Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

ab348 said:

I'm not much of a McDonald's person but I do like to have breakfast there occasionally. The automated order kiosks they have recently introduced here are a great advance from my point of view in that I don't have to deal with any of their counter staff except the one who hands me my order. I pick what I want off the screen, pay with a CC and am done.

I don't know if I like the idea of ordering food from a computer screen......at that point I don't think it really seems to be food.
I almost never go to a Subway store, but will they have robots to put on the various things you want in your sandwich?

berri

I like that Lincoln Mark VII

berri

I've used those kiosk's at several airports. They work fine until you want to special order something in my experiences.

stickguy

I was a Newark airport a few weeks ago, and all the restaurants seemed to be self service off an ipad at each seat. Still had to get the lady to come over to help make it work correctly. But I guess once you have figured out the system, it's easier than trying to track down the wait staff.

berri

Stick, I'm to a point in my life where it wouldn't bother me to order at the counter in a nice restaurant anymore to be spared so many lousy wait staff personnel. But what I've found at the McDonald's with order kiosk's in airports is if you special order you end up talking to someone at he counter anyway to straighten it out, so it ends up adding time. :@ But the technology is new, so I'm sure it will straighten out in the near future.

stickguy

well, I refuse to ever eat in a McDonalds again (life is too short), so I hope to avoid having to deal with it!

jmonroe

venture said:

For the Chic-Fil-A fans.

I was at Chic-Fil-A for lunch. The bill came to $15.04. I gave the girl a twenty and before I could hand her the 4 pennies, she punched it into her cash register.

As Michaell has said - Chaos ensued.

For the last I don't know how many years I have used my BA Visa rewards card for ALL purchases over $5.

No confusion now, anywhere. Just rewards points. Which reminds me, Mrs. j still hasn't claimed any of our $1400 dollars in that kitty. :@

jmonroe

jmonroe

venture said:

imidazol97 said:

venture said:

For the Chic-Fil-A fans.

I was at Chic-Fil-A for lunch. The bill came to $15.04. I gave the girl a twenty and before I could hand her the 4 pennies, she punched it into her cash register.

As Michaell has said - Chaos ensued.

It's easy to get some of the cashiers confused. I do a special order on a #1 sandwich that is grilled and no marinade. Many of them insist that needs to be ordered as a #5 which is the grilled sandwich. It starts with a different patty that has been marinaded from the commissary and remarinated at the store. The #1 patty is plain until they dip it in breading shortly before cooking. I even had the marketing manager for one area store punch it in wrong. Then when she herself delivered it to the table and it was done wrong, she blamed ME. Only my wife gets to blame me for mistakes I didn't make. LOL

I feel your pain.

Same Chic-Fil-A on a Saturday morning. I ordered the number 2 (I think it is) which consists of a bacon or sausage, egg and cheese biscuit, hash browns of some sort, and a small coffee.

I said, "Number 2 with sausage and cream in the coffee". She proceeded to ask me if I only wanted sausage in the biscuit and if I wanted a small, medium, or large coffee. A few minutes later when that was all straightened out she asked for my name for the order. I said, "I'm the only one here"!

I thought your name was "venture".

I couldn't refuse that set up.

jmonroe

jmonroe

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

I'm not much of a McDonald's person but I do like to have breakfast there occasionally. The automated order kiosks they have recently introduced here are a great advance from my point of view in that I don't have to deal with any of their counter staff except the one who hands me my order. I pick what I want off the screen, pay with a CC and am done.

I don't know if I like the idea of ordering food from a computer screen......at that point I don't think it really seems to be food.
I almost never go to a Subway store, but will they have robots to put on the various things you want in your sandwich?

I NEVER go to a Subway. 10 years ago was my last visit.

The day they start putting meat on a sub, I'll be too old to chew. Never again for me.

jmonroe

28firefighter

Chik-Fil-A is my one fast food vice and maybe eat it three times a year. 

McDonalds is an absolute last resort when traveling in an airport and even then, I make a decision as to whether it's worth it. 

andres3

stickguy said:

well, I refuse to ever eat in a McDonalds again (life is too short), so I hope to avoid having to deal with it!

Not to mention eating there probably does shorten your life even more.

venture

cdnpinhead said:

"Number 2 with sausage and cream in the coffee.

It's a wonder you didn't get sausage in the coffee along with the cream.

The amazing nuances of a missing comma.

imidazol97

venture said:

A few minutes later when that was all straightened out she asked for my name for the order. I said, "I'm the only one here"!

