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Extremely demanding schedule of lately has forced me to sacrifice on the quality of my daily food intake, where I snack occasionally on fast food items so here

Extremely demanding schedule of lately has forced me to sacrifice on the quality of my daily food intake, where I snack occasionally on fast food items so here are my thoughts: Biggest issue with fast food is sort of linked to the "uglification for the sake of taste", but let's get one thing straight: fast food quality and taste is damn bad. So that excuse is out the window. I've tried everything on McD's menu including their newer 'bistro' or whatever sandwiches and all of them left me wondering WTF is wrong with this food. The biggest offender of this is, and I truly mean it - Tim Hortons. Ever since about two years ago or so, their food became garbage. They too have the pretty moving adverts in-store on their LCDs, but I'll be damned if I buy another item from that chain. Lesson learned: make and pack my own food as much as possible.

eumenides1 14y ago
Tim Hortons used to bake and make their products in store. Now they outsource their work to Maidstone which they sold off. They just "finish" their products in store. It leads to a more consistent product and controllable costs. I don't think it's better quality (it's lifeless), but more consistent. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/streetwise/tim-hortons-sells-bakery-for-475-million-in-cash/article1376898/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ide... In the old days, I would simply just order what came out last from the oven. Because hot anything out of the oven is awesome. When it was a croissant, it is a jackpot. Personally, I think people don't realize the extent of how "factory" like a lot of corporate chains are. Like how Montana's doesn't actually "cook" your vegetables, they just microwave a frozen pack and dump it on a plate. And this is a sit-down restaurant with waitresses and cooks. My solution? I eat-in and plan out.
pimeys 14y ago
I don't even understand why people in USA go to McDonalds etc. I mean, if you want good burgers, USA is the paradise for them. E.g. while visiting Berkeley, one random burger joint called Bongo Burger was better than any burger I've eaten in Europe. I don't know how is it in smaller cities, but I would guess an American should know what's a good burger and what's complete rubbish.
- verisimilidude 14y ago
  To add insult to injury, there's a McDonald's within a few blocks of Bongo Burger (at Center St.) that's enormous and always packed. I'm not sure if we see this behavior because Americans are addicted to empty calories, or just don't want to venture outside their (dis)comfort zone to try something new, or what. It's sad.
  - MattGrommes 14y ago
    The point of eating at McDonald's is not to get the world's best burger. It's to get a McD burger which always tastes the same no matter where you are. They don't really even taste like regular burgers, they taste like McDonald's burgers. People aren't dumb, they know approximately what the burger at Bongo (or wherever) will taste like. But you have to figure out what they put on the burger, what to drink, etc. At McD you get the same thing every time, no fuss. It's much less cognitive load to eat at McDonalds, plus it's almost certainly cheaper. Everybody has their reasons.
    - tadfisher 14y ago
      Two words that keep fast food on everyone's mind: DOLLAR MENU
  - jff 14y ago
    If I walk into a McDonald's, I know that $5 will get me a cheeseburger, some fries, and a drink. I know what it'll taste like, and I know the food will be ready in about 2 minutes. I'm sure Bongo Burger is amazing, and now that I've heard of it I'll have to try it next time I'm in Berkeley. But for all I know, a Bongo Burger might cost $10 and have a half-hour wait before they get my order cooked; that's not always what I'm looking for, and that's perfectly fine.
    - pimeys 14y ago
      Actually a menu with bacon burger, drink and fries was something between $6-$7 and ready in 5-10 minutes. I also experienced some great burgers in New York, ones with truffles and Kobe meat. They were already pretty expensive, but also tasted amazing.

eumenides1 14y ago

Tim Hortons used to bake and make their products in store. Now they outsource their work to Maidstone which they sold off. They just "finish" their products in store. It leads to a more consistent product and controllable costs. I don't think it's better quality (it's lifeless), but more consistent. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/streetwise/tim-hortons-sells-bakery-for-475-million-in-cash/article1376898/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ide... In the old days, I would simply just order what came out last from the oven. Because hot anything out of the oven is awesome. When it was a croissant, it is a jackpot. Personally, I think people don't realize the extent of how "factory" like a lot of corporate chains are. Like how Montana's doesn't actually "cook" your vegetables, they just microwave a frozen pack and dump it on a plate. And this is a sit-down restaurant with waitresses and cooks. My solution? I eat-in and plan out.

pimeys 14y ago

I don't even understand why people in USA go to McDonalds etc. I mean, if you want good burgers, USA is the paradise for them. E.g. while visiting Berkeley, one random burger joint called Bongo Burger was better than any burger I've eaten in Europe. I don't know how is it in smaller cities, but I would guess an American should know what's a good burger and what's complete rubbish.

verisimilidude 14y ago
To add insult to injury, there's a McDonald's within a few blocks of Bongo Burger (at Center St.) that's enormous and always packed. I'm not sure if we see this behavior because Americans are addicted to empty calories, or just don't want to venture outside their (dis)comfort zone to try something new, or what. It's sad.
- MattGrommes 14y ago
  The point of eating at McDonald's is not to get the world's best burger. It's to get a McD burger which always tastes the same no matter where you are. They don't really even taste like regular burgers, they taste like McDonald's burgers. People aren't dumb, they know approximately what the burger at Bongo (or wherever) will taste like. But you have to figure out what they put on the burger, what to drink, etc. At McD you get the same thing every time, no fuss. It's much less cognitive load to eat at McDonalds, plus it's almost certainly cheaper. Everybody has their reasons.
  - tadfisher 14y ago
    Two words that keep fast food on everyone's mind: DOLLAR MENU
- jff 14y ago
  If I walk into a McDonald's, I know that $5 will get me a cheeseburger, some fries, and a drink. I know what it'll taste like, and I know the food will be ready in about 2 minutes. I'm sure Bongo Burger is amazing, and now that I've heard of it I'll have to try it next time I'm in Berkeley. But for all I know, a Bongo Burger might cost $10 and have a half-hour wait before they get my order cooked; that's not always what I'm looking for, and that's perfectly fine.
  - pimeys 14y ago
    Actually a menu with bacon burger, drink and fries was something between $6-$7 and ready in 5-10 minutes. I also experienced some great burgers in New York, ones with truffles and Kobe meat. They were already pretty expensive, but also tasted amazing.