And it was a sporting event buffet! I took two bites and threw it out.

…and I don’t opine on why other people don’t behave the way I do…

You'd learn that Luby's (not Lubby's) is a cafeteria-style restaurant chain that started in San Antonio, TX in 1947. They seem to focus on American comfort food classics.

You can put that one up on the shelf of learning trophies next to Biden winning the 2024 NH primary despite not being on the ballot.

...and has an easy answer: it's comparatively cheap, hot and tasty and saves time for over-worked parents cooking.

They jacked up prices knowing full well it would cost them customers, but calculated (correctly) that between the increased profit margin *and* the savings from reduced labor costs that they would make more net profit than if they tried to keep or expand their customer base.

Never mind improving their menu....

Minis loves her some fries, as do many kids. I like them too, though I only get no salt fries plus and add just a tiny amount of salt. Then I go to a local burger shop and get an impossible burger. Not the healthiest but that's maybe twice a month.

And Luby's and all the fast casual places are actually much worse than fast food, because of the fat and portion sizes. Here is the nutrition for just ONE fish almondine. The meal comes with two plus yams and spinach in a cheese sauce.

Calories
929
% Daily Values*
Total Fat51.00g65%
Saturated Fat12.700g64%
Trans Fat-
Cholesterol149mg50%
Sodium1151mg50%
Total Carbohydrate72.80g26%
Dietary Fiber4.8g17%
Sugars9.20g
Protein45.80g

The entire meal probably tops out around 2500 to 3000 calories.

A quarter pounder with cheese has 510 calories with 26 grams of fat. That Luby's meal has probably 150 grams of fat, much of it saturated.

Carbs are.

Really.

The burgers have definitely shrank as well. I had it recently for the first time in 5+ years. Horrid.

many of the Dollar Menu items are left anymore, if at all. And I do agree w/ the poster, that a 'sit-down' meal at a non-fast-food place can be better than a fast-food meal, of course this depends on what you're getting. We are lucky enough to have many different sit-down places to eat authentic Mexican, Chinese, or many of the other ethic places to eat here in STLMO (a byproduct of our large foreign population in the city...wonderful, all of it).

And another factor driving our fast-food choices, is that all of these fast-food places seem to be developing and bring onboard more and more meals, in effect, revamping their menus to support the new pricing (higher prices of course, less food or food that is cheaper to fill out the order).