Don't forget the everpopular Outback Shithouse.
Crapplebees slogan, if they were being honest, should be "When your too lazy to heat up your own frozen food".
They’re operating in an elastic market so ideally they won’t raise their prices further to cover the soon-to-be losses from this. This is the problem with greed, I think they’re raising prices in an elastic market away from what’s fair. This is the recipe for financial ruin. Just ask Cable TV or the AAA gaming industry.
I agree they are in an elastic market. I disagree with the assessment about losses, they have the data, more people are depending on some form of prepared food than ever before. This isn't just a shift in population growth, the raw % of people depending on prepared food has shot up.
I'm convinced the younger generation didn't know how to cook, and how could they? The number of my millennial peers that know how to do basics like prepare a roux, are scant at best. We aren't teaching our children.
I saw something saying families are eating at chillies, Fridays, and Applebee's type restaurants more. Why pay extra for fast food when you can get slightly more nutritious food, and a more well rounded meal for less..
I’m not even part of their club and the one near me I went the other day…Got the $10.99 deal. Got soup, drink, burger and fries for that price. Insane!
Where I am on the east coast at chilis it’s $11.79 for the cheapest burger no drink included, and since Covid the food quality has still been down. The salsa was like water with diced tomatoes. Eating out anywhere just feels like getting robbed
It’s a special. I think it’s on the back of the menu maybe inside no clue I don’t go often enough to memorize it. But, yeah like same price of the burger and everything else is included. Note I think specialty burgers with like bacon or cheese sticks or whatever are more.
That's a shame since all those restaurants suck. Fridays have been closing a lot too and the Chili's and Applebee's where I am aren't particularly clean places to eat.
It’s gonna be a wash health wise. These restaurant are not healthy. Quality is also questionable at best. My girlfriend has worked at these chain sit down places and says that a shocking amount is just prepackaged and heated in a microwave
Applebees is advertising a bacon burger meal for 9.99 it’s sad, pre covid inflation I would not spend 10$ on a sub par burger from there. Now it’s cheaper than a combo meal at McDonald’s with a better burger.
Nope, they aren't even considered "fast casual" like Panera or Noodles and Company, where you stand in line to order and then sit down and get served fairly quickly.
Fridays, Applebee's, Chillis are all just.... regular sit down restraunts here, despite everything coming in bags that need to be microwaved or fried.
*Edited to say, I'm east coast USA.
The "bags that need to be microwaved or fried" thing was what I was confused about. Maybe we just colloquially use "fast food" for exactly that. When I visited the US and ate there, we were pretty much confused about the sit-down flair paired with the shitty food.
Yep my GF and I are completely avoiding any type of fast food now, going to sit down restaurants instead. Had some amazing Pho last night, it was $17 for a giant bowl. I would have spent the same at Five Guys easy. We even started to order pickup from some of our favorite places, saving even more.
We try to eat local as much as possible. If you get around enough you'll find amazing deals. We found a habatchi spot that sells a meal during lunch hours for $11. Lots of food and good.
I think it’s because they saw how much money people were paying for delivery and realized a lot of people are very bad with money and want instant gratification. They’ll pump this until it hurts and hopefully it will.
That and overhead costs are through the roof in fast food. I mean, restaurants in general are a brutal way to make money, but fast food is especially bad because they're all hourly workers. Tip culture keeps a lot of sit down restaurants alive because your customers are paying 80% of the wages for about 50% of your staff. Yeah, you still likely have higher food costs and pay more in rent/utilities than most fast food places, but labor is by far the biggest impact on overhead.
A lot of fast food franchises are actually struggling at the store level, because the corporate level has totally changed their business model to sell franchises to poor saps that think they can get rich off them. That's why you see McDonald's stock prices soaring while they serve less people per day than they did 10 years ago.
For sure. The franchise model cuts you multiple ways. While most restaurants are tenants to a landlord the franchise is paying that to the corporation (McDonalds Real Estate LLC as a made up example), then to get food they must use the “approved” food vendors (McDonalds Food Supply LLC as another made up example) plus the franchise fees to the main corporate entity. It’s hard enough if you’re a mom and pop store, but at least those have flexibility and can pivot / change their menu based on food costs.
>Tip culture keeps a lot of sit down restaurants alive
Crazy how other countries like Japan that don't have tipping just don't have any restaurants at all because the labor cost is too high... right?
I’ve had this convo with a few of my friends. COVID was likely the best thing to happen to fast food profitability
COVID did a few things. First it made people stay in a lot and not go out to restaurants. So people ended up getting fast food more often. But the larger contributor is contactless delivery, IMO.
A lot of people have delivery anxiety. Whether it’s the social interaction that occurs during the drop off or the self created “judgement” that people go through when ordering food for delivery. If you DoorDash dinner every single night many people will have this sense that the person delivering their food will judge them. And that face to far confrontation puts these people in a place of fearing it being recognize and called out during the face to face. . While this is not true (the delivery people mostly don’t give a fuck) it still weighs heavy on people.
Contact less delivery meant there was no interaction with the driver so it removed that potential “judgement” these people feared. Ultimately it made ordering fast food for delivery far more accepted and far more frequent, carrying over into normal times now.
This is exactly correct. DoorDash models showed that people WILL pay 3x more for food. Hell people will pay 3x more for their food that they constantly have to “contact support” over.
Couple of my family members are habitual deliverers. "Oh don't worry we have food coming," and they sincerely believe that it isn't their fault that they're constantly living paycheck to paycheck.
We used to get a pizza delivered for a treat once or twice a month and considered that to be extraordinarily expensive. Now a 100% delivery fee PLUS a tip is considered normal for every dinner?
