Sandra Santiago

When you hear the words fast food, what comes to mind? A big, juicy, grilled hamburger that with one taste will make once’s mouth watery; crispy salty fries with ketchup; chicken nuggets with endless dipping sauces; a large pizza with the works? The possibilities are endless when it comes to fast food. Some may say that college students live on fast food.

According to the Nutrition- NYU “On average, college students eat at fast-food restaurants 1 to 3 times per week.” Add Covide-19  to that mix, those numbers would increase greatly.  Now with new meatheads of obtaining fast food like apps, delivery, curbside pickup and drive throughs, one doesn’t even have to leave the house anymore.

COVID-19 has changed the whole design of fast food. Lines are longer in the drive throughs, so are the wait times for deliveries. Most fast-food restaurants are close to the public only allowing certain people in and out, such as mobile orders, Door Dashers, and UberEATS. That also means that the prices have changed.

A few college students were asked about their take on fast food. They were asked four questions: How many times do they eat fast food in a week? How much money do they spend? What was their favorite fast-food place? And has COVID-19 changed any of their answers?

When it comes to fast food and spending Fabiola Nicole, student at Delaware State University, said “In a week, I eat fast food at least twice. And I spend twenty-five dollars over all. Usually it’s either Chipotle or Chick-Fil-A. I prefer Chipotle because I feel it’s a more balanced meal since it has rice and meat. I eat about the same as I did before COVID-19.”

According to America’s Fast Food Obsession “The typical American spends $1200 annually on fast food (6). With fast food meals being so cheap, this means that a person can stretch their dollar much further going to a fast-food restaurant rather than preparing their own food or going out to eat at a traditional sit-down restaurant.”

Amanda Santiago, Graduate student at Delaware State University, said “I eat fast at least two times a week. I spend twenty dollars in total. I eat at McDonalds most of the time. My favorite fast-food place is Chick-Fil-A. And yes COVID-19 has changed my answers because I eat less food outside and I do mostly delivery.”

According to Rank: The 50 Most Popular Fast Food Chains in America “Unsurprisingly, McDonald’s comes in at number one with over $40 billion in sales. Despite a scandal involving its former CEO, McDonald’s still managed to significantly outsell its peers—the company made almost double that of the second-largest fast food chain, Starbucks.”

It seems that both students have the same thoughts, when it comes to fast food, spending, and going out. They both said that they spend around twenty to twenty-five dollars. That, they eat it at least two times a week. Also, both turned out to be big Chick-Fil-A eaters.

College students are up close and personal when it comes to fast food. Now COVID-19 has affected fast food and college students, changing everything to pick up, to delivery, and take out. Students don’t even have to leave their house or dorm rooms.