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How economical is your local Taco Bell?

taconomical.com

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Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#181
post #123
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

U.S. labor is expensive, and the app delegates the order-taking job from an employee to the customer, keeping food prices more competitive and/or keeping the restaurant profitable. (Land cost is the other big expense.)

None of that justifies an app, vs an in-store kiosk or a website.

The app works better for the drive thru, and also for families with kids that like to push buttons on the giant ipad.

Speaking of which, we stopped going to fast food burger places because 75% of them can’t make things like “a hamburger with no cheese or any other toppings except ketchup”, or “a cheeseburger with no other toppings”.

I suspect an LLM that supports audio input would outperform most drive through window attendants.

Oddly, I’ve noticed there is no correlation between speaking english as a first language and being able to understand those orders.

Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#182
post #96

Not sure why almost all of Tennessee is unavailable, but I can say that their prices here have risen astronomically. Our Taco Bell used to have a line around the building pretty consistently, now it’s essentially empty all the time.

the prices in tennessee are available for other menu items, just not the '3 .. combo' items for some reason

Due to Tennessee's Right to Spork laws.

Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#183

They are missing the Seattle Lower Queen Anne Taco Bell/KFC combo store that is known to be the most expensive Taco Bell in the nation. https://locations.tacobell.com/wa/seattle/210-w--mercer-st-.... Anyways, you hear horror pricing stories about this one store.

I am surprised I have not heard about more kinds of surge pricing or other price increases to exploit consumers. For example, raise the prices across the board $1 for an hour before the adjacent stadium opens.

Do the Franchises put limits on the pricing power of individual stores?

Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#184
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does Taco Bell have an app? What is its purpose?

lots of fast food have apps that track purchasing and give you coupons or deals that you can't get just ordering in the store now. It's like loyalty cards for McDonald's or tb.

My McDonald's app has a daily 25% off coupon. I feel like it's a glitch but it has been persistent for over a year. Two of us can eat for $13

Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#185
post #138
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does Taco Bell have an app? What is its purpose?

(1) Studies have shown that patron will make larger and more frequent orders when placed through an app rather than in person. This increases revenues. (2) The app gathers statistics. Marketing and sales are so addicted to massive amounts of all kinds of information they have trouble finding veins that are not collapsed and their coworkers all carry naloxone. In most organizations, the marketing and sales people make…

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Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#186

For the umpteen millionth time, please please please do not use red/green for the scale, it is very difficult for colorblind people to distinguish, which is ~5% of the male population. Look at Colorbrewer for some alternative suggestions: https://colorbrewer2.org/

What percent of the rest of the population is confused by not using red & green?

The choice of color here is not obvious to me. For example, greener could mean more money, i.e. more expensive. Also red connotes debt/negative in accounting, while black is surplus/positive. If you're eating a tomato, red is good and green is bad (unless fried I guess).

Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#187
post #94
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does Taco Bell have an app? What is its purpose?

The purpose of the McDonalds app seems to be to replace cashiers. I assume the Taco Bell app was created for the same reason.

I assume many/most of the people regularly eating at these places are very price sensitive. And, especially with demographic shifts in the West, non-premium places are going to be doing everything in their power to replace employees with automation and self-service. A lot of shoppers may grumble but they'll go with the lower prices.

Re: How economical is your local Taco Bell?

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of their stores don't have cashier's. You have to use a kiosk or the app.

The weirdest experience I had was a local burger joint I walked into that was completely empty with nobody eating there and nobody working at the counter and it didn't help that the decor was completely "blacked out". My first impression was that it wasn't open but I placed my order on a (ordinary sized) tablet and got my food and the people who came out to serve it were really nice. The other day I was at McD's and…

My local McD's won't even take orders at the register. They'll come over and show you how to use the kiosk if you're having trouble.

For our rural area with relatively low population, it makes sense. But even in the suburbs nearby, Chipotle, etc., are going to online-ordering only.

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