Fast Food Discussion: Mexican Pizza at Taco Bell

[Mondayman]

Played in a ball hockey tournament today. Our team has orange jerseys, and we joked about representing A&W and slapping on a logo with Rooty the Bear. Someone was cheering "That's a double-teen combo right there" after a nice one-timer goal.

I went for A&W afterwards, of course.

 

[kyphysics]

Which fast food joint do you all think has the best breakfast chicken biscuit?

I have yet to find a better version than Chick-Fil-A's. I laughed so hard at this review above. It 100% reflects how I feel about McD's vs. CFA. Hardee's version doesn't do it for me, b/c their biscuits aren't as soft, nor flavorful as CFA's.

 

[JT Smith]

What country is this? Wendy's claims to have baked potatoes nationwide (US). I can get one delivered here in 20 minutes.

They also have chicken, at least in the US.

I live in the United States of America where every other freeway off-ramp has five different hamburger places to choose from. True, you can also get chicken sandwiches encrusted in two inches of fried breading.

But baked potatoes? They disappeared from the Wendy's around here over twenty years ago. Did they come back? I looked again more thoroughly at the Wendy's official website menu and, yes, they are there. But when I looked at the online menus for several Wendy's here in California there were no baked potatoes. So maybe they are only available at certain locations. Or maybe it's regional? Or maybe you can only get them in person around here?

What specific Wendy's locations do you know of that actually sell plain baked potatoes?

 

[Vanadium 50]

The Wendy's in Redwood City has (and delivers potatoes). So does the one in Hollywood. And at least one in Bakersfield.

I think they are there - you may have to ask.

 

[malawi_glenn]

Does anyone here actually dislike fast food?

I like the taste of it, but I actually rather stay hungry than eat garbage.
The only fast food I eat regularly are tacos with plenty of meat and veggies. Also hamburgers can have nice protein to energy ratio. The fries and the soda are the silent killers there.

If I am downtown and feeling hungry and have to eat, I go to a grocery store and get two bananas and package of natural yoghurt. Solid 700 kcal for a small penny.

 

[Mondayman]

The fries and the soda are the silent killers there.

It's hard to overstate how bad pop is. I used to drink it, not a lot like some people, but maybe a few times a week.

Giving it up made a drastic difference in how I felt. Same with when I cut sugar out of my coffee.

 

[malawi_glenn]

Same with when I cut sugar out of my coffee.

The only sugar than enters my coffee is the small amount that is naturally occurring in milk!

 

[jtbell]

On my day-trips to Charlotte, I usually stop at a Dairy Queen for a Blizzard on the way home. In the past, this was a DQ "embedded" inside a truck stop at the NC/SC state line on I-85. Last month I discovered that this DQ has closed, and its logo removed from the truck stop.

Yesterday I was in Charlotte again, checked Google Maps for other DQs near the route home, and found one in Gastonia NC, on the main drag just east of downtown. "Hmmm, I don't remember that one, and I've driven through there many times..."

When I got there I found out why I had overlooked it before. It's not one of the modern buildings with indoor seating, but one of the old-style places where you stand or sit outside and order through a window. It doesn't even have the red and white DQ logo on it.

But it has the usual DQ stuff, including Blizzards. Mine was this month's special: caramel drumstick.

This reminded me of the DQ my parents and I stopped at regularly, not far from our house, back in the '60s.

 

[gmax137]

this month's special: caramel drumstick

Is that turkey or chicken drumstick?

 

[jtbell]

Is that turkey or chicken drumstick?

 

[berkeman]

It doesn't even have the red and white DQ logo on it.

Was there a McDowell's down the street?

https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/mcdowells-has-finally-come-hollywood/102818

 

[kyphysics]

On my day-trips to Charlotte, I usually stop at a Dairy Queen for a Blizzard on the way home. In the past, this was a DQ "embedded" inside a truck stop at the NC/SC state line on I-85. Last month I discovered that this DQ has closed, and its logo removed from the truck stop.