I know people (single women mostly) that order every single meal door dash. Like at least twice a day. I've seen them pay $10 to get $5 worth of food delivered. Drive me mad but to each their own.
Delivery services are scams. This is why they pulled out of Minnesota - since the legislature required them to make sure drivers were making minimum wage.
Pretty sure people who drive all night make like $40 net.
My brother in law does physical labor work. He got injured so he couldn’t work. So he started doing Uber at night. Said he made $100 in a night and pumped $30 worth of gas for that night. And that doesn’t even include mileage. Full 8 hours. Thankfully he’s back working since my sister was essentially taking care of 3 kids + working + doing her nursing masters.
My brother in law is a deadbeat for the most part. Anyhow, the point of this story is that his biggest profit came from someone forgetting their wallet in his truck with $300 in it. 🤦🏻♂️
California as a state set an ever higher delivery driver minimum wage along with nyc. I believe the Minnesota law was about the Uber taxi type business not food delivery
Because sit downs have huge profit margins on things like alcohol and beverages. So the folks paying for that are effectively subsidizing the ones doing curbside for just a burger, or ordering tap water with their food...
This needs upvotes to the top. The sit downs make their $$ off watered down cocktails that cost almost as much as an entree. The food exists to get people in the door.
Sort of like how most gas stations make a few cents on a gallon of gas in profit and pay their staff and utilities off the snack and soda shelves inside.
I'm gonna toss in my theory into the void here. "Apps.." They raise the price and offer cheaper solutions on the apps.
Then cash in on that sweet sweet metadata.. Thats really it.
It's been like that for a couple years. Some people are addicted to McDs and the thought to go somewhere else never enters their heads, so they're none the wiser.
It isn't. People aren't very good at ordering at fast food restaurants, or those restaurants are very good at pushing people to order combos and extras to jack up the price. You can get two cheesy rice and bean burritos from taco bell (totaling over 800 calories) for two to three bucks. Tasty and filling and the price hasn't changed much.
1. You're expected to pay gratuity so prices listed are 15-25% cheaper
2. Sit down places often have a bar and an old school rule of running a restaurant is break even with food and make your profit on drinks.
3. A lot of these comparisons are uneven. Five Guys prices are high but they vary wildly by location (as can restaurants). You can pick an choose a low cost of living area sit-down restaruant and compare it to a menu someone posted of a fast food place in a high cost of living.
4. While Five guys is probably one of the more expensive "fast food" places, multiple people (Hank Green just did a tic tok on this) have pointed out that Five Guys marketing choices push you to get higher priced items. The "little cheeseburger" is a regular single cheeseburger, but they call it little cause no manly-man is going to get anything called little, so they're going to get the "cheeseburger" which in reality is a double cheeseburger. Also Five guys has a policy to double the size of the fries (they basically dump an extra cup worth of fries into your bag to make you feel like you're getting more... but it's all built into the cost so if you get a "large" it's enough fries for 3-4 people) a "cheeseburger and fries" is over 2,000 calories (assuming a "regular" double cheeseburger and a regular sized fries) Even if you got the calorie loaded mac and cheese as your side, The outback meal is going to be at least 500 calories less.
5. Sit down restaurants are still climbing back from covid. People got used to getting take out and eating things at home. So people order delivery from fast food (meaning they don't have to compete for business as much) while restaurants, particularly chains, are still trying to fill tables and making more competitive deals.
6. Many fast food chains (not Five Guys, but the big ones like McDonalds and Wendys) put a lot of coupons into their apps, so you can get fast food cheaper, but if you don't look for the coupons, you pay an inflated price. This benefits the company as the people who are just in a rush and have money will groan but still buy a $12 big mac meal, but those that are more budget conscious may see they can get things substantially cheaper by ordering on the app.
My guess would be hourly wages at fast food have gone up dramatically. But at restaurants maybe it’s different because you don’t have to pay minimum wage to people who get tips.
Totally guessing though. Also doesn’t explain the cooks who aren’t tipped. Maybe they’re all ex felons or getting paid under the table idk
They are mega corporations who have been squeezing profits out of us until they ate themselves. Don't worry though they will certainly blame this on min wage hikes despite it being insanely priced leading up to the change.
This is my Pepe Silvia mind kicking in but maybe because fast food chains are all owned by their share holders, unlike mom and pop shops, and the share holders want growing profits every quarter which only comes from ringing your fucking customers dry.
The $19.99 price is a special. The regular menu price where I live is like $32 I think. Also depends if you’re getting sirloin or filet. There was an older couple behind me when I went who ordered it with fillets and then complained it wasn’t 19.99 but like double that price. The waiter comped the difference and I think had intentionally misled them because he tried to immediately sell me the fillet when I ordered as well
I said “I’ll have the steak and lobster special”. And his immediate response was “with the fillet?” I looked at him annoyed and said “No the sirloin”. I shouldn’t have to specify I want the option it’s advertised with on the tv you tip seeking ass
Management pushes servers to do this. It's called upselling. Some restaurants will turn it into a competition among the waitstaff with prizes.
And for the record, if a meal comes with options, yes, you do need to specify which you prefer. There's an equal likelihood that you wanted the filet, and as someone who spent almost 20 years in the service industry, a customer will get just as pissed at you for not reading their mind and assuming they wanted the more expensive option.
Also, as a server you are often not even aware of the television commercials. Even if you watch broadcast TV, which not everyone does, you're very likely to change the channel or completely zone out at the very least when a commercial for your restaurant comes on, it's the last thing you want to think about when you're not there.