The screen requires a name for the order. It's printed on the little slip of paper that's on the tray. The slip of paper gives the ID for the plastic box that you are given to put on your table if you're dining in or it gives your name to be called if you're picking up carry out.

I have the ChickOne card and it's on my app on the phone that gives my name and pays when I scan the bar code. The cashiers will sometimes still ask my name eventhough it's already embedded in the info on their screen.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

well, I refuse to ever eat in a McDonalds again (life is too short), so I hope to avoid having to deal with it!

Not to mention eating there probably does shorten your life even more.

You beat me to it

venture

imidazol97 said:

venture said:

A few minutes later when that was all straightened out she asked for my name for the order. I said, "I'm the only one here"!

The screen requires a name for the order. It's printed on the little slip of paper that's on the tray. The slip of paper gives the ID for the plastic box that you are given to put on your table if you're dining in or it gives your name to be called if you're picking up carry out.

I have the ChickOne card and it's on my app on the phone that gives my name and pays when I scan the bar code. The cashiers will sometimes still ask my name eventhough it's already embedded in the info on their screen.

I know it's an entry box, but a few times, when I was the lone customer, they didn't ask. The order taker probably just put in a false entry since it wasn't relevant. If they actually had a reasonable thought, I doubt they will be working there long.

cdnpinhead

Eats, shoots and leaves.

Michaell

cdnpinhead said:

Eats, shoots and leaves.

Great book. Sitting on my bookshelf.

tjc78

Re: Fast Food

Used to eat it only once in a blue moon, but not anymore.   I honestly don't think I'll ever touch McDonalds, BK, Taco Bell ever again.  

Chik Fil A is a maybe, and as bad as they are for you I'd absolutely take a Five Guys burger.  

My wife and I have taken on a healthy life style and it's so for the better.  Meals are 100% planned through the week, and we incorporate some cheats and less strict stuff on the weekends. 

On October 11, 2015 I was 365 pounds and am now sitting at 186 and have more or less maintained that since the beginning of the year.    I feel better than ever and am actually thinner than I was as a Senior in High School.  Wife is down a considerable amount of weight as well.   She is trying to take off the last 5-6 pounds but overall has done a great job of maintaining as well.  

stickguy

I'm with you on the healthy lifestyle and skipping fast food. Rarely now we will get it, usually if we are traveling or out someplace and need lunch. Subway is fine, chick fill a is ok (but we rarely go). Normally try for Wendy's.

suydam

For us Five Guys is an indulgence once in awhile (do they even have them in Calif?). The Calif equivalent is Hamburger Habit I guess. Subway maybe. I can't remember the last time I had either. That's it for fast food. Once in awhile a thin crust pizza. Spouse is on a lo-carb diet due to elevated glucose levels so that pretty much eliminates all of these places.

Sandman6472

Subway every so often, McD's hardly ever anymore, Chick-Fil...never. We have a Popeye's chicken place from Louisiana around and it's great stuff. Found it when I started at Tulane in 1972 and it was outstanding then. Found a few in South Florida and even ate at one yesterday while at work. Wendy's chicken sandwich is pretty good. Have finally learned that it's o k to push the plate away when one's full and I do. Stay between 155 and 162 and have been that way since college.
Prefer to eat home so can make what I want and have left overs. The wife, would eat out every meal if possible. I compromise and go sometimes. Just prefer to eat home because hate to pay top dollar for just mediocre food...just seems crazy to do that! Luckily, we have a few local places with excellent food for a decent price with owners genuinely happy to serve you!

The Sandman

laurasdada

I'm living the bachelor, fast food life... But, more the local chains or shops (e.g. b.good, Boloco) Avoid McD, BK. No Chick fil A round. An occasional Taco Bell, Subway and Five Guys. I do enjoy Papa Ginos/D'Angelo, but my true guilty pleasure has become the Costco food court!

I guess that's why my "bad" cholesterol is up a bit!

28firefighter

I haven't been living alone for a while now - probably 8 or 9 years. But when my now-wife (who is a Registered Dietitian) and I started dating she encouraged me to start cooking on Sundays for a few hours to have meals for the week. It cut my fast-food intake during college and grad school considerably and I still had quick/easy meals for the week.

It wasn't fancy or particularly impressive - chicken casserole, Shepard's Pie, spaghetti and meat sauce, lasagna, etc. but it served my purposes!

ab348

Ever since I retired my eating habits have improved quite a bit. No more eating out at lunch every day, no more fancy dinners, no more snacks around the office. I find I basically eat two meals a day now, and because I am not getting home from work late most evenings I can cook a good supper. I will typically have fish or chicken with a big salad and that does me over. My weakness is and always has been bread so I still will make garlic bread or bruschetta to go with that.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

I'm not much of a McDonald's person but I do like to have breakfast there occasionally. The automated order kiosks they have recently introduced here are a great advance from my point of view in that I don't have to deal with any of their counter staff except the one who hands me my order. I pick what I want off the screen, pay with a CC and am done.

