After homecoming, Friday night lights or late-night study sessions, students may crave greasy food. Fast food drive-thrus quickly fill as students rush in; McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Whataburger, Wingstop and Cookout act as fan favorites after 10 p.m., especially for rowdy high schoolers. On the other hand, sit-down restaurants, such as Waffle House, Marietta Diner and Guston’s Grille & Tap, remain empty. Quick, greasy and cheap outlines the basis of fast food; however, sit-down restaurants quench one’s appetite, provide lasting memories and offer healthier options, forging them into the superior option compared to fast food.
Sit-down restaurants provide food choices that include perfectly sized portions to fill the appetites of customers. At sit-down restaurants, customers pay a set price for one well-portioned, high-quality meal instead of several cheaper ones. Since sit-down restaurants provide heftier portions and they create longer wait times, they provide a period of time for families or friends to embrace each other’s company as they wait for their food. Sitting down to eat allows ample time for groups to relive memories and create new ones, laughing around a table and shoveling down food.
“I would rather go to a sit-down place because I think it’s better to go with friends after a game or homecoming. If you go to get fast food, you really just go for the food, not the experience. Most of the time you’re not going there to have a good time with friends, significant others, or whoever you go with, so that’s why I’d pick a sit-down place,” junior Jeronimo Segovia said.
Compared to fast food, sit-down restaurants provide fresher food, allowing customers to choose from healthier options. Around high school, teens desire to keep their body healthy, either by working out, playing sports, eating healthy or counting macronutrients to achieve their goals. Sitting down provides extra choices for healthier foods that contain protein or whole grains. Eating healthy does not only apply to athletes or fitness enthusiasts; anyone can work to eat healthy, and an easy first step includes arriving at restaurants that provide a vast range of healthier options.
Teenagers aim for a cheap meal, and the low price of a nacho cheese taco from Taco Bell seems extremely appealing. The greasy meats and high carbs serve as popular choices of fast food, adding to the craze of certain outlets. Finally, the quick drive-thrus let customers eat their meal in the car while driving home. On the other hand, fast food prices add up quickly, and although the greasy food may taste satisfying, the high fat and carb content does not provide enough nutrients to keep customers full for a long time, causing people to spend additional money. Since the food costs less, the restaurant industry sacrifices the quality of food. Processed foods filled with a high fat content arrive out of the kitchen quickly, not allowing for memories to form between friends. These individuals do not talk, contain no memories, and they only rush to eat low-quality food at a cheap price.
“Fast food isn’t really a peaceful or chill vibe after a football game. It’s always crowded and there are people coming in and out of the drive-thru. After a late-night football game, I always go to Waffle House,” senior Shamari Routte said.
Both fast food and sit-down restaurants come with their own set of appeals. Fast food comes out quick, cheap and greasy, while the sit-down restaurant food arrives slower, pricier and healthier, but the disadvantages mold sit-down restaurants into the best option. The slower pace of sit-down restaurants allows for ample memories and time shared among friends and the pricier menu provides heftier portions and healthier ingredients that remain vital for customers’ health. Sit-down restaurants remain the number one option for late nights because they fill an appetite, provide lasting memories and healthier choices.
