Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 11:44     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Chipotle. A bowl is 2 servings, so you can either split one or make two last two nights. They're as heathy as you make them - load with cheese, sour cream, and high sodium beef = not healthy. Stick with lots of veggies, beans, and guac = the best you're going to get for filling and healthy fast casual. Going with veggie/beans only means means free guac and is cheaper. It'll be ~$11 for one bowl. You can add chips or tortillas on the side if you want to stretch further.


DP. And use the brown rice instead of the white.


Makes zero difference.


If you prefer to add rice, request half the serving instead of the full. Interestingly, the brown rice at Chipotle does not seem to have much more of a nutritional advantage than the white rice. It has the same amount of calories as the white rice (210 for 4 ounces), higher total fat (5.5 g compared to the 4 g the white rice contains) and higher calories from fat (50 compared to 38). It does have a lower amount of carbohydrates, though. The brown rice has 36 g of carbohydrates compared to the white rice, which contains 40 g.


The brown rice probably has slightly more protein but a lot more fiber. Fiber is important as high fiber foods help your gut create a healthy biome which is super important for brain health and fighting disease. It’s not really about the calories.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 11:13     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Chipotle. A bowl is 2 servings, so you can either split one or make two last two nights. They're as heathy as you make them - load with cheese, sour cream, and high sodium beef = not healthy. Stick with lots of veggies, beans, and guac = the best you're going to get for filling and healthy fast casual. Going with veggie/beans only means means free guac and is cheaper. It'll be ~$11 for one bowl. You can add chips or tortillas on the side if you want to stretch further.


DP. And use the brown rice instead of the white.


Makes zero difference.


If you prefer to add rice, request half the serving instead of the full. Interestingly, the brown rice at Chipotle does not seem to have much more of a nutritional advantage than the white rice. It has the same amount of calories as the white rice (210 for 4 ounces), higher total fat (5.5 g compared to the 4 g the white rice contains) and higher calories from fat (50 compared to 38). It does have a lower amount of carbohydrates, though. The brown rice has 36 g of carbohydrates compared to the white rice, which contains 40 g.


The nutritional advantage of whole grains is the fiber. It’s not going to show up in macros.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 11:10     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Five Guys is notoriously expensive and not good.

If you want healthy options and can stick to them, Golden Corral before 4 pm is a bargain on weekdays.


It used to be a cheap meal. 3-4 burgers and a large fries and we were good. Now it’s quite expensive. 😞


I was never a 5-Guys fan; but I agree. It has gotten ridiculously expensive for what you're getting. The only thing I really like is the free peanuts.


Can I help you?
No thanks I am here for the peanuts.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:56     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Least expensive prepared meals in my experience are the "deals of the day" in the refrigerated prepared food section of your local grocery store.
Advantages: you see exactly what you're getting when you pick it up; best price for a reasonable quantity of food; you can use your grocery store discount card
Disadvantages: you get what your get - maybe no chicken sandwiches are left that day; must pick it up yourself and eat at home or in your car
I've never had a bad experience with grocery store prepared meals

Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:48     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Chipotle. A bowl is 2 servings, so you can either split one or make two last two nights. They're as heathy as you make them - load with cheese, sour cream, and high sodium beef = not healthy. Stick with lots of veggies, beans, and guac = the best you're going to get for filling and healthy fast casual. Going with veggie/beans only means means free guac and is cheaper. It'll be ~$11 for one bowl. You can add chips or tortillas on the side if you want to stretch further.


DP. And use the brown rice instead of the white.


Makes zero difference.


If you prefer to add rice, request half the serving instead of the full. Interestingly, the brown rice at Chipotle does not seem to have much more of a nutritional advantage than the white rice. It has the same amount of calories as the white rice (210 for 4 ounces), higher total fat (5.5 g compared to the 4 g the white rice contains) and higher calories from fat (50 compared to 38). It does have a lower amount of carbohydrates, though. The brown rice has 36 g of carbohydrates compared to the white rice, which contains 40 g.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:47     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mcdonalds is gross and Subway too..! It wss have been okay when we were uoung but it is not even real food and filled with chemicals and toxins. I don’t touch that crap with a
ten foot pole but that ia why I make all my food and snacks at home. No gross cancer causing chemicals..


I'm curious. When you sat down to write this response, was there a part of you that thought this would be helpful?


Yes- the part of PP that thinks they have useful info to share.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:47     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Chipotle. A bowl is 2 servings, so you can either split one or make two last two nights. They're as heathy as you make them - load with cheese, sour cream, and high sodium beef = not healthy. Stick with lots of veggies, beans, and guac = the best you're going to get for filling and healthy fast casual. Going with veggie/beans only means means free guac and is cheaper. It'll be ~$11 for one bowl. You can add chips or tortillas on the side if you want to stretch further.


DP. And use the brown rice instead of the white.


Makes zero difference.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:45     Subject: Re:Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:If you do a bowl at Cava it’s enough for 2 ppl


CAVA is disgusting.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:37     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:Mcdonalds is gross and Subway too..! It wss have been okay when we were uoung but it is not even real food and filled with chemicals and toxins. I don’t touch that crap with a
ten foot pole but that ia why I make all my food and snacks at home. No gross cancer causing chemicals..


I'm curious. When you sat down to write this response, was there a part of you that thought this would be helpful?
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:24     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Local Chinese or Mexican restaurants. Or South American chicken.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:30     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:Chipotle kids meal is $6 for a taco or quesadilla, three sides, chips and a drink. Good portion for adults too.


Ordering 2 individual tacos instead of the 3-taco item on the menu is helpful for me. Less money and not over-eating as much. Our family just ordered Chipotle a few days ago. Those tacos were larger than I remembered. But I agree splitting a bowl is a good idea, especially for the adults who really don't need to eat the whole bowl; but our growing teenager son does.



Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:26     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Bob Evans, rotisserie chicken from grocery store, ihop, chick fil a, checkers, panera
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:22     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:The Dominos near me closed, so I haven’t ordered in over a year, but they used to have good deals and I would order 3 medium, one topping, pizzas for $5 each, and freeze all the leftovers so would get several meals out of it. I’d steam broccoli or make a simple salad for our side.


Yes. But they're more like $7.99 each now. Still, a relative bargain as far as quantity of food goes.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:20     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Five Guys is notoriously expensive and not good.

If you want healthy options and can stick to them, Golden Corral before 4 pm is a bargain on weekdays.


It used to be a cheap meal. 3-4 burgers and a large fries and we were good. Now it’s quite expensive. 😞


It's because the price of beef has shot through the roof. Opt for a different protein.


It got expensive before the beef prices soared. And it's not like you're getting a lot of beef in their burgers. Might as well go to McD's or BK.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:19     Subject: Least expensive fast casual restaurant for family dinner
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Five Guys is notoriously expensive and not good.

If you want healthy options and can stick to them, Golden Corral before 4 pm is a bargain on weekdays.


It used to be a cheap meal. 3-4 burgers and a large fries and we were good. Now it’s quite expensive. 😞


I was never a 5-Guys fan; but I agree. It has gotten ridiculously expensive for what you're getting. The only thing I really like is the free peanuts.