Yesterday I was in Charlotte again, checked Google Maps for other DQs near the route home, and found one in Gastonia NC, on the main drag just east of downtown. "Hmmm, I don't remember that one, and I've driven through there many times..."

When I got there I found out why I had overlooked it before. It's not one of the modern buildings with indoor seating, but one of the old-style places where you stand or sit outside and order through a window. It doesn't even have the red and white DQ logo on it.

DQ buildings can be very bifurcated in terms of their look.

I've seen some like that one in my city, where it's got either an "older" or "run-down" type of look. Then, I've also seen some that are in upscale shopping areas...although, those are usually the DQ Grill and Chill concepts. They've got a modern interior with TVs mounted on the wall.

Surprised corporate doesn't mandate a more universally upgraded look.

 

[jtbell]

Was there a McDowell's down the street?

View attachment 305224
https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/mcdowells-has-finally-come-hollywood/102818

You made me wonder, so I checked the DQ web site's location finder. North Carolina --> Gastonia... yup, there it is at 904 E Franklin Blvd, matching my credit card receipt.

A couple of months ago, I visited another "vintage" outdoor-only DQ in Hickory NC. A bit spiffier, with a proper logo sign in front or on top. The one in Gastonia surprised me mainly because of the lack of a logo sign.

 

[kyphysics]

I bought the brownie tray (12) from Chick-Fil-A today. It was $17 and some change. The brownies pieces are very small (12 total) and tasted okay. Not great per se... yet, not bad. They were soft and gooey in the middle.

I think that's how most people like brownies. Often people complain about brownies being too hard. I'm the opposite! It's not that I disliked a gooey middle; rather, I just prefer hard brownies. There's something about that texture that I really like.

I'm going to freeze the rest of mine and eat them hard. Flavor-wise, they are quite good. It's just a texture thing for me. Probably not worth $17, though. I'd pay $13 for the tray...not $17. Not going to get these again.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Let me see if I get this straight. You're worried about your A1C, but you just ate a tray of brownies?

 

[Melbourne Guy]

On my day-trips to Charlotte, I usually stop at a Dairy Queen for a Blizzard on the way home.

We visited America when I was a kid, and Dairy Queen was the absolute bomb, @jtbell. Cheap and sooo much ice cream, there was nothing like it at home. I'd hope that if I visited again, nothing would be lost in the memory, and from your photo, the store experience would be the same, at least, it's just as I recall

 

[kyphysics]

One thing I don't understand about Popeye's.

They make great tasting food (imho), but their locations are really run down. With all that traffic and business, can they not use some profits to enhance their stores? It'd go a long way towards bringing me back more often.

I stick with Chick-Fil-A as my default weekly fast food delight (eat there several times a week), b/c it's tasty, clean, and friendly. I trust them (if something goes wrong, I know they'll have my back...and they rarely mess things up anyways).

Popeye's is sometimes friendly, mostly dirty, but very tasty.

 

[kyphysics]

I've also noticed the deterioration of Pizza Huts and simultaneous rise of Domino's over the past 10 years. PH locations are drab and run down, while D's has modernized and looks clean and inviting.

D's business and stock price have been fantastic the past 10 years. PH is just depressing nowadays.

 

[jtbell]

We visited America when I was a kid, and Dairy Queen was the absolute bomb, @jtbell. Cheap and sooo much ice cream, there was nothing like it at home. I'd hope that if I visited again, nothing would be lost in the memory, and from your photo, the store experience would be the same, at least, it's just as I recall

Most of the Dairy Queen branded places around here are the modern indoor sit-down type that also serve hamburgers etc., or ice-cream-only places that are "embedded" in truck stops etc. Old-style DQs like the one in my photo are uncommon.

In other parts of the US, I think there are still many small window-service ice-cream places, but they're often or usually not Dairy Queens. Instead, they're small local chains or individual operations, with names like Tastee Freeze, Dairy Dream, etc. I remember these being very common in the Midwest. Not so common down here in the Southeast. I can't remember a single one in the towns within a couple hours' drive.