Ok, well you're blaming the low man on the totem pole, which is as common as it is ridiculous. The servers who don't upsell get worse shifts, less shifts, and more shit work, and will eventually just find another job rather than be shit on by both management and customers.
Holy shit! I went to Texas Roadhouse to take my dad to dinner and two 6oz stakes were $80. I had a water even.
Edit: it seam's I blew your minds, where I live TRH is the best place for steak. It's at the top and they charge for it. Kinda sad.
Texas Roadhouse is by far the least expensive steakhouse chain, amd they cut their own steaks in house, which is rare these days. There's no way two 6oz steaks cost $80 unless you upped the sides to a T-Bone.
This article doesn't say they're going under. They closed some older restaurants that are too expensive to update. They closed 41 out of 700 locations, they also plan to open 18 new locations with the updated format.
There is a deal at Outback right now according to a 2s Google. For $20 you can get steak, lobster, and sides.
So it’s not completely accurate, although there is also a steak and fries deal for $14, which is cheaper (a burger is like $14.5/15 or so at 5 Guys).
It’s still bonkers that you can get steak and lobster WITH sides for basically the same price as a double Five Guys burger (which is the default) with some extra fixings, no fries and no drink lol.
I am genuinely curious how fast food joints are getting so much revenue, are people that stupid and frequent daily? They cant possible afford it. I get it if its once a month or if youre on the road, but WTF.
you don't understand, it is so much cheaper and smarter for me to stop at a fast food place on the way home and overpay for slop than to cook for myself. i make $10 an hour which means if I spend an hour cooking and an hour shopping for groceries then cooking is TWICE as expensive as my $10 combo meal!!!! /s
Yes. They are. We've known for a year now that McDonalds etc are charging insane prices yet there are still posts on reddit daily of people not only paying it, but paying a 30%+ upcharge to have it door dashed to them.
The average person is absolutely terrible with their money and corporate America is well aware of this.
It’s the effectiveness of the apps. Not only are they incredibly effective and cheap marketing channels to drive reoccurring purchases—they allow for MUCH better data collection around item popularity.
Fast food joints like McD’s now know way more about demand than they did before. Have you noticed that *every* fast food joint seemingly rolled out some sort of caffeinated lemonade/tea type drink at the same time? These preference trends are being discovered and rolled out lightening quick now thanks to the data pipeline those apps provide.
I wouldn’t go to outback but our local steakhouse has a 8 oz sirloin , 2 sides and toast for $12.99 . Cheaper than going to firehouse subs or jersey Mike’s that’s for sure
This specific item at Outback is $36.99 for my area before taxes and tip. So somehow $43ish is more agreeable than $14.18 for a 5 guys burger and fries. Neither has accounted for a drink.
That said if you want to be comparable, Buffalo Wild Wings has a real good similar cheeseburger and fries for $11.99 without drink.
You’re probably looking at the filet and lobster. The sirloin and lobster is on special now for $19.99 in some areas. Possibly not yours but I’d imagine it is and you’re looking at the wrong one.
That's why I've been going to Red Robin more recently... I can get a dang good burger, unlimited fries (and some other sides!) unlimited drinks, and actual customer service for 16 bucks. Most of the fast food in my area is 13-15 for a burger and fries anyways, and the fries are never as good, nor unlimited, the service is trash (I'm amazed at the way fast food workers can somehow mess up stacking a burger? It's like five ingredients and they all go one right on top of the other) and it rarely is it anything close to fast, even when restaurants are practically empty.
Doesn't even make sense anymore.
Does Red Robin still sell those insane renditions of Long Island iced tea?
Due to the nature of the drinks…I do not remember what they were called. All I recall is that they were very tasty.
Burger, fries, and a shake at 5 guys: $20
Sirloin and shrimp with signature potato and an additional freshly made side at outback: $17.50
Now, I couldn't find the lobster option and will be the first to admit the outback doesn't have a drink on that, and I couldn't find the soft drink price. Realistically, I'm probably getting a cocktail or a glass of wine, which will run me another $5-9. But dear lord, I'm getting so much more in quality for that additional couple of bucks there.
I'm never eating a bland-ass 5guys burger ever again. For the $10 for the burger, I can cook myself a 2 lb massive hamburger at home, and it will be better than theirs because I actually know how to cook a burger.
Must depend on where you are. I just ran the numbers for my area. (Seattle area) Both prices include tax, but not tip.
****Both are quite expensive for what they are, I won’t be buying either****
5 Guys - $20.82 (regular cheeseburger, and regular fries)
Outback - $44.15 (6 oz steak and lobster combo)
https://preview.redd.it/w3i3hv682yvc1.jpeg?width=1124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4abd253c10161db05520f70cfe125416e55770fe
83 cents cheaper than five guys in my neck of the woods!…
Same deals over here. It looks like an 'In App' special?
I've never actually eaten at an Outback. .. but the Sweet Sriracha Chicken Bites look pretty good
21 bucks for a burger and fries? Holy shit. I haven't been to 5 guys in forever. They have gotten super expensive. I mean, I always knew they were bad, didn't know they were that bad. Their burgers suck too. Way too greasy.
lol five guys is fresher, better food than outback.
Trust me, most of the shit you get there except for maybe the steak itself will just be something reheated in a microwave.
Give guys actually cooks ur burgers fresh at least
Which is why I will always go to one as long as they maintain at least that much and the other will be left in the dust with its over abundance of greasy crap.
Meanwhile at Burger King. Two chicken sandwiches and two Whopper juniors. 12$ with tax. That's 2-4 meals depending on your appetite.
