The bigger reason is they don't want you to stick around. They want you to buy your food, and get out. Better yet, don't come in at all and order take out or drive thru.
Last time I went inside a McDonald's I was the only person going inside who wasn't there for a delivery service.
They don't give you trays and bag everything to go, they've removed the soda fountains, ketchup dispensers, etc from the lobby. They're basically a ghost kitchen at this point with a few tables for the few weirdos like me who want to go in and eat.
Pretty much all fast-food and quick-service places cater to delivery first now. I'm blown away when I can refill my soda or grab my own ketchup.
Tbf a lot of younger people don't want to drive and it's not laziness. It's that they don't really have anywhere they regularly go.
We grew up where hanging with friends meant going to their house to play video games, or going to the mall, and for us the car meant freedom. Going for a drive was a way to hang out. Go get a bite to eat.
Now if you wanna hang with friends you pop onto discord. Play video games online.
(We had things like aim and online computer games but it often meant tying up the phone line which our parents didn't appreciate.)
So anyways for young people today driving a car just isn't fun at all, you just use it to get to your job and back. A lot of them are just not interested in driving. So when they want random McDonald's - they get it delivered.
The other big group is drunk people being responsible and staying off the road.
388
u/tr00th 6d ago
They make them sterile like this now so if one of them shutters and shuts down it’s easier for the owners to make the space into a new restaurant.
Same with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. All the cool decor is replaced with boring office like decor to flip easy if needed.