Author Topic: Fast Food Traffic Jams  (Read 19111 times)

Sarnia Saver

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Fast Food Traffic Jams
« on: May 12, 2015, 01:31:52 PM »
I'm not a perfect mustachian, however, today I saw a lineup at the Wendy's drive-through which completely swallowed up the parking lot laneway and proceeded out to the roadway where 5 cars were patiently waiting to get into the parking lot.  The parking lot was also completely full.  Lineups of people just itching to fork over $10-12 each to stuff their faces with empty calories and coke-flavoured syrup while idling their SUVs and full sized fancy work trucks without a scratch on them.

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Syonyk

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2015, 02:12:44 PM »
I bike past a Starbucks drive through line somewhat regularly, and there's a McDonalds I walk past on the way to the grocery store that almost always has a long line of cars.

There's almost nobody *inside* the McDonalds, though.  It's literally faster to go in than to use the drive through.

bluecube22

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2015, 02:17:41 PM »
A Chick-fil-A just opened in the next town over and my co-workers have been doing this about once a week. They drive maybe 15 mins each way and wait in line, sometimes returning empty handed if traffic is really ridiculous. At least they're carpooling with 4-5 people in one trip.

justajane

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2015, 03:09:25 PM »
I'm not a perfect mustachian, however, today I saw a lineup at the Wendy's drive-through which completely swallowed up the parking lot laneway and proceeded out to the roadway where 5 cars were patiently waiting to get into the parking lot.  The parking lot was also completely full.  Lineups of people just itching to fork over $10-12 each to stuff their faces with empty calories and coke-flavoured syrup while idling their SUVs and full sized fancy work trucks without a scratch on them.

$12 would be a shit ton of food at Wendy's. The worst lines I see are at Starbucks.

minority_finance_mo

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2015, 06:36:10 PM »
I stopped in a McDonalds at the airport on the way home from Austin. Is it just me or is fast food not cheap at all?

Granted this was in an airport so I assume there was some price inflation, but $6.50 for a sandwich is not what I was expecting at Micky D's.

r3dt4rget

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2015, 07:34:53 PM »
I stopped in a McDonalds at the airport on the way home from Austin. Is it just me or is fast food not cheap at all?

Granted this was in an airport so I assume there was some price inflation, but $6.50 for a sandwich is not what I was expecting at Micky D's.
The value is on the dollar menu, which almost every place has. Order a water to keep it cheap. At McDonalds I might order a McDouble with a value fry which is just $2 with a water. I usually go for Taco Bell meal deals. For $2.50 you get a burrito, plus a bag of Doritos and a medium drink. $1-$2 for 500+ calories is a pretty good deal if you consider you didn't have to prep the food, it's fast and convenient, and tastes pretty good too for some of us!

gooki

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2015, 02:08:37 AM »

zephyr911

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2015, 06:42:33 AM »
I bike past a Starbucks drive through line somewhat regularly, and there's a McDonalds I walk past on the way to the grocery store that almost always has a long line of cars.

There's almost nobody *inside* the McDonalds, though.  It's literally faster to go in than to use the drive through.
I still do fast food occasionally (mostly on drill weekends out of town). I often go inside, even if I'm not eating there, because of this.

russianswinga

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2015, 10:11:05 AM »
I stopped in a McDonalds at the airport on the way home from Austin. Is it just me or is fast food not cheap at all?

My Guilty Pleasure lunch at McD's on a rare occasion is always on a Friday. $1.30 McDouble, and 2 fish filet's at $1.79 each. Cup of water, because I refuse to put empty sugar calories in my mouth.

My entire lunch is about the price of one of their premium burgers.

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2015, 10:23:44 AM »
When Sonic opened in our city the traffic to get in was so bad they had to put up a street light.

It closed 2 years later.

Worst Sonic ever (and I'm a big fan, as far as fast food goes.)

MgoSam

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #11 on: May 13, 2015, 10:26:22 AM »
When Sonic opened in our city the traffic to get in was so bad they had to put up a street light.

It closed 2 years later.

Worst Sonic ever (and I'm a big fan, as far as fast food goes.)

What do you normally get at Sonics? I have been to one that is near where I live and can't see what's so great about it. Maybe I didn't order the correct things?

paddedhat

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2015, 06:18:56 PM »
When Sonic opened in our city the traffic to get in was so bad they had to put up a street light.

