Do Amish people eat fast food?

The short answer: yes, Amish people do eat fast food. McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s too (and not just those).

McDonald’s

Here are a couple of visual Amish fast food examples from Amish communities. First, this sign showing buggy parking at a McDonald’s in Sugarcreek, Ohio, a heavily-Amish area:

I took that photo sometime in the mid-2000s. Like other businesses in Amish areas, this McDonald’s recognizes that it has a lot of Amish customers, and likewise makes accommodations for them.

Pizza Hut

Here’s another photo, showing buggies parked outside a Pizza Hut in LaGrange, Indiana (another large Amish community). I took this photo, I believe, on a Friday or Saturday evening.

Amish people also like to go to restaurants on the weekend (especially in the more progressive communities). It’s common for businesses like this one to have hitching rails so Amish patrons can tie up their horses.

Amish diets have changed

The bulk of the Amish diet still consists of home-prepared meals.

Amish farmers have traditionally eaten a diet based around dairy products and home-raised foods. And most Amish families today – regardless of occupation – have a sizable garden at home. Amish housewives still do a lot of canning.

But with occupational changes, Amish diets have changed somewhat. For example:

• Amish construction workers or market stand owners are often on the road. This can mean eating foods prepared at food stands or at fast food establishments.
• Members of an Amish carpentry crew might grab a breakfast sandwich at a gas station while the driver fills up for the day’s journey to the job site.
• Amish families may visit fast food restaurants as an occasional treat as well. For example, an Amishman in Ohio takes his children roughly ten miles by buggy to the Burger King in a local town. The children enjoy the trip, and the ice cream.

Higher incomes (due to non-farming jobs) also means Amish have the financial means to eat outside the home more often.

Amish people eating Fast Food: Other examples

In 2021, I made a video on this topic (see below). And a number of viewers shared their observations on the Amish and fast food.

A viewer named Nancy wrote: “I am close to an Amish community and take them places. They love to get fast food when they go out. They also love Wendy’s frosties.”

A driver for the Amish named Gerald wrote:

When hauling Amish, we will often stop at fast food for a quick lunch. Many like Subway. Pizza is so big in my area that there are several pizza ovens that they use for events. Many make their own pizza and it is very good. They are also good customers of our several pizza shops. When traveling, they usually want to look for a good buffet but not a pricey one. Many will just pack lunches for day trips or eat wherever we go.

Suggesting how things have changed over time, viewer Ohio Prepper added: “When I was a kid you never saw Amish at Mcd’s or grocery stores, now they go anywhere we do.”

Amish people don’t always fit “our” expectations

One more interesting comment, by Sweet Peach: “I think most people would be disappointed to see what the Amish actually eat.”

I thought this was a good point. Not that the Amish are eating particularly strange things or something.

But I think many people expect the Amish to stick to a strict traditional Pennsylvania Dutch diet, with lots of fresh garden foods and canned goods.

And of course, many Amish people eat those things. As I suggest in the video, this shouldn’t be taken to think that Amish are not eating their traditional foods.

But some stick to this “classic diet” more than others. With the differences across Amish groups (and especially with the ongoing change in Amish occupations) the diet is more varied than it was in generations past.

And of course, people are people, Amish or non-Amish. Or, like another viewer put it: “everybody likes a quick burger now and then.”

For more, see:

• 5 Surprising Facts About The Amish & Food
• Do Amish people drink alcohol?
• Do Amish people eat pork?
• Amish Jobs: 6 Ways Amish Make A Living
• Amish Foods: 5 Favorites Not To Miss
• Snitz Pie: The Amish Church Meal Treat
• 6 Places Where Amish Eat Meals
• How to Eat a Meal in an Amish Home (2 Ways)
• Amish Food: What do Amish people eat?

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