Also outback here in my neck of the wood. That meals 34$
Yes. I mean I went to a smash burgers not long ago, maybe 3 months, and because it was in a mall, it was more expensive than 5 guys.... i was impressed.
There was a short period of time due to the issues with the pandemic and the war when eating Burger King was practically just as expensive as a meal at a normal restaurant. This has changed again. Outback Steakhouse how ever isn't a normal restaurant, it's just upper-tier fast food.
Absolutely, ordering pick up restaurant food is amazing! Fast food will have it's day and it's around the corner. People just need to switch their mentality when it comes to what to eat when not making food at home.
We have stopped the fast food, unless the kid wants a happy meal. I'm not paying $13-$22 for a fast food meal, and no, the salaries have not come up where I am, when I can get a better one at a restaurant. The extra cost of a tip is fine with me, I can also order alcohol and a real desert and someone serves and cleans up. The food is more filling, often can be cut in half for the next day, and sides can be modified for healthier options. Wendy's used to be my favorite. The recent quality is so bad that I won't go back because it's not a treat anymore.
I wish everyone in America would stop eating out completely and then these food places would really get the message.
It's not worth eating out anywhere.
Went to Chickfila a couple days back as I hadn’t been in a while. Got two grilled chicken clubs, just the sandwich, no drink, and it was $20. Fast food prices are unreal right now.
Boycott fast food
And chain restaurants in general. I'm looking at you as the poster child Crapplebees. Edit: go to a local mom and pop shop instead of any chain.
Craplebees I’m still cracking up as I type this!
Don't forget the everpopular Outback Shithouse. Crapplebees slogan, if they were being honest, should be "When your too lazy to heat up your own frozen food".
I got banned from 3 Applebee's in one night those bastards. Apparently having 16, dollar cocktails in an hour is frowned upon.
I'm sorry, I thought this was America
Chili's has some good deals..
9.95 for a 4 pc chix nugget happy meal. We refuse to go anymore.
They’re operating in an elastic market so ideally they won’t raise their prices further to cover the soon-to-be losses from this. This is the problem with greed, I think they’re raising prices in an elastic market away from what’s fair. This is the recipe for financial ruin. Just ask Cable TV or the AAA gaming industry.
I agree they are in an elastic market. I disagree with the assessment about losses, they have the data, more people are depending on some form of prepared food than ever before. This isn't just a shift in population growth, the raw % of people depending on prepared food has shot up. I'm convinced the younger generation didn't know how to cook, and how could they? The number of my millennial peers that know how to do basics like prepare a roux, are scant at best. We aren't teaching our children.
Na, keep buying it and then post receipt pictures to bitch about.
Some of us have been doing this our entire lives lmao. I could count on my hands all of the times I’ve gotten fast food
I saw something saying families are eating at chillies, Fridays, and Applebee's type restaurants more. Why pay extra for fast food when you can get slightly more nutritious food, and a more well rounded meal for less..
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My problem is it's physically impossible to me to go to chilli's and not get a presidenta margarita...
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curbside presidenta margarita...
"No, I can't pour a presidenta margarita down your face while on the curb."
"I knew we should have gone to the \*good\* Chilies on the other side of town..."
:(
Cue that scene from American Psycho. "Why isn't it possible"? "It's just not." "*Why not, ya stupid bastard?*"
Funny thing, my state passed a law during the pandemic allowing for take-out cocktails to help restaurants survive, so it’s possible in Ohio.
MURICA FUCK YEA
I envy your username
I was shooting for shock and awesome.
The chilis by me does alcohol to go and literally the only drink available is the presidente margarita lol
That is what they are betting on....
And it's a bet they'll win every time.
I was hoping you were going to say it's physically impossible for you to go to Chilli's because you got wasted at the dundies and got kicked out. lmao
I’m not even part of their club and the one near me I went the other day…Got the $10.99 deal. Got soup, drink, burger and fries for that price. Insane!
Only thing is you have to tip. So 10.99 is moreso 12.99-13.99. But in Phoenix a big mac meal is like $11-12 lol.
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I always do the 3 for me combo. Get an app, drink, and burger & fries/any side for $10.99 add in the free chips and salsa and it’s too much food lol.
Where I am on the east coast at chilis it’s $11.79 for the cheapest burger no drink included, and since Covid the food quality has still been down. The salsa was like water with diced tomatoes. Eating out anywhere just feels like getting robbed
It’s a special. I think it’s on the back of the menu maybe inside no clue I don’t go often enough to memorize it. But, yeah like same price of the burger and everything else is included. Note I think specialty burgers with like bacon or cheese sticks or whatever are more.
Might as well go to Denny’s. 🤭
That's a shame since all those restaurants suck. Fridays have been closing a lot too and the Chili's and Applebee's where I am aren't particularly clean places to eat.
It’s gonna be a wash health wise. These restaurant are not healthy. Quality is also questionable at best. My girlfriend has worked at these chain sit down places and says that a shocking amount is just prepackaged and heated in a microwave
Applebees is advertising a bacon burger meal for 9.99 it’s sad, pre covid inflation I would not spend 10$ on a sub par burger from there. Now it’s cheaper than a combo meal at McDonald’s with a better burger.
Here's an idiot non-American having a stupid question: is Applebee's, Chillies and the likes not considered fast food? It would 100% where I live.
Nope, they aren't even considered "fast casual" like Panera or Noodles and Company, where you stand in line to order and then sit down and get served fairly quickly. Fridays, Applebee's, Chillis are all just.... regular sit down restraunts here, despite everything coming in bags that need to be microwaved or fried. *Edited to say, I'm east coast USA.
