“Even though we’re pushing through pricing, the consumer is tolerating it well,” he said in October analyst call.

normal way to talk about ‘fellow’ human beings

  • @lqdrchrd@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    17810 months ago

    McDonald’s used to be viable because it was shit, but at least it was cheap. Now it’s just shit. I haven’t gone of my own will in years, only with other people who wanted it. $3 for a hash brown is absurd.

  • @IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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    15910 months ago

    There’s a burger place near me which makes a great burger - good quality ingredients, interesting toppings, great fries and they’re cheaper than McDonalds. Given McDonald’s prices on ingredients will be substantially cheaper, and their volume higher, this is just pure greed.

    • @nul9o9@lemmy.world
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      4010 months ago

      My local burger places are just like that. Absolutely bonkers what people with a routine will tolerate if the change is slow.

      • @IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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        2010 months ago

        Some people are open to trying new things, they want the excitement of trying out a new restaurant or take out, they want to try types of food they’ve never eaten before.

        Then there are the other type. They behave in the same way as children do, they want what they like, and will not take a risk on something new, even on something as pedestrian as a burger.

        • @MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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          710 months ago

          I’ve worked with a 50 year old man that gets upset if there isn’t a nearby Chick-fil-A. He eats the same thing every day. By his other behaviors I assume it’s undiagnosed OCD or something so we don’t give him shit about it.

          • Apathy Tree
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            510 months ago

            My former coworker got the exact same thing from chipotle every single day. Nothing wrong with him, just really liked his routine. Some people are like that.

        • @jaybone@lemmy.world
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          410 months ago

          This seems pretty black and white. Ironically.

          I love trying new food. But sometimes I just want to order something where I know what I am going to get.

    • @BakerBagel@midwest.social
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      1210 months ago

      Yeah there is a little drive through burger stand 2 blocks away from me. Amazing burger and fries combo for $11. The only downside is their service is super slow, but that’s a crapshoot at nearly every fast food chain at this point

      • @TheIllustrativeMan@lemmy.world
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        410 months ago

        Yeah there is a great place near me that does a really, really good double with pimento, chili, fresh onion and jalapeno for around that too. 2 people getting food, a loaded fry (that’s actually loaded), and tip is somewhere around $30. I don’t see why I would eat at any fast food chain.

  • @BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    12110 months ago

    It’s a good thing we haven’t raised the Minimum Wage! Otherwise they may have Raised their prices!

    • @shalafi@lemmy.world
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      510 months ago

      The legal minimum wage hasn’t risen, but the real minimum wage has. Around here, in a poor little redneck town, you’re getting $10-$12 to start at McDonalds.

      • @SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.ca
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        1910 months ago

        That’s actually even more depressing. The legal minimum wage is so low that it’s not even lifting up the wages of the most modest jobs in the lowest COL areas. It functionally doesn’t exist.

      • @Katana314@lemmy.world
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        110 months ago

        I mean, I think part of the recruitment policy for each workplace is to state “We’re above minimum wage by a decent margin!” But if minimum wage were bumped up to $10, that would no longer be the case, and McDonalds would be doing little to differentiate themselves - at least until they offer $15-$18.

  • @RGB3x3@lemmy.world
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    10910 months ago

    “Some customers are fed up and pushing back”

    But continuing to buy things from them, yeah? Companies are not going to change until people stop buying from them.

    Nobody needs McDonald’s. I’m not even sure most people actually want McDonald’s. Just stop going, seriously.

    • @MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I hate McDonald’s. I eat McDonald’s. If I get into some tiny town or get off work in a tiny town at 11pm or later it’s often the only place open.

      What I don’t understand is people who eat there by choice. I sometimes work with a guy who will go to McDonald’s by choice, even with better/cheaper options, three times a day.

      I wonder how much of McDonald’s average franchise net income is from road warriors.

      • @Coreidan@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        God damn. What fucked up nightmare is this if your ONLY choice is this toxic shitty unhealthy food?

        You poor fucking bastard. Your health will pay for that in time.

