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Even the chain, franchise eating places are going down hill.

We have local Mexican franchise, Filaberto’s.

Some good, some bad, not all equal. Owners who pay well don’t turn staff.
Filiberto’s, Adelbertos, Rigoberto’s, Alberto’s are all good, but Tucson has a Mexican restaurant about every block. I have eating spots for Thai/Chinese food, burger joints, etc. For some strange Applebees/Chili’s are where my wife loves to go. At least Applebees usually has drink specials.
 
Yeah, I can go to the local supermarket deli and get fried chicken and two sides (more than you can eat) for $6. It's a no brainer if I want fried chicken, but they stop making chicken at 4. At the last party I went to a few months ago I did like you. It was much cheaper with better/faster service.

I usually get my chicken from the butcher and bake it though.
I amazed a friend when I told them I usually buy whole chickens and just cut them up. He asked if I had been a butcher, I said I just learned how to cut up a chicken from Julia Child.
 
Our local Culver's is one of the best run locations in the state and the recipient of past awards due to those efforts... and one of the few chains with good food. Prices are up a bit yes but not as drastic as other joints that serve swill I would have a hard time feeding my dog.


I am also astounded every single time I go past our local Mc D's how many cars deep the drive up is with the store being half empty, and equally amazed how people can eat that food that often.
💩
I drove by a McDonalds every morning for 14 years. I maybe stopped twice in all that time, and regretted it immediately. All that grease just doesn’t agree with me. I typically left at the same time and noticed that it was the same cars day after day.

I did some quick math. It came out to around 40.00 per week for something that you know is not good for you. I would typically start my day with yogurt and strawberries. Then I would take a banana for a snack. If I did eat out at lunch it would be a salad at a deli for 5.00.
 
I rarely eat fast food, but I did try a grilled chicken sandwich at my local Culver's. It was pretty dang small and the chicken was dry. $7.63 with tax.

Won't be back. YMMV.
Sorry to hear that Eric. Never had a chicken sandwich from Culver's. I generally get a Butter Burger or fish sandwich, two of the items for which they are known.

Did you take the sandwich back to the counter?
 
The USA has been spoiled for decades with low-cost food. It’s now catching up to the rest of the world. Good food costs money. The fast-food crap that’s spiraling downwards, is trying to hold those artificially low prices and that business model doesn’t exist anymore.
That motto is generally true - You get what you pay for ...

Cheap food typically aligns with low quality ingredients; not to presume that all expensive foods are the counter point - caveat emptor and all that

I am also astounded every single time I go past our local Mc D's how many cars deep the drive up is with the store being half empty, and equally amazed how people can eat that food that often.
💩
My neighborhood McDs has a 24/7 drive thru.
I'm amazed at how busy it is say, 11pm on a weeknight
 
Now that prices at places like McDonald's are way up, I prefer to go to Chipotle. For the same money, you are getting far healthier, higher quality food.

I like Chipotle. I used to eat there in Fort Lauderdale.

Then a new Tex-Mex opened in Pimpano Beach. They followed with a second one in Fort Lauderdale nearer to me.

They decided to franchise. One just opened up some months ago here in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

They make everything fresh on premises. They have a hot sauce bar with a dozen or so choices. You order, sit down and they bring the food to your table.

The last time I went in to Chipotle, there were two young women, in their late teens or early twenties. Both ordered burritos. One paid $14+ for her order, the others came to over $17. They apparently thought nothing of it. I decided to go elsewhere.

Here is a photo of my burrito from a couple if weeks back.

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I ordered it without the rice (inside). Made with ground beef and pinto beans.

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You can see my sauce assortment in the background.

At Tijuanna Flats they have specials on different days. Today was Thursday and they had the burritos in a bowl or wrapped, with chips and a drink for $7.99

This is the kind of FF we need. For $8, that is a serious meal.
 
Went to KFC for the first time in about six months.

Four-piece combo. No Extras, no add-ons.

$16.75

All the pieces looked like they were put through a shrink-ray.

Used to love KFC. Their original recipe fried chicken is my favorite!

I stopped by for a snack. Two pices of chicken only were over $10 (might have been three)?