It closed 2 years later.

Worst Sonic ever (and I'm a big fan, as far as fast food goes.)

What do you normally get at Sonics? I have been to one that is near where I live and can't see what's so great about it. Maybe I didn't order the correct things?

The Sonic situation is odd? I know of two Sonics that were only opened for a short time, then simply abandoned. I used to marvel at fast food jambs in the states, until I spent some time in Canada.  Canucks can bring a small town to a halt if there is a Tim Horton's involved. I have seen them lined up, waiting to get in the door, while the drive thru line is so totally clogged that it's got the entire parking lot and adjacent streets gridlocked. Having tried the place several times, I don't know exactly what the folks up north find to be such a draw, but talk about one hell of a business.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2015, 11:43:58 AM by paddedhat »

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2015, 06:33:13 PM »
Have you ever had Tim Horton's donuts?  They lace something very similar to crack cocaine in them - they are indescribably incredible!

RunHappy

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2015, 07:10:06 PM »
I see none of you have been in the In-N-Out Burger line. Yes, that is a double line and snakes far out onto the street. They come for the burger - about $two-fiddy.

http://www.foodbeast.com/2014/01/29/longest-in-n-out-lines-according-to-google-maps/

When they opened In-N-Out in Dallas, people stood in lines for over 3 HOURS for a burger.  For that amount of time you could have flown from DFW to LAX and grabbed a burger outside the airport.

PJ

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #15 on: May 21, 2015, 10:18:54 PM »
I used to marvel at fast food jambs in the states, until I spent some time in Canada.  Canucks can bring a small town to a halt if there is a Tim Horton's involved. I have seen them lined up, waiting to get in the door, while the drive thru line is so totally clogged that it's got the entire parking lot and adjacent streets gridlocked. Having tried the place several times, I don't know exactly what the folks up north find to be such a draw, but talk about one hell of a business.

In addition to the delicious donuts syonyk mentioned, there's the coffee (coffee snobs, bear with me!)

My sister works at Starbucks, and I do enjoy a cup of their coffee, both at the restaurant and at home.  My sister keeps me supplied with free beans :-)  However, I do prefer the lighter roast coffees.  My sister has explained that lighter roast actually has more caffeine, even though it has a stronger flavour.  That's because some of the caffeine is destroyed in the roasting process, so darker roast = more caffeine destroyed. 

Now, according to the last study quoted on this page (http://www.procon.org/view.background-resource.php?resourceID=1492) "Cocaine is about as addictive as coffee or tea's caffeine."

So, syonyk's joke about Timmie's being laced with crack is not so far off!  It's just that it's the coffee rather than the donuts!

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #16 on: May 21, 2015, 10:50:58 PM »
Have you ever had Tim Horton's donuts?  They lace something very similar to crack cocaine in them - they are indescribably incredible!

Aaaarrrggh! I'm drooling. And, since I live State-side now, I can't get any.

It seems to me that people prefer the kind of donuts they grow up with.

cerebus

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #17 on: May 22, 2015, 03:56:11 AM »
Donuts... that's a good idea for a local franchise actually. There isn't really a South African donut chain at all. I heard Krispy Creme might come here. Problem is ethically for me to sell donuts when I'm such a believer in healthy food...

justajane

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #18 on: May 22, 2015, 05:54:38 AM »
My small city located within a large city is about to open the first Tim Horton's in the area. I expect that it is going to create major traffic jams. Good thing my kids take the bus, because it's on the route to their school! I myself have never tasted their coffee or donuts, but I know some Canadians who are planning to drive 30+ minutes to imbibe.

GuitarStv

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #19 on: May 22, 2015, 07:39:32 AM »
Yeah, the timmies traffic jams are ridiculous . . . and evident at pretty much every shop you see in the morning.

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #20 on: May 22, 2015, 07:55:25 AM »

What do you normally get at Sonics? I have been to one that is near where I live and can't see what's so great about it. Maybe I didn't order the correct things?

I like the burger (with mustard- I can't believe they offer mayo now, they didn't a long time ago). I like the bun, the toppings, and the burger. Not bad for fast food.  Tater tots and a sprite with strawberries.

The strawberry limeades are also good. 

In college I used to go and get toast with gravy. I didn't live somewhere I could make white gravy on my own.

Sonic is known for it's yummy ice as well.


But it's for an "eating out" time. I wouldn't go if I had access to my kitchen. My kitchen is better than going out.

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #21 on: May 22, 2015, 08:55:09 AM »
We have a Zaxby's right in front of my office. There's a noontime traffic jam practically every day in front. A couple weeks ago, I met my wife there for lunch. I walked across the road from my office, and and had to direct traffic to get her into a parking spot. Meanwhile, I noticed one of my co-workers driving across the road to the jam-packed Zaxby's parking lot. It is literally about 200 feet in a straight line from the front door of our office to the door of the Zaxby's. Mind. Blown.

Syonyk

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #22 on: May 22, 2015, 09:04:03 AM »
Donuts... that's a good idea for a local franchise actually. There isn't really a South African donut chain at all. I heard Krispy Creme might come here. Problem is ethically for me to sell donuts when I'm such a believer in healthy food...

So make healthy donuts!  Fry them in whatever oil the healthy fried food crowd likes, and... um... use locally sourced organic grains for the rest?  *shrug*

Meanwhile, I noticed one of my co-workers driving across the road to the jam-packed Zaxby's parking lot. It is literally about 200 feet in a straight line from the front door of our office to the door of the Zaxby's. Mind. Blown.

When I do parking for my church on Sunday mornings, I'll watch people park in the next lot over to get a coffee at Starbucks, then get back in their car to drive the two blocks to the gym instead of just leaving the car there and walking. :(  Usually in very expensive cars.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #23 on: May 22, 2015, 09:33:23 AM »

When I do parking for my church on Sunday mornings, I'll watch people park in the next lot over to get a coffee at Starbucks, then get back in their car to drive the two blocks to the gym instead of just leaving the car there and walking. :(  Usually in very expensive cars.

A lot of places tow if you leave the property.

Helvegen

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #24 on: May 22, 2015, 09:57:23 AM »
I stood for 45 minutes for fish and chips from the Bowpicker in Astoria. They were damn good and worth the wait. My husband said he'd gladly wait again.

That's about the only deep fried mess I am waiting more than 5 minutes in line for. More time goes on the much less appealing fast food becomes. I used to prefer it over eating at home, but now I genuinely prefer my own food. I know where it came from, can control how it is prepared, I know no one dropped it on the floor and threw it back on the plate/in the box, and it is a lot cheaper. I'll eat it if I really don't have that many other options, but I don't often feel it is worth the calories or the money.

« Last Edit: May 22, 2015, 10:01:56 AM by Helvegen »

DragonSlayer

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #25 on: May 22, 2015, 10:02:35 AM »
They had to close the Krispy Kreme here because the traffic was so bad in the morning. The lines would be out into the road (which was a busy intersection) and there were accidents and injuries. I always wondered who lacked the common sense to look at the line and the dangerous situation and say either, "I think I'll just park and go inside," or, "No way. I'll just go somewhere else." Why was it worth putting your car and life in danger for a damn donut and coffee?

Hunny156

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #26 on: May 22, 2015, 11:05:22 AM »
Novelty is certainly a reason for those traffic jams, when a place first opens.  When I lived in NY and we got our first Sonic, I heard that the traffic jams snarled everything for days.  Last year, the first In N Out came to the Austin area in Round Rock, Texas.  In N Out actually has a team of employees from California who come in to manage the crowds for their grand openings.  At the worst, the Round Rock location had people waiting for 4 hours.  Hubby & I gave it a few days, and went just before the dinner rush on Day 3.  The drive-thru was still packed for miles, wrapping around large parking lots, but the walk-in was about 45 minutes.  I wouldn't normally go there, but hubby likes them, and he wanted to go, so we did.  But for those people who waited in a drive-thru line for 4 hours?  They could have driven to Dallas and made a day of it!

justajane

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #27 on: May 22, 2015, 11:53:00 AM »
This isn't fast food, but I had a 45 minute gap between when I dropped my baby off at daycare and when I needed to be at a dentist appointment. I planned ahead to grab a coffee at Starbucks. I never do this, and I ended up not being able to go get coffee -- not because it was too crowded inside but rather because there were so many cars in the drive through that I could get in the parking lot to park. I'm not a Starbucks fan anyway, but in my opinion, the drive thru at suburban shops has ruined the business. I know they don't care, because they make more money off of those people who are too lazy to walk in and get their morning latte, but I just can't be bothered to fight the SUVs waiting for their morning coffee fix.

