The Restaurant Chain Reddit Claims Has Better Deals Than Fast Food Spots

It's not your imagination; fast food prices have spiked in the last few years, and despite efforts from chains to mitigate the rising costs (like McDonald's combo meal price drop), many hungry customers now consider it a luxury to stop at the drive-thru window. However, this shift away from fast food has opened the door for sit-down restaurants to pick up some business, and burger chain Red Robin has gained some attention from Reddit for its $9.99 deal.

"No point getting fast food when you can get a deal like this," the OP for a thread on the r/FastFood subreddit said, including a screenshot of Red Robin's Big Yummm burger deal. The meal combo features a Red's Double Tavern Burger, plus a Bottomless Side, and a Bottomless Beverage (too bad you can't swap in one of its fresh chicken sandwiches). Red Robin habitually rolls out such deals and discounts, like its earlier Bottomless Burger Pass promotion. One commenter broke down the prices for popular fast food chain burger combos, all of which are more expensive than the Red Robin meal, saying it's probably a "better deal and better quality food."

Another person opined that casual dining has become more appealing than fast food based on value. A third commenter remarked on the Red Robin menu more generally, writing, "A reasonably sized burger with which I can enjoy an unreasonable amount of steak fries...for a reasonable price." They finished by calling this their go-to meal when dining at Red Robin.

Money isn't the only thing people on that same r/FastFood thread value, though. That much is apparent by the number of commenters who mentioned that, while the $9.99 burger and Bottomless Sides combo is a good deal, it's only for dine-in, so you'd have to commit some of your precious time to sitting inside the restaurant. When you want a quick bite (or don't want to leave your car because you're in pajamas), paying the extra little bit for fast food can be worth it.

This brings us to a further drawback related to the time investment. Depending on how busy the restaurant is, or just how attentive your server is, you might not get to take full advantage of Red Robin's bottomless sides or beverages. As one commenter said, "You get so few fries, you finish them very quickly, and by the time they bring you more, you are nearly done with the meal."

Another issue some Redditors had with dining at Red Robin (and other sit-in restaurants) versus hitting up the fast food drive-thru is the fact that $9.99 doesn't account for tax, or more importantly, tip. So a meal deal that seems cheaper than fast food can end up costing as much as, or more than, that McDonald's combo, once all is said and done and the bill is paid.