Fast food "hacks" post draws criticism as tone-deaf amid affordability crisis
A viral post on budget dining tips sparks backlash for trivializing food insecurity while suggesting minor savings strategies.
What to know
- A viral post promoting fast food money-saving tips drew mockery for being tone-deaf to real food insecurity—the suggested hacks save only a few dollars while ignoring that fast food itself is unaffordable for struggling families.
- Commenters drew comparisons to other wealthy figures offering impractical budget advice, viewing the post as disconnected from economic reality.
- The backlash reflects broader frustration over how budget tips from the affluent often trivialize rather than address systemic affordability crises.
The dispute Whether the post is merely trivializing (offering insulting savings) or emblematic of a broader pattern of elites offering impractical advice to working people. · positions read across 17 posts and comments
The post is insulting because it trivializes food insecurity by offering minimal savings while ignoring the core problem that fast food is unaffordable.
-
“Free fries? On my birthday? Well that solves all the unaffordability and daily lack of food problems. It's hilarious when wealthy people find cute ways to save $5.”
mariablack.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
This mirrors a pattern of out-of-touch advice from wealthy figures offering impractical solutions to working people's problems.
-
“Reminds me of Ivanka giving advice on how to do a non paying internship or Sheryl Sandberg telling women how to "lean in".”
jaylboh.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
The real solution is cooking at home, not finding cheap fast food hacks.
-
“Maybe try cooking at home instead?”
herne.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
lincolnproject.us Social media account
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments
-
3
Commenters draw parallels to other tone-deaf wealthy advice
Multiple users compared the fast food tips to previous high-profile instances of wealthy figures offering impractical budget advice, such as Ivanka Trump's unpaid internship guidance and Sheryl Sandberg's "lean in" messaging.
“Reminds me of Ivanka giving advice on how to do a non paying internship or Sheryl Sandberg telling women how to "lean in".”
— jaylboh.bsky.social -
Free fries? On my birthday? Well that solves all the unaffordability and daily lack of food problems. It's hilarious when wealthy people find cute ways to save $5. So excited to tell ppl that have no food or money at all how great hacks could be if they had money to eat 🤦🏻♀️
2 more of the top 3 · 7 posts in this stretch
-
They’re the worst. Reminds me of Ivanka giving advice on how to do a non paying internship or Sheryl Sandberg telling women how to “lean in”.
-
My wife and I saw this this morning. We couldn’t believe it, saying to each other this is ridiculous! Telling families how to overfill two Chipotle burritos and split them for a family of four rather than get 4 burrito bowls. Saving a total of 6 bucks.
-
-
2
Users highlight the minimal savings and absurdity of suggested tactics
Commenters shared specific examples of the "hacks," such as splitting Chipotle burritos across a family of four for $6 savings, underscoring how meager the proposed solutions were relative to actual food insecurity.
“Telling families how to overfill two Chipotle burritos and split them for a family of four rather than get 4 burrito bowls. Saving a total of 6 bucks.”
— mt-nestor.bsky.social -
Real Americans steal ketchup packets for Jesus!
2 more of the top 3 · 7 posts in this stretch
-
I thought they were going to suggest dumpster diving at one point.
-
How to consume zero nutrition for the least possible $$$$$.
-
-
1
Commenters call the advice trivializing and out of touch
Users responded with sarcasm and frustration, arguing that the tips were insulting to people facing genuine food insecurity. Multiple commenters noted the tips saved only a few dollars and missed the core problem: fast food itself is unaffordable for many.
“Free fries? On my birthday? Well that solves all the unaffordability and daily lack of food problems. It's hilarious when wealthy people find cute ways to save $5.”
— mariablack.bsky.social -
L
Trump’s economy is so bad they’re telling you how to “hack fast food”.
1 more of the top 2 · 3 posts in this stretch
-
Another reason I am glad to be a vegetarian.
-
-
background
Lincoln Project post promotes fast food budget "hacks" — The Lincoln Project posted on Bluesky linking to content about ways to save money on fast food, framing it as a response to economic hardship. The post garnered 328 likes and 15 comments.
What people are saying 8 voices from 1 site · best of 17 · verbatim
- What specific fast food "hacks" were being promoted in the original content?
- Sep 15
-
While people are shitting their guts out on toilets everywhere. Right…
-
Where the American Dream is only one less Starbucks (or 5) per day away!
- Sep 14
-
W
Meanwhile they're eating steak and lobster
-
Who the FUCK buys fast food if they’re struggling? It hasn’t been affordable for many years (in addition to being so unhealthy.)
-
Well, most fast food is neither nutritious nor satisfying. But making your own is almost the same price. Pricing things from dollar menus can help, and you can put tomatoes and dubious lettuce on your food. Make your sandwich at home, add as much veggies and fruit as you can.
-
Nathan's? That's too boujee for my budget. More like this:
-
They want you in the app because then they can sell your data… duh. Maybe try cooking at home instead?
-
Just shut up and eat your boiled liver peasants....