fast food

We all know that fast food restaurants use their fair share of less than appetizing methods to bring us the cheap cuisine we know and love. It's not really a shock to find out that the making of a $5 pizza is not that aesthetically pleasing, but one thing we do expect is that a chain will use its own products.

Little Caesars has been no stranger to social media related controversy lately, after an employee revealed how their pizza sauce gets made. However, another viral video has counteracted this by suggesting that they don't make their own pizza at all. In a TikTok shared by @snowmanprotector, the sign of a Kmart Little Caesars is shown before panning to what appears to be a staff member standing beside a pile of DiGiorno's boxes. Many were taken aback at the blatant ripoff happening right in front of paying customers, but some current and former employees hit back, insisting that the food was made from scratch. Others were more confused that a pizza chain also seemed to sell popcorn. Either way, one thing's for sure: this time, it is delivery.

We all love to make jokes about how chip bags are 75% air, at this point, it's basically a meme on its own and we've come to accept it. Plus, apparently, the air keeps the chips fresher or something. This is all to say that we have become accustomed to this 'food scam,' it doesn't hurt so much whenever we pop open a bag of lays. However, if it's something different, something that we actually had high expectations for, the only way to explain how this makes us feel is 'heartbroken.' And no, that is not being dramatic.

It's common knowledge that most fast food restaurants don't  exactly serve the finest products in the world. You don't get a full meal for $5 without cutting a few corners, although as a customer you're usually shielded from how that process works.

However, this is no longer the case for patrons of Little Caesars. The sauce making process for the pizza chain was recently leaked by an employee filming themselves producing a batch. Showing a mixture of tomato puree, herbs and water blended in a container, the distinctly unappetizing video has been viewed nearly five million times and produced some polarized reactions.

Some people were completely repulsed, and pointed out the gross breach of sanitation regulations involved with preparing food on the floor. Others claimed it did nothing to put them off ordering there again. On top of these was a third group, who pointed out that what the video was showing was not really much of a shock. At this point, they argue, surely we all realize that quality gets sacrificed for convenience.

From the beans at Taco Bell to the eggs in a hotel breakfast, people 'exposing' the truth behind mass catering has been a prominent viral trend over the past year or two. Boosted by TikTok's huge audience for behind the scenes job videos and the pandemic increasing reliance on takeout, revelations on the topic have become an almost expected part of the viral social media cycle. The truth behind our food is not so much of a shock as a grim acceptance of how we consume in society today. Our pizza sauce might look worse in a tub that it does on the pie, but aren't we primed to accept that already?

Foodservice can be a taxing industry to work in. The fast-paced environment, formidable Karens and all-round frequent crises mean the average shift doesn't leave much room to breathe. If anything, that is all the more reason for fast food workers to find the entertainment value where they can. 

This is the philosophy behind @etherealloverboy's videos. An anonymous Chick-Fil-A employee, their account is dedicated to showing off the many strange and occasionally baffling orders that their branch receives. Examples range from customers asking for items that the chain doesn't even produce to combinations that don't seem to make any sense (kudos to the person eating mac and cheese with a straw). It's not all weird customer requests, either. The occasional order or motivational message from other crew members also slips through. 

Overall, the insight these videos provide offer a revealing, entertaining portrait of what it's like to deal with the hangry general public every day. It does leave us with some questions, though, like how do they manage to deal with them all?

In this world of cursed recipes, depression meals and viral recipe trolls, it sometimes feels like the internet's relationship to food is one deliberately designed to be as off-putting as possible. 

However, we don't have to despair completely — we still have Guy Fieri. The flamboyant chef is a one man antidote to toxic food memes, overshadowing them one flame print shirt at a time.

The Mayor of Flavortown has made a name for himself over the years, winning over memers with his big personality and excessive approach to everything edible. Not only does this formula have him winning popularity contests, he's also raking in the cash. He's reportedly scored an $80 million deal by renewing his contract with Food Network, guaranteeing us another three years of extravagant junk food and even more extravagant adjective usage. Naturally, this is the perfect excuse for the perusal of some fine Guy Fieri memes, so strap in tight for some righteous, lights-out delicious content.