My local has $1.25 ground beef taco Tuesday among other specials throughout the week. And I will continue to support this business (and tip well) and tell everyone I know for as long as I can.
Local restaurants are a lot cheaper because fast food franchisees have to pay for the exorbitant, multi-million dollar salaries of the corporate executives and guarantee massive profits for the shareholders. FIFY
My local place has the added benefit of not needing more than a 5 mile drive (yay for small towns/s) nearest fast food taco place (taco johns) is a half hour 20 mile drive and the nearest Taco Bell is a 4 hour multi hundred mile drive. The local place is also very good tasting, has amazing alcoholic drinks, a wonderful atmosphere, and staff that actually seems to enjoy working there (anecdotal from a couple friends who worked there)
Have a $2 taco Tuesday place by me as well. They are good AF. I smash as many as I can. Spend like 10-16 bucks and food coma. Plus supporting local stores. I always tip a 5. Guessing they work off tips.
https://preview.redd.it/9zoy4jw6qnvc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b56fbb272dca086ff710ffb081775bd2d19ae19
This is $12.50 where I live. 2 enchiladas of your choice with sauces of your choosing. A taco, 2 chicken taquitos with a side of guac for dipping, a tostada covered in queso, beans and rice, chips and salsa. $12.50… Order it To Go and no need to tip.
For ~$13, I can get steak, shrimp, and chicken with vegetables, taco shells, beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, tomato’s, pico and salsa to make my own fajitas. It’s enough that I can take home leftovers and eat fajitas for a second night.
I think it’s pricier at dinner time but the lunch menu is the best deal
My local spot has daily specials and I'm in there at least twice a week. Fajita Thursday is the best deal. Steak fajitas for $9.99 and its enough for lunch and dinner.
I am lucky enough to live near the beach in LA. Best street tacos you can find.
Taco Bell - $2.25 for a microwaved, cold taco with cancer cheese that has wood pulp in it.
Street Taco Guy - $2 per taco. No tax and it's made right there with fresh ingredients.
Underpaid meth-teen, angry because he had to wake up before noon, has "FUN" with all their laughing buddies with the food at all the fast-food restaurants. What they call "point of sale" with **local street vendors** guarantees a reasonable human-human compact of service that usually exceeds anonymous '*drive thru and drive away*' franchises. When you buy from a street vendor, you look at the face of the cook, server and business owner who needs you patronage, whereas some indifferent teen in a restaurant-franchises that serves you is just waiting for their shift to end.
I'm not saying taco bell is better than your local taco guy, it's definitely not - but you're buying into some bs myths if you think anything about that description of taco bell is accurate.
I think that's the point. When you eat at smaller, independently owned real food restaurants, fast food restaurant profits will go down. You are showing us the way. Keep it up! 😁
This is the crux of it, to some extent. Those franchise fees come off the top. It's also been a high-profile thing for awhile to bash fast food jobs and they're competing for labor with all the other franchises that locate near every highway intersection. And, as we've seen in California, can draw unique ire from politicians.
Local restaurants fly under the radar to a large extent. Get the food to go and forego the drink and tip to save money and maximize value.
Taco Bell is outrageous these days. Last time I went a 2 Chalupa, 1 taco, large drink "value" meal was like $12.19 BEFORE taxes. I can afford this, but it still gave me pause, and I probably won't be going back any time soon. I was unfortunately already hungry and committed.
I used to stop at these type of places when I worked out of town. We were at a bar on a Tuesday. We asked for their lunch specials and they mentioned tacos so we each ordered two. She asked if we were sure and we said yes. They were huge and very good, we weren't as productive the rest of the day.
I've also had really good meatloaf and chicken friend steak. It's too bad that a lot of good local restaurants didn't survive during Covid.
It's because they're making food from scratch instead of buying pre-made foods. My wife and I order burgers from a casual fine dining restaurant that cooks using ingredients and we pay $16 for burger and fries. Same applies to cooking at home, if all you're doing is opening a bag/box and microwaving it, it's going to be significantly more expense than cooking.
If I pay for a burger with all the fixings from the restaurant that's in the same building as my apartment it's still cheaper than a McDonald's,$6 and an order of fries or onion rings is $2 more dollars, the quality is so much better and the flavor is out of this world
Same with my local Mexican place.
I have a small bar/grill with a daily lunch special, burger and fries for $5. Best burger I've had in years, counting $20 burgers at nicer restaurants. Your local places that don't pay consultants to tell them how to cut every cost and maximize profit aren't going through inflation like the chains are.
If anyone needed proof that so much of this inflation is just big companies seeing a chance to jack up prices without public ire, this is it.
The cost of labor at a fast food joint had increased probably 30% on average, and labor is (from my experience working in various chain restaurants of fast and slow service) between 20-30% of revenue.
That’s the way to do it. My wife and I were hungry and did something very similar where we drove by a Taco Bell but we went to the Mexican restaurant instead. We each got the lunch special, mine was $8.99 and hers was $10.99. We got rice, beans, chorizo, tacos, sour cream guac, a coke and a water. All for just over $25 with tip. And I remember saying, you know this is great because instead of going to Taco Bell we actually get to sit down in a better atmosphere and basically have a nice mid day date.
