![but seriously this fast food situation is getting out of control [Tommy Siegel]](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/333c7b0d-a459-48ce-baf4-108ba3f5aa2d.png){kind=link}
Tommy Siegel | Bluesky
Transcript
Single panel comic
Illustration of a highway with 3 billboards for fast food chains. A bridge is visible in the background, as are power lines running along side of the service road.
Each billboard has a chain logo, with secondary text below.
Wendy’s
- Your fifth favorite burger is now an app
McDonald’s
- Will you give us your data for food?
Burger King
- Guess what: No app? No food
I’m never going to install an app for a fucking fast food restaurant lol
I’ve never seen a restaurant in the US or Europe that requires you to download an app to order. They bribe you with coupons and discounts to download the app, which is fair enough, I suppose, but you’re not obligated to. You can still walk up to the counter, tell your order to a human, and then pay with cash. No algorithm will ever know who you were or what you ordered.
Sadly, you get forced to a digital kiosk most places in my city if you walk up to the counter and expect to order there… but at least you still can avoid downloading the app. It’s actually been helpful for me as I eat less fast food now, lost some weight.
I think the vast majority of stores with the kiosk still have a cash option, but it takes forever to get an employee for the register
Taco Bell (here) does not. They expect you to use the filthy kiosk and then eat with your hands. I am surprised that there hasn’t been some kind of outbreak from this.
Taco Bell is for sure the worst with forcing the stupid kiosk, they just hate hiring staff for a register. It’s a terrible experience all around going into a Taco Bell anymore because of the terrible customer (none) service.
I’ve seen a few of those stores around, but they seem to be the minority. At least as of a year ago. I used to travel quite regularly for work and taco bell was a common place to go. Living out of hotels sucks sometimes
They jack up prices and then offer what their menu prices should be through the app. It isn’t a discount and this deceptive pricing practice is not fair enough.
Of course they don’t require it, but you pay way more at some without it
Subway near me is $11.50 for the footlong I’d normally get. They regularly offer $7 footlong on the app, or buy one, get one free
At $11.50, I’d never eat there. For $7, it’s a decent deal
Same. So far it’s only been the perks of some sort sell. But either way, it’s gonna be a hard no from me. I refuse to install apps from significantly more consequential businesses/organizations even; restaurants are just never going to make the list for me personally.
All the places around me are installing ordering kiosks inside, which not only removes even more human interaction but also tracks data I’m sure because you have to use a card to pay. I hate it so much
The places I’ve been to either allow you to pay cash at the counter or they have a machine that accepts cash.
Not yet, but that sure do keep adding more layers of asking you about the app when you pull up to the drive thru window
I was broke and in college and the app deals were so incredibly cheap then. I used to exploit a burger king coupon that was a free kids meal with a $1 purchase. At the time you could get a 10 count nugget for $1. That kept me fed for sure
Fast forward to today, and now you have to have the app to get a still expensive meal. It’s a bit more expensive than full priced meals used to be. It’s not even worth it anymore
Just curious about the lemmy consensus, what is it about the app specifically that people find distasteful? Is it the concept of ordering through your phone instead of in person, the app making a profile of your ordering habits, or some nefarious third thing the companies do by getting an app on your phone to steal data?
I think the answer is generally all of the above
Privacy is a big one
For me, I don’t think they make any sense. Ordering through the app is slower. I have to add a credit card and select a location before I can even start ordering. Half the time I get to the end to find out the discount/deal I was using isn’t honored by that specific location. In all, it would be much faster to just order at the restaurant than use the app at the restaurant
Most seem to assume you’re ordering before arriving, which requires pre-plannung that defeats much of the convenience of fast food IMO
Also I really dislike the fact the vast majority of the time, the reality is people are ordering while driving. It’s a safety hazard
As someone who walks, I love ordering before arriving. You just order it as you walk to pick them up, don’t even need any pre-planning.
The bigger problem with apps is because each app takes quite some space and you can only use it for one franchise per app, when WEBSITES exist. I do still often order through website on places that have them.
Also, it’s quick to repeat your last order with an app. I eat at a subway-style pizza place called Mod, and there’s at least 20 pieces of information to relay to the person making the pizza. I’d rather have it print out an easy to parse list for them to work with.
It also forces you into the iPhone/Android phone with Google Play services duopoly. And I simply don’t want some stupid app on my phone.
Plus it’s also just inconvenient. I give you money, you give me food. It should be that simple.
I do like the act of tapping the card, it’s far supierior to swiping