One time a car was blocking two lanes of traffic to get into another Starbucks that is adjacent to my kids' pediatrician. I was incredibly angry when I had to wait until they moved out of the way, and they seriously hesitated before they back up and got out of the road. I had a sick kid in the car as well, which made me extra frustrated. I was thinking, "You mean your coffee is more important than my ability to safely get my kid to the doctor??"  I could almost see the wheels turning in their head, "I know I'm blocking traffic, but damn it, I need my caffeine fix."

horsepoor

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #28 on: May 22, 2015, 12:00:45 PM »

What do you normally get at Sonics? I have been to one that is near where I live and can't see what's so great about it. Maybe I didn't order the correct things?

I like the burger (with mustard- I can't believe they offer mayo now, they didn't a long time ago). I like the bun, the toppings, and the burger. Not bad for fast food.  Tater tots and a sprite with strawberries.

The strawberry limeades are also good. 

In college I used to go and get toast with gravy. I didn't live somewhere I could make white gravy on my own.

Sonic is known for it's yummy ice as well.


But it's for an "eating out" time. I wouldn't go if I had access to my kitchen. My kitchen is better than going out.

The Sonics in New Mexico have green chile cheeseburgers that are awesome in that not-so-awesome fast food way.  With tots and a cherry limeade?  That was my Friday treat in grad school.  Sadly they discontinued the banana cream pie shakes (the regular banana shakes aren't as good), so nothing off the dessert menu really appeals to me anymore.   Sometimes I still stop by for a diet Cherry Limeade, since they're one of the few places that has diet non-caffeinated sodas.

Le Poisson

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #29 on: May 22, 2015, 12:02:03 PM »
Hi, My name is Prospector, and my job is to make those restaurant drive-thru lines not affect your morning commute.

I work for a municipality, and look at every new build from a traffic perspective. WE have a few tools up our sleeves to try to control the mess made by traffic from new developments, and just because I really don't want to work on the report sitting in front of me, I'll write about what I'm supposed to be doing here instead.

1. Preconsultation - Joey Marconi comes into the planning department to let them know he's thinking about building a new 'insert business here'. He requests a meeting with the planning staff to go over what his lot allows and what rules he will have to follow.

2. Circulation - Based on what came out of the pre-con, Joey hires a bunch of professionals to do work in support of his development. He may need an archaeologist to see if he is disturbing a significant site, he may need an arborist to do a tree inventory, he may need an architect to tweak corporate (franchise) designs to meet local bylaws, he may need a geologist to look at soils and slopes, he may need a traffic engineer to look at his site traffic. All these reports are sent back to the planning department. The traffic report gets sent to me.

3. Traffic Impact Study (TIS) Review. - in the traffic report a site plan is provided which shows the intended internal circulation. There is also an analysis of traffic on the adjacent road, and analysis of what the traffic will look like with his new business opened, and an analysis of what that will look like in 5 -10 years as other land around him develops. Some bylaws will limit what he can do - these include building shape and size, parking requirements, drive-thru stacks, driveway design (*apron width and curb radius), Building code will dictate location and size of fire routes in the site. I review all this to be sure that the bylaws have all been met. Once I'm satisfied with that, I turn to the traffic analysis.

4. Traffic analysis. There is a big book of lookup tables that guess based on industry averages how many trips per square foot different businesses will generate during rush hour. The challenge with this is that the numbers are based on a limited data set and don't always reflect local conditions. For instance, Tim Horton's in Canada performs very differently than Second Cup (another coffee shop in Canada), and the tables are mostly developed based on coffee shops in the USA. SO traffic is estimated based on these tables that may not be the best indicator. If the traffic dude reviewing the TIS is new or unsure of himself, it is easy to just accept the industry standard, but if they are more experienced, they will kick back the study and ask that the analysis be repeated using a proxy site - in other words, take the traffic generated by another Tim Hortons and use that trip rate rather than what is in the manual.