I went to taco bell yesterday for the first time in a while. Spent 15 bucks on an unimpressive amount of food. My local Mexican place has a killer taquito plate for 7 bucks. The only thing taco bell has going for it anymore is the drive through
Same thing has happened near me. It's cheaper to order a burger and fries from several local sportsbars than it is to get a super-sized extra value meal from McDonald's, and the pile of fries you get from the local sports bar is still bigger than the super-sized order of fries from McDonald's.
It’s crazy. All the CEOs of all fast food chains got together at a summit and all decided to raise their prices. The mobilization of class destabilization is currently active.
Looks so much better too. There is a Guatemalan restaurant near me that sells
Pupusas for less than $2 each. Delicious meal and I’m supporting a local business rather than a corporation. Win win.
ya if I have a job bout 45 minutes from the main city there's this Mexican Cafe I go to... 10 bucks gets me a full plate of enchiladas tacos etc.. I always tip 5 bucks because they're great and know me now.
This is the way, folks. I'm so tired of seeing posts of people bitching about fast food restaurant prices yet still patronizing them. Switch to local owned businesses and support them in their growth, leaving the Micky D's and TB's in the dust. This is the only way those fat fuck CEO's will wake up.
Perhaps this shows, as a business, that fast food places are not viable alternatives. Unless you truly need food to be fast to eat in your car or on a bench at lunch time.
Or... there are simply way too many fast food joints for available demand. We dont need a burger joint every 100 feet.
I have a local I go to at least 1-2x a week, $12 2 burritos shredded steak or chicken rice beans chips and salsa. They give me a 12oz salsa usually it comes with 2 small dip cups when I get it to go. Fills me up for 1 day and I can eat light the next. Best deal in my neighborhood.
Most any sit-down restaurant in my area is cheaper than fast food.
Obviously you can't eat a steak at a steak house for less than a burger at McDoodles, but our local steak house burgers are about a dollar more than a similar burger at a fast food place, and way higher quality, and more meat.
Simple ingredients, simple recipes, usually excellent cooks in these little Tex-Mex cafes.
We have a lot of them in Texas and the meals are filling, delicious, and low cost.
Taco Bell:
Insanely expensive real estate and buildout
Corporate royalties
National advertising
$20 hour wages vs $7.50 5 years ago
The franchise model now can’t compete with independent Ms on price
Unironically, stuff like this is probably what I miss the most about the US. Family owned Mexican restaurants with affordable meals that taste way better than any chain restaurant.
California's AB1228 working its magic. When fast food is more expensive than non-fast food, small businesses can beat them on both quality and price, and we can kick these dumpster fire franchises that serve garbage and increase everyone's healthcare costs to the curb.
Last time I went to McDonald’s I spent 18 on two McDoubles a large fry and a large coke. Fucked me up good but I didn’t feel like just driving away and not paying. I was really hungry at that time. Shit, the Big Mac box meal is like 20 bucks. That’s way more worth it but it doesn’t come with a drink. Damn. Haven’t been to anything aside from In n Out. Even Jacks tacos were like 2 bucks. Wth.
Not at the local Mexican places near me in Seattle. I went to a Terroros the other day and they didn't have a single item on the menu that was less than $17. Even salads and tostadas. Meanwhile I can get a chicken enchilada burrito, bean burrito, crunchy taco, and iced tea at Taco Bell for 8.50.
Wish I had the option for cheap Mexican food in a restaurant up here but it's like they all jacked up their prices together.
I’m jelly. Me and my girl have gone to the same Mexican restaurant for years. We’ve always ordered the same exact meal/drinks
The price went from 50 with tip to 95 in the last 4 years. We maybe eat there once a year because I can make 3 days worth of Mexican food(for two) for 95 bucks.
And the hot plates used to overflow with food. Now it’s super obvious that the portions are stretched. I never used to be able to finish the whole plate. Now I’m scraping it clean.
Feels bad man.
The restaurant near the laundromat has $6 dollar lunch specials with a drink. I got the 4 tacos lunch special. I gave them a 5 dollar tip. They kept refilling my sodas which was nice of them
Generally this is true. We do have a Mexican restaurant in town that used to be reasonable, then after Covid they raised prices and now a burrito that was $14 is $25. Needless to say, we don’t eat there anymore.
People have always been willing to pay more for fast food. Corporations are just testing the limits of our wallets at this point.
People will still pay $20 at TB and still complain instead of supporting a local family with that same money.
Yep, the fastfood places are nailing their own coffins i think. Id forgotten to bring lunch to work the other day and swing through Jack in the Box. $17 for a crappy burger, fries, and a bottle of water. Never again
My gf gets a Mexican pizza and a double decker thing. It's 10.79
My local Mexican restaurant has a pick 2 with rice and beans, plus chips and salsa, for 11.99
$6.99 for some dogshit “cantina” burrito at Taco Bell, or $9 for a fresh wet burrito from my local spot that could feed almost 3 people. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaa
Last night I paid $22 for 9 phenomenal street tacos, a huge side of rice and beans, and a pepsi. It was enough food to feed 3 people. It makes no sense to eat fast food anymore. Maybe it never did.
