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A fast food restaurant you refuse to eat at

YadaYadaYada

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Is there one place (or maybe more) that you wouldn't even buy a bottle of water from? If so is it because you had a negative experience or just because you can't fathom eating the food?

I'm curious because I have a couple of places I absolutely refuse to buy anything from. On the flip side, do you have a fast food place that is your favorite and why?
 

momhappy

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We don't eat very much fast food and I guess that I consider them all pretty much equal.
 

House Cat

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I have "a list." My husband laughs at me because I hold restaurants to certain standards of cleanliness that seem very random to him. Quick examples, if the bathrooms are filthy then I will NEVER eat there again and I might even walk out if I haven't ordered yet. If the salt shakers or condiments are dirty, the restaurant goes on the list. Why? Because that means they aren't holding the restaurant to an acceptable level of cleanliness. There isn't a cleaning schedule going on in the restaurant. If they aren't taking the time to clean the items that the guests touch every day, what does the walk-in refrigerator look like? How dirty is the grill? Food poisoning is real!

That being said, I will never eat and an Arby's or a Dairy Queen. They always seem to be dirty. Taco Bells are notorious for dirty bathrooms but their food is disgusting too. Wienerstitzel...who eats there?

If we have to do fast food, we do Chipotle or a place called The Habit.
 

OreoRosies86

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Burger King. I don't eat a ton of fast food, but ever since that horse meat story, ugh. I also stopped off at a gas station once which had a Burger King attached (gross) and the place was FULL of flies. Live ones, dead ones all over the counter. ::shudder::

I don't eat at Chik Fil A because I don't support their extreme Christian stance on the LGBT community, but their food (especially the Cobb salad) is admittedly delicious.

I love Panera Bread. Nothing better than a hot bowl of broccoli cheddar soup and a baguette after a long day.
 

missy

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All of them. I don't like fast food.
 

chrono

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I dislike fast food but there's none where I will not step into to purchase a bottle of water.
 

YadaYadaYada

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For me, KFC and Taco Bell, I just can't buy anything from either of those places. I will buy coffee from McDonald's, that's about it for there. On occasion we will get a buyer from Wendy's but it is rare.

I love Moe's, we get it every Monday night because they have the burrito deal, I get a salad and they charge the same price as the burrito deal so that works great. Also love Chipotle for a salad. Every Tuesday and Thursday I get my younger son a bagel at Panera and I will get a black iced coffee, that's about the extent of our fast food consumption.
 

Arcadian

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Plenty I won't eat at, as I don't like fast food. If I need a bottle of water, there's always gas stations and bodegas somewhere. I also keep bottled water in my car for any type of emergency.
 

ckrickett

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Jimmy Johns.
 

telephone89

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I won't eat at chik-fil-a due to their hateful religious stance. I don't even think they're in Canada yet, but we travel to the states often and do avoid it.

That's about it haha. I try to avoid fast food when I'm being healthy, but there are some things that suck me in. A DQ blizzard, yum. McD fries and nuggets, TDF. I know theyre terrible for me though haha.
 

asscherisme

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Chic fil a because of their anti LGBT activism.
 

kenny

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I steer clear of not just all fast food chains, but ALL chain restaurants.

Something good happens when the owner herself works right in her own restaurant.

When traveling we explore the side streets and back roads to find mom and pop places.
 

lovedogs

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asscherisme|1479231482|4098863 said:
Chic fil a because of their anti LGBT activism.

Yup. I dislike McDonald's, but I'd eat there if I had to. I like Chipotle, and Jack n the box isn't horrible if you are in a pinch. Plus they have delicious curly fries :)
 

katharath

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WHOA there. Hold the phone, people.

Panera Bread is fast food?? I've never even been to one that has a drive thru! What are the qualifications here?

There are a lot of fast food places that I don't like, but in a pinch, I'd probably eat at most any of them if I *had* to, lol.
 

Dee*Jay

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I will eat certain things at certain fast food places, but I have to draw the line at burgers across the board. The "pink slime" (or is it "pink goo"?) seed got planted in my very active imagination several years ago and That Was That.

I will eat French fries or a hot fudge sundae at McD's, the chocolate custard in a cone at Culvers, and I used to be able to eat a spicy breast a Popeye's but even that weirds me out now...
 

Kaleigh

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asscherisme|1479231482|4098863 said:
Chic fil a because of their anti LGBT activism.



Ditto!!
 

YadaYadaYada

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katharath|1479235680|4098881 said:
WHOA there. Hold the phone, people.

Panera Bread is fast food?? I've never even been to one that has a drive thru! What are the qualifications here?

There are a lot of fast food places that I don't like, but in a pinch, I'd probably eat at most any of them if I *had* to, lol.

Our Panera has a drive thru! If it didn't you best believe I would be going to Dunkin Donuts. No way am I taking my two year old out if I don't have to :bigsmile:
 

katharath

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StephanieLynn|1479239146|4098918 said:
katharath|1479235680|4098881 said:
WHOA there. Hold the phone, people.

Panera Bread is fast food?? I've never even been to one that has a drive thru! What are the qualifications here?

There are a lot of fast food places that I don't like, but in a pinch, I'd probably eat at most any of them if I *had* to, lol.

Our Panera has a drive thru! If it didn't you best believe I would be going to Dunkin Donuts. No way am I taking my two year old out if I don't have to :bigsmile:

Lol, I hear you. My kids are a bit older now but that was my attitude for a long time!!

