I should have mentioned that yes, I only go to Chick-fil-A if I have a free sandwich offer. But those are very common, usually at least once a week there is one to be had if you pay attention to the local sports as nearly every team has some kind of promotion (Angels score 7 runs, Ducks score 5 goals, LAFC wins at home, something with the Clippers and so on). Furthermore, many times I eat there I get a survey email and filling it out gets you... A free chicken sandwich.storewanderer wrote: ↑May 6th, 2024, 11:41 pmChickfila is a terrible value unless you have a free sandwich offer. I expect that chain's traffic to start to fall back significantly. Also their fries are lousy. They changed them so they don't "sink" in the containers as customers kept complaining the containers weren't full but it was the fries were "sinking" in as they sat out too long (delivery orders etc.). I think their old fries are currently in endcaps at Grocery Outlet - Ore Ida Frozen Waffle Fries - 2 bags for $1.99 with June expiration.ClownLoach wrote: ↑May 6th, 2024, 9:43 pmDid you see me recommending my current favorite burgers? Notice that I didn't say INO. What I love about INO is that it is cheap, clean, consistent, efficient, and high quality. Prices at other fast food places have increased to the point where I visit them less and less, along with hours reductions where I usually go to fast food late. So I guess if a chain was trying to better serve me as a customer, it would be INO.
My current favorite burgers include Islands (after a multi year hiatus while they tried and failed to become "healthy and organic"), Heavy Handed in LA, and my newest obsession is Tanners Prime in Oceanside. I also really enjoy Freddy's but all their locations are 50+ miles from me.
Anyway when I look at my fast food spending, INO has taken the #1 position. Chick-fil-A #2, Del Taco has fallen to #3, Raising Cane's #4, Jersey Mike's #5, and Chipotle a very distant #6. I visit McDonald's for breakfast only and that is becoming less and less often.
For beverages I equally enjoy Dunkin, Starbucks, and whatever cool independent I can find.
Love snacks and desserts from Dairy Queen. Fried cheese curds..... Yum!
I have given up entirely on Jack, Carl's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, BK, KFC, Sonic, Panera, Subway, and Pollo Loco.
I don't know- I think the app Jack in the Box 2 for $3 Breakfast Jack is a very solid deal and served all day. It appears the single unit/walk in price is 3.49 each now which is absurd. And it can be combined with other "offers" which are few and far between lately but as noted we did get a couple this weekend that were interesting enough. I haven't purchased McDonalds breakfast in a while other than in the airport and it is really awful especially for what they are charging. They had a glitch going for a while in their app at the airport unit where a 1 burrito/1 inedible hash brown/1 drink (could get a large drink even) cost 2.19 but they finally fixed that after about 10 months. Lately I just bring food and if needed just eat at the connection.
I keep getting lured by Wendys for certain offers but their food keeps getting worse and worse. It is like they just keep cutting corners. I have locations that claim they no longer offer brewed iced tea, I get stale/hard buns on jr. burgers, I get breakfast biscuits that they didn't butter, if it isn't one thing it is another with this chain. Some locations claim they don't participate in the 2 for $3 breakfast offer but in the app it lets you order it at said locations. Other locations can't scan the app for offers claiming the scanner is "broken" (it has been "broken" for about 3 years at these locations). One location out in Sparks forces you to order on the kiosk which conveniently doesn't have any way to accept app offers. The 4 for $4 with a Jr. Cheeseburger is still available via app only at pretty much all of the locations around me even many CA ones... so that is something.
I don't want to give up on Carls but their pricing has ruined it. If I can get coupons or decent app offers I am there and happy.
So you're correct that at full price it's a terrible value, but they are basically giving away at least one meal a week and when I mobile order for dine in then I can walk past everyone, enter the table number on the app and my food is made fresh then brought to the table so I don't have fries or chicken that have been sitting and waiting.
The downside to both CFA and INO is that neither one is any good if it has been sitting at all. They don't have whatever artifical preservatives regular fast food has so the fries get cold and soggy, burger stiffens up, chicken falls apart etc.