        • @SeducingCamel@lemm.ee
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          210 months ago

          You can get $1 breakfast sandwiches and $2 mcchicken with free fries in the app. I definitely use it when I want the cheapest lunch or breakfast option

        • @thrawn@lemmy.world
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          210 months ago

          A ton of people work poor jobs or unfortunate hours and have their health suffer for it. No need to rub it in, he clearly doesn’t think it will be healthy.

  • @MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com
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    10 months ago

    I can’t believe that the US Government believes that a little more than two McDonald’s hash browns are worth one hour’s work.

    Fuck that. That isn’t dignity.

  • @ramsgrl909@lemmy.world
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    7110 months ago

    I worked for McDs in high school, around 2008. Big Mac meal used to be $6.08 with tax, $1 menu used to be $1.06 with tax. I went the other day and was shocked to see how much everything costs now plus I have to order via a screen (which I find bizarre, but maybe I’m just old now).

    I also feel like working there used to be kind of fun. I’d take the order from the drive thru/take the money, kitchen would secretly prioritize drive thru orders (everything is timed), and window person would get the order together. Now it seems like they take 1 or 2 drive thru orders at a time and make the line wait until those are done.

    Seems like fewer people working & prices went up - and I’m sure those poor folks working are making minimum wage. It’s just sad all around.

    • @saintshenanigans@programming.dev
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      3110 months ago

      The cool part is I started working there just after you! I started around 2013 and worked there until about 2016 and it was STILL about maybe $7 or $8 for a meal, and the dollar menu was still $1.06

      This shit happened during covid and they’re literally only doing it because they can. There have been reports that the current inflation isn’t driven by the state of the economy at all, but just corporate greed.

      Don’t waste your time and money guys, you can get food cheaper at the mom and pop restaurants now, and that food is usually at least half decent. When it’s the same price to eat at McDonald’s or a “healthier” place like tropical smoothie or Chipotle, why the fuck would I want to pay for ultra processed sludge

      • prole
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        10 months ago

        When it’s the same price to eat at McDonald’s or a “healthier” place like tropical smoothie or Chipotle, why the fuck would I want to pay for ultra processed sludge

        Yes, exactly. Maybe I just take the amazing variety of local food choices near me for granted, but it just makes no sense to me anymore.

        The only fast food I still get sometimes is Taco Bell. Not if I’m in the mood for Mexican, I’ve got a half dozen better places near me for that. Taco Bell is its own genre of food separate from Mexican and Tex-Mex.

      • @olmec@lemm.ee
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        210 months ago

        I hear people talk like this, but I don’t think it is actually true. Sure, fast food use to be half of a smaller joint, but now you are only paying 20-30% less at the fast food places. That ignores the fact that a lot of the cheap food is on the apps now. My Mcdonalds has had buy one get one Big Macs for about 2 years now. Even if I get that and a fry, I am looking at a $8 bill as opposed to a local joint that is going to charge $9 for their basic burger, no fries.

        This doesn’t even take into account the speed of the fast food places, which is much slower than it use to be, but still the fastest places in town. So yes, the days of a late night snack run to Taco Bell are over, but the restaurants still have a purpose. The purpose is for when you need some food right now, and not for a huge price.

        • I’m no financial analyst and im no good at all of the legal jargon, but aren’t the notes below this chart explaining they changed how they calculate this right around may 2020?

          Like I said, I’m illiterate when it comes to the technical side of this stuff, so I just googled and from what I’m gathering from this article below, the fed changed the rules for what defines a savings account so they’re almost the same as checking, and that caused them both to get reported in M1 and that’s the majority of that surge of cash.

          Feel free to correct me with better evidence, like I said again, I’m just trying to understand the legal wording here:

          https://collabfund.com/blog/the-fed-isnt-printing-as-much-money-as-you-think/

      • @this_1_is_mine@lemmy.world
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        1010 months ago

        Well metrics are collected for both dining and drivethru but dive thru was always pushed hard as the thing to maintain timing wise. That’s when we figured out the smile button. A no charge but very abusable button that would count as an order. Ring a smile and wait 10sec and clear it. Ring one every 3 orders to be sly to corporate… When your having wait time issues and you could clear them and have them count even before clearimg the order before it. Easy way to knock the occasional 5 to 10 minute order down that skewed my hours metrics.