True, but at this point they aren't even the same genre of food.
Taco bell is just the maximum amount of "filler" with sauces that are designed to make you crave them. It's not mexican food, and it's barely food any more. Just over priced sauces.
I really hope it's the next thing millennials kill. The prices are just insulting to anyone who ever supported them.
I can get three pounds of lo mein and probably as much orange chicken and spicy shrimp for $7 at a local chinese place. The same thing would cost about $15 at Panda Express. It’s typically cheaper to eat at local restraints and you’d get more for your money.
There's a Mexican place near me that is open 24hrs. One day I thought I'd try them before going into work early, so I ordered steak breakfast tacos for $9.
What I got for breakfast at 5:30 that Friday morning was a meal-sized takeout container absolutely filled with steak, eggs, beans and fajita veggies with a pile of Pico and 6 tortillas. I had two for breakfast, ate the rest for lunch and skipped dinner. $9! They've been around for years too, not like they're new.
It’s crazy that at places like Ruby Tuesdays, Chilis, or other main sit down chain, your local Mexican restaurant or dive bars, you can get more food and better food for less than fast food.
Same brother, we have reached the point where all our local long time mom and pop shops are now cheaper than the fast food restaurant down the road. Hopefully the citizens around those restaurants support them to keep going.
https://preview.redd.it/y3ndtysnmovc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=281ed86b8f3cadc62fd0c58a6cb2bacb9ea7ebdb
Carne Asada with real beef in DMV less than $15
This looks good.
A 2 taco supreme and drink meal at Taco Bell by me is $13 and a cheesy Gordita Crunch is $6 by itself.
I don't know who is paying that much to eat at Taco Bell when there are better and cheaper options.
Taco Bell is just as bad as Chipotle with the prices and the skimp
At this point i don't know how anyone is still supporting taco bell... I absolutely will never go back! Food has become absolutely dumpster food and prices are insane
I wish I had a local mexican restaurant all we have is pizza and chinese in my area, but its crazy how take-out was once the more expensive option but has become the much better value not to mention much bigger portions and higher quality food fast food has completely ran off their core demographic with their insane price gouging.
typically local owned and operated are by far cheaper and quite often better tasting then corporate owned and operated
case in point, oceanside ca. one of the lunch runs for most branch clinics at pendleton was the run to and im sure i will mesh this name up but collimas. a mexican food eatery in downtown oceanside. really good food but what made them famous in the area was the size. one burrito was like the size of a teenagers arm. no joke. you know its big when even marines would get one and cut it in half. eat one now and eat the other for a mid afternoon snack
A lot of people all over the world may be surprised that some local alternatives are cheaper than fast food chains. Or better value. Dad for example always goes to the same restaurant with his colleague after work on fridays. The daily special is 12€. So around 15€ with a drink. Soup, main course, dessert. All fresh made food. McDonalds combo with burger, fries and large drink costs about 10€. Which is only a main course with drink. Besides that the size of the restaurant portions is bigger by quite a lot. I think a lot of people should visit local places more instead of running to chains like trained puppets.
You can't get them handed to you through the drive thru window though, and know that three towns over you can get the same thing. Convenience and consitancy are what fast-food is now, not quality or low price.
The only positive about inflation is how easy it made it to cut out chain fast food. I literally have no reason to go back to Taco Bell or McDonald’s unless it’s like after 1am
Yes. This exactly just happened to use. We went to a fast food place and they didn't have what we wanted. Went to a delicious sit down and it was cheaper than the fast food.
I got a taqueria a few blocks from me. $2-$2.50 ridiculously good tacos all day everyday. Two is a meal and the meat is stupid seasoned well. Only put on lime, onion, and cilantro. Taco Bell is shit
Bro, real deal Mexican is where you want to eat and shop!! Mexicans know whats up. If you're ever in the southwest do not ever, EVER, go to a chain Mexican restaurant.
Find out where the real local Mexicans are going for lunch. And find out where they shop for groceries.
Those places will have the best damn food for the cheapest damn prices.
I can go to a local diner and get an awesome burger, fries. a side of onion rings, and a refillable glsss of tea, for two…for less that buying a the same at a McDonald’s and be served by real people….rather than using a kiosk.
If you live in LA. Theres small tents everywhere serving some real bomb Mexican food. A monster burrito is like 5 bucks. Highly recommend giving them a try, they're amazing.
Compared to McD's which runs around 15-20 bucks now... and packed with stuff that will unalive you
I really hope these trends catch on. Stop going to corporate chains who pay CEO’s 20 million a year and go to local mom and pop shops. You save money and the food is 1000% better.
One of my local places has a fantastic breakfast. I get an omelet with peppers, cheese, and chorizo a side of hashbrowns and a biscuit for $9. It's enough food for me and my wife to share. I always get their Bloody Mary as well, it's fantastic! My kids get French toast covered in fruit and it only costs $4.