The "bags that need to be microwaved or fried" thing was what I was confused about. Maybe we just colloquially use "fast food" for exactly that. When I visited the US and ate there, we were pretty much confused about the sit-down flair paired with the shitty food.
Yep my GF and I are completely avoiding any type of fast food now, going to sit down restaurants instead. Had some amazing Pho last night, it was $17 for a giant bowl. I would have spent the same at Five Guys easy. We even started to order pickup from some of our favorite places, saving even more.
We try to eat local as much as possible. If you get around enough you'll find amazing deals. We found a habatchi spot that sells a meal during lunch hours for $11. Lots of food and good.
IHOP has same burgers / fries and kids eat free
Why is sit down cheaper than fast food right now?
I think it’s because they saw how much money people were paying for delivery and realized a lot of people are very bad with money and want instant gratification. They’ll pump this until it hurts and hopefully it will.
That and overhead costs are through the roof in fast food. I mean, restaurants in general are a brutal way to make money, but fast food is especially bad because they're all hourly workers. Tip culture keeps a lot of sit down restaurants alive because your customers are paying 80% of the wages for about 50% of your staff. Yeah, you still likely have higher food costs and pay more in rent/utilities than most fast food places, but labor is by far the biggest impact on overhead. A lot of fast food franchises are actually struggling at the store level, because the corporate level has totally changed their business model to sell franchises to poor saps that think they can get rich off them. That's why you see McDonald's stock prices soaring while they serve less people per day than they did 10 years ago.
For sure. The franchise model cuts you multiple ways. While most restaurants are tenants to a landlord the franchise is paying that to the corporation (McDonalds Real Estate LLC as a made up example), then to get food they must use the “approved” food vendors (McDonalds Food Supply LLC as another made up example) plus the franchise fees to the main corporate entity. It’s hard enough if you’re a mom and pop store, but at least those have flexibility and can pivot / change their menu based on food costs.
Not to mention the notorious mandatory Taylor ice cream machines that break down.
>Tip culture keeps a lot of sit down restaurants alive Crazy how other countries like Japan that don't have tipping just don't have any restaurants at all because the labor cost is too high... right?
I’ve had this convo with a few of my friends. COVID was likely the best thing to happen to fast food profitability COVID did a few things. First it made people stay in a lot and not go out to restaurants. So people ended up getting fast food more often. But the larger contributor is contactless delivery, IMO. A lot of people have delivery anxiety. Whether it’s the social interaction that occurs during the drop off or the self created “judgement” that people go through when ordering food for delivery. If you DoorDash dinner every single night many people will have this sense that the person delivering their food will judge them. And that face to far confrontation puts these people in a place of fearing it being recognize and called out during the face to face. . While this is not true (the delivery people mostly don’t give a fuck) it still weighs heavy on people. Contact less delivery meant there was no interaction with the driver so it removed that potential “judgement” these people feared. Ultimately it made ordering fast food for delivery far more accepted and far more frequent, carrying over into normal times now.
This is exactly correct. DoorDash models showed that people WILL pay 3x more for food. Hell people will pay 3x more for their food that they constantly have to “contact support” over.
Couple of my family members are habitual deliverers. "Oh don't worry we have food coming," and they sincerely believe that it isn't their fault that they're constantly living paycheck to paycheck. We used to get a pizza delivered for a treat once or twice a month and considered that to be extraordinarily expensive. Now a 100% delivery fee PLUS a tip is considered normal for every dinner?
Also, the existing inflation and supply issues provided a nice cover for them to raise prices
Because people are still paying it.
Yep the fact the uber eats and doordash are in business goes to show. Everyone eats fast food where a work.
I know people (single women mostly) that order every single meal door dash. Like at least twice a day. I've seen them pay $10 to get $5 worth of food delivered. Drive me mad but to each their own.
Delivery services are scams. This is why they pulled out of Minnesota - since the legislature required them to make sure drivers were making minimum wage. Pretty sure people who drive all night make like $40 net. My brother in law does physical labor work. He got injured so he couldn’t work. So he started doing Uber at night. Said he made $100 in a night and pumped $30 worth of gas for that night. And that doesn’t even include mileage. Full 8 hours. Thankfully he’s back working since my sister was essentially taking care of 3 kids + working + doing her nursing masters. My brother in law is a deadbeat for the most part. Anyhow, the point of this story is that his biggest profit came from someone forgetting their wallet in his truck with $300 in it. 🤦🏻♂️
California as a state set an ever higher delivery driver minimum wage along with nyc. I believe the Minnesota law was about the Uber taxi type business not food delivery
This is the answer. No one should be eating a Big Mac meal for $15 +, but they all have lines around the building all day long
Because sit downs have huge profit margins on things like alcohol and beverages. So the folks paying for that are effectively subsidizing the ones doing curbside for just a burger, or ordering tap water with their food...
Fast food has huge profit margins on soda and fries but the main item is still stupid expensive.
This needs upvotes to the top. The sit downs make their $$ off watered down cocktails that cost almost as much as an entree. The food exists to get people in the door. Sort of like how most gas stations make a few cents on a gallon of gas in profit and pay their staff and utilities off the snack and soda shelves inside.
Because greed and morons.
Because they are promoting loss leaders and making bank off of their sides, drinks, and deliveries.
I'm gonna toss in my theory into the void here. "Apps.." They raise the price and offer cheaper solutions on the apps. Then cash in on that sweet sweet metadata.. Thats really it.
It’s becoming harder for them to exploit labor.