          • @this_1_is_mine@lemmy.world
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            210 months ago

            I think the idea was to add it as an additional argument on the order when when inputting an order as an ask me button or potentially just as a cheeky little Easter egg but it would ring up as no dollar charge nothing more really. But tracking was on individual orders and since you could ring a smile and summit it as a order "pay for it " $ 0.00. And then wait 10 to 20 seconds and you could dismiss the order as fulfilled. Each hand off station in the store has a set of screens that show what the order is and what’s coming next for a couple of orders. You can dissmis orders out of order buy using a keypad. So a small coffee order can be dismissed while leaving the 15 filet of fish order up as a reminder. Any time you would see a order for a smile. You would hunt that order down as soon as you saw it and dismiss it. It became a huge joke about how many smiles per hour were being done during district meetings. Can’t imagine corporate ones.

    • @flathead@lemm.ee
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      2010 months ago

      so you order on a touch screen that has been used by every nosepickin’ customer before you and then chow down on food you eat with your hands? Sounds delicious.

    • @jeremyparker@programming.dev
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      1010 months ago

      In high school (~1995) I used to work in light construction/carpentry, and I was ravenous on a normal day, so work days I would eat huge amounts - on payday I would go to McDonald’s and order a Big Mac meal and a happy meal – both for me. (It probably would’ve been more cost effective to buy two adult meals, but the first time I did it the cute girl at the register said something about how I seemed like a nice dad … I should’ve just asked her out, rather than keeping up a bizarre charade for no reason – I was tan and fit from working outside all the time, I should’ve had more confidence, but I was also undiagnosed autistic too, so, well, that kind of explains that.)

      Anyway, the Big Mac meal was $2.99 united states dollerydoos, and I was making $7/hr. The price doubled in the 10 years between us… but wages stayed about the same.

    • prole
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      710 months ago

      Well yeah, how else will they post profits every quarter until the end of time?

  • Transient Punk
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    6210 months ago

    It is so sickening how capitalism normalizes stripping people of their humanity

  • Thrickles
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    5810 months ago

    the customer is tolerating it well

    Sure am! It’s been over four years since I’ve had McDonalds (or any other fast food restaurant). Prices are absurd and the food is meh at best.

    • @9715698@lemmy.world
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      910 months ago

      I do get a craving for McDonalds fries that I give into probably once or twice per year. Usually I’ll get a Big Mac combo, or a couple McMenu sandwiches. The other surprising factor aside from the absurd price is how mediocre the flavour has gotten. While it was never culinary art, it somehow tastes even less like food than I remember just years ago.

      I’m disappointed every time.

      • @ExLisper@linux.community
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        810 months ago

        Maybe it’s not that McDonalds tastes less like food but you just go used to eating proper food instead and your palate changed?

      • @SargPotTea@lemmy.world
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        710 months ago

        It probably hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years, it’s just that the cravings make it sound so much better until you have it again. I’m the same with KFC, I get massive cravings and remember how good it was last time, then when I get it I end up regretting it and being disappointed, then the cycle happens again

        Tho that’s my personal experience yours could differ

      • Crass Spektakel
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        110 months ago

        A relative lost most of his taste during Corona. Good thing though, he can eat food so spicy that everyone else falls into pain coma.

  • Froyn
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    5710 months ago

    Sunday morning, fire up the air fryer and park just outside of McD’s. Selling hashbrowns at $1 a pop.

    • @GluWu@lemm.ee
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      4310 months ago

      And get fined by the city for not having a food vending license. And the audited by the IRS.