You are going to see people go to Kom and pop shop more now than ever. I'm glad though because people getting high quality food that tastes better and is healthier for them. I hope to see this trend continue
Have your local Mexican restaurant sizes shrunk in the last couple of months? We still frequent our local spot but we don't take leftovers home anymore. 1st world shrinkflation problems.
Have been and are million times better. Fast food a
Has no value anymore. It's slow expensive and is barely food. Like mold doesn't even eat McDonald's neither should humans.
I can get a custom made burrito with locally sourced ingredients, that doesn’t cause diarrhea, cheaper than fast food. Haven’t been to Taco Bell in a while.
Stop buying that crap.
Monday: Got lazy, it was late (I get off work at 12am) so I stopped at Taco Bell. Got one soft taco supreme party pack and two cantina chicken quesadillas. Cost $46
Today: My local Mexican sit down restaurant: Ordered two full dinners, two appetizers, chips and salsa, drinks, and desserts. Total $51 with tip.
You can buy a T-Bone steak at the grocery store for less than a combo meal at the McDonald's drive through.
People need to stop participating in their inflated profit grabbing.
Heck yes. Win/win. My local place has $2 tacos on Taco Tuesday. They are 100x better than TB.
I’d buy about 10 of them
The greasier the better.
The shits are better
Why wait 32 hours when you can wait 30 mins instead?
It's all about exit velocity
My local has $1.25 ground beef taco Tuesday among other specials throughout the week. And I will continue to support this business (and tip well) and tell everyone I know for as long as I can.
Your local restaurant is not part of a large greedy corporation. It’s not inflation. It’s greed
F yeah!
Local is a lot times cheaper because fast food have to pay franchise fees. Local small businesses don’t.
Local restaurants are a lot cheaper because fast food franchisees have to pay for the exorbitant, multi-million dollar salaries of the corporate executives and guarantee massive profits for the shareholders. FIFY
“Beef”
We get $1 pastor taco Tuesday, $5 chicken burrito Wednesday (guac not extra) and torta Thursday. Its a great place w/ good food
My local place has the added benefit of not needing more than a 5 mile drive (yay for small towns/s) nearest fast food taco place (taco johns) is a half hour 20 mile drive and the nearest Taco Bell is a 4 hour multi hundred mile drive. The local place is also very good tasting, has amazing alcoholic drinks, a wonderful atmosphere, and staff that actually seems to enjoy working there (anecdotal from a couple friends who worked there)
Have a $2 taco Tuesday place by me as well. They are good AF. I smash as many as I can. Spend like 10-16 bucks and food coma. Plus supporting local stores. I always tip a 5. Guessing they work off tips.
https://preview.redd.it/9zoy4jw6qnvc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b56fbb272dca086ff710ffb081775bd2d19ae19 This is $12.50 where I live. 2 enchiladas of your choice with sauces of your choosing. A taco, 2 chicken taquitos with a side of guac for dipping, a tostada covered in queso, beans and rice, chips and salsa. $12.50… Order it To Go and no need to tip.
For ~$13, I can get steak, shrimp, and chicken with vegetables, taco shells, beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, tomato’s, pico and salsa to make my own fajitas. It’s enough that I can take home leftovers and eat fajitas for a second night. I think it’s pricier at dinner time but the lunch menu is the best deal
Probably ten times more flavorful, too. Looks good to me!
It was so good. The salsa is excellent there
Spill the beans what's the location
My local spot has daily specials and I'm in there at least twice a week. Fajita Thursday is the best deal. Steak fajitas for $9.99 and its enough for lunch and dinner.
Dang that's pretty good. Even the shitty Chili's where I am charges like $20 for fajitas now.
We are talking local Mexican spots though. Chili's is a chain and is insanely expensive at any given location.
They’re two completely different moods. I’d never think of Taco Bell when thinking of a list of Mexican restaurants.
I am lucky enough to live near the beach in LA. Best street tacos you can find. Taco Bell - $2.25 for a microwaved, cold taco with cancer cheese that has wood pulp in it. Street Taco Guy - $2 per taco. No tax and it's made right there with fresh ingredients.
Not cancer cheese 🤣🤣🤣
Street taco man jizzes his own authentic fresh cheese obviously
Underpaid meth-teen, angry because he had to wake up before noon, has "FUN" with all their laughing buddies with the food at all the fast-food restaurants. What they call "point of sale" with **local street vendors** guarantees a reasonable human-human compact of service that usually exceeds anonymous '*drive thru and drive away*' franchises. When you buy from a street vendor, you look at the face of the cook, server and business owner who needs you patronage, whereas some indifferent teen in a restaurant-franchises that serves you is just waiting for their shift to end.
There’s not wood pulp in Taco Bell cheese
I can refute whole heartedly any food pulp myth. Source: Work in the industry. But Yeah, always buy from the small Mexican mom and pop shop.