What we do have down here are pop-up "shaved ice" places during the summer. These serve paper cones filled with ground/shaved ice drenched in a variety of colored/flavored liquids.

Over the years, going back to the early 1980s, when I've driven across northern Ohio between the Cleveland/Akron and Toledo areas, I've always avoided the Ohio Turnpike because I have to pay to be bored. Instead, I take US-20 which runs parallel to the south. The small towns along that route slow me down a bit, but they break up the monotony and keep me alert. Norwalk, Bellevue, Clyde, Fremont, Woodville, Stony Ridge. Most or all of them have small-chain or independent ice cream places. Sometimes there's one at each end of town, so if you skip one as you enter town, you can change your mind as you leave.

 

[malawi_glenn]

Is Sushi fast-food?

I wanted to ask you something regarding that. If this is not the place for sushi, then I'll go elsewhere.

 

[kyphysics]

Is Sushi fast-food?

I wanted to ask you something regarding that. If this is not the place for sushi, then I'll go elsewhere.

I don't think so, but I want to hear your question now that you mention it.

 

[kyphysics]

This looks like a fantastic new $9.99 Little Caesar's pizza!

My endocrinologist will be yelling at me if I devour something like this.

 

[Melbourne Guy]

Is Sushi fast-food?

Sure, why not? It's usually prepped in advance and placed in a plastic pack immediately you order it, isn't that the very definition of 'fast food'?

 

[MidgetDwarf]

One thing I don't understand about Popeye's.

They make great tasting food (imho), but their locations are really run down. With all that traffic and business, can they not use some profits to enhance their stores? It'd go a long way towards bringing me back more often.

I stick with Chick-Fil-A as my default weekly fast food delight (eat there several times a week), b/c it's tasty, clean, and friendly. I trust them (if something goes wrong, I know they'll have my back...and they rarely mess things up anyways).

Popeye's is sometimes friendly, mostly dirty, but very tasty.

The reason is that Popeyes is usually found in the hood, and caters to black/brown audience in major cities. Chick-Fil-A is the opposite.

TBH, I find Chick-Fil-A to be bland. So I never go there, unless someone wants it.

 

[kyphysics]

The reason is that Popeyes is usually found in the hood, and caters to black/brown audience in major cities. Chick-Fil-A is the opposite.

TBH, I find Chick-Fil-A to be bland. So I never go there, unless someone wants it.

That's the thing. The two Popeye's I go to are NOT in a ghetto.

They are literally next to massive middle-class suburban shopping malls. Right next to one is none other than Chick-Fil-A...about 200 feet away. You could be right, but it's not been true of my anecdotal experiences.

Another example is Burger King. You can literally see well-kept fast food joints all around BK, but the BK store is usually always run down? Why? They have tons of customers. Can corporate not invest in shop upkeep?

Is it that they are so profitable that they don't even care about shop upkeep?

 

[MidgetDwarf]

That's the thing. The two Popeye's I go to are NOT in a ghetto.

They are literally next to massive middle-class suburban shopping malls. Right next to one is none other than Chick-Fil-A...about 200 feet away. You could be right, but it's not been true of my anecdotal experiences.

Another example is Burger King. You can literally see well-kept fast food joints all around BK, but the BK store is usually always run down? Why? They have tons of customers. Can corporate not invest in shop upkeep?

Is it that they are so profitable that they don't even care about shop upkeep?

Yes, they are mainly in the hood. With a few exceptions of course. Maybe more stores have opened up in other areas, but in the 90's, they could only be found in the hood.Have you tried Church's Chicken? These are 100% in the hood, which is a lower budget Popeyes. Some locations are hit and miss, but there is one location near Compton, which I prefer.

Anyhow, I believe the same person owns Popeyes and BK. But I am unsure how franchising works, and how this dictates upkeep.