I don't know if I like the idea of ordering food from a computer screen......at that point I don't think it really seems to be food.
I almost never go to a Subway store, but will they have robots to put on the various things you want in your sandwich?

I NEVER go to a Subway. 10 years ago was my last visit.

The day they start putting meat on a sub, I'll be too old to chew. Never again for me.

jmonroe

Just as well that you stay away...I hear that stuff ain't good for you!

jmonroe

tjc78 said:

Re: Fast Food

Used to eat it only once in a blue moon, but not anymore.   I honestly don't think I'll ever touch McDonalds, BK, Taco Bell ever again.  

Chik Fil A is a maybe, and as bad as they are for you I'd absolutely take a Five Guys burger.  

My wife and I have taken on a healthy life style and it's so for the better.  Meals are 100% planned through the week, and we incorporate some cheats and less strict stuff on the weekends. 

On October 11, 2015 I was 365 pounds and am now sitting at 186 and have more or less maintained that since the beginning of the year.    I feel better than ever and am actually thinner than I was as a Senior in High School.  Wife is down a considerable amount of weight as well.   She is trying to take off the last 5-6 pounds but overall has done a great job of maintaining as well.  

Congratulations on what you have been able to do weight wise. That is unbelievable and I wouldn't have the discipline to do that if I was in your shoes.

About 2 years ago Mrs. j went on a self imposed low carb diet because she wanted to lose about 20 pounds. Personally, I didn't think she had that much to lose but that's what she wanted to do. I guess she wanted to get down to her fighting weight. The last time she went to the doctor for her semi-annual checkup the doctor told her, "enough of that weight loss already, I'd like to see you put on 4 or 5 pounds by the next time I see you". When is the last time a doctor has said that to any of us?

I hope she listens to him because her lap time around the dining room table is getting scary good.

jmonroe

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

I'm not much of a McDonald's person but I do like to have breakfast there occasionally. The automated order kiosks they have recently introduced here are a great advance from my point of view in that I don't have to deal with any of their counter staff except the one who hands me my order. I pick what I want off the screen, pay with a CC and am done.

I don't know if I like the idea of ordering food from a computer screen......at that point I don't think it really seems to be food.
I almost never go to a Subway store, but will they have robots to put on the various things you want in your sandwich?

I NEVER go to a Subway. 10 years ago was my last visit.

The day they start putting meat on a sub, I'll be too old to chew. Never again for me.

jmonroe

Just as well that you stay away...I hear that stuff ain't good for you!

Subway should be sued for false advertising. :@ They haven't put that much meat on all their sandwiches for a day, at least.

EDIT: Upon further review (I just looked at the pic when I made my original post), Subway will probably sue that outfit for slander. They have never made a sub with that much meat.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

Yikes--that looks like used carpeting from an old movie theater.

andres3

The gas guzzler tax annoys me. If I ever win the lottery, I'm buying a gas guzzler taxed car like the R8 V10 and then using 100 octane fuel for daily driving.

tjc78

@jmonroe

Thank you 

Re: Subway.  Maybe it's a regional thing but where I live there are Hoagie shops in every corner that blow Subway completely out of the water and use bread made by local Italian bakeries.   

@stickguy knows what I'm talking about!  

@28firefighter
My wife cooks and meal preps every Sunday for us.  

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

I'm not much of a McDonald's person but I do like to have breakfast there occasionally. The automated order kiosks they have recently introduced here are a great advance from my point of view in that I don't have to deal with any of their counter staff except the one who hands me my order. I pick what I want off the screen, pay with a CC and am done.

I don't know if I like the idea of ordering food from a computer screen......at that point I don't think it really seems to be food.
I almost never go to a Subway store, but will they have robots to put on the various things you want in your sandwich?

I NEVER go to a Subway. 10 years ago was my last visit.

The day they start putting meat on a sub, I'll be too old to chew. Never again for me.

jmonroe

Just as well that you stay away...I hear that stuff ain't good for you!

Subway should be sued for false advertising. :@ They haven't put that much meat on all their sandwiches for a day, at least.

EDIT: Upon further review (I just looked at the pic when I made my original post), Subway will probably sue that outfit for slander. They have never made a sub with that much meat.

jmonroe

Ignoring the obvious "health hazzard" spoof you are aware that when the ad agencies take food photos for companies like Subway they artifucally enhance the product?