      • @cm0002@lemmy.world
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        2710 months ago

        The first point makes sense, that’s why he needs to sell 10¢ trinkets for a dollar with a “bonus gift” of a hash brown lmfao

        I don’t see why he’d get audited by the IRS, first he’d need to make more than 600 off it and even if he did, as long as he reports it the IRS DGAF as long as they get their cut lmao

          • @SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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            510 months ago

            A food handlers license, sure that’s not that hard. A food VENDERS license? I’ve done that. I’ve opened restaurants from nothing, to where I was climbing thru the walls cutting out the path for the new hood.

            There’s an exponential fuckton of differences between the two.

            And about $500,000-$2M eaaaaasy

      • Froyn
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        810 months ago

        In the corporate world, that’s known as “the cost of doing business”. As long as the profit exceeds the fine, we’re good. If the profits exceed the threshold, it would get claimed come tax time as “additional income”. There’d be no audit because local PD doesn’t report to the IRS.

        If the profit IS good enough, I’d totally pay the fee to register as an LLC so I can do the “fancy accounting” and afford myself all the tax and corporate bonuses that come along with it.

        Had I thought of it 5 years ago, I could have used the LLC to apply and get me one of those fancy COVID loans (that didn’t need to be paid back). Though, I’ll admit the money would have been invested in dividend bearing stocks and actually paid back at the end of the term; minus the profit I made off the money of course.

    • Dadd Volante
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      5010 months ago

      Not many places open when 2nd shift closes.

      And yes, there’s food at home or in the lunchbox, but sometimes home is 40 minutes away and you already ate lunch 5 hours prior.

      • @theangryseal@lemmy.world
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        1510 months ago

        This is my life. Home is 45 minutes away. I pull into McDonald’s praying, “Please let it be fresh, oh lord. Please. I haven’t eaten since 8:00 AM, it’s 10:30 PM now. I don’t want to gag it down. Please Buddha, Krishna, Allah, Jesus of Nazareth! Please!”

        I open the wrapper, it’s dry and cold, or it’s fresh but the dude cooking it decided I wanted a whole brick of salt on it, or they decided, “Hey, these onions are better than those! Fuck consistency! They want it like I want it! With different onions and 40 pickles!”

        I’m about to try to find tv dinners that taste good or something. I legit starve sometimes because I literally can’t eat it.

        It’s the only restaurant that’s open on my way home.

        • Cosmic Cleric
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          910 months ago

          “Please let it be fresh, oh lord. Please. I haven’t eaten since …"

          Wow, I really felt that lament.

        • @unphazed@lemmy.world
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          610 months ago

          Soups in a soup thermos (get the steel good ohes, dont cheap out), shit stays warm for 8+ hours. I lived on that shit working security.

        • @whalebiologist@lemmy.world
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          510 months ago

          knowing you live somewhere with limited options, rather than yoke your health and well being to a single fast food restaurant, consider that this is the time to learn how to cook, store, and prepare your own food. Even a humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich can come in clutch in this situation, and all you have to do is make it ahead of time. You eat 2-3 meals a day every day. It’s okay to eat simple things, not every meal has to be special.

          • Dadd Volante
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            1410 months ago

            Yeah but when you are working 12 hour days, not counting the commute, sometimes you don’t want to be constructive at home. You want to enjoy your freedom.

            • @aesthelete@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              when you are working 12 hour days

              You want to enjoy your freedom.

              Man, there’s no freedom in working 12 hour days. Hats off to you I guess but that’s not any kind of freedom at all.

              • Dadd Volante
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                110 months ago

                I was referring to the time I wasn’t clocked in.

                I’m glad you have other options. Not everyone does. My friend who currently works at Ford does so because he took custody of his nephew when his worthless brother went to jail.

                He has no choice but to work and provide.

                People are a kaleidoscope. There are a multitude of reasons one would take a job, and to so whimsically brush that notion aside is intellectually irresponsible

                • @andros_rex@lemmy.world
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                  10 months ago

                  People are a kaleidoscope.

                  Yea! This discussion always dives into “oh well you can live off oats and beans!” There’s so many assumptions about space to cook, storage options, time… I quit my full time and my food budget has gone down quite a bit, because I have time to make these things. If you work multiple jobs and live in a tiny space, rice and beans aren’t always that practical.

