What fast food places do you just totally ignore?

[loochy]

People in GoChiefs' Taco John's thread got me to thinking about what fast food places I actually eat at and which ones just get totally ignored by me.

Places I actually eat at:

Chick Fil A
Whataburger
Braums
Taco Villa
Taco Bueno

Places that I never even consider...they don't even cross my mind when I drive past them:
McDonald's
KFC
Taco Bell
Waffle House
Panda Express


What places just go totally ignored by you?

edit:

Long John Silvers goes on the ignore list
Waffle House goes on the ignore list
Subway goes on the ignore list

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

On the flipside, most of the family-owned Mexican restaurants here are KILLER. There's absolutely no reason to eat at a Taco Bell ever. The Mexican restaurants are just as fast, just as cheap, and the food is so much better.

Around here, you have to find the balance between American Mexican, Americanized Mexican, and Mexican Mexican. You want the stuff in the middle.


American Mexican = Chain stuff like Taco Bell or On The Border. (I will never eat at On The Border again, by the way.) It's Mexican food by brand only.

Americanized Mexican = stuff where a Mexican guy understands America makes the Mexican food so that we'll like it. This is most independent Mexican places.

Mexican Mexican = restaurants where you walk in and have trouble finding stuff that doesn't contain tripe or tongue. I've made that mistake a time or two, and it's awkward.

[007]

Dairy Queen and Sonic are about the only places I ever eat now. If we had an A&W I would gladly eat there as well. Everything else is pretty much ignored.

[Bl00dyBizkitz]

Burger King.

And you thought McDonald's was bad.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Around here, you have to find the balance between American Mexican, Americanized Mexican, and Mexican Mexican. You want the stuff in the middle.


American Mexican = Chain stuff like Taco Bell or On The Border. (I will never eat at On The Border again, by the way.) It's Mexican food by brand only.

Americanized Mexican = stuff where a Mexican guy understands America makes the Mexican food so that we'll like it. This is most independent Mexican places.

Mexican Mexican = restaurants where you walk in and have trouble finding stuff that doesn't contain tripe or tongue. I've made that mistake a time or two, and it's awkward.

We have a lot of the 2nd type and they're pretty good for the most part. But if you want the best tacos, type 3 is where it's at. You just have to know that you want tacos de carne azada or tacos con pollo or whatever. Don't order tripas or tacos de lengua and you'll be fine.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Ming was my go-to when I lived in North KC... I call them when I was 5 minutes away and it was ready when I got there. $7, IIRC... good for two meals and it was pretty good stuff. There are a few others around town with different names, but the same look and menu, but the one closest to me now sucks.

My biggest gripe about local Chinese take outs is that the quality almost always starts high and then drops like a stone in 6 months to a year. It's happened to me in the south, and it's happened to me up north. I use the fried rice as my canary in the coal mine. when they start screwing that up, it's time to look for a new place. Life's too short to eat lousy fried rice.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Guru

Dairy Queen and Sonic are about the only places I ever eat now. If we had an A&W I would gladly eat there as well. Everything else is pretty much ignored.

The few Sonic's we have left up here are horrible. Almost always greasy and cold.

[bevischief]

Originally Posted by Guru

Dairy Queen and Sonic are about the only places I ever eat now. If we had an A&W I would gladly eat there as well. Everything else is pretty much ignored.

We finally get a Sonic here later this summer. We stopped at every Sonic between here and KC when we were last down in KC here in January starting in Iowa. Wife loves the place.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

They have a GF menu now, at least here. And it says right on it "items on this menu are GF but we prepare non-GF food in our kitchen so contamination is possible".

Yeah, it's like the pizza places that offer GF crusts but cook them on the same surface as a regular crust. It works for the diet fads but is a no go for the Celiacs.

My go to restaurant if I have to eat out is Costa Vida. They are really good and no more expensive than going to BK. They may not "authentic" but I don't care. My main goal eating out is to not get sick. If it's tasty, too, that's a bonus.

Thai and Vietnamese places can work, too, if they don't use soy sauce (most don't) and use rice noodles. Chinese is flat out.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by bevischief

We finally get a Sonic here later this summer. We stopped at every Sonic between here and KC when we were last down in KC here in January starting in Iowa. Wife loves the place.

The only Sonic I know of within 50 miles is in a northern suburb of Des Moines.

They're closing down all around us.

[007]

One basic rule of thumb though.... don't eat at a fast food place late at night. You are just getting reheated food from earlier in the day most of the time.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

The only Sonic I know of within 50 miles is in a northern suburb of Des Moines.

They're closing down all around us.

We're finally seeing the effect of those terrible ads, I guess.

[DrRyan]

Almost ALL of them. Under no circumstance do I eat: McDonald's, Taco Bell, Arby's KFC, Church's, Burger King, Long John Silver's.

In n Out double double on occasion for sure.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Guru

One basic rule of thumb though.... don't eat at a fast food place late at night. You are just getting reheated food from earlier in the day most of the time.

Maybe times have changed since my dad ran an A&W. In those days, the best times were the non-busy times because they wouldn't have anything pre-made. They'd cook your food up while you waited.

I guess maybe stuff like lettuce and tomatoes might be a bit less fresh later at night.

[Frosty]

It's amazing how many of these we don't have in the PNW - In - n Out, Chick-fil-a, Popeyes, White Castle, Waffle House. The only LJS are in Seattle. We only recent got Sonic but I've never been to one.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Maybe times have changed since my dad ran an A&W. In those days, the best times were the non-busy times because they wouldn't have anything pre-made. They'd cook your food up while you waited.

I guess maybe stuff like lettuce and tomatoes might be a bit less fresh later at night.

When I worked fast food, we never made food ahead. You got in trouble if there was unsold food left over at closing.