I get that until recently it was considered normal and relatively cheap, but you are literally paying someone else to make food for you.
It can’t be sustainable without exploitation of workers and/or animal welfare to have that available to the majority of people on a regular basis.
If you can only afford fast food as a luxury, to me that seems like a good thing.
It absolutely can be sustainable without exploiting labor. All it takes is for owners to settle for less profit.
I’ve typed up and re-written a couple of paragraphs a few times just to realize I’d be better off linking this video. Basically, there used to be more business models in the food industry that helped to feed it an laborers- people who may not have a kitchen and probably didn’t have time to go buy groceries, cook, and clean. These businesses (automats, lunch wagons, diners) took a more utilitarian approach to food to make it affordable and nutritious, rather than the luxury experience “eating out” is today.