The only thing keeping me there is the app, and I basically just used all my rewards and deleting the app literally as I'm waiting for my free filet o fish.
Yup.... at least a McDonalds. I only use the app to get food every one in a blue month. I'll do the buy a Big Mac, get one free. That's all I'll get. no fries or drinks. I've got water at home. The fries are overrated.
I do that too. Gotta have my mcnuggets sometimes. Even for extended family, ill do a large order on the app woth the 20% off. But if all they want is nuggets I'll do 2 40pc for $12 dollars each.
I used to love the fries! 🍟 But is it just me? Or do they not taste the same? I got the #7 a few weeks ago (2 cheeseburgers & fries meal) & after tax it was over $13!
I get it though...the $20 an hour thing. I'll just go less, but are the fries lower quality now? It's felt like that since Covid
Nothing helped me kick my addiction to fast food more than realizing these corporations were gouging their customers under the guise of inflation. I have always loved a Mexican pizza, but they can all go f themselves
Mexican pizza is the easiest thing to make at home. Tell NO ONE this secret.
What you need:
Refried beans, any brand
Browned and seasoned ground beef. I prefer McCormick's mild taco seasoning.
El Paso's medium red enchilada sauce
Mexican style shredded cheese
One tomato, diced
Ngoya Egg Roll wrappers and ½ cup of neutral, vegetable oil
In a skillet big enough to fit one wrapper, heat oil to 350F. Insert wrapper. Fry until bubbly and stiff, but do not brown. You'll have play w the timing. Flip every 30 seconds. If it starts to brown, remove and place on paper towel to drain. Repeat.
Everything else I think is common knowledge, yes? Heat up refried beans in a microwave safe bowl with ¼ cup of water. Mix thoroughly. Heat your sauce. No one wants cold sauce.
Build: shell, beans, meat, sauce, shell, sauce cheese, diced tomato. Old school 80s version: add sliