The battle of fast food!!

[SomeRandom]

Okay this might be more about my curiosity about US fast food chains (which has an insanely long list of chains, ngl. I tried to visit each when I visited Cali and couldn’t do it in even 2 weeks. Also kind of made me sick. Your FDA has very low standards it seems lol)
Since I’m Aussie I am including local diners which might not be “fast” but the only equivalent we have here is maybe cafes.

What is your all time favourite chain? Does it even exist anymore?
What is your guilty pleasure menu item? Or even just your favourite? Your go to if you’re hungover? The weirdest item you’ve ever seen/tried?
Anything goes.

 

[Brinne]

Oh man, I guess for traditional 'fast-food' I'd probably say Chic-fil-a -- mainly because I'm somehow able to walk away with the idea that it was a healthier choice than McDonalds. On a rare penta-annual occasion I'll have a Baconator from Wendys, but the feeling I have afterwards is enough to avoid it for a while.

Chipotle, Starbucks, and Five Guys are alright on occasion too - though technically they fall under 'fast-casual' if we wanna be serious about our categorization here

 

[Subduction Zone]

Okay this might be more about my curiosity about US fast food chains (which has an insanely long list of chains, ngl. I tried to visit each when I visited Cali and couldn’t do it in even 2 weeks. Also kind of made me sick. Your FDA has very low standards it seems lol)
Since I’m Aussie I am including local diners which might not be “fast” but the only equivalent we have here is maybe cafes.

What is your all time favourite chain? Does it even exist anymore?
What is your guilty pleasure menu item? Or even just your favourite? Your go to if you’re hungover? The weirdest item you’ve ever seen/tried?
Anything goes.

I am no longer a fan of fast food. Eating there is more a of matter of necessity. And there is so much that they do wrong, but very few do right. And are we talking "Fast food" as in eat in the car while going to work. Or a sit down restaurant like IHOP? I am going with the eat in your car type, since they tend to be the worst.

Let's start with breakfast. I used to eat a hearty breakfast so potatoes were often a must. The problem is that what they call "hashbrowns" need to cook in a different manner than French fries. The tools may be the same, but the techniques appear to be different. Most of them provide you with a potato patty that is a greasy soggy mess. I would have to give McDonalds the win in this category since they somehow seem to avoid the grease sponge in the morning.

Jack in the Box used to make some decent wraps, and at one point they even had an edible breakfast potato, but the potato did not last. Maybe the problem is that the oil needs to be a two different temperatures for fries and potato patties.

 

[ChristineM]

I don't do fast food, i am more a slow food person oe at least a normal speed food person. However

At uni in Manchester i used to visit "the Canadian charcoal pit" in Sale (south of Manchester). Hand made burgers, cooked over an open charcoal fire, the range of relishes was awesome (i liked my burger with sweetcorn and tomato reslishes). Served on a locally made bun. To me that is the epitome of fast food

My guilty pleasure menu item is not from a fast food shop but a Michelin starred resteraunt and that would be the beef stew from the Petit Paris. The beef is a whole ribeye steak, slow cooked in red wine overnight and served on seasonal vegetables. They dont call it beef stew but some fancy french name. To me its just a delightful beef stew that i have tried to make at home with only limited success.

The weirdest item ive eaten... Wow, I've eaten lots of weird stuff... smoked snake, battered grasshopper, fugu (deadly poisonous puffer fish).

 

[Revoltingest]

Okay this might be more about my curiosity about US fast food chains (which has an insanely long list of chains, ngl. I tried to visit each when I visited Cali and couldn’t do it in even 2 weeks. Also kind of made me sick. Your FDA has very low standards it seems lol).

You're not supposed to try them all at once.
Show a little moderation there, dingo bait!

Best chain:
Subway.
They customize every sammich for me....extra
this...extra that....never any limit to my tomatoes,
jalapenos, olives, & peppers. And they toast the
bread as I watch.

 

[Secret Chief]

At uni in Manchester i used to visit "the Canadian charcoal pit"

OMG that is a memory. I could never have dragged that name up. There was one in Fallowfield too and I was a total addict. Till I went there "burger" was a synonym of "**** food."

 

[Subduction Zone]

I also have seen fast food chains change over the years. In my youth Arby's was amazing. We did not go there very often since they were a bout twice the price of other such places. Unfortunately Arby's was an early adopter of beef that had been chipped off of the bone or other scraps and then pressed into a loaf. That was then "roasted". Arby's prices are now about the same as burger joints like McDonalds and Burger King, and there quality is no longer anywhere near the same.

When they had real roast beef they were unbeatable.

 

[SomeRandom]

You're not supposed to try them all at once.
Show a little moderation there, dingo bait!

Best chain:
Subway.
They customize every sammich for me....extra
this...extra that....never any limit to my tomatoes,
jalapenos, olives, & peppers. And they toast the
bread as I watch.

Fair point. But in my defence I literally only had 2 weeks to try them all. And I can eat fast food all week here and not even feel it. In saying that your portion sizes were huge!! Mad props

 

[SomeRandom]

I also have seen fast food chains change over the years. In my youth Arby's was amazing. We did not go there very often since they were a bout twice the price of other such places. Unfortunately Arby's was an early adopter of beef that had been chipped off of the bone or other scraps and then pressed into a loaf. That was then "roasted". Arby's prices are now about the same as burger joints like McDonalds and Burger King, and there quality is no longer anywhere near the same.