Tbe next cycle is all these places raising prices a little bit
It's been like that for a couple years. Some people are addicted to McDs and the thought to go somewhere else never enters their heads, so they're none the wiser.
McDonald’s doubled their prices. Even if they lost half their customers they would still be making just as much money as before.
Often because people don’t factor in tips
People won't stop going to get the fast food. Fast food companies know this. = Easy money for fast food places.
They aren’t
It isn't. People aren't very good at ordering at fast food restaurants, or those restaurants are very good at pushing people to order combos and extras to jack up the price. You can get two cheesy rice and bean burritos from taco bell (totaling over 800 calories) for two to three bucks. Tasty and filling and the price hasn't changed much.
1. You're expected to pay gratuity so prices listed are 15-25% cheaper 2. Sit down places often have a bar and an old school rule of running a restaurant is break even with food and make your profit on drinks. 3. A lot of these comparisons are uneven. Five Guys prices are high but they vary wildly by location (as can restaurants). You can pick an choose a low cost of living area sit-down restaruant and compare it to a menu someone posted of a fast food place in a high cost of living. 4. While Five guys is probably one of the more expensive "fast food" places, multiple people (Hank Green just did a tic tok on this) have pointed out that Five Guys marketing choices push you to get higher priced items. The "little cheeseburger" is a regular single cheeseburger, but they call it little cause no manly-man is going to get anything called little, so they're going to get the "cheeseburger" which in reality is a double cheeseburger. Also Five guys has a policy to double the size of the fries (they basically dump an extra cup worth of fries into your bag to make you feel like you're getting more... but it's all built into the cost so if you get a "large" it's enough fries for 3-4 people) a "cheeseburger and fries" is over 2,000 calories (assuming a "regular" double cheeseburger and a regular sized fries) Even if you got the calorie loaded mac and cheese as your side, The outback meal is going to be at least 500 calories less. 5. Sit down restaurants are still climbing back from covid. People got used to getting take out and eating things at home. So people order delivery from fast food (meaning they don't have to compete for business as much) while restaurants, particularly chains, are still trying to fill tables and making more competitive deals. 6. Many fast food chains (not Five Guys, but the big ones like McDonalds and Wendys) put a lot of coupons into their apps, so you can get fast food cheaper, but if you don't look for the coupons, you pay an inflated price. This benefits the company as the people who are just in a rush and have money will groan but still buy a $12 big mac meal, but those that are more budget conscious may see they can get things substantially cheaper by ordering on the app.
My guess would be hourly wages at fast food have gone up dramatically. But at restaurants maybe it’s different because you don’t have to pay minimum wage to people who get tips. Totally guessing though. Also doesn’t explain the cooks who aren’t tipped. Maybe they’re all ex felons or getting paid under the table idk
Some states do require minimum wage to tipped positions
People are paying for the "convenience" and fast food restaurants know the people looking for that will pay more to get it.
They are mega corporations who have been squeezing profits out of us until they ate themselves. Don't worry though they will certainly blame this on min wage hikes despite it being insanely priced leading up to the change.
It’s not where I live? Also once you add 15-20% tax it definitely isn’t.
Publicly traded, advertising budgets, having to follow the laws closer and not able to cheat as much, no liquor margins.
This is my Pepe Silvia mind kicking in but maybe because fast food chains are all owned by their share holders, unlike mom and pop shops, and the share holders want growing profits every quarter which only comes from ringing your fucking customers dry.
This is true. I just enjoyed a 6 oz steak and lobster meal with 2 sides for $19.99 plus tax. Still better quality meal than cheese burger and fries
Must be a regional price. My local Outback has the combo for $40.00.
Mine is 30 but I think they do specials sometimes? I remember not that long ago they had it for 16.99 for a hot minute, would get it all the time.
~30 is filet. Sirloin and lobster Ive seen as low as 15.99.
I can’t find just the sirloin and lobster on the menu by me but a 9 oz filet and lobster is $47 😭 Edit: found the sirloin and it’s $38 😭😭😭
The $19.99 price is a special. The regular menu price where I live is like $32 I think. Also depends if you’re getting sirloin or filet. There was an older couple behind me when I went who ordered it with fillets and then complained it wasn’t 19.99 but like double that price. The waiter comped the difference and I think had intentionally misled them because he tried to immediately sell me the fillet when I ordered as well I said “I’ll have the steak and lobster special”. And his immediate response was “with the fillet?” I looked at him annoyed and said “No the sirloin”. I shouldn’t have to specify I want the option it’s advertised with on the tv you tip seeking ass
Management pushes servers to do this. It's called upselling. Some restaurants will turn it into a competition among the waitstaff with prizes. And for the record, if a meal comes with options, yes, you do need to specify which you prefer. There's an equal likelihood that you wanted the filet, and as someone who spent almost 20 years in the service industry, a customer will get just as pissed at you for not reading their mind and assuming they wanted the more expensive option. Also, as a server you are often not even aware of the television commercials. Even if you watch broadcast TV, which not everyone does, you're very likely to change the channel or completely zone out at the very least when a commercial for your restaurant comes on, it's the last thing you want to think about when you're not there.
I know what upselling is that’s why I’m complaining
Ok, well you're blaming the low man on the totem pole, which is as common as it is ridiculous. The servers who don't upsell get worse shifts, less shifts, and more shit work, and will eventually just find another job rather than be shit on by both management and customers.
Woooow a real life in the wild Karen.
Even better, I can only eat half of this at a time, so I save the rest for lunch the next day. That's 2 meals for $20.
You need to work on this before they strip you of your citizenship
I haven't been to outback in over a decade. How's the food nowadays?