Once the number of cars entering is determined, we look at the direction everyone will come from. Based on the marketing plan for the business, we will get a good feel for the catchment area. Overlaying that on existing travel patterns, or on anticipated origin-destination patterns, we can make a pretty good guess of where the cars are coming from to get to the business. We use simple ratios to overlay the new projected traffic into the existing travel pattern, and voila - how many cars are making left, right, or through moves at each intersection along the way. From this we can analyse intersection operations to see if a new signal is needed, or new lanes, etc.

If we find that the site driveway cannot hold the number of cars needed, we will kick back the report and suggest the developer find a way to add accesses (through adjacent properties? A back way in?) or make the site more appealing to other modes than the common clown car (bike racks, bike lanes, transit bays, walkability, transit incentives, etc.)

Eventually the developer either finds that the site is too onerous to meet our demands and moves to another site that will work, or they make concessions in order to get the site to work. Both of these solutions make me a very unpopular guy to most developers.

Now about Tim-Horton's specifically... They are a really good corporate citizen. Their sites are really bad. They got to be known for having 'the Tim's factor' at adjacent intersections, and the heat was on with an ever-increasing traffic and collision problem at their driveways. In response to this, about 2 years ago they started converting all sites to a dual-drivethru setup which cuts service time in half, and results in a queue length reduction of about 60%. Despite this, they continue to meet our bylaws for long storage lengths without challenging the bylaw. This gives me a lot of comfort when they apply for new sites. http://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/double-double-lanes/

My biggest issues with drive-thrus are that they contribute to the 'car-minded-ness' of our society. We build cities for cars, when we should be building cities for people. None of those site bylaws would apply if you built your site for people, rather than cars. My second issue is with safety of the driver. Your primal mind is wired to rescue your food before anything else, and driver distraction with food in hand, or in car is massive. About a year ago I sat and filmed drivers receiving their food at a drive-thru. Over 90% drove away before puttin gaway their change or their food. That means they are fumbling with change and food at 50 km/h rather than while sitting still in the drive-thru. Scary, especially if there happens to be a guy on a bike riding across the driveway when they pull onto the road. I've been lobbying for a 'safe-spot' for drivers to pull off into and put everything away for a while now, but getting no-where.

Some other sites (ie. Costco Gas Bars) fight against any local improvements in response to safety and congestion, and I can only point them to reports and collision stats in order to transfer liability from the city/region to them.

But enough about me. Lets get back to delicious coffee (with 2 sugar please).

RetiredAt63

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #30 on: May 23, 2015, 05:21:39 PM »
Prospector

That was very informative, thank you.  I find Tim Hortons in shopping center parking lots are easier to access on foot, because the parking dynamic is easier than the ones that are on their own lots.  The ones at service centres can be really good, or really bad.

Unfortunately the factors that improve drive-through access don't always improve life for the customer who parks and walks.

And yes, I like my double-double. 

PJ

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #31 on: May 23, 2015, 10:19:44 PM »


I brought enough for everyone!  Mine is the regular.

I have to admit, when I do succumb to the allure of the Tim Horton's on my way to work, I almost always go through the drive-thru.  It's because their parking lot is awful!  If you park on one side, it's hard to get back out of your space because of the cars pulling into the lot from that entrance, and the people exiting the drive-thru.  If you park on the other side, you're blocked in by the cars lining up for the drive-thru.  And if you park along the back, there's no way to walk to the door without having to cross the drive-thru line-up at some point.  It's seriously poorly designed.  Sometimes if I'm planning to go inside, I'll go to the Tim's kiosk in the gas station next door, but then you don't get a full range of food. 

And just for fun ...


BlueMR2

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #32 on: May 24, 2015, 05:45:30 AM »
I'm not a perfect mustachian, however, today I saw a lineup at the Wendy's drive-through which completely swallowed up the parking lot laneway and proceeded out to the roadway where 5 cars were patiently waiting to get into the parking lot.  The parking lot was also completely full.  Lineups of people just itching to fork over $10-12 each to stuff their faces with empty calories and coke-flavoured syrup while idling their SUVs and full sized fancy work trucks without a scratch on them.

My local McDonalds every day that I drive past on my morning commute.  They'll have a whole lane of traffic backed up to the traffic light trying to get in there every single morning.

forummm

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #33 on: May 24, 2015, 07:52:44 AM »
I'm happy to say that I have not purchased anything from half of the chains mentioned in this thread.