When they had real roast beef they were unbeatable.

Can I ask, what exactly is Arby’s? I saw it advertised a lot and just assumed it was a Maccas/Burger King competitor. But the Americans I’ve spoken to have seemingly taken issue with such a comparison

 

[Revoltingest]

Fair point. But in my defence I literally only had 2 weeks to try them all. And I can eat fast food all week here and not even feel it. In saying that your portion sizes were huge!! Mad props

The trick is to buy what you want, & no more.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Okay this might be more about my curiosity about US fast food chains (which has an insanely long list of chains, ngl. I tried to visit each when I visited Cali and couldn’t do it in even 2 weeks. Also kind of made me sick. Your FDA has very low standards it seems lol)
Since I’m Aussie I am including local diners which might not be “fast” but the only equivalent we have here is maybe cafes.

What is your all time favourite chain? Does it even exist anymore?
What is your guilty pleasure menu item? Or even just your favourite? Your go to if you’re hungover? The weirdest item you’ve ever seen/tried?
Anything goes.

For fast food, my favorite is Taco Bell, as they're the only chain with a decent vegetarian selection.

Fast casual, I usual default to Chipotle because of their sofritas.

 

[JustGeorge]

I'm a vegetarian, so I'm limited in options. Pita Pit probably gives the best vegetarian meal, but its too expensive to be worth it most of the time.

Taco Bell used to be my favorite. I was going through a rough time once, and I stopped into a Taco Bell. I temporarily felt better. So I went to Taco Bell every day for a good long while. Surprisingly, I only gained 5 lbs, and I enjoyed talking with the workers. Eventually, my financial situation changed and I couldn't go anymore. But it was an overall positive experience. However, now I don't find the food to be all that good, they've scraped the best stuff off their menu, and forced people to order online for their prized offerings. I don't have a smartphone, so that kind of kills it for me.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Bedmi is made with flour and ground black gram mix and the potato curry must be spicy.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Taco Bell used to be my favorite. I was going through a rough time once, and I stopped into a Taco Bell. I temporarily felt better. So I went to Taco Bell every day for a good long while. Surprisingly, I only gained 5 lbs, and I enjoyed talking with the workers. Eventually, my financial situation changed and I couldn't go anymore. But it was an overall positive experience. However, now I don't find the food to be all that good, they've scraped the best stuff off their menu, and forced people to order online for their prized offerings. I don't have a smartphone, so that kind of kills it for me.

You might want to check back. They have quite a few vegetarian options and even have a vegetarian menu on their kiosk.

 

[SomeRandom]

The trick is to buy what you want, & no more.

I did. But again, the portion size is much bigger in the US by default and the ingredients are not always approved in other countries, let’s just say

 

[SomeRandom]

For fast food, my favorite is Taco Bell, as they're the only chain with a decent vegetarian selection.

Fast casual, I usual default to Chipotle because of their sofritas.

Oh I’m curious about Chipotle. I’m a little jealous of the Mexican options in the US. We have Taco Bell and Zambrero and those are really the only ones we have here near me.
And even then Zambrero is I swear is what you get if white folks who are gym junkies try to do Mexican food, not even joking. Not authentic in the least, but tasty. Their curried cauliflower is actually very tasty. And I normally hate cauliflower

 

[JustGeorge]

You might want to check back. They have quite a few vegetarian options and even have a vegetarian menu on their kiosk.

I have gone through recently. Most of the vegetarian stuff I liked is gone(I was a huge fan of the 7 layer burrito), but I see they did add black beans to the menu. Another favorite was a quesarito with potatoes instead of meat, but you can't get the quesarito without ordering it online. I'm also still mourning the loss of the volcano menu, but that's been gone since forever.

What do you get?

 

[Revoltingest]

I did. But again, the portion size is much bigger in the US by default and the ingredients are not always approved in other countries, let’s just say

If you're buying a full meal, consider less than.
Also, people who actually eat Vegemite ought
not dis other countries' foods.
(Here, we put it on sapling trunks so that the
rabbits & deer won't eat the bark.)

 

[SalixIncendium]

I have gone through recently. Most of the vegetarian stuff I liked is gone(I was a huge fan of the 7 layer burrito), but I see they did add black beans to the menu. Another favorite was a quesarito with potatoes instead of meat, but you can't get the quesarito without ordering it online. I'm also still mourning the loss of the volcano menu, but that's been gone since forever.

What do you get?

My default is a Cheesy Gordita Crunch with potatoes instead of meat and two Spicy Potato Soft Tacos. Occasionally I'll get the Cheesy Gordita Crunch with black beans instead of potatoes...depends if I feel I need protein or not.

And diablo sauce...lots of diablo sauce.

 

[JustGeorge]

My default is a Cheesy Gordita Crunch with potatoes instead of meat and two Spicy Potato Soft Tacos. Occasionally I'll get the Cheesy Gordita Crunch with black beans instead of potatoes...depends if I feel I need protein or not.

And diablo sauce...lots of diablo sauce.

Yes, the diablo sauce is delicious.