 

[symbolipoint]

From the posts #117 and #124,
Popeyes removed some great items from their menu so very sad. Jambalaya, Gumbo, and was some really nice "Etouffe". Without these, Popeyes is just no longer appealing.

 

[kyphysics]

This looks like a fantastic new $9.99 Little Caesar's pizza!

My endocrinologist will be yelling at me if I devour something like this.

I finally tried the Fanceroni. It was $11.14 with tax.

My review:

It's worth it. It's a good pizza. I don't think I got the 100 pepperonis. Probably more like 75, but they were indeed very flavorful, crispy, and all-around tasty. The cheese on my pizza looked just like the one in this video. There was so much cheese compared with the bread/crust that mine was weighing down the slices and dripping off the sides. The cheese-pull was extreme. I had thick cheese pull everywhere. The sauce was tangy and sharp. It complemented the salty pepperonis very well.

The only small negative for me was the crust was overall on the softer side. I read a reviewer suggest asking for a double-bake on the pizza to get a crispier crust. I might try that next time. But, it's nowhere near a deal-breaker for me, given how tasty all the other elements of the pizza are and a very affordable price!

 

[finnhilton]

My favorite food is Vadapav.

 

[pinball1970]

My favorite food is Vadapav.

With?

 

[Algr]

Pizza is pizza.

:: Has an epileptic fit. ::

You obviously don't live in Chicago. My two favorite pizzas are Barnaby's and Uno Deep Dish. Both great, but profoundly different. In a pinch I'll eat the stuff you list, but it is not the same...

---

As for other fast foods, Wendy's and Chipotle's are good. There are some other little spots that keep changing names but have the same food - those tend to be good too.

 

[symbolipoint]

Pizza is pizza. I'll eat pretty well any of it, especially after a long game of hockey. Papa Johns is favorite, but sadly it doesn't agree with my gut anymore. Onto Dominoes now.

One should try several different pizza shops and find how certain pizzas from a few shops are DIFFERENT; even special.

 

[Mondayman]

One should try several different pizza shops and find how certain pizzas from a few shops are DIFFERENT; even special.

:: Has an epileptic fit. ::

You obviously don't live in Chicago. My two favorite pizzas are Barnaby's and Uno Deep Dish. Both great, but profoundly different. In a pinch I'll eat the stuff you list, but it is not the same...

---

As for other fast foods, Wendy's and Chipotle's are good. There are some other little spots that keep changing names but have the same food - those tend to be good too.

Oh I don't disagree that there's way better options out there. Just for me myself, if there's enough cheese on it I'm probably going to enjoy every bite no matter where it's from.

 

[kyphysics]

Oh I don't disagree that there's way better options out there. Just for me myself, if there's enough cheese on it I'm probably going to enjoy every bite no matter where it's from.

You just sound like a "pizza guy." Some people just love pizza no matter what.

I tend to be that way with french fries (to a degree...I still have some limits, such as not liking frozen fries that much). It's hard for me to turn down fries, but I can easily turn down pizza.

For those not a ___________ food lover, the distinctions probably stand out a lot more and we're more willing to reject low quality probably.

 

[pinball1970]

Sometimes we get a take out on a Friday at work for lunch.

Great thing about working with women is they make a deal about this and like to mix it up.
The guys just bring in a sandwich or like me sardines, tuna, spinach, mixed veg (combos of) chick peas and eat it at my computer cold.
Functional food, low carbs, low fat highish protein. Boring, a bit tasteless but healthy.

However - West Indian today – Main menu -Rice and pea, jerk chicken, chicken curry, akee and salt fish, steam veg, fried plantain (not keen on that)

If he is shut then its what we call a “chippy” dinner in the UK which means from the chip (fries for USA) shop and at lunch. Chippy tea is after 5pm

Chip shop general menu

Fish in batter

Chips (they are fat not like Mac D)

Pies – meat, meat and potato, steak & kidney, steak pudding

Mushy peas

Curry sauce

Gravy

Sausage

Deep fried Mars – Scottish creation I think, not seen any in the North West. Never had one.

