What is the best chain fast food restaurant?

What is the best chain fast food restaurant?


Zardnaar

Legend
Had a double 1/4 pounder with last night from McDonalds. Really enjoyed it. Hadn't had any chain food for months. We've stopped going for the most art. Last night it was getting late after a train trip, hung over after late grocery shop and it was around 7pm.

More our style these days. Breakfast.

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Gone off fried stuff, soda, and sweet stuff. Water or unsweetened tea/coffee.
 

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Clint_L

Legend
I tip a flat 20% - I spent enough years as a bartender to know all the crap servers have to deal with, and how much they rely on tips for a living, in our part of the world. I'll tip more if the service is exceptional; I seldom tip less. I've never been in a situation like the one described above, and if the service is a bit subpar, it's usually not the server's fault anyway - they are often dealing with a difficult customer, kitchen in the weeds, or whatnot.

Getting back on track, though, one thing I don't love is when you are expected to tip at what are in effect self-serve fast food restaurants. Like, if there is no server, what am I supposed to be tipping for? I actively avoid fast food places, like the local Big Wheel Burger, that seem to expect a tip when I come to the counter and place my order.
 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator
Staff member
Supporter
I ate at Whataburger for breakfast/lunch today, on my way to the grocery. While my meal was fine as per usual, the interaction I had with the kid taking my order was…unsettling.

It had been a while since I’d been in, so when he asked me if I wanted cheese in my burger, I had to ask, “What kind do you have again?”

”Ummm…white and yellow.”

(I opted for “yellow”, so as not to embarrass him.)
 


Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist
Supporter
That's as it should be. I don't know why so many other states do it differently

So, this is something I've had to deal with in the past.

If you work in the restaurant industry, you know that margins are often incredibly low. The whole point of the tip credit is relate to minimum wage laws, in that in certain professions that are considered non-exempt (subject to overtime and hourly minimum wage) and are normally tipped, the employer can assume that the employee is making a certain amount per hour in tips and not have to pay the employee; if the employee does not make at least that amount, the employer must make up the difference.

For many employees at many places, this is actually a decent deal; for middle and high-end restaurants, the amount of tips you can make greatly exceeds what many other professions can make. In addition, this also helps the employer because it keeps their costs lower for front-of-the-house, and enables them to better pay back-of-the-house (untipped) employees, like cooks/chefs.

All that said, I would much prefer going to a different model entirely where servers were the same as all other individuals and were just paid a good living wage, and that tipping was much less common. Traveling overseas, while I cannot comment for every place, it has been my experience that our model of tipping is very much an American thing (and by American, I include America's hat .... ;) ).

When I was traveling in another country last year, I was told by several individuals that they were incredibly happy to see Americans again because we were known for our generosity when it came to tips.
 

payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario
So, this is something I've had to deal with in the past.

If you work in the restaurant industry, you know that margins are often incredibly low. The whole point of the tip credit is relate to minimum wage laws, in that in certain professions that are considered non-exempt (subject to overtime and hourly minimum wage) and are normally tipped, the employer can assume that the employee is making a certain amount per hour in tips and not have to pay the employee; if the employee does not make at least that amount, the employer must make up the difference.

For many employees at many places, this is actually a decent deal; for middle and high-end restaurants, the amount of tips you can make greatly exceeds what many other professions can make. In addition, this also helps the employer because it keeps their costs lower for front-of-the-house, and enables them to better pay back-of-the-house (untipped) employees, like cooks/chefs.

All that said, I would much prefer going to a different model entirely where servers were the same as all other individuals and were just paid a good living wage, and that tipping was much less common. Traveling overseas, while I cannot comment for every place, it has been my experience that our model of tipping is very much an American thing (and by American, I include America's hat .... ;) ).

When I was traveling in another country last year, I was told by several individuals that they were incredibly happy to see Americans again because we were known for our generosity when it came to tips.
I did notice a number of restaurants in London had service fees on the bill. More than one server was quick to point out that the fee was not meant for gratuity. Pretty sure that was the American treatment.
 


Eyes of Nine

Everything's Fine
Both my sons work in restaurants, and I spent many years myself working in restaurants. I would prefer a minimum wage increase for restaurant workers OR some way for all the money that would go to tips to instead pay for their health insurance or retirement plans...
 


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