        • @asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
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          310 months ago

          Hi!! If you live in an area that has trader Joe’s they have some fantastic TV dinners! I’ve enjoyed any pasta I’ve tried and they have various frozen chicken like Kung pow and orange chicken, with sauce on the side so you could also just use it for the protein and mix up seasoning and dishes!

            • @asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
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              310 months ago

              Fuck dude yeah I’m sorry. There are always a few frozen things that can be doable… having an air fryer can make a big difference with some of the frozen type stuff like taquitos, fries, frozen burritos, anything you would be too lazy to put in an oven even though you know it would taste better.

              But really the lesson is this shit is fucked up and there shouldn’t some people who have to come up with creative ideas just to feed themselves

        • @brbposting@sh.itjust.works
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          210 months ago

          :(

          Ever asked for it fresh / cooked to order? Easier in the restaurant, but in the drive through you can mention you don’t mind parking and waiting. If unsuccessful, you can politely get more elaborate with the request: “I know I’ll have to park since dropping the fries and cooking the burger to order will take some time, but I don’t mind at all. Just as long as it’s fresh, please!”

          Fries w/o salt would let you control that variable on your own as well.

          Your mileage will certainly vary but cold McD is really barely worth paying for. Scalding hot McD is harder to knock: e.g. they bully suppliers into giving them quality long Russets for their fries.

          • @SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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            110 months ago

            Order the meat without salt too. They all season on the flattop so it’ll force them to make fresh.

              • @SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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                110 months ago

                I’ve done the job, I know exactly how much work I’m asking for for 90secs under a clamshell. The reality is there’s too much salt on the food anyway, take it up with the boss dictating not the consumer looking to minimize damage to their health.

        • @TheIllustrativeMan@lemmy.world
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          110 months ago

          I’m about to try to find tv dinners that taste good or something. I legit starve sometimes because I literally can’t eat it.

          Impossible has some vegi-based microwave dinners that are about $6 a pop at Walmart, and are absolutely fantastic. The “chicken” ones are a bit high on the sugar content though.

      • @SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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        710 months ago

        When I had that commute I would buy boxes of clifbars and power bars that permanently populated my glovebox. Trail mix in Adams peanut butter jars. Flavored oatmeal with raisins in old jam jars, just grab a cup of boiling water on your way out and pour it in. See also, instant mash potatoes, stuffing, ramen (adding boiling water to ramen and just waiting for it to be ready is the only way I like it now). That was the best idea I ever had before a multi day road trip, please use it.

        If anyone has ideas to add to that, I’m all ears. Or any other food-from-home non-shopping ideas (like eating potato salad with Tims salt and vinegar chips, bombdotcom)

        • Dadd Volante
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          410 months ago

          I’m not referring to my current situation. I’m adding context to their question.

          I’m fully aware that someone can put stuff like that in their car.

          However, when I was working in a factory til 11 pm, I don’t want cliff bars and peanut butter.

          I understand what you’re saying. Not everyone has those options, whether you want to believe it or not.

          People are a kaleidoscope. There is no single way to live or fix your problems. This is information I hope you too can use.

          • @SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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            110 months ago

            I’m glad he not in this situation now and for sure, sometimes you just need protein and want something hot, I get it.

            When I was in that situation there were def days when I’d hit up Jack in box, with my very specific order, knowing 100% full well that I could do this once a week and not go into the red. I tried to avoid it, but sometimes the body wants what it wants.

            And absolutely, I wasn’t adding to offer an end all solution, nor do I think one exists, just to elucidate other options for either yourself, but mainly for posterity and those who potentially stumble upon this down the way

            I think we all might do well to assume our internetting will outlive us, which no one could really know and I doubt it will, but it might and I think pascals wager here might be prudent, but that’s just one of many takes im sure.