Chippy was a real treat in the 1970s and the combinations would seem odd to a non UK person.

Apparently mushy peas and gravy is odd to a southerner too – South is anyone from Birmingham downwards.

You can get these in some pubs too as per below.

Quaint pot of mushy peas, I would require gravy

 

[kyphysics]

What's the best bang for buck + tasty?

Still Chick-Fil-A for me. Their Chicken sandwich is about $5, but it's the most filling sandwich for that price anywhere that I can find + so very tasty.

...Just can't find a better deal. A whopper isn't going to do it for me. I feel hungry still after it...I think it's filled with lots of non-filling fat. That thick, real piece of chicken on the basic/classic CFA sandwich quenches the hunger pains. The tiny, tiny hint of sweetness in the chicken too makes it go down smoothly (not overly salty like some places).

It's why I eat there 3x a week.

 

[kyphysics]

I find Chick-Fil-A biscuits leftovers to be just as good for lunch (I bought 3 in morning). . .

However, I dislike their chicken sandwich leftovers.

The chicken biscuits' texture and taste still holds up the same in leftover fashion. I think I might have an addiction...those soft buttery biscuits and thick & juicy real chicken with a hint of sweetness ...mmmmm...

Pretty cheap too. A little over $10 for 3 breakfast biscuits.

 

[kyphysics]

I got a 2 for $6 coupon for Wendy's gyros in the mail.

Going to try it for lunch today. . .

 

[kyphysics]

Oops, that should have read Arby's - not Wendy's.

I've wondered, also, why gyros are not a more regular part of fast food offerings? I find them much tastier than hot dogs and just as tasty as a good burger. Yet, they practically don't exist at any fast food restaurant.

Aldi ($6.99) and Walmart have frozen gyro kits that are cheap and easy for making one's own gyros.

 

[symbolipoint]

...

I've wondered, also, why gyros are not a more regular part of fast food offerings? I find them much tastier than hot dogs and just as tasty as a good burger. Yet, they practically don't exist at any fast food restaurant.

...

Subway has had them in the past ; maybe still does. I have not checked lately.

 

[Vanadium 50]

gyros

Mmmm...mystery meat! Cryptozoology on a pita!

 

[vela]

Today is National Gyro Day, coincidentally.

 

[kyphysics]

Subway has had them in the past ; maybe still does. I have not checked lately.

I definitely would have missed that, b/c I haven't eaten at Subway in about 10 years or so. They started skimping on my toppings and made it a hassle to get enough of what I wanted, so I just stopped going there.

They started shaving those cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, etc. slices so thin that I had to ask for more and more toppings and the associates would just sprinkle a tiny bit each time. I'd have to say I want more...more...more...it felt embarrassing, so I just stopped going.

I also think Subway's veggies weren't as fresh as advertised. I went to Panera instead for my fresh/healthier fix.

I have no plans to go to a Subway again. lol

 

[kyphysics]

Today is National Gyro Day, coincidentally.

This reminds me:

I don't recommend Arby's Greek Gyros. There was more lettuce and veggies in mine than meat. The meat itself was not very flavorful (needed better seasoning). The "wrap bread" was not very flavorful. It was puffy/thick and soft in a way that I did not like...it felt too "doughy" - like getting a huge mouthful that overwhelms the veggie and meat ingredient taste.

Lastly, the supposed tzatziki sauce didn't taste like the ones I've gotten elsewhere. This almost had a mayonnaise-like quality to it.

If I was super duper craving a Greek Gyro and hadn't had one in ages and there was no other place left on Earth, except Arby's, then I'd buy one again there. It wasn't horrible by any means. It was just below average to me. Cheap price, though. Without the 2 for $6 coupon I had, Arby's had their own deal of 2 for $7. They were big in size...I'll give them that. The ingredients and their proportion/ratio-sizing just didn't taste right or go together well in harmony to me.

Verdict: 4/10

 

[kyphysics]

It's a little after 1:30 AM.