They did appear to be rather small...
 
I am also astounded every single time I go past our local Mc D's how many cars deep the drive up is with the store being half empty

I understand when you have children in the car and getting out is a hassle. But most cars I see in the drive-through are adults.

I never go through drive-throughs. I always park and go inside. I can walk up to the counter, order and get my food in a few short minutes. Certainly in a good deal less time than the drive-throughs.

Now, we are seeing drive-throughs with two lanes.
 

Eric_75

Not made for these times.
Sorry to hear that Eric. Never had a chicken sandwich from Culver's. I generally get a Butter Burger or fish sandwich, two of the items for which they are known.

Did you take the sandwich back to the counter?
No, I left and went to my favorite mom and pop place down the street called Palmer's Inn, Brock. :)
 
I rarely eat fast food, but I did try a grilled chicken sandwich at my local Culver's. It was pretty dang small and the chicken was dry. $7.63 with tax.

Won't be back. YMMV.
Eric, good morning, sir. When you mention "YMMV", it prompted me to say this about Culver's. I can't recall feeling disappointed in the food I ordered from Culver's. That said, items which are top notch from there are the deluxe Butter Burgers, the fish and chips meal, the roast beef sandwich, the pork tenderloin sandwich, the cheese curds, and their frozen custard. IMO, of all the fast food places out there, if there's one that deserves a second chance, it's Culvers.
 
The natural order of progression is that
the franchise food locations
become occupied by marijuana shops,
and then *their* customers
rediscover the mom and pop diners.
Funny you mention this. My local Burger King, which sux'd, closed down about three years ago. Late last year it was remodeled and turned into guess what? A cannabis shop and they're having a grand opening starting today. And since I live in NJ, they're having a Bruce Springsteen cover band as part of the celebration.
 

Eric_75

Not made for these times.
Eric, good morning, sir. When you mention "YMMV", it prompted me to say this about Culver's. I can't recall feeling disappointed in the food I ordered from Culver's. That said, items which are top notch from there are the deluxe Butter Burgers, the fish and chips meal, the roast beef sandwich, the pork tenderloin sandwich, the cheese curds, and their frozen custard. IMO, of all the fast food places out there, if there's one that deserves a second chance, it's Culvers.
Good morning, my friend. I'm moving back to Nashville next month. I'll give Culver's another chance when I get back there.

Btw, have you had tacos lately? 😆
 
I go to Culver's like 4 times a year, twice to one in middle Wisconsin and twice to one in Marion Illinois. Both locations so far have been consistent in the last few years and reading the posts on this subject surprises me how spread out this franchise has gotten. I know of another in Elizabethtown Kentucky and Kingwood Texas which I haven't tried yet only because once in a while I'll have a Whatabuger. I have 2 close to my home but have never gone, anyway as they spread out I hope they don't loose quality or service.

I'd like to add that for some reason I have taken a liking to the Taco Bell cheesy double beefy burrito, which I have also duplicated at home but still no luck duplicating KFC.
 
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I go to Culver's like 4 times a year, twice to one in middle Wisconsin and twice to one in Marion Illinois. Both locations so far have been consistent in the last few years and reading the posts on this subject surprises me how spread out this franchise has gotten. I know of another in Elizabethtown Kentucky and Kingwood Texas which I haven't tried yet only because once in a while I'll have a Whatabuger. I have 2 close to my home but have never gone, anyway as they spread out I hope they don't loose quality or service.
We had our grandkids for an unexpected visit a few weeks ago. They hadn’t had anything to eat and wanted to stop at McDonalds. We went in and had to use the self serve menu. My wife was in tech and I was in manufacturing so we had exposure to screens and fairly complicated systems. This screen looked like a control panel for a nuclear plant. We ordered and by some miracle it was correct. It would have been easier to go through the drive thru
I understand when you have children in the car and getting out is a hassle. But most cars I see in the drive-through are adults.

I never go through drive-throughs. I always park and go inside. I can walk up to the counter, order and get my food in a few short minutes. Certainly in a good deal less time than the drive-throughs.

Now, we are seeing drive-throughs with two lanes.
 
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