        • @Katana314@lemmy.world
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          310 months ago

          From what I’ve seen, clif bars are more expensive than I’d like to frequently pay, and they’re not a very satisfying meal - probably not even so nutritious.

        • Dadd Volante
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          I see what you’re trying to do.

          Attempt this with physically demanding labor.

          Splitting hairs doesn’t Invalide my original point. Being contrarian by default doesn’t make you clever.

          • @SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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            110 months ago

            [Hang with me a sec and it’ll become clear, I promise]

            Casino dealers get a break every 90-120min that they have to take (barring short staffing event outliers). Being a croupier is not what most would call physically demanding, when contrasted to, idk, framing. But it’s mentally exhausting.

            Just so everyone’s at the same understanding, in yr average 2000cal day, the brain burns 1200 of those calories. All your physical exertion burns the last 800cal. So some muscles are more energy intensive than others.

            Casinos did the science and found that people are cost effective, more or less good to go, with 90min of engaging mental exertion. Think arithmetic, not calculus. After 90 mistakes become more expensive then giving the person a 20 min break to let their brain clear out cortisol or lactic acid.

            That means there’s about a 2hr buffer of ATP in the body before we start slipping.

            Don’t deny workers their calories. It’s bad all around, for all parties.

            (Fantastic last lines, btw)

  • @FabledAepitaph@lemmy.world
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    4510 months ago

    It’s easy to tolerate price increases on products when you don’t buy that product. The thing that concerns me though, is that if people stop buying McDonald’s and instead buy canned beans… is my chili going to get more expensive because McDonald’s wants 3 dollar hash browns? I’m pretty sure the answer is yes.

    • kase
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      1810 months ago

      Pro tip, if you have access to a stove and several hours of free time to spare for cooking-- dry beans are super cheap!

      • @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee
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        710 months ago

        Extra pro tip: put them in a bowl or pan of boiling water the night before to make them cook quicker the next day. Extra extra pro tip put bicarbonate of soda in the water to make them cook quicker.

      • @FabledAepitaph@lemmy.world
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        710 months ago

        It’s truuuuee. I actually cooked my first pot of dry beans in a crock pot over the course of like 8 hours the other week, and it was very satisfying.

      • @bss03@infosec.pub
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        410 months ago

        An InstantPot (or other pressure cooker) can cut that time down quite a bit. I set mine on 40 minutes, but it takes a little while to get up to temp/pressure at the start and at least 15 minutes to slow/natural release the pressure at the end.

        Still, dry beans to food in about an hour is great! Also much easier to control your sodium intake, it that’s a concern.

        • Wh33lz
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          310 months ago

          Not sure what I would do or how I made it before I got my Instant pot. Amazing little kitchen gadget.

      • 0xED
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        310 months ago

        Getting an Instant Pot was my game changer for dry beans.

    • @AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world
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      710 months ago

      They won’t tho. If these people could just buy other things they would have already imo. I stopped going to McD’s when their prices got to high for me. That’s why they’re making a big stink about it, because they still want McD’s but don’t want to pay so much.

      • @jeremyparker@programming.dev
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        610 months ago

        I used to take my kids out to McDonald’s for a quick bite - it was easy, food-allergy safe, and cheap – but now it’s the same price as the local burger place so fuck mcd

      • @wildwhitehorses@aussie.zone
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        410 months ago

        No Macdonalds is making a stink because it’s now cheaper to make foods at home for their core demographic -poor people. The article says they will drop some food prices accordingly.

  • @kttnpunk@lemmy.world
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    4110 months ago

    Inflation and wage theft are absolutely out of control in this country. I’m a barista. My store makes $1600 in a eight-hour day. Mine and all of my coworker’s wage in there probably adds up to about $50/hour on average. So the profit margin is ridiculous. And these businesses have the gall to think they can make MORE MONEY. No, fuck you. At some point the human beings doing the hard work need to get a bigger cut.

    • @FarmTaco@lemmy.world
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      2110 months ago

      make sure you count utilities and rent for the building and supplies etc, its still ridiculous but slightly less so

      • @Got_Bent@lemmy.world
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        1010 months ago

        And franchise fees. They take a percentage of gross. I really don’t know why anybody gets involved with that stuff.