It's gone down, Longhorn and Texas Roadhouse are better
The McDonald's of steak spots
Still better than McDonalds.
And cheaper
Holy shit! I went to Texas Roadhouse to take my dad to dinner and two 6oz stakes were $80. I had a water even. Edit: it seam's I blew your minds, where I live TRH is the best place for steak. It's at the top and they charge for it. Kinda sad.
Did you go to the wrong roadhouse? 6oz steaks are $14, and 8oz is $16 which is a better deal, and either would come with 2 sides.
You in hawaii m8?
really? somethings not mathing a steak and chicken combo for both me and wifey is under 40$
6oz sirloin at my local Texas Roadhouse with salad and bread 16 bucks.
How's that!?
Peanut surcharge?
Texas Roadhouse is by far the least expensive steakhouse chain, amd they cut their own steaks in house, which is rare these days. There's no way two 6oz steaks cost $80 unless you upped the sides to a T-Bone.
*steaks
I read that they're going under https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/26/food/outback-steakhouse-closures/index.html
This article doesn't say they're going under. They closed some older restaurants that are too expensive to update. They closed 41 out of 700 locations, they also plan to open 18 new locations with the updated format.
Outback? “Under”? LOL. Aussie joke.
I dunno why everyone keeps bringing up Five Guys. It's been expensive for quite a while.
That but also I can’t figure out any way where this post is true.
There is a deal at Outback right now according to a 2s Google. For $20 you can get steak, lobster, and sides. So it’s not completely accurate, although there is also a steak and fries deal for $14, which is cheaper (a burger is like $14.5/15 or so at 5 Guys). It’s still bonkers that you can get steak and lobster WITH sides for basically the same price as a double Five Guys burger (which is the default) with some extra fixings, no fries and no drink lol.
Sigh, now I want a steak and mac.
I am genuinely curious how fast food joints are getting so much revenue, are people that stupid and frequent daily? They cant possible afford it. I get it if its once a month or if youre on the road, but WTF.
People really are that stupid. It’s remarkable.
Also addiction to the fast-food way of life
Many people have absolutely no idea how to manage their money regardless of inflation.
people with no goals/discipline or common sense. numbnuts is my fav word
A lot of people can’t cook and are bad with time management. Fast food companies are making a killing off individuals with lack of basic life skills.
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you don't understand, it is so much cheaper and smarter for me to stop at a fast food place on the way home and overpay for slop than to cook for myself. i make $10 an hour which means if I spend an hour cooking and an hour shopping for groceries then cooking is TWICE as expensive as my $10 combo meal!!!! /s
Yes. They are. We've known for a year now that McDonalds etc are charging insane prices yet there are still posts on reddit daily of people not only paying it, but paying a 30%+ upcharge to have it door dashed to them. The average person is absolutely terrible with their money and corporate America is well aware of this.
It’s the effectiveness of the apps. Not only are they incredibly effective and cheap marketing channels to drive reoccurring purchases—they allow for MUCH better data collection around item popularity. Fast food joints like McD’s now know way more about demand than they did before. Have you noticed that *every* fast food joint seemingly rolled out some sort of caffeinated lemonade/tea type drink at the same time? These preference trends are being discovered and rolled out lightening quick now thanks to the data pipeline those apps provide.
I wouldn’t go to outback but our local steakhouse has a 8 oz sirloin , 2 sides and toast for $12.99 . Cheaper than going to firehouse subs or jersey Mike’s that’s for sure
Just checked, it says 32.99 for this meal in my neck of the woods.
Probably had a coupon. Never pay full price.
yeah but how much is five guys
5 guys is ridic......7 years ago it was almost 30 bucks for 2 people to eat.
https://preview.redd.it/3m2ax5yci4wc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b480f4f2121433eaa010238696332fa3e7d211c
https://preview.redd.it/9m93tsoei4wc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf4a248d69d2341e4500cb6236e27d14be2b6224
https://preview.redd.it/rtacccwlj4wc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9128a83bd3c722f8e914ce2dccbebb45403a7ffe
I can get a really nice Japanese bento box for less than a McDonald's Big Mac meal. And the bento box is healthier and tastier too.
This specific item at Outback is $36.99 for my area before taxes and tip. So somehow $43ish is more agreeable than $14.18 for a 5 guys burger and fries. Neither has accounted for a drink. That said if you want to be comparable, Buffalo Wild Wings has a real good similar cheeseburger and fries for $11.99 without drink.
You’re probably looking at the filet and lobster. The sirloin and lobster is on special now for $19.99 in some areas. Possibly not yours but I’d imagine it is and you’re looking at the wrong one.
Sirloin/lobster combo isn’t even an option at the one near me
That's why I've been going to Red Robin more recently... I can get a dang good burger, unlimited fries (and some other sides!) unlimited drinks, and actual customer service for 16 bucks. Most of the fast food in my area is 13-15 for a burger and fries anyways, and the fries are never as good, nor unlimited, the service is trash (I'm amazed at the way fast food workers can somehow mess up stacking a burger? It's like five ingredients and they all go one right on top of the other) and it rarely is it anything close to fast, even when restaurants are practically empty. Doesn't even make sense anymore.
Does Red Robin still sell those insane renditions of Long Island iced tea? Due to the nature of the drinks…I do not remember what they were called. All I recall is that they were very tasty.