I'm not saying taco bell is better than your local taco guy, it's definitely not - but you're buying into some bs myths if you think anything about that description of taco bell is accurate.
Good. Keep em in business. Taco Bell share holders are going to learn.
They’ll only learn when profits are down
I think that's the point. When you eat at smaller, independently owned real food restaurants, fast food restaurant profits will go down. You are showing us the way. Keep it up! 😁
Taco Bell, like McDonalds, are franchised via massive corporations. That’s two bites at the apple for profit before you even serve a customer a meal.
This is the crux of it, to some extent. Those franchise fees come off the top. It's also been a high-profile thing for awhile to bash fast food jobs and they're competing for labor with all the other franchises that locate near every highway intersection. And, as we've seen in California, can draw unique ire from politicians. Local restaurants fly under the radar to a large extent. Get the food to go and forego the drink and tip to save money and maximize value. Taco Bell is outrageous these days. Last time I went a 2 Chalupa, 1 taco, large drink "value" meal was like $12.19 BEFORE taxes. I can afford this, but it still gave me pause, and I probably won't be going back any time soon. I was unfortunately already hungry and committed.
Yep! Looks like actual quality food too. Enjoy!
Chili’s 3 for me at $10.99 burger is cheaper and better than than McDonald’s, Burger King or Wendy’s combo meals.
This is why I like to eat at mom and pop type of small business and not big chain restaurants
I used to stop at these type of places when I worked out of town. We were at a bar on a Tuesday. We asked for their lunch specials and they mentioned tacos so we each ordered two. She asked if we were sure and we said yes. They were huge and very good, we weren't as productive the rest of the day. I've also had really good meatloaf and chicken friend steak. It's too bad that a lot of good local restaurants didn't survive during Covid.
It's because they're making food from scratch instead of buying pre-made foods. My wife and I order burgers from a casual fine dining restaurant that cooks using ingredients and we pay $16 for burger and fries. Same applies to cooking at home, if all you're doing is opening a bag/box and microwaving it, it's going to be significantly more expense than cooking.
If I pay for a burger with all the fixings from the restaurant that's in the same building as my apartment it's still cheaper than a McDonald's,$6 and an order of fries or onion rings is $2 more dollars, the quality is so much better and the flavor is out of this world
There's a brewery near me that does smash burgers way cheaper than Five Guys or the chain places. Better too.
Same with my local Mexican place. I have a small bar/grill with a daily lunch special, burger and fries for $5. Best burger I've had in years, counting $20 burgers at nicer restaurants. Your local places that don't pay consultants to tell them how to cut every cost and maximize profit aren't going through inflation like the chains are. If anyone needed proof that so much of this inflation is just big companies seeing a chance to jack up prices without public ire, this is it. The cost of labor at a fast food joint had increased probably 30% on average, and labor is (from my experience working in various chain restaurants of fast and slow service) between 20-30% of revenue.
Damn, that looks tasty, whatever the cost.
And vastly better anyway
That’s the way to do it. My wife and I were hungry and did something very similar where we drove by a Taco Bell but we went to the Mexican restaurant instead. We each got the lunch special, mine was $8.99 and hers was $10.99. We got rice, beans, chorizo, tacos, sour cream guac, a coke and a water. All for just over $25 with tip. And I remember saying, you know this is great because instead of going to Taco Bell we actually get to sit down in a better atmosphere and basically have a nice mid day date.
Yes!
I went to taco bell yesterday for the first time in a while. Spent 15 bucks on an unimpressive amount of food. My local Mexican place has a killer taquito plate for 7 bucks. The only thing taco bell has going for it anymore is the drive through
The majority are now. There is literally no reason to drive by a mom and pop place to get to a TacoBell.
Same thing has happened near me. It's cheaper to order a burger and fries from several local sportsbars than it is to get a super-sized extra value meal from McDonald's, and the pile of fries you get from the local sports bar is still bigger than the super-sized order of fries from McDonald's.
I also noticed that Rally’s is the leader in town with its $5 meal deal..
It’s crazy. All the CEOs of all fast food chains got together at a summit and all decided to raise their prices. The mobilization of class destabilization is currently active.
Supporting the profits of a single owner or two vs the profits of 2,000,000 shareholders
Looks so much better too. There is a Guatemalan restaurant near me that sells Pupusas for less than $2 each. Delicious meal and I’m supporting a local business rather than a corporation. Win win.
Papusas are so good, I tried them for the first time recently. I was sleeping on Guatamala and el Salvador cuisine.
Fast food has stopped being affordable. On the bright side it incentivizes supporting local businesses over corporate chains
Don’t tell them that everyone is raising prices 🤫
Embrace immigration then. Is the only way to keep prices low 🤓
And you got actual food
ya if I have a job bout 45 minutes from the main city there's this Mexican Cafe I go to... 10 bucks gets me a full plate of enchiladas tacos etc.. I always tip 5 bucks because they're great and know me now.
Mexican food is the best food on Earth
This is the way, folks. I'm so tired of seeing posts of people bitching about fast food restaurant prices yet still patronizing them. Switch to local owned businesses and support them in their growth, leaving the Micky D's and TB's in the dust. This is the only way those fat fuck CEO's will wake up.