I was just joking in my post, but I honestly haven't seen a Panera with a drive thru. I wish the one I go to had one :)
 

lovedogs

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This is interesting...I like Katharath's question of "what do you consider fast food''? To me its something that can be obtained in less than 5-10 min either via drive thru or going inside, but no (or very minimal) wait required. In my mind fast food also = unhealthy burgers, fries, etc. So I wouldn't consider Panera fast food (mmmmm, love Panera!), nor would I consider "The Habit" fast food (for those of you in CA), because they give you a buzzer thingy since things aren't done instantly.

Starbucks has a drive thru but somehow I can't think of it as "fast food". I think maybe my definition is weird. Anyone else: how do you define fast food?
 

distracts

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IHOP because I've eaten there twice and gotten food poisoning both times.

Wendys because I don't know why. I just don't like it. I don't know that I've been to DQ or Jack in the Box more than once each either.

There is this one small town McDonalds I refuse to stop at on road trips because we stopped twice and one time there was shit smeared on the wall in the bathroom and another time there was a bloody pad dried to the floor so I don't think they clean. Even just thinking about it turns my stomach.

I don't eat at Taco Bell, Taco Bueno, Taco - are there other taco places like that? Chipotle, etc. I don't know why on earth I would get those when I could just go to a real taco stand instead.

I think most of the fast food we get, when we get it, is from small regional chains or independent places. There are a lot of Mexican, Texmex, sandwich, and burger places near us that are "fast food" but either single locations or small chains with 2-10 local locations, or food trucks and taco trucks (the superior kind of food truck). They all taste much better than the big chains, and at some of them the waiters/waitresses/cooks have been working there 30+ years so I feel like they must also treat employees decently if they're sticking around like that.
 

YadaYadaYada

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distracts|1479241485|4098952 said:
IHOP because I've eaten there twice and gotten food poisoning both times.

Wendys because I don't know why. I just don't like it. I don't know that I've been to DQ or Jack in the Box more than once each either.

There is this one small town McDonalds I refuse to stop at on road trips because we stopped twice and one time there was shit smeared on the wall in the bathroom and another time there was a bloody pad dried to the floor so I don't think they clean. Even just thinking about it turns my stomach.

I don't eat at Taco Bell, Taco Bueno, Taco - are there other taco places like that? Chipotle, etc. I don't know why on earth I would get those when I could just go to a real taco stand instead.

I think most of the fast food we get, when we get it, is from small regional chains or independent places. There are a lot of Mexican, Texmex, sandwich, and burger places near us that are "fast food" but either single locations or small chains with 2-10 local locations, or food trucks and taco trucks (the superior kind of food truck). They all taste much better than the big chains, and at some of them the waiters/waitresses/cooks have been working there 30+ years so I feel like they must also treat employees decently if they're sticking around like that.


I am jealous of your food trucks! They are not common here, I could definitely go for some food truck Mexican :lickout:
 

momhappy

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katharath|1479235680|4098881 said:
WHOA there. Hold the phone, people.

Panera Bread is fast food?? I've never even been to one that has a drive thru! What are the qualifications here?

There are a lot of fast food places that I don't like, but in a pinch, I'd probably eat at most any of them if I *had* to, lol.

I was thinking the same thing.
I'm kind of obsessed with Panera, but I don't really consider it fast food. I suppose it could be though. The service is definitely fast, but the food quality seems way better than a typical fast food chain.
 

OreoRosies86

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Our Panera has a drive thru and it's glorious.
 

iLander

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I won't eat at Arby's. What IS THAT STUFF? :???:

Is Moe's considered fast food? I like going there.

As for chains in general, I do LOVEs me some Stonewood Grill.
 

YadaYadaYada

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I think it's hard to define fast food as one person's definition differs from another. For example someone earlier mentioned Chipotle and maybe someone else wouldn't consider it fast food since they don't have a drive thru. I consider Chipotle and Moe's to be fast food even though they don't have a drive thru. There is also healthier fast food like Subway and Panera, those would still be counted as fast food because of the order to readiness window.

I personally consider any restaurant where you can go in and order and be sitting eating within 5-10 minutes fast food but that might be different for everyone.
 

msop04

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I had a really bad experience at IHOP once... that was enough for me.
 

lovedogs

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msop04|1479252349|4099042 said:
I had a really bad experience at IHOP once... that was enough for me.

For some odd reason I love IHOP. I can't quite explain why, but maybe because they have cinnamon french toast and I love that. Or because breakfast is my favorite meal and they serve it all the time? Not sure. Also, every time I go there (which isn't often) I am excited by all the types of syrups. I hate all of the flavored ones, but the fact that they exist makes me feel like a kid with choices. I think I'm just easily entertained :lol:
 

OreoRosies86

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lovedogs|1479252712|4099047 said:
msop04|1479252349|4099042 said:
I had a really bad experience at IHOP once... that was enough for me.

For some odd reason I love IHOP. I can't quite explain why, but maybe because they have cinnamon french toast and I love that. Or because breakfast is my favorite meal and they serve it all the time? Not sure. Also, every time I go there (which isn't often) I am excited by all the types of syrups. I hate all of the flavored ones, but the fact that they exist makes me feel like a kid with choices. I think I'm just easily entertained :lol:

"I'd also like a whipped cream smiley face with maraschino cherry eyes. Thank you."
 

katharath

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This thread is making me smile.

Long live Panera!! And taco trucks :)
 
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