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@traders if you wanna trade more but on manifold’s opinion

so what's happening? Are they resolving each 33%? Or each of the 3 tied is resolving YES? I can't remember which is possible in this market type.

@No_uh yep, 33% each, will resolve later tonight unless I hear a strong argument to change the price ranking

@No_uh 33% split in this market type

@Mochi my only argument is that I'm angry about the results 😂

@Stralor fair, me too. I hate ties but scoring was fair and not too misaligned imo

@Stralor i think this is like, one of the only possible resolution permutations which result in me not being profitable on this market lmfao. insane

putting mcd's so low on taste is a crime (so im told)

@traders I spent some time pondering the metrics and decided to swap McDonald’s and Taco Bell on the taste scale. Honestly, Mickey D’s takes the win there because their dessert game is stronger and their breakfast menu is elite. I’m officially locking in my "Taste" and "Convenience" scores now.

For Price, I wanted to be a bit more objective, so I cross-referenced with Claude, Gemini, and GPT to see how these chains actually rank on the "price/decent meal" metric. They all pretty much agreed that Taco Bell and Dominos are cheaper than McDonald’s, so I adjusted the rankings to reflect that.

When things got blurry with the mid-to-high priced spots (Chick-fil-A, Panda, Popeyes, Chipotle, and Papa Johns), I just used the "Cheap Lunch Test." I asked myself: "If I only want to spend the absolute bare minimum for a simple lunch, where am I going?"

The "Cheap Lunch" hierarchy (from cheapest to priciest) ended up looking like this:

Popeyes (Chicken Sandwich) -> Chick-fil-A (Chicken Sandwich) -> Panda Express (Bowl) -> Chipotle (Burrito) -> Papa Johns

Here is the updated score. As it stands, there is a 3-way tie again between Mcd, chipotle, tacobell. I plan to resolve these 3 equally unless there is a very convincing argument that breaks this tie. Price is basically only metric I would realistically modify at this point.

@Mochi see kids, gambling always pays off if you’re good enough at it

@Mochi Chick-fil-a is 14% cheaper than you'd think because they aren't open on Sundays (math), so it's at least a 5/10 for value

@musteval That is flawless math, and I completely overlooked the 1/7 discount rate. I am applying that 14% penalty directly to the Convenience score as the friction to obtain a chicken sandwich is mathematically higher.

@traders I did the relative scoring, and here is my ranking of the fast food chains.

As it stands now, McD, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A are tied 1st, I am open to any counter arguments to my though process here:

• McDonald’s: The gold standard for convenience. With a massive footprint, 24/7 locations, a seamless app, and efficient kiosks, it’s unbeatable for speed. While taste is average, the price is excellent—especially with $5 value meals and consistent "crazy cheap" deals.

• Chipotle: The winner for taste. It scores high on convenience thanks to a smooth, intuitive app, streamlined pickup options, and vegan-friendly variety. However, it falls behind on price, as it’s one of the more expensive entries on the list.

• Chick-fil-A: Ranks 3rd for taste on this list, offering a high-quality menu that consistently delivers. While the price is decent, the chain shines in service and has a great app. Although the drive-thru lines can look intimidatingly long, their extreme operational efficiency ensures that food preparation remains remarkably fast, keeping the convenience score high despite the crowds.

• Taco Bell: Second in convenience just behind McD. It’s slightly less convenient due to slower prep times and a clunkier kiosk interface (keeps asking me to provide phone number while mcd doesn't care). While the Chalupas are a highlight, the burritos underwhelm, putting it in the middle of the pack for taste.

• Panda Express: Delivers great taste and better price value than Chipotle due to its generous portion sizes. Convenience is decent, though you’ll occasionally face delays waiting for specific dishes to be cooked fresh.

• Popeyes: Offers great taste but suffers from high "item variance"—if they’re out of chicken thighs, the breasts don't hit the mark for me. Convenience is hampered by buggy kiosks and consistently poor service.

• In-N-Out: A bit of a "mid-high" paradox. The taste is good but limited by a small menu (great burgers, okay fries). Convenience is its biggest weakness; massive drive-thru lines that spill into the street make it nearly unusable for a "quick" bite.

• Costco: The undisputed champion of price. While the taste is good, it lacks variety. Convenience is low because you need a membership and the locations are often crowded, though the dine-in option is a plus.

• Papa Johns & Dominos: Both score decent on taste but fail on price and convenience. I reviewed papa johns receipt and realized I had a coupon that reduced the cost which was originally $26. Without heavy coupons, a $26 pizza is hard to justify for fast food. Furthermore, the lack of dine-in options and long prep times make them less "fast" than traditional fast food.

@Mochi I would argue that McD's has surprisingly good cookies and popular shakes/frappes, providing a vector of taste where Taco Bell's desserts feel like an afterthought. Both have gimmick desserts like the Shamrock Shake and Baja Blast Pie, but I would break #2 and #3 for taste the opposite way. My only McD's bias comes from a 25 mana bet.