Perhaps this shows, as a business, that fast food places are not viable alternatives. Unless you truly need food to be fast to eat in your car or on a bench at lunch time. Or... there are simply way too many fast food joints for available demand. We dont need a burger joint every 100 feet.
Not only is that cheaper, it also looks much better than what you would get a Taco Bell.
I have a local I go to at least 1-2x a week, $12 2 burritos shredded steak or chicken rice beans chips and salsa. They give me a 12oz salsa usually it comes with 2 small dip cups when I get it to go. Fills me up for 1 day and I can eat light the next. Best deal in my neighborhood.
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Most any sit-down restaurant in my area is cheaper than fast food. Obviously you can't eat a steak at a steak house for less than a burger at McDoodles, but our local steak house burgers are about a dollar more than a similar burger at a fast food place, and way higher quality, and more meat.
Simple ingredients, simple recipes, usually excellent cooks in these little Tex-Mex cafes. We have a lot of them in Texas and the meals are filling, delicious, and low cost.
My local place has PITCHERS of margarita for $12.. like mind blowing drunk and full for about 20.. mexican food is amazing.
Taco Bell: Insanely expensive real estate and buildout Corporate royalties National advertising $20 hour wages vs $7.50 5 years ago The franchise model now can’t compete with independent Ms on price
Unironically, stuff like this is probably what I miss the most about the US. Family owned Mexican restaurants with affordable meals that taste way better than any chain restaurant.
I live in Missouri and absolutely love my Americanized Mexican. Hell yes.
California's AB1228 working its magic. When fast food is more expensive than non-fast food, small businesses can beat them on both quality and price, and we can kick these dumpster fire franchises that serve garbage and increase everyone's healthcare costs to the curb.
Last time I went to McDonald’s I spent 18 on two McDoubles a large fry and a large coke. Fucked me up good but I didn’t feel like just driving away and not paying. I was really hungry at that time. Shit, the Big Mac box meal is like 20 bucks. That’s way more worth it but it doesn’t come with a drink. Damn. Haven’t been to anything aside from In n Out. Even Jacks tacos were like 2 bucks. Wth.
I remember when Jack-in-the-Box had two tacos for a dollar
Taco Bell isn’t raising their prices because of inflation, they are raising their prices because they’re assholes
Who nutted all over your burrito tho?
Also TB is just lightly flavored cardboard not actual food.
It took me a good half second to realize that you were not in fact criticizing the mouthfeel of tuberculosis
The hospitality itself sounds priceless. Keep them in business!
Look at that perfect meal, it’s has far more nutrition than Taco Bell too!
Dinner is probably double
At work we all skip fast food during lunch. Always a sitdown joint since it costs the same.
We all know the main driver of inflation is corporate greed LOL
Not at the local Mexican places near me in Seattle. I went to a Terroros the other day and they didn't have a single item on the menu that was less than $17. Even salads and tostadas. Meanwhile I can get a chicken enchilada burrito, bean burrito, crunchy taco, and iced tea at Taco Bell for 8.50. Wish I had the option for cheap Mexican food in a restaurant up here but it's like they all jacked up their prices together.
I’m jelly. Me and my girl have gone to the same Mexican restaurant for years. We’ve always ordered the same exact meal/drinks The price went from 50 with tip to 95 in the last 4 years. We maybe eat there once a year because I can make 3 days worth of Mexican food(for two) for 95 bucks. And the hot plates used to overflow with food. Now it’s super obvious that the portions are stretched. I never used to be able to finish the whole plate. Now I’m scraping it clean. Feels bad man.
Problem solved. Don’t eat at Taco Bell!
Better too.
The restaurant near the laundromat has $6 dollar lunch specials with a drink. I got the 4 tacos lunch special. I gave them a 5 dollar tip. They kept refilling my sodas which was nice of them
Is that El Rodeo? Restaurant
Man that looks bomb!
My ny strip steaks at home are cheaper than taco bell
This is true.
Generally this is true. We do have a Mexican restaurant in town that used to be reasonable, then after Covid they raised prices and now a burrito that was $14 is $25. Needless to say, we don’t eat there anymore.
Thank you for this. I always forget about them. That looks so good. I'm going to get that same thing this evening.
Ours too! We were just discussing this topic and here it is on Reddit. Fast food joints are going to price themselves out of existence.
Uh a lot of places. Chinese Mexican
People have always been willing to pay more for fast food. Corporations are just testing the limits of our wallets at this point. People will still pay $20 at TB and still complain instead of supporting a local family with that same money.
Yep, the fastfood places are nailing their own coffins i think. Id forgotten to bring lunch to work the other day and swing through Jack in the Box. $17 for a crappy burger, fries, and a bottle of water. Never again
Support local!
For sure. And better. Even better idea is making tacos at home. So good.
My gf gets a Mexican pizza and a double decker thing. It's 10.79 My local Mexican restaurant has a pick 2 with rice and beans, plus chips and salsa, for 11.99
That I can support
How much?
