Does Mr. Krabs really care about the quality of his food, or is he just in it for the money?

[SneakyMcSneakyPants]

In some episodes, he seems like he genuinely cares about selling food that's actually good, but even then, it seems to be motivated by keeping customers and bringing new ones in. There are also episodes where he does things like selling rancid krabby patties (ahem, "spongy patties") to attract more customers and gets rid of the krabby patties altogether for new items like krusty dogs. What do y'all think?

 

[ScumBob]

i think he cared when he started the restaurant/at the start of the show, he wouldn't be so protective of the formula and spongebob if he didn't care.

when the writers stopped caring, he stopped caring and sold him for 62 cents, fired him for a nickel, started serving grease on a plate and started serving patties that turned yellow.
thankfully, sponge on the run brought him back to his senses and realized the value of spongebob and his skills and his love of the craft
(also i feel like sometimes, the writers use mr krabs as a way to represent the execs at nick, and spongebob to represent the artists)
(PS headcanon theory: when the krusty krab started, he was driven more by passion than by greed, because it wasn't as well known so he had to focus on making good food. but when it became a huge hit, the money got to his head and he forgot the reason why he started.
kind of reflects the show itself, it started modestly but then became a money making monster that pumps out sequels and spin offs every week. sure, maybe the artists[SpongeBob] care, but do the higher ups[Mr Krabs]?)

I think deep down he really does care, but the allure of money distracts him, and sometimes he has to be reminded why he loves his restaurant to begin with
he's actually one of the most interesting characters for this very reason

 

[KalloFox34]

It depends on what the plot requires.

"Selling Out" shows him being appalled at the sight of Krabby Patties being soullessly made on a conveyor belt, despite the Krabby O'Monday's seemingly making good money from it. He even buys the Krusty Krab back for full price despite the place being wrecked.

In "Patty Hype", his immediate instinct upon seeing what he thinks is a rotten Krabby Patty is to torch it.

 

[NOTSpongeblobmaster]

like kallo says above me, i do also think it depends on what the plot needs,

in episodes like "Greasy Buffoons" or "The Krusty Sponge" he does it for the money

but in stuff like "The Other Patty" Or "Best Frenemies" he's very clearly doing it for his restaurant

 

[zerocool]

I would argue that Mr. Krabs is primarily motivated by the pursuit of wealth rather than a genuine concern for food quality. Although Mr. Krab's actions can change depending on the plot and context, in "Le Big Switch," customers are literally eating off the floor at the end of the episode, showing that he prioritizes profits over anything.

 

[KalloFox34]

I would argue that Mr. Krabs is primarily motivated by the pursuit of wealth rather than a genuine concern for food quality. Although Mr. Krab's actions can change depending on the plot and context, in "Le Big Switch," customers are literally eating off the floor at the end of the episode, showing that he prioritizes profits over anything.

That, plus in the same episode, he sold Squidward to make ends meet.

 

[Spongey34]

He know he needs quality to get money consistently.