@Mochi I'm surprised you didn't like In-N-Out more than McD!

@Mochi McDonalds is uncompetitive on price. I would consider In n Out and Taco Bell to be the only places with a broad range of value options on that list. Costco has it's hot dog combo and McDonalds can be defanged a bit with app discounts but it's not the early 2000s anymore, McDonalds is where you go when you're too lazy to even think, let alone cook, it's not somewhere to save money.

@realDonaldTrump I like in n out for the flavor; I just hate that their business model involves blocking three lanes of active traffic. When you find one that isn't a literal public safety hazard, let me know!

@Panfilo good point on Mcd amazing deserts, they slipped my mind when making the taste comparison. Let me ponder

@JessicaEvans i keep hearing this narrative that Mcd is not cheap anymore, but literally every time I visit a branch they have some crazy value deals (non app dicounts) that is still miles ahead in price compared to competition

@Mochi OK, but that's very location specific, it's not a property of the McDonalds franchise. They have region based pricing in other respects too. The same burger costs entirely different amounts in downtown Seattle vs Salina Kansas. Individual franchisees sometimes coordinating or taking initiative shouldn't count IMHO, even counting the app would be better because at least that is franchise wide.

@Mochi I'd argue for a slight bump to Chipotle in the relative price rankings. I think this blog has done a great job showcasing dollar per calorie/dollar per g protein. https://efficiencyiseverything.com/articles.html Chipotle and Panda Express articles (that you find by narrowing to food categories) seem to show Chipotle head and shoulders above Panda. So I would make the case it should be above it there. It also clears Chick Fil A on that price value metric per the data collected, and while not included in a post on this shared website. My back of napkin math seems to suggest it would also clear popeyes. So assuming all of those are close in price: I'm assuming 11.20 for chipotle, 11.10 for Panda, 11.07 for chick fil a(sandwich $7.07 after tax plus $4 after tax fries), and Unknown but I assume very close price for Popeyes from what I see on the menu. I think I would rank Chipotle as tops among them. HOWEVER seems waffle fries prices are highly variable(when I went to order online they range from 3.50 to 4.25 for a medium but apparently there is a wider range? ) and Popeyes I'm just guessing on what you might have ordered based on your previous choices.

Chipotle also beats out some others on this list on a per dollar basis on protein and/or calories, but with larger overall price gaps.

Acknowledging I have mana on both chipotle and McDs

All Articles - Efficiency is Everything

@Mochi Taco Bell also updates it menu frequently and brings new items to the table which is something the other two sometimes fall short on. I feel like Taco Bell corporate listens to its customers more too, bringing fan favorites back, and even things like making the nacho fries permanent because people love them.

These are areas I feel the other two fall short.

Another thing is consistency in terms of quality. With Taco Bell, at least from my experience, you always know what you order, is what you get. It’s consistently good. McDonald’s is not, patties can be sat in the warmer all day, the fries have been hit or miss since covid and the service is lacking.

@JustCallMeKeith Taco Bell and Chipotle are also the only two good vegetarian offerings

@Panfilo mcd's burgers are below average IMO. Their chicken options are just much better in terms of taste

@Mochi
this is the worst taste in fast food I've ever personally witnessed. Troll market.

@RomeoStevens It's unranked we're lucky he didn't say "top meant height and fast meant velocity, it's Tang"

@RomeoStevens it’s clear from the beginning this has my subjective opinions and they are well documented in my reviews.

@Mochi @RomeoStevens @Panfilo IDK guys Mochi answered every single clarifying question, gave pretty clear reviews with emphasis on what was being included in their assessments, updated all this into the description, and gave regular updates. Seems to me a transparent and well run market with acknowledgement of subjectivity implied by the framing of the question, the description, and every comment they made. This seems supported by the traders clearly identifying three of the top four(with a maybe obvious in hindsight dark horse inclusion of chick fil a). Can debate if you should have to read everything to understand the process for resolution and that its better design for the question and top line description to be all you need to know to vote, but I think an active market maker who responds to feedback, questions, etc mitigates that

@Mochi How important is convenience really? If your getting good food at a good price elsewhere, who cares how good McD app is.

@Coal they shouldn't all be weighed equally. People are willing to line up for their favorite restaurant. No one wants crappy taste a couple mins earlier otherwise they would just order it undercooked and unseasoned

@Coal in real world I agree I would value taste higher too. you could argue some ppl value price more and some ppl value convenience more irl though, this market just treats them the same

@Mochi Alright. Had to try. Great job being so active btw

@Mochi Chick-fill-a has the best service out of all of these not to mention healthy choices too. Chick-fill-a should def win

@Meek chic fil a is a Midwestern psy op

@JessicaEvans no chick-fill-a is the only true fast food in America