For example, that sub sandwich is all propped up with toothpicks to give it more volume. Other food products are composed of plastic and glue. I forget what food they once advertized by substituting Elmer's glue for milk.

driver100

tjc78 said:

Re: Fast Food

On October 11, 2015 I was 365 pounds and am now sitting at 186 and have more or less maintained that since the beginning of the year.    I feel better than ever and am actually thinner than I was as a Senior in High School.  Wife is down a considerable amount of weight as well.   She is trying to take off the last 5-6 pounds but overall has done a great job of maintaining as well.  

tjc congratulations, that is quite an accomplishment and it shows it can be done.
No one would have called me overweight, but 3 years ago I weighed 176 and now I am 146....lost 30 pounds. No more junk food.....like to eat 5 to 6 dinners a week at home where we have control over what we eat. Sometimes I miss some foods....but it has been really worth it.........I feel so much better and it is worth the sacrifice. Now I can wear horizontal stripes!

Karen_S

Don't mind me. Just plopping this here in case it applies to anyone in the group.

Have you purchased a new vehicle in the last six months, and are you willing to talk about your experience getting a loan? If so, a reporter would love to talk to you about your experience. Please email PR@Edmunds.com by Wednesday, May 17, 2017 letting us know if you were a new or returning customer to your dealership and if the experience was different than what you expected (easier/harder to get financed, higher/lower interest rate, etc.). Thanks for your help!

andres3

Horizontal stripes on your car?

imidazol97

andres3 said:

Horizontal stripes on your car?

Is that a new Mercedes option? Stripes and colors adjustable from the space age display screen?

stickguy

Dang driver, you are worse than me. I got too good at losing and had trouble stopping, even though wife keeps telling me I'm scrawny. Just walk a lot, and still eat plenty. Just not crap.

Last I checked down to 151. Though at 6' tall, I guess that should be low enough. Though I feel vastly better (including knees and back) than when I was at me high of about 207.

imidazol97

ChickFilA is losing quality and consistency control over many of its stores. The employees often don't have the winning attitude they used to have. The training must have changed and the stores have trouble recruiting and keeping employees for the pay level.

Also the housekeeping on some of the stores themselves is not as good. CFA has added lots of units in the last 1.5 years. I think they are expanding too rapidly. I'm sure they're making money and their franchisees are making money, but think back to all the businesses who overexpanded and ended up bankrupt or closing most of their stores as the reputation changed.

stickguy

tjc78 said:

@jmonroe

Thank you 

Re: Subway.  Maybe it's a regional thing but where I live there are Hoagie shops in every corner that blow Subway completely out of the water and use bread made by local Italian bakeries.   

@stickguy knows what I'm talking about!  

@28firefighter
My wife cooks and meal preps every Sunday for us.  

We will just go to Wawa and get a classic to split. High quality and a great deal. And a half is plenty for each of us.

imidazol97

stickguy said:

We will just go to Wawa and get a classic to split. High quality and a great deal. And a half is plenty for each of us.

I thought WaWa is a gas station, so I went to take a look:

stickguy

Started as convenience stores. They eventually started adding gas at some point. But there are plenty of existing stand alone stores.

iluvmysephia1

stick - man, you need to eat some bacon cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes! On second thought, if you are prone to having knee and/or back issues, 151 is sound as a pound.

laurasdada

And, I thought "Stickman" referred to your tranny choice...

I'm a blimp at 5'10" and 165 in comparison!

But, good for you!

fintail

You just know that guy tailgates, never signals, honks at pedestrians in crosswalks, etc.

andres3 said:

Horizontal stripes on your car?

fintail

A new CFA opened here 2 years ago, one of only a few in the region. The line was around the block then, and often still is, due to a hilariously poorly sited building with inadequate parking (I suspect there were favors done for zoning approval). I've only been there a few times, as I am not a big meat eater - the fries are decent and some drinks aren't bad. But I don't need help gaining weight

6' and 151, don't go outside if it is windy!

imidazol97 said:

ChickFilA is losing quality and consistency control over many of its stores. The employees often don't have the winning attitude they used to have. The training must have changed and the stores have trouble recruiting and keeping employees for the pay level.

