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I know I've cut back on fast food because both product and service quality have declined dramatically, likely due to staffing shortages. Long wait times, cold f

I know I've cut back on fast food because both product and service quality have declined dramatically, likely due to staffing shortages. Long wait times, cold food, and incorrect orders have pushed me to the point of staying away. It's a weird time, and it's hard to untangle all these additional factors. That said, I'm sure higher prices are having an impact as well.

InefficientRed 4y ago
Fast food is pricing itself out of the market. I think it's a great example of a sector that failed to innovate and is now incapable of providing a product worth buying at prices that are profitable. McDonalds et al. probably should've been investing a lot more in automating their kitchens. The fact that a huge percent of locations -- and all drive-thrus -- still use humans for the ordering process is, similarly, inexcusable. Unless the US massively increases its low-skilled immigration quotes, robotics firms will be the FAANG equivalents of the 2020s-2030s.
- whatshisface 4y ago
  If McDonalds can't afford to pay a living wage at the local cost of living, nobody will immigrate to work for them.
  - InefficientRed 4y ago
    You can fit 3 generations in a single family home in an American suburb of a mid-sized city, and half the world's population would either (a) consider that a QoL improvement or at least (b) put up with it for a while to remit back home. For all the doom and gloom in the USA, it's still an incredibly rich country. To be clear: I'm not making a moral statement here. This is a statement of fact, not a statement of ethical preference.
    - whatshisface 4y ago
      Can three people working at McDonalds own a single family home in an American suburb?
      - roflyear 4y ago
        Three families can....
      - InefficientRed 4y ago
        Someone working low-paid hourly wage work can probably make $20K. A few siblings + their parents = 5 people = $100K. Stagger availability schedules so there's always someone home with the kids, and share vehicles. Suburb of top-tier cities? No. Cheapest suburb of a midwestern city? Absolutely. Again, not saying it's reasonable. Just that it's possible.
        whatshisface 4y ago
        So you argument essentially is that economic conditions dictate that within a few decade, there will be no restaurants in major cities.
        shagie 4y ago
        Commuting. It is possible to commute to the low wages places within major cities while living in less expensive areas. This may be difficult if public transportation makes that too expensive and a losing prospect. Total household income. It is possible to accept a lower wage job if the rest of the family is making more. A spouse or older child can add to the family budget even if the primary breadwinner is making more. Grants / subsidized housing of some sort. College students making a few extra dollars while living in the dorms where the major expenses are paid elsewhere. Back to the older children and summer jobs. Getting a job to do something over the summer and get a bit of spending money of their own. --- Yes, lower paying jobs within higher cost of living areas are going to be having trouble finding people to work there. This has been a thing for many years. Even in the before times, there were constantly places that had "help wanted" signs out and were paying minimum wage. The ones in higher cost areas of the city were more likely to close resulting in more expensive restraints that can be supported by the people who are living the higher cost of living.

InefficientRed 4y ago

Fast food is pricing itself out of the market. I think it's a great example of a sector that failed to innovate and is now incapable of providing a product worth buying at prices that are profitable. McDonalds et al. probably should've been investing a lot more in automating their kitchens. The fact that a huge percent of locations -- and all drive-thrus -- still use humans for the ordering process is, similarly, inexcusable. Unless the US massively increases its low-skilled immigration quotes, robotics firms will be the FAANG equivalents of the 2020s-2030s.

whatshisface 4y ago
If McDonalds can't afford to pay a living wage at the local cost of living, nobody will immigrate to work for them.
- InefficientRed 4y ago
  You can fit 3 generations in a single family home in an American suburb of a mid-sized city, and half the world's population would either (a) consider that a QoL improvement or at least (b) put up with it for a while to remit back home. For all the doom and gloom in the USA, it's still an incredibly rich country. To be clear: I'm not making a moral statement here. This is a statement of fact, not a statement of ethical preference.
  - whatshisface 4y ago
    Can three people working at McDonalds own a single family home in an American suburb?
    - roflyear 4y ago
      Three families can....
    - InefficientRed 4y ago
      Someone working low-paid hourly wage work can probably make $20K. A few siblings + their parents = 5 people = $100K. Stagger availability schedules so there's always someone home with the kids, and share vehicles. Suburb of top-tier cities? No. Cheapest suburb of a midwestern city? Absolutely. Again, not saying it's reasonable. Just that it's possible.
      - whatshisface 4y ago
        So you argument essentially is that economic conditions dictate that within a few decade, there will be no restaurants in major cities.
        shagie 4y ago
        Commuting. It is possible to commute to the low wages places within major cities while living in less expensive areas. This may be difficult if public transportation makes that too expensive and a losing prospect. Total household income. It is possible to accept a lower wage job if the rest of the family is making more. A spouse or older child can add to the family budget even if the primary breadwinner is making more. Grants / subsidized housing of some sort. College students making a few extra dollars while living in the dorms where the major expenses are paid elsewhere. Back to the older children and summer jobs. Getting a job to do something over the summer and get a bit of spending money of their own. --- Yes, lower paying jobs within higher cost of living areas are going to be having trouble finding people to work there. This has been a thing for many years. Even in the before times, there were constantly places that had "help wanted" signs out and were paying minimum wage. The ones in higher cost areas of the city were more likely to close resulting in more expensive restraints that can be supported by the people who are living the higher cost of living.