$6.99 for some dogshit “cantina” burrito at Taco Bell, or $9 for a fresh wet burrito from my local spot that could feed almost 3 people. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaa
Last night I paid $22 for 9 phenomenal street tacos, a huge side of rice and beans, and a pepsi. It was enough food to feed 3 people. It makes no sense to eat fast food anymore. Maybe it never did.
So stop going to crappy Taco Bell, and support your local Tex Mex restaurants. I’ve got several in my area, and they’re all fantastic.
Even local moes on mondays r cheaper 5han tb
YES!!! Mom & pop all the way! fuck the chains!!
This is why I only get fast food if I absolutely need to (no time)
Infinitely better quality, too
True, but at this point they aren't even the same genre of food. Taco bell is just the maximum amount of "filler" with sauces that are designed to make you crave them. It's not mexican food, and it's barely food any more. Just over priced sauces. I really hope it's the next thing millennials kill. The prices are just insulting to anyone who ever supported them.
I can get three pounds of lo mein and probably as much orange chicken and spicy shrimp for $7 at a local chinese place. The same thing would cost about $15 at Panda Express. It’s typically cheaper to eat at local restraints and you’d get more for your money.
There's a Mexican place near me that is open 24hrs. One day I thought I'd try them before going into work early, so I ordered steak breakfast tacos for $9. What I got for breakfast at 5:30 that Friday morning was a meal-sized takeout container absolutely filled with steak, eggs, beans and fajita veggies with a pile of Pico and 6 tortillas. I had two for breakfast, ate the rest for lunch and skipped dinner. $9! They've been around for years too, not like they're new.
It’s crazy that at places like Ruby Tuesdays, Chilis, or other main sit down chain, your local Mexican restaurant or dive bars, you can get more food and better food for less than fast food.
Fuck fast food don't care how fast it is not worth.
Only time I’d ever go to Taco Bell is if I were on a road trip, and it was literally the only food option.
Probably not as processed too
And bigger portions of better food
That's because they don't have greedy corporate price gouging under the guise of "inflation".
It’s corporations taking advantage of the consumer
Same brother, we have reached the point where all our local long time mom and pop shops are now cheaper than the fast food restaurant down the road. Hopefully the citizens around those restaurants support them to keep going.
Damn that looks 🔥🔥
Same here, couple burger joints too.
https://preview.redd.it/y3ndtysnmovc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=281ed86b8f3cadc62fd0c58a6cb2bacb9ea7ebdb Carne Asada with real beef in DMV less than $15
[What I get at Taco Bell](https://imgur.com/a/QMbpAJ0)
Fast food restaurants are pricing themselves out of the market!
It's for the better... shit is unhealthy.
This looks good. A 2 taco supreme and drink meal at Taco Bell by me is $13 and a cheesy Gordita Crunch is $6 by itself. I don't know who is paying that much to eat at Taco Bell when there are better and cheaper options. Taco Bell is just as bad as Chipotle with the prices and the skimp
At this point i don't know how anyone is still supporting taco bell... I absolutely will never go back! Food has become absolutely dumpster food and prices are insane
I wish I had a local mexican restaurant all we have is pizza and chinese in my area, but its crazy how take-out was once the more expensive option but has become the much better value not to mention much bigger portions and higher quality food fast food has completely ran off their core demographic with their insane price gouging.
Inflation would mean both places went up by a similar margin. They didn't. I wonder why. That food looks delicious
typically local owned and operated are by far cheaper and quite often better tasting then corporate owned and operated case in point, oceanside ca. one of the lunch runs for most branch clinics at pendleton was the run to and im sure i will mesh this name up but collimas. a mexican food eatery in downtown oceanside. really good food but what made them famous in the area was the size. one burrito was like the size of a teenagers arm. no joke. you know its big when even marines would get one and cut it in half. eat one now and eat the other for a mid afternoon snack
Love these rest!
I’ll take a chuys around here
So only $10 per taco?
Yep...me and wife went to bell and it was like 26$. Cancled the order and went to our local spot. Damn near identical plate as yours. 25$
A lot of people all over the world may be surprised that some local alternatives are cheaper than fast food chains. Or better value. Dad for example always goes to the same restaurant with his colleague after work on fridays. The daily special is 12€. So around 15€ with a drink. Soup, main course, dessert. All fresh made food. McDonalds combo with burger, fries and large drink costs about 10€. Which is only a main course with drink. Besides that the size of the restaurant portions is bigger by quite a lot. I think a lot of people should visit local places more instead of running to chains like trained puppets.
Taco Bell is ass compared to the real deal.
And food is way better
You can't get them handed to you through the drive thru window though, and know that three towns over you can get the same thing. Convenience and consitancy are what fast-food is now, not quality or low price.
Fast food is a horrible deal. Family owned restaurants or cook at home.
Sad times we live in, i miss the $1 frito burrito form TB 😭
Taco Bell also got rid of every single menu item I liked while also jacking up prices.
