - NO to anything from USA.
Bec21-21@reddit
I was in the UK last week and was really surprised to see FiveGuys everywhere.
I don’t really care where the food places come from, but it’s a shame to see homogenization and bad quality food everywhere. Having said that, the UK has great food places too.
Different-Use-5185@reddit
Five guys is one of the best chains to come here!
RecentTwo544@reddit
Five Guys is what I call "annoyingly expensive" - it is pricey, but you can see why.
MrReadilyUnready@reddit
I don't think it's expensive at all. You get a freshly made burger for a tenner, and enough chips for two people for a fiver. It's significantly higher quality than fast-food chains but not actually that much more expensive.
Acceptable-Split6348@reddit
People say that Five Guys is expensive, but will happily go to a pub and pay £5 for 7 chips in a tiny metal cup.
glasgowgeg@reddit
It's restaurant prices, but "best fast food" quality. In Glasgow, it's right next to Bread Meats Bread which is much better for a similar price.
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
Five Guys has good taste, but the prices in the UK are much higher. I had a Five Guys in Arizona last year, then in Birmingham about a month later, and the difference for a bacon cheeseburger was about £5 worth at the time.
FuzzyPalpitation-16@reddit
really? five guys has a pretty big global reach across different continents i don’t find it surprising it’s in UK. first branch was opened in london 2013 i remember being very excited and it was great (i avoid it now however due to price + they hardly overflow chips anymore… so not rly worth it for me)
sandy_feet29@reddit
Not keen on having that homophobic MAGA chicken place here, tbh
BurkesRoad@reddit
No Chipotle in Scotland.
Agitated_Ad_361@reddit
I won’t be using them 👍
loranlily@reddit
I honestly hate it. I live in the US now and it’s disheartening to see the same shit places when I come home to the UK.
SgtBukkakeMan@reddit
More choice and competition? Fine by me. Not gonna moan about the high street dying and then complain when something actually opens
trashmemes22@reddit (OP)
Fair point
Lost-Actuary-2395@reddit
As long as they don't bring tipping culture here, I'm fine.
colin_staples@reddit
I don’t care because I don’t go to them
banisheduser@reddit
When Earl of Sandwich comes here, only then will it have my attention.
BronnOP@reddit
Honestly, I’m wondering why they’ve finally opened the floodgates. Have they found a way around certain food safety regulations or something? Is there a new ingredient that we’ll all be terrified of in the future like trans fats?
Other than that, it is what it is. Over priced stuff chemically designed to hit the pleasure centre of our brains.
RepresentativeOdd909@reddit
If people had the resources (time, money, energy, willpower) left to actually cook for themselves they'd soon realise that fast food is absolute dog shit. It doesn't really taste like food once you know what real food tastes like. As for the Americanisation of everything, that too can get in the bin. US culture is literally just consumerism, by any means necessary. Replacing local community owned and operated shops, restaurants, bars, etc. with one massive American chain means that they are extracting our wealth without effort. We labour, just to send our profits overseas? This whole system needs dismantled and rebuilt without ceaseless profit being the driving factor behind everything.
ThinkBiscuit@reddit
It’s change. Bound to happen. The recipes will defer from the US versions due to local food safety trays, of course. The stuff that people like will stay, the ones they don’t will go out of business, simples.
coffeewalnut08@reddit
I don’t think it’s healthy, nor does it help the high street in a healthy way
toady89@reddit
It seems a bit odd when the cost of fast food feels like it's really jumped up in recent years, personally I've cut back loads and don't need extra choices.
TheMasalaKnight@reddit
I’m all for more choice whether it’s indies or chains, both have their pros and cons. Jolibee’s is my favourite but only been there once, I’d quite like to try coco ichiban and popeyes.
I’m also trying to get in touch with my religion more and one of the things it forbids is eating meat prepared through religious rituals which has made eating out somewhat more difficult. It’s an easy win with the religion but tastebuds are fiendish.
Broad-Raspberry1805@reddit
Don’t care, I avoid places like that.
Pockysocks@reddit
Over priced, over saturated and over here.
Sea-Still5427@reddit
Chipotle's been here for years, hasn't it? Probably just spreading. The thing is, the big chains have a business model to follow so don't hang around unless they make enough money. If they stay in your area, that means people like them. If you don't use them, they quickly move on.
misterpeers@reddit
Very simple solution, don't eat it.