MoneyCat

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #34 on: May 24, 2015, 08:00:23 AM »
I got sick the last time I had fast food because I hadn't eaten anything that rich or high in fat for a very long time.  My body wasn't used to it.

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #35 on: May 24, 2015, 09:56:12 AM »
I eat fast food sometimes. I view it as the grease that keeps my system going. With that said i always go inside to order. The drive thrus are always backed up but inside is empty. Don't worry i always have coupons when i do go. If me eating fast food from time to time requires me to turn on my mustachian card then so be it.

forummm

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #36 on: May 24, 2015, 10:24:45 AM »
Wouldn't it be cheaper to eat at the fast food places even though the food quality is poor. Skipping a $20 grocery bill for a day of the dollar menu wouldn't be a terrible thing.  Sometime I find it easier to do the dollar menu then to get groceries and make the food. 

Is everyone totally against fast food?

I eat really healthy food that tastes better for almost a week on $20--including meat and vegetables every day. Some fast food is OK, but I almost never eat there because it's not very good and is actually pricey. Real food is actually pretty cheap if you shop at decent grocery stores.

MoneyCat

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #37 on: May 24, 2015, 11:07:32 AM »
You can eat on $20 of food for an entire week?  What exactly are you eating?

I find it hard to live on $20 of food for a week, but $35-$40 is pretty easy to do and have hearty meals.  You just need to shop at discount grocers or warehouse stores, buy in bulk, eat a lot of vegetables.

forummm

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #38 on: May 24, 2015, 11:36:44 AM »
You can eat on $20 of food for an entire week?  What exactly are you eating?

For the 2 of us we average $225/mo, or about $26.25 per person per week. We eat homemade granola and milk for breakfast. For lunch I'll eat some combination of dried fruit, more granola, corn chips, almonds and peanuts--whatever I'm feeling like. DW typically has some fresh or dried fruit, a sandwich, etc. For dinner we eat some vegetables (salad, steamed, baked, stir fried, etc), some kind of meat (usually chicken or pork), and usually a pasta or rice. Sometimes we do stuff with beans or cheese. Lots of different ways these items get cooked, and sauces and seasonings used, but those are the main ingredients. And it's always food that has been non-processed or minimally processed, little or no sugar added, high-protein, etc. Very sustaining.

I might have some small amount of chocolate or some fruit for desert too.

forummm

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #39 on: May 24, 2015, 12:09:52 PM »
I don't like coffee. DW drinks it sometimes. It's pretty cheap to brew your own. You can bring it with you to work too. Or have a little machine there.

I think once most people get off of caffeine (and over the withdrawal), they feel more awake than when they use caffeine. Caffeine has a 15 hour half-life (so it stays in your system a long time, even when you're trying to sleep). The caffeine makes you sleep less well, so you are more tired normally.

You can wean yourself over time with more and more decaf in the blend. That should help with headaches if quitting is hard for you.

cerebus

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Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #40 on: May 24, 2015, 12:47:58 PM »
I don't feel like I am addicted to the coffee, but it is a nice beverage to have in the morning.  It seems like it also fills be up and I don't need to have a large breakfast to start off my day.

I have a lot of coffee, it costs me $1 a 200g bag of douwe egberts grounds from a local market.

The dollar menu at McDonald's is pretty good value but otherwise to feed the family a full sized meal it's at least twice as expensive as cooking so we do it very rarely. Particularly as we're both good cooks  and when you start getting used to real flavours you really don't like the taste of fast food.

Today for instance we had oats for breakfast - fry an apple in butter and add sugar and cinnamon before adding the oats, it's lovely. Then for lunch we had a leftover beef and red wine pie that I'd made with a butter shortcrust dough. Then dinner was a lamb biryani, photo attached. Tomorrow I'm thinking a Chinese roasted chicken for dinner (keep the carcass in the freezer to make stock), and so on. Those dishes average around $5 for our family and usually leave leftovers for my lunch.


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« Last Edit: May 24, 2015, 12:50:13 PM by cerebus »

forummm

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #41 on: May 24, 2015, 01:10:33 PM »
Drooling.

Tonight we're having slow-cooked pork shoulder (seasoned so well I don't use sauce) with home made macaroni salad.

wordnerd

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #42 on: May 24, 2015, 03:09:05 PM »
I don't feel like I am addicted to the coffee, but it is a nice beverage to have in the morning.  It seems like it also fills be up and I don't need to have a large breakfast to start off my day.