      • @kttnpunk@lemmy.world
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        210 months ago

        Yeah of course there are operating expenses, but you have these same companies buying the lowest quality equipment and products they can get away with as well. It’s inexcusable.

    • @MrsDoyle@lemmy.world
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      610 months ago

      What most irritates me about this - plus layoffs to increase profits- is that the corporate numbnuts overlook the fact that every employee they stiff is a customer. Everyone is someone’s customer. A customer who has a shrinking amount of disposable income to spend on white goods, new clothes, eating out etc. They think hurrah, with AI we’ll be able to sack our creatives! Next thing they’re whining because there are so many homeless people on the streets. There’s a link! It’s exasperating.

      • @FabledAepitaph@lemmy.world
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        1910 months ago

        I’ve literally worked in the oil field throwing pipe wrenches around, and it was usually easier than what I see some food service employees putting up with lol

      • @kttnpunk@lemmy.world
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        1010 months ago

        It’s brutal. More draining than any other retail job I’ve worked, and I’ve been in warehouses, unloaded trucks. Especially near a airport or hospital some locations do business NONSTOP. And the customers? FIENDING for sugar and caffeine in the form of some obscure, brand new tiktok hack that uses ingredients we probably don’t have in stock and is made the total opposite of how a reasonable person would want it. It’s like any other job, a lot of people DO put in hard work and most of those get nowhere but burned out.

        • @assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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          310 months ago

          Thank you for what you do. On top of that there’s cultivating the place’s atmosphere, which isn’t easy. I used to do homework and study at coffee shops all the time in college

          • @kttnpunk@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            Right back atcha - atmosphere is SO important to the higher-ups, and it really is a big challenge to maintain given the low pay, early mornings, demanding customers and scammy, if all-too-normalized business practices.

            • @assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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              210 months ago

              It’s one of the few times I’ll agree with a higher-up’s priorities. There’s a very significant difference between a fast, bustling coffee shop atmosphere and a laid back one. The former makes me think of an airport or mall kiosk – or most Starbucks, honestly. You go in, you get your drink, you get out.

              The laid back, homey atmosphere is definitely my favorite though. That’s where you can actually catch up with friends or play a board game, read a book, or get homework/work/studying done.

              And a big part of that is you guys. It’s a nice surprise when a barista at the place I usually go to recognizes me and knows what I want to order. Or they’ll strike up a conversation or tell me that technically, the butterbeer latte can be ordered year round.

              You guys are some of my favorite people :). Don’t let haters talk you down.

      • @hardcoreufo@lemmy.world
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        710 months ago

        I’ve worked a lot of jobs. I much preferred moving furniture and pulling carpet to my work as a barista. It’s still a physical job where you are on your feet all day but with the added stress of dealing with entitled customers.

        Now that I’ve moved on dealing with other humans is still the worst part of my job. Leave me alone and let me fix shit and I’m happy.

  • @garretble@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I actually don’t hate the burgers McDonald’s has now. They are hot, and often hit the spot for me.

    HOWEVER, a double quarter pounder meal is now like $10, and it’s just not worth it when I have other options next door or across the street that sell better food for about the same price.

    • @money_loo@1337lemmy.com
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      410 months ago

      Same, my daughter wanted their fries recently and we caved and bought it, and it was actually quite juicy and tasty.

      Ironically the fries were undercooked soggy potatoes, so win some lose some I guess.

      • @TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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        510 months ago

        It’s very location dependent. It was the only place to stop that was open on a recent road trip that I took. The bun was stale and the patties were overcooked. The pickles were fine I guess.

    • @TangledHyphae@lemmy.world
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      1510 months ago

      I’m more surprised that they thought they could double prices, but yet somehow still very noticeably drop in quality. McDonald’s quality drop isn’t quite as bad as say, Taco Bell and others but wow, seems like hubris is in the air lately with these corporations’ executive boards.