The Fast Food Thread

I tried that new Steak Poblano Quesadilla at Taco Bell and thought it was pretty decent. I wish they would keep the poblanos on the menu, I'd put that on other items.

moonarchia said:

So, did get 2 and 2 mcribs. All were great. The poblano quesadillas were one of the better items I have gotten from Taco Bell. I ate them straight, but they are probably even better with sauce.

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Yeah, it's funny how just those poblanos can elevate their so-so steak. Probably one of the better items in awhile.

I got a McRib. It was disgusting. I threw more than half of it away. I sure as hell wasn’t going to eat that crap.

zzeris said:

Pretty on point and everyone has noticed the decline in quality.

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Good video, but his conclusion is bizarre. He outright acknowledges that two corporations (Sysco and US Foods) dominate more than half of the restaurant supply chain, yet somehow pivots to blaming women/woke because customers keep ordering the same mediocre food. We used to treat concentrated market power as a regulatory problem and break up monopolies. Now, apparently, it's all the fault of "woke" instead of the fact that two distributors practically own the entire industry and customers don't have a choice.

zzeris said:

Bro, he does an almost 25 minute video and all you really noticed was that? Damn, talk about reinforcing his point about acceptance of mediocrity. He spent less than 2 minutes on woke and considered acceptance of mediocrity as the primary problem. Let's break it down to help you out.

1. He talked about lower quality of worker including almost 20% druggies
2. He talked about a frozen cheese company supplying 85% of the cheese
3. He talked about 2 suppliers owning a little over 50% of the market, not the whole market
4. He talked about woke CEOs who spectacularly fail but keep their job
5. He talked about us accepting mediocrity which keeps them in business.
6. He talks about no one caring and that's why it doesn't change.

Woke was less than 2 minutes of the 25 minute video. You sure got defensive though didn't you?

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You're missing the core issue I was pointing out: the causal chain in his argument doesn't hold together. It doesn't matter whether he spent two minutes or twenty on "woke". He frames it as a contributing factor while ignoring the structural market reality that actually drives the industry's mediocrity.

Let's go through your list -

1. Lower quality workers
Worker competence didn't spontaneously collapse in a vacuum. When two giant distributors dictate pricing, sourcing, and margins across half the industry, restaurants have to race to the bottom. If you squeeze every penny out of the supply side, you get low wages, high turnover, and yes, people who don't care. That's not a cultural issue no matter how badly you want to blame a boogeyman, that's economics.

2. Frozen cheese company dominance
Right, 85% of the market. Another example of concentration. And who enables that? The same distributors who centralize supply chains because it's cheaper for them. This is exactly the monopoly dynamic being glossed over.

3. "Only" 50% market control
Saying, "They don't own the whole market, just half," is like saying, "It's not a monopoly, it's only a duopoly." In industries with low margins and high logistical barriers, controlling half is effectively controlling the game. That's why everyone's food tastes the same.

4. Woke CEOs
Whether you label them woke, asleep, or doing cartwheels is irrelevant. CEO incompetence only becomes systemic when market concentration removes accountability. If you can't easily switch suppliers or compete, bad leadership doesn't get punished by the market. There's no culture war explanation required.

5. Acceptance of mediocrity
Consumers can only choose among the options they have. When two firms gatekeep supply, "acceptance" isn't a preference, you're being held captive. Pretending this is just a cultural failing ignores the structural restriction of choice.

6. "No one cares"
People care plenty. It's precisely why fast food companies and the restaurant business continue to struggle. But average people just don't have leverage against a vertically integrated distribution system. You can't "care" your way past systemic consolidation.

So no, I'm not "defensive." I'm pointing out that invoking woke anything is a distraction from the actual, provable cause: a captured market with no competitive pressure.