Fast food is much maligned these days – and for very good reasons. The worst fast food places have low-quality and unhealthy food, inferior service, and too-high prices for what you get. But if you are choosy and do some research – which includes personal experience with the menu, of course – fast food can be a delightful diversion and can make for a fun and relatively frugal date night.
There are many fast food options now that serve a variety of foods, so the idea is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Invite your lover on a fast food driving date, and make it a night to remember. Here’s how to pull it off.
Aperitif
A before dinner drink to stimulate the appetite is known as an aperitif. Part of the fast food fun date will be to make it as fancy as possible as far as the language that you use to present it and carry it out. The contrast between the high-dining concept and actual execution will be fun and make for a great night.
So, this part should begin at home in a special place, out on the patio, on your deck, or in a romantically-set up living room. With some music playing, a candle burning and a plan in mind, serve your lover a small glass of light white wine, champagne, sherry, or vermouth. Be sure to point out that you’ll need to drive to make this evening a success, so you’ll have to skip the aperitif. But you can join in with a soda or sparkling juice and tell your date what’s going to happen.
Appetizers
The next step in your fast-food frugal dining date is the appetizer. You should have chosen a place that you have researched that has a menu item or two that is light but tasty – you don’t want to fill up at the first stop, but it needs to be something you can both enjoy just a few bites of for starters. Make the drive there a fun-filled journey with music and conversation, and make your destination a surprise. Be sure to build it up as the appetizer portion of the dining experience.
Entree
The choice of the main dish is very important – it will set the tone for a memorable evening. There are so many choices out there that you really can’t go wrong if you know your date’s preferences for types of foods. There are of course Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, varieties of American, and other fast food places you can go to for the main dish of the night.
Try to find a place with a good combination of great food and ambiance. OK, maybe the atmosphere is never going to be great, but you can always bring a small tablecloth and a candle and create your own. Just remember to save room for dessert.
Dessert
You have many choices for the dessert portion of the fast-food evening. Let your partner’s preferences be your guide, but remember that there is more than just soft-serve ice cream out there in the dining wilderness. There is cake, pie, doughnuts, and ethnic specialties such as baklava and flan to think about. This may take some effort and research on your part, but there are fast-food desserts available that are fun and flavorful, and provide the perfect last course in your fancy dining meal plan.
After dinner drinks, and…
At this point in the evening you have sampled the best fast foods you could find, and had a full course meal along the way. Arriving back where you started from, create a romantic atmosphere on your deck or patio, and serve a fancy after-dinner drink or two. The good part is that you are probably home for the rest of the night, so you can join in on the adult beverages. It will make the perfect end to a frugal, fun, fast-food romantic night of dining.