Sheikhabusosa@reddit
Idc I just want a jollibee , I think the popeyes , wingstop and shakehack in manchester are all meh
MaltDizney@reddit
The chicken and pineapple pie are excellent. I just wish they did the huge cup of gravy like popeyes
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
Closest one to Manchester would probably be the Liverpool one.
FeelingTree9780@reddit
Jollibee is already here! There’s two (at least) in London and one in Cardiff!
Sheikhabusosa@reddit
Im too lazy and dont want to travel for it
OkIncrease6030@reddit
We have one in Nottingham too
perhapsflorence@reddit
I just want Trader Joe's. Nothing else.
xX8Havok8Xx@reddit
Im just sad that cinnabon left proper nice naughty treat on a day or night out
FuzzyPalpitation-16@reddit
chipotle has been in the UK for over a decade now… (London specifically). if you mean it’s moving to the rest of the UK, surprised it didn’t happen sooner.
i like chipotle. their chips and guacamole are the best out of the competing brands (tortilla)
doctorace@reddit
Tortilla has better burritos though. I’m from San Francisco, and to say that they aren’t half bad is a real compliment. I never go to Chipotle.
xX8Havok8Xx@reddit
+1 for tortilla great food semi decent price
FuzzyPalpitation-16@reddit
fair enough - i’m not a fan of burritos in general so never get them.. (i prefer bowls!) so i’ll take your word for it 😄
G_UK@reddit
I eat Fast Food like anyone else, but damn it’s hard not to see the correlation between fast food and obesity; so more fast food, equals, more obese people.
Wildredheadedgypsy@reddit
No one I know has any interest in them.
Eckmatarum@reddit
I dunno my guy, but little nicky was right.
Popeyes chicken really is fucking awesome.
ohnoitshimagain10@reddit
I'm just hoping that Macdonalds lot dont get a foothold in the UK
Scoobilatchi@reddit
It will live or die on its own merits. If it’s shit, it will fail anyway.
squigs@reddit
Tried Taco Bell a while ago, and it tasted of disappointment. Not sure why it's so popular over there, but I wonder if it's something that does appeal to British tastes.
ilikeavocadotoast@reddit
Chipotle has been in the UK for years. At least 15 years, but it's absolutely shit imo, but edible. Taco Bell on the otherhand, absolutely disgusting. The worst fast food I've ever eaten in my near 30 years of life
This question is about 30 years too late, for as long as I've been alive the high street has been full of American fast food chains.
themflyingjaffacakes@reddit
Why worried about stirring anti US sentiments? Not much "pro" at the moment !
stevecrox0914@reddit
I don't really think about them.
My city set up a location for resturants and nearby town got its act together so we have loads of places to eat food cooked from fresh ingredients made my local independents and some of them are incredible.
On top of that every chain (American or otherwise) has inflated prices to the point where they arent competitive.
My McDonalds order is £9, its £12 at Five Guys but we have 3 Smash burger resturants that offer better tastier food for £10-£15.
Pick a cheap chain and you will find they cost close to the quality version and there will be better local independents at that price.
Tumeni1959@reddit
Don't care, don't eat from any chain fast food place, so ...
If everyone realises how sub-par they are, they'll close down and go home.
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
Good luck with that.
50tinyducks@reddit
I tried raising cains over in NYC - it’s unreal!! Much better than KFC so I can’t wait for that to come here this year!!!
Kaurblimey@reddit
Bring it on. We’re a big city and have the space.
VickiActually@reddit
Its kind of annoying to me honestly... You already can't walk down the street without every few shops being a burger or chicken shop. Now Popeye's is here, Chipotle is growing, Taco Bell is making inroads alongside all the other burger and chicken places....
Maybe it's partly me being a veggie, but I also think to myself - there's more food in the world than fried chicken in various forms..!
YouSayWotNow@reddit
Given that we have had McDonald's, Burger King, KFC for several decades and I don't hear many people complaining that they aren't any good because they have to follow our stricter food standards, I'm not sure what the issue is.
Oh and then TGI Friday arrived in the mid 80s.
Chipotle have been around for 10-15 years.