I have a lot of coffee, it costs me $1 a 200g bag of douwe egberts grounds from a local market.

The dollar menu at McDonald's is pretty good value but otherwise to feed the family a full sized meal it's at least twice as expensive as cooking so we do it very rarely. Particularly as we're both good cooks  and when you start getting used to real flavours you really don't like the taste of fast food.

Today for instance we had oats for breakfast - fry an apple in butter and add sugar and cinnamon before adding the oats, it's lovely. Then for lunch we had a leftover beef and red wine pie that I'd made with a butter shortcrust dough. Then dinner was a lamb biryani, photo attached. Tomorrow I'm thinking a Chinese roasted chicken for dinner (keep the carcass in the freezer to make stock), and so on. Those dishes average around $5 for our family and usually leave leftovers for my lunch.


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Looks delicious! Is that saffron rice on top?

Zikoris

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #43 on: May 24, 2015, 03:57:21 PM »
I used to work at a Tim Hortons with a drive thru that was on a major driving route through Alberta. Once in awhile the lineup would get backed up all he way up the ramp and onto the freeway, at which point police would show up and give the owners hell. It was pretty funny. We ended up hitting new records for speed though, due heavily to necessity - 7 seconds from the time a person ordered until they were gone.

Sam E

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #44 on: May 24, 2015, 07:07:15 PM »
Have you ever had Tim Horton's donuts?  They lace something very similar to crack cocaine in them - they are indescribably incredible!

Aaaarrrggh! I'm drooling. And, since I live State-side now, I can't get any.

It seems to me that people prefer the kind of donuts they grow up with.

Over here in Michigan and Ohio there are plenty of Tim Hortons. It's not the whole country that lacks them. :)

cerebus

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #45 on: May 24, 2015, 07:30:10 PM »

I don't feel like I am addicted to the coffee, but it is a nice beverage to have in the morning.  It seems like it also fills be up and I don't need to have a large breakfast to start off my day.

I have a lot of coffee, it costs me $1 a 200g bag of douwe egberts grounds from a local market.

The dollar menu at McDonald's is pretty good value but otherwise to feed the family a full sized meal it's at least twice as expensive as cooking so we do it very rarely. Particularly as we're both good cooks  and when you start getting used to real flavours you really don't like the taste of fast food.

Today for instance we had oats for breakfast - fry an apple in butter and add sugar and cinnamon before adding the oats, it's lovely. Then for lunch we had a leftover beef and red wine pie that I'd made with a butter shortcrust dough. Then dinner was a lamb biryani, photo attached. Tomorrow I'm thinking a Chinese roasted chicken for dinner (keep the carcass in the freezer to make stock), and so on. Those dishes average around $5 for our family and usually leave leftovers for my lunch.


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Looks delicious! Is that saffron rice on top?

No I wish, I need to invest in some. It's turmeric.


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MoneyCat

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #46 on: May 25, 2015, 01:27:50 PM »
How do you do without coffee every morning?  This is something that I have both at home in the morning and at work in the morning.  I think drinking coffee also makes me hungrier for other things.

I buy my coffee in bulk from the dollar store (along with a big bulk box of stevia to go in it) and I've saved thousands of dollars over the years that way.  It's cheap and easy and you don't have to wait in line for it.

cerebus

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #47 on: May 25, 2015, 01:51:33 PM »
We had fast food tonight. Uhh I'm over it. R120 for 3 disgusting chicken burgers and chips. Not again.


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Sofa King

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #48 on: May 25, 2015, 02:10:29 PM »
When Sonic opened in our city the traffic to get in was so bad they had to put up a street light.

It closed 2 years later.

Worst Sonic ever (and I'm a big fan, as far as fast food goes.)

Sonic sucks and the food is always cold by the time it get to you.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Fast Food Traffic Jams
« Reply #49 on: May 25, 2015, 02:11:45 PM »
I only eat out when I am away from home for a long period of time.  Most of my actual meals out (as opposed to just a coffee) are in social situations at "ordinary" restaurants.  I find I am just as happy with a chili from Tim's as I am with those restaurant dinners. At 1/3 the cost.

Not eating wheat means I don't eat all the goodies - I do miss my muffins from Tim's.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!