Also the housekeeping on some of the stores themselves is not as good. CFA has added lots of units in the last 1.5 years. I think they are expanding too rapidly. I'm sure they're making money and their franchisees are making money, but think back to all the businesses who overexpanded and ended up bankrupt or closing most of their stores as the reputation changed.

venture

fintail said:

A new CFA opened here 2 years ago, one of only a few in the region. The line was around the block then, and often still is, due to a hilariously poorly sited building with inadequate parking (I suspect there were favors done for zoning approval). I've only been there a few times, as I am not a big meat eater - the fries are decent and some drinks aren't bad. But I don't need help gaining weight

6' and 151, don't go outside if it is windy!

imidazol97 said:

ChickFilA is losing quality and consistency control over many of its stores. The employees often don't have the winning attitude they used to have. The training must have changed and the stores have trouble recruiting and keeping employees for the pay level.

Also the housekeeping on some of the stores themselves is not as good. CFA has added lots of units in the last 1.5 years. I think they are expanding too rapidly. I'm sure they're making money and their franchisees are making money, but think back to all the businesses who overexpanded and ended up bankrupt or closing most of their stores as the reputation changed.

We had a CFA years ago. The mall they were located in told them they had to be open on Sunday so they moved out. The CFA we have now is on its own property.

We have run a lot of food joints out of town. CFA being one, but also Popeyes (which is building a new store right now), Shoneys, Krispy Kreame, and another one that escapes my feeble memory right now.

Boston Market is the other one. They used to ask for your name there too. hmmm

cdnpinhead

iluvmysephia1 said:

. . . 151 is sound as a pound.

Works for rum too.

driver100

stickguy said:

Last I checked down to 151. Though at 6' tall, I guess that should be low enough. Though I feel vastly better (including knees and back) than when I was at me high of about 207.

So is the name stick because you are thinner or because you like manuals?

If you have knee and back pain losing an incredible 56 pounds has got to make a big difference in your life......carrying that extra weight is like carrying around a 56 pound weight will you all day.....like two 25 pound bags of top soil or something. Less weight on knees is a huge plus!

driver100

stickguy said:

Started as convenience stores. They eventually started adding gas at some point. But there are plenty of existing stand alone stores.

A store that sells gas and also has a restaurant reminds me of a gas station/restaurant we had nearby....sign looked something like this;

driver100

Or maybe more like this;

driver100

Some quick facts about CFA - it is about the lowest cost franchise to own - but they do own your soul (so to speak);

Chick-fil-A is now the eighth-largest fast-food chain in the US by sales, and it generates more revenue per restaurant than any other chain nationally, according to QSR.

Despite its success, Chick-fil-A charges franchisees only $10,000 to open a new restaurant, and it doesn't require candidates meet a threshold for net worth or liquid assets, the company told Business Insider.

That's cheaper than every major fast-food chain in the US.

McDonald's, for example, requires potential franchisees to pay between $955,708 and $2.3 million in startup costs — including a $45,000 franchise fee — as well as have liquid assets of at least $750,000. Taco Bell's startup costs average $1.2 million to $2.5 million and the company requires a minimum net worth of $1.5 million and liquid assets of at least $750,000.

Chick-fil-A, on the other hand, pays for all startup costs — including real estate, restaurant construction, and equipment.

In turn, the company leases everything to its franchisees for an ongoing fee equal to 15% of sales plus 50% of pretax profit remaining, Chick-fil-A spokeswoman Amanda Hannah told Business Insider.

"The barrier to entry for being a franchisee is never going to be money," Hannah said. "We seek to find the very best business partners who find great joy in making other people's days. They do so with a combination of great business acumen, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a passion for serving others."

So what's the catch?
While Chick-fil-A's startup costs are low, the ongoing fees are higher than those charged by many of its rivals.

McDonald's, for example, charges an ongoing monthly service fee equal to 4% of gross sales and an additional fee for rent, which is also a percentage of sales. McDonald's franchisees have historically paid about 8.5% of sales in rent costs, though some pay as much as 12%, according to a 2013 Bloomberg report.

Chick-fil-A also prohibits most of its franchisees from opening multiple units, which can limit franchisees' potential profits.

This limitation is meant to enable Chick-fil-A's franchisees to be intimately involved in the day-to-day operations of their restaurants.

"Chick-fil-A operators must be as comfortable rolling up their sleeves in the kitchen as they are shaking hands in the dining room," Hannah said.

The company also puts a big emphasis on community service and encourages franchisees to be actively involved in the communities where they live and work.

The application process
Chick-fil-A gets more than 20,000 inquiries from franchisee candidates every year. From those candidates, Chick-fil-A selects between 75 to 80 new franchisees annually, Hannah said.

With most chains you can sell your franchise one day and that will help with your retirement plans.....CFA always actually owns the store.....no nest egg.

More than you may have wanted to know, but a truly unique concept that works really well.