I'm hungry. I have only frozen food in the fridge that I don't want to eat. I have blackened bananas, some almonds, and cereal outside the fridge.

I want something healthy like a salad. Or a tuna sandwich. Is there any reason why the ONLY places open this late are all unhealthy fast food options?

 

[symbolipoint]

It's a little after 1:30 AM.

I'm hungry. I have only frozen food in the fridge that I don't want to eat. I have blackened bananas, some almonds, and cereal outside the fridge.

I want something healthy like a salad. Or a tuna sandwich. Is there any reason why the ONLY places open this late are all unhealthy fast food options?

That is a complicated sociological and economics question.

Plan for the future. Can you cook simple things? Buy the food items from a grocery store, cook the things ahead of time that you could want for later, and refridgerate or freeze what you cooked. Take your portions later, reheat if needed, and eat. You can consider this fast-food, but prepared earlier.

 

[pinball1970]

It's a little after 1:30 AM.

I'm hungry. I have only frozen food in the fridge that I don't want to eat. I have blackened bananas, some almonds, and cereal outside the fridge.

I want something healthy like a salad. Or a tuna sandwich. Is there any reason why the ONLY places open this late are all unhealthy fast food options?

Demand.
No one is wanting to dial out for a tuna sandwich at 1am.

Plus people who are awake at that time and hungry tend to be students/young people coming back from a club, parties.
Alcohol Fuelled hunger, pizza, curry, kebabs. Unhealthy stuff.

I never remember any of us craving a salad after a night out it was always unhealthy cr4p.

Older people (like me now) regard that sort of food as a treat, it is full of stuff that is not good so it cannot be regular. So I suppose the trade caters for people who occasionally dabble and drunken students rather than salad eaters.

 

[kyphysics]

Demand.
No one is wanting to dial out for a tuna sandwich at 1am.

Plus people who are awake at that time and hungry tend to be students/young people coming back from a club, parties.
Alcohol Fuelled hunger, pizza, curry, kebabs. Unhealthy stuff.

I am skeptical of the lack of demand.

I think sometimes we go where there are options. I DON'T want to eat Taco Bell or McDonalds for late-night all the time. Yet, I often do, b/c they are the only places open near me.

IF I had more options with a healthier option, I'd do it! Open a Panera until 2AM? ...I'll eat there over fast food. Open a Chipotle until 2AM...I'm there! See what I mean?

Maybe...the demand is not as much...but I'd bet there is enough demand to still be profitable. I swear Chipotle at 2am would be 1,000x better than Taco Bell. On the other hand, I can understand why an Outback Steakhouse isn't open at 2AM...No one is eating such a heavy meal that late/early.

 

[pinball1970]

I am skeptical of the lack of demand.

I think sometimes we go where there are options. I DON'T want to eat Taco Bell or McDonalds for late-night all the time. Yet, I often do, b/c they are the only places open near me.

IF I had more options with a healthier option, I'd do it! Open a Panera until 2AM? ...I'll eat there over fast food. Open a Chipotle until 2AM...I'm there! See what I mean?

Maybe...the demand is not as much...but I'd bet there is enough demand to still be profitable. I swear Chipotle at 2am would be 1,000x better than Taco Bell. On the other hand, I can understand why an Outback Steakhouse isn't open at 2AM...No one is eating such a heavy meal that late/early.

If you are right about demand you could clean up if you opened a shop that made sandwiches and did healthy only fast food.
I don't know any in my area.
Mind you I can't remember being hungry at 1.30am and looking for options.
Early 90s!

 

[kyphysics]

If you are right about demand you could clean up if you opened a shop that made sandwiches and did healthy only fast food.
I don't know any in my area.
Mind you I can't remember being hungry at 1.30am and looking for options.
Early 90s!

I need capital to open my late-night/24-hour healthy food spot.

I need a city that has a solid middle-class with preferably a hospital or university nearby (providing economic stability and lots of late-night workers/students).

I need a catchy name for my spot too.