In a way I’ve felt lucky- my daughter and I have celiac, so most fast food at most places is off limits for us for safety reasons. When we lived in Cali we used to eat lunch at In&Out 1-2 times a month and enjoyed it every time. These days, I’ll occasionally grab a burger from Culver’s, but the food just isn’t filling and it’s sad to not be able to have fries. There is one local Wendy’s that 100% has a dedicated fryer for fries and will change their gloves in non-peak hours for us, so we sometimes get fries from there. I definitely miss two fast food things the most, both from McDonald’s- hash browns and McNuggets. I have successfully recreated the nuggets at home gluten free, but they’re a HUGE pain and I do it only a couple of times a year.
I only eat fast food when I’m travelling so haven’t had any recently! There’s no Pot Belly near me so I’m always happy to find one when I’m on the road.
Years ago when we lived in NY, the McDonald’s in Oneonta was our half-way food/restaurant stop on 3-hour trip to visit the in-laws. On one Thanksgiving trip their restrooms were out of order. I was sooo annoyed that MY ladies room was closed! We had to hunt down another option, not so easy in small towns.
Always be prepared to squat, with TP of course
I stopped eating fast food about 8 years ago unless we are on a road trip. Even with that I started packing lunch from home. I tend to have a lot of inflammation and fast food didn’t help. I’m also trying to eat healthier and fast food isn’t apart of my regular diet.
If I am stopping I tend to go to In and Out or the Habit. We also used to stop a lot at Chipotle. If a 5 guys is on the road I’d stop. In the olden days we would stop at Taco Bell. I am probably the odd man out but I love McDonalds. When I was in high school I’d eat Burger King several times a week after I got off work at a local department store. Cheeseburgers, quarter pounder with cheese, Big Mac and I love their fries if they are fresh. I also like the sausage McMuffin. I haven’t had any of it in over 10 years.
Our Burger King closed a few years back and turned into a Chickfala. The line of cars out into the street goes around the block. On the Nextdoor app people love to complain about the drive through backup holding up the flow of traffic. I like their original chicken sandwich but nothing is worth waiting in a long line for.
Strongly dislike Wendy’s and hate Panera.
If I’m exhausted and not cooking we have several Mexican places we pick up from. We also have the original Habit locations which are still locally owned which I like.
I don’t mind fast food but I do not do drive-throughs under any circumstances. And on the whole I don’t like cold food that’s supposed to be hot. So I’ll wait until I can go inside to eat again.
Clearly, I am the only Texan. I don’t eat a lot of fast food anymore, but when I do it’s Whataburger.
Jimmy Johns > Jersey Mikes > Subway, but will order subs and cheesesteaks all day from Casapulla’s when I am visiting my parents in Delaware.
Always get a dog or Italian beef of some type from Portillos when visiting my brother in Chicago, and maybe it is just nostalgia, but nothing beats a midnight Top Dog from Berkeley, Calabrese or Louisiana hot.
While I like Jimmy John’s, the subs at Jersey Mike’s are much more substantial for the price, IMHO. And maybe it’s a Jersey thing, as I spent many a summer day near Jersey Mike’s original Point Pleasant location, but I like them a lot more.
But both are well ahead of Subway.
I hit Arby’s happy hour on occasion - sliders, drinks, and the new crinkle fries for $1 each. And Chipotle is a regular - bowl with a tortilla on the side (though they caught on and now charge 25 cents).
I had a Jersey Mike’s sub in an airport several years back and I thought it was great, the closest I had to something resembling the MidAtlantic subs I grew up on. When one opened up in the flyover town I live in, I was really excited. However, the subs there just taste a little different. The dressing ratio of vinegar to oil seems off, too sour and the meat did not have as much flavor. You would think there is 1 national supplier of the coldcuts and that should not vary, but their distribution and sourcing may be more regional.
My husband was a business traveler. He said he looked for Jersey Mikes in airports because they were terrific. One opened near us, and he says it is equally terrific. I really like the rolls they use…very crusty top unlike Subway. I do like the subway salads and very occasionally will get one if I’m out and can’t get home for dinner.
Sounds then like it is a local operator issue. Maybe that is why there is only one open in a town that has plenty of other sandwich chains with multiple units. But this talk about subs makes me want to give the Jersey Mikes another shot at lunch today.
That would be why I prefer Subway to Jersey Mikes I think. I don’t care for crusty bread. I love a nice soft wheat roll. I also won’t eat a sub if I have to get one on white bread (or any sandwich). White bread, to me, is truly tasteless. I grew up on it and it’s what all of my extended family always chose (or still chooses if they’re alive), but I guess something didn’t pass on with my taste buds.
It’s a good thing that there are different places for different tastes!
Otherwise, I know fast food places certainly can vary in quality. We love Popeyes, except the one near where my med school lad is. That one is terrible. We tend to like Five Guys, but not the one nearest to us. Our thoughts aren’t solely ours. Parking lots in others of these chains tend to have cars in them. Those we dislike rarely have more than one or two - and we speculate if they are the worker’s cars!
Dear wife had Jersey Mike’s for the first time when a friend ordered lunch delivered from them during pandemic (they ate outside, kept way more than 6 ft apart, only unmasked to eat, no one got sick!!!).
Wife found the menu to be limited, very few hot sandwiches that weren’t steak. No meatball, no chicken options. Upon examining the online menu, I completely agreed. To us, Subway had much more variety than Jersey Mike’s. She was disappointed, and I see no need to eat there if Subway is close by. Southern New England has a chain called D’Angelo’s that is good as well.
Strange. I just got on my jersey mike’s app and there are 6 chicken subs listed under the hot menu. I wonder if it’s different by location? I also think you can customize more if you go in the store to order. H does that all the time.
I just googled and the only bread I saw was white in the pictures. I tried ordering to see if they gave options once one got going, but it wanted me to log in - even as a guest. I don’t plan on actually ordering from a place an hour away from me so I left.
Do they have other bread options than white? If so, another time on a trip I’m willing to give them another try.
Definitely regional differences in subs/hoagies/grinders. Ate plenty of delicious late night hot roast beef, meatball, hamburger grinders in my time in New England. The cold Italian subs did not seem as popular or as good as those made in the MidAtlantic.
On my app, you have the choice of white, wheat, Rosemary Parmesan, or for $1.50 more gluten free.
Thanks! They’re definitely on my list to give them another try at some point then. Our first (and only) visit could have been a not-so-great place, esp since many on here like them.
I enjoy Jersey Mikes as the only option for me to get a cheesesteak. Everywhere we’ve moved I’ve found a hoagie shop for my husband, but they always (if they’re authentic) fly in amoroso rolls from Philly, which means no gluten free cheesesteaks for me. Jersey Mike’s offers a decent gf roll and will lay down paper and change gloves, etc. They’ll also serve it in a bowl, allowing me to bring it home and put it on my own rolls, which I prefer.