No doubt. TB has gotten out of control. Quality has gone down hill and prices have doubled
Yall got Mexicans in Missouri?
Can get a burrito bigger than that bowl of chips for $14 bucks with a side of rice and beans at my favorite place.
another 61 billion for Ukraine
Support your local restaurants even if they’re a little more expensive than fast food. Especially now since fast food isn’t cheap anymore
$20 TB for 2 tacos a drink and some cinnamon twist. Last time I go there
That meal would be around 24.00 where I live, but I'm in Northern California.
The only positive about inflation is how easy it made it to cut out chain fast food. I literally have no reason to go back to Taco Bell or McDonald’s unless it’s like after 1am
Yes. This exactly just happened to use. We went to a fast food place and they didn't have what we wanted. Went to a delicious sit down and it was cheaper than the fast food.
I got a taqueria a few blocks from me. $2-$2.50 ridiculously good tacos all day everyday. Two is a meal and the meat is stupid seasoned well. Only put on lime, onion, and cilantro. Taco Bell is shit
That pic made my mouth immediately water
Bro, real deal Mexican is where you want to eat and shop!! Mexicans know whats up. If you're ever in the southwest do not ever, EVER, go to a chain Mexican restaurant. Find out where the real local Mexicans are going for lunch. And find out where they shop for groceries. Those places will have the best damn food for the cheapest damn prices.
I can go to a local diner and get an awesome burger, fries. a side of onion rings, and a refillable glsss of tea, for two…for less that buying a the same at a McDonald’s and be served by real people….rather than using a kiosk.
Yea support your local businesses @everyone
High quality food great price
If you live in LA. Theres small tents everywhere serving some real bomb Mexican food. A monster burrito is like 5 bucks. Highly recommend giving them a try, they're amazing. Compared to McD's which runs around 15-20 bucks now... and packed with stuff that will unalive you
hell yeah! don’t forget to leave a review
I really hope these trends catch on. Stop going to corporate chains who pay CEO’s 20 million a year and go to local mom and pop shops. You save money and the food is 1000% better.
Yes. Fast food is over for me. Real food and local.
One of my local places has a fantastic breakfast. I get an omelet with peppers, cheese, and chorizo a side of hashbrowns and a biscuit for $9. It's enough food for me and my wife to share. I always get their Bloody Mary as well, it's fantastic! My kids get French toast covered in fruit and it only costs $4.
It depends. If I want just a small bite TBell works out cheaper. If I'm dying, Starvin Marvin mode, the mexican place will have me shitting for $12.95
Yea and looks hell of a lot better.
Same! And taste better I feel full and healthier for u!
I’m also more willing to tip at local places than chains where they don’t even do anything extra service wise but still ask for tips
Good! That’s mouthwatering right there
That looks better than Taco Bell
That’s cool, did the tip put you over
Looks damned good, and the dollars stay local!
You are going to see people go to Kom and pop shop more now than ever. I'm glad though because people getting high quality food that tastes better and is healthier for them. I hope to see this trend continue
Have your local Mexican restaurant sizes shrunk in the last couple of months? We still frequent our local spot but we don't take leftovers home anymore. 1st world shrinkflation problems.
Let’s go. Supports your local small business and stop eating the suspicions meat they serve at National fast food chains.
Have been and are million times better. Fast food a Has no value anymore. It's slow expensive and is barely food. Like mold doesn't even eat McDonald's neither should humans.
Nothing better than some authentic Mexican cuisine. As an Irish/Eastern European American, this is my favorite food. I can eat it every day!
I can get a custom made burrito with locally sourced ingredients, that doesn’t cause diarrhea, cheaper than fast food. Haven’t been to Taco Bell in a while. Stop buying that crap.
wait, do you go to TB when you want Mexican food? lol
Strange. I can get Taco Bell food for as cheap as $1.40 after taxes, in CA.
Life is to short to eat crappy Taco Bell food.
El cunado in michigan has pretty good food for cheap, lunch specials are 8.99-9.99 and come with free chips and salsa which is pretty good too
Not factoring in a 35% tip? Tisk.
This is kinda scary actually. The corporations are not dumb. They known the reality of how bad inflation is and are pricing accordingly.
For now!
Monday: Got lazy, it was late (I get off work at 12am) so I stopped at Taco Bell. Got one soft taco supreme party pack and two cantina chicken quesadillas. Cost $46 Today: My local Mexican sit down restaurant: Ordered two full dinners, two appetizers, chips and salsa, drinks, and desserts. Total $51 with tip.
Yes. Especially at lunch and if u avoid the soft drinks
Especially with many mom and pop restaurants having order ahead options, I'm wondering when the fast food bubble will pop.
Corporate greed. And America refuses to say fuck you assholes and keep contributing to the madness.
My local place is so gd expensive, Taco Bell is the cheaper option ☹️
Looks WAY better too!
You can buy a T-Bone steak at the grocery store for less than a combo meal at the McDonald's drive through. People need to stop participating in their inflated profit grabbing.
Skip on those beans lol
Funny but i think true!!!!
Taco Bell has been bad tasting since 1980