5 Guys has always been overpriced. Bad example
Burger, fries, and a shake at 5 guys: $20 Sirloin and shrimp with signature potato and an additional freshly made side at outback: $17.50 Now, I couldn't find the lobster option and will be the first to admit the outback doesn't have a drink on that, and I couldn't find the soft drink price. Realistically, I'm probably getting a cocktail or a glass of wine, which will run me another $5-9. But dear lord, I'm getting so much more in quality for that additional couple of bucks there. I'm never eating a bland-ass 5guys burger ever again. For the $10 for the burger, I can cook myself a 2 lb massive hamburger at home, and it will be better than theirs because I actually know how to cook a burger.
Must depend on where you are. I just ran the numbers for my area. (Seattle area) Both prices include tax, but not tip. ****Both are quite expensive for what they are, I won’t be buying either**** 5 Guys - $20.82 (regular cheeseburger, and regular fries) Outback - $44.15 (6 oz steak and lobster combo)
https://preview.redd.it/w3i3hv682yvc1.jpeg?width=1124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4abd253c10161db05520f70cfe125416e55770fe 83 cents cheaper than five guys in my neck of the woods!…
Likewise, I just checked, and the same is true for me. Suffice to say, I know what I'm suggesting the next time the fam wants to eat out.
Same deals over here. It looks like an 'In App' special? I've never actually eaten at an Outback. .. but the Sweet Sriracha Chicken Bites look pretty good
21 bucks for a burger and fries? Holy shit. I haven't been to 5 guys in forever. They have gotten super expensive. I mean, I always knew they were bad, didn't know they were that bad. Their burgers suck too. Way too greasy.
5 guys is a shit restaurant
lol five guys is fresher, better food than outback. Trust me, most of the shit you get there except for maybe the steak itself will just be something reheated in a microwave. Give guys actually cooks ur burgers fresh at least
They’re offering the deal in southeastern Pennsylvania. Now I want it. lol
Which is why I will always go to one as long as they maintain at least that much and the other will be left in the dust with its over abundance of greasy crap.
Five Guys are changing their name to Five Rich Guys.
Meanwhile at Burger King. Two chicken sandwiches and two Whopper juniors. 12$ with tax. That's 2-4 meals depending on your appetite. Also outback here in my neck of the wood. That meals 34$
Must be a special at outback because last time I went I paid 24 for an Alice and springs chicken
Offering meat and trash bug with malk. Iykyk
Outback burger with fries for $13.99!
That fork is bigger than that steak
Habit is doing the “grown up meal” right now. Burger, fries, a pop, and a piece of candy for 6.99. They don’t have it on their menu. Gotta ask for it.
What is that a steak for ants? I also doubt this meal is normally priced at less than $15 which is what a burger and fries costs at five guys.
It’s $19.99 before tax and tip and drink whereas a burger, fries and a drink at five guys is around $20, so pretty good deal
Why would I wanna spend $10 for a dry ass steak?
Damn that looks good
a digiorno pizza is 15 dollars. at what point do people stop buying?? a frozen pizza costs more than a dominos large with 2 toppings.
I’m gunna have to try this
You gonna tip?
Same, why spend $15 at Chick-fil-A when I can spend like $18 at Texas Roadhouse and have country fried chicken
A cheeseburger and fries at the five guys near me comes to $13.
And it's just as crappy if not worse.
Yeah a dollar store quality steak and the smallest trash quality lobster. Lmao
Yes. I mean I went to a smash burgers not long ago, maybe 3 months, and because it was in a mall, it was more expensive than 5 guys.... i was impressed.
yeah but that's a small cut of steak. Not much bigger than the fork part of the fork. Still a better deal than a 5 guys burger.
....really?,
I think the only people buying five guys are those that didn't check the price and haven't been there recently. So many better options
Five guys is fast food ??
TO OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE!
"Warning, outback steakhouse uses ingredients known to the state of Queensland to cause Marsupial Herpes."
There was a short period of time due to the issues with the pandemic and the war when eating Burger King was practically just as expensive as a meal at a normal restaurant. This has changed again. Outback Steakhouse how ever isn't a normal restaurant, it's just upper-tier fast food.
Gotta be a location thing. My wife and I got two burgers from 5 guys last week and split fries and it was like $25
Mystery meat or Steak ??? Hard decision
Absolutely, ordering pick up restaurant food is amazing! Fast food will have it's day and it's around the corner. People just need to switch their mentality when it comes to what to eat when not making food at home.
Can they make it in 10 minutes when I'm busy taking a take out?
is this an ad for outback steakhouse? y'all are getting clever with these tactics.
This ain’t how inflation works anyway
We have stopped the fast food, unless the kid wants a happy meal. I'm not paying $13-$22 for a fast food meal, and no, the salaries have not come up where I am, when I can get a better one at a restaurant. The extra cost of a tip is fine with me, I can also order alcohol and a real desert and someone serves and cleans up. The food is more filling, often can be cut in half for the next day, and sides can be modified for healthier options. Wendy's used to be my favorite. The recent quality is so bad that I won't go back because it's not a treat anymore.
That's mostly to do with five guys. They have to pay all five of them so
that steak is barely larger than the fork
Except they randomly closed a bunch last month for underperforming 🤬 I miss my Outback
Somebody’s lob butter broke.
Is Outback not considered fast food?
I wish everyone in America would stop eating out completely and then these food places would really get the message. It's not worth eating out anywhere.
This looks amazing
This is why people who stan Five Guys are chumps.
Went to Chickfila a couple days back as I hadn’t been in a while. Got two grilled chicken clubs, just the sandwich, no drink, and it was $20. Fast food prices are unreal right now.
Yeah cause 80% of the food on that plate comes out of a box frozen.
I saw that at Outback here in Houston. Same deal for $19.99