More recent are Taco Bell, Popeye's, and some others I've no doubt forgotten but with all of these I've seen UK customers enjoying them just fine.
txakori@reddit
Damn these American companies coming iver here and pushing out good proper British takeaway chains like McDonalds, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and KFC.
yepyep5678@reddit
I'm just waiting for chick fil a to come back. We're sorry, I need waffle fries, they were wrong to chase you out of reading
DeapVally@reddit
There's one in Leeds.
yepyep5678@reddit
I just googled, I thought they were all gone but there's one in London too!
yepyep5678@reddit
Legend! I didn't know that, cheers :)
PerformanceTrue@reddit
Tariffs, tax them to buggery like their dear orange overlord does
glasgowgeg@reddit
Tariffs are on imports, they're not importing your order from the US.
Think_Money_6919@reddit
Honestly don’t mind it. We have a lot of fast food chicken type shops here but not a lot of mexican (or tex mex) chains so I see this as healthy competition to both Tortilla and Taco Bell.
REidson89@reddit
I love the Wendy's Baconator.
hhfugrr3@reddit
I don't really care tbh. It's not like McDonald's is a British brand that's being forced out of the market.
fezzuk@reddit
How long has mc donalds been here.
Who gives a shit, dont like it dont eat there. I dont.
Oblivious_minds@reddit
Wendy’s is surprisingly good.
Harrry-Otter@reddit
Indifferent mostly. If anything I’m more surprised that there’s enough market space for so many incredibly similar burger and fried chicken places.
Diligent_Explorer717@reddit
The more the merrier
bradpitt3@reddit
There has been a Chipotle in Angel for years.
Mister_Sith@reddit
They cater for a market Brits want but couldn't break into themselves. At least not on a large scale.
Having said that, bakeries (as in sausage rolls, pies, etc) are pretty ubiquitous across the nation. Christ, Greggs is everywhere - except Wigan where you can't move for a pie shop. Galaways basically is fast food but for Wiganers
dereks63@reddit
Chipotle has been here for ages, I love the place
PM_ME_UR_VULVASAUR_@reddit
They can fuck off like the rest of their country.
ZekkPacus@reddit
Chipotle's been here for years, I remember going to one in London at least a decade ago.
Ultimately the market will decide, but my local town has a Five Guys, a Popeye's and a Wendy's and I'm a big fan of all of them. My waistline and wallet less so.
WGSMA@reddit
If they’re shit, they’ll shut
ProgressMiserable878@reddit
Apart from a good chippy that I have once a fortnight, I dont eat at any fast food places. They are all urghhhh 🤮 no wonder people are obese and unhealthy nowadays...
Onyx1509@reddit
There's like 5 of these in central Cambridge now. I assume the large numbers of American post-grad students might be overrepresented amongst their patronage.
T_raltixx@reddit
Ingredients change for food standards. Compare the ingredients for fries at McDonald's (American).
Whoisthehypocrite@reddit
You would want to know the food you are getting at your local takeaway...
Different-Use-5185@reddit
If Raising Canes and Jack in a Box come over I will be happy.
In-n-out can stay there with their overhyped, cardboard rubbish
cb0495@reddit
They’re all shit
RecentTwo544@reddit
I mean, a lot of US fast food chains have been in the UK for decades now.
As others have said, they meet our food standards so I'm happy.
I do want to see if the South Park thing about Chipotle is true though!
No-Baby-417@reddit
I reallllly want a Raising Canes over here.
RBisoldandtired@reddit
Not remotely bothered. They’re still insanely priced for fast food but they’re bringing jobs at the very least.
Locally at least, the kfc nearest me has actually improved their quality since Popeyes was announced. So there has been a positive effect on quality beyond giving some people much needed jobs.
But at nearly £12 for a meal from McDonald’s or Burger King, I’d rather spend that £12 on a good fish supper.
Hyrules_Saviour@reddit
Wendy's beats McDonald's by a long way and popeyes beats KFC, so far so good
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
I tend to try them out. I'm open minded.
But so far I haven't really been swooned by any of them.
Part of it is probably because I don't eat fast food very often anyway.
But also I do visit the US and Canada probably once a year on average and the same outlets taste different over there. They're a bit more fast and loose with flavourings. They don't have the sugar tax so their drinks are 'full sugar' etc. Taco Bell in the US is actually alright. In the UK I found it to be a bit sad if I'm honest.
escapingfromelba@reddit
You seem to be inventing something to worry about, and some kind of weird theory to boot. If people like them they'll survive, if they don't then they'll be gone
NoTry8886@reddit
they are always over priced, crap and just not the same as they are in UK for multiple factors
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