Can’t Kick the Fast Food Habit? You’re Not the Only One

It’s just so easy.

Whether you’re on the road or heading home after a long day, fast food hits the spot. It’s quick, it’s cheap, it’s filling, and you don’t have to wash any dishes.

You’re not alone. 85 million Americans will be stopping at that drive-through along with you on any given day.

No matter how many people vow to eat healthier, the fast food industry isn’t going anywhere. On average, families spend 40% of their food budget on eating out. Globally, the fast food industry expected to reach a net worth of $223 billion by 2020.

So how far does this national love affair go?

To find out, Postmates surveyed over 1,000 people to see what they would be willing to give up in order to experience fast food freedom.

What would you be willing to give up, in order to eat ALL the fast food you wanted without gaining weight or experiencing any health consequences whatsoever?

Here’s what they found.

Americans Ditch Binge-Watching For Binge-Eating

Americans’ love of fast food is so strong that they would do just about anything to eat it without consequences. They’d even give up drinking, Netflix, and that afternoon snooze.

While most can’t fathom the idea of settling into the couch without bingeing on something on Netflix, 27% would gladly cancel their subscriptions for a life of fast food bingeing. 37% would never pick up a drink again, and 13% would ditch the nap for those same perks.

While it might be hard to weigh the net pleasure of a good show on Netflix, versus a tasty microbrew, versus your favorite fast food, for many Americans it’s a no-brainer. Over a third of us eat fast food every single day.

As it turns out, the idea of consequence-free fast food is so alluring that people will even give up basic hygiene to get it…

Who Needs Underwear Anyway?

Consumers will gladly throw hygiene out the window when presented with this delicious dilemma.

The guiltiest group is 35–44 year olds, as 21% would throw out their underwear and 10% would never brush their teeth again if it meant eating all the fast food they wanted.

Younger generations have different priorities, however. ZERO percent of 18–24 year olds (slow clap, kids) would toss their toothbrush, but 21% would still ditch their drawers.

Never Met Free Food I Didn’t Like

Even though fast food drive-throughs got an average of 20 seconds slower this year, online delivery services like Postmates, Uber Eats, and DoorDash have helped to bridge that gap and get consumers what they want even faster.

To see just how important convenience is, we asked consumers if they would accept free food from a stranger. 11% would ignore their mother’s warnings about not talking to strangers and dig in anyway.

Surprisingly, 18–24 year olds were the most willing to accept free food from someone they don’t know (17%).

Now, there’s no such thing as calorie-free, consequence-free fast food.

But the idea that so many people are willing to give up basic entertainment and hygiene for their daily treat speaks to just how powerful fast food is in our current culture.

While it’s important to eat healthy most of the time, there’s no harm in indulging every once in a while. So go ahead, order your favorite takeout food and pull up Netflix while you wait for it to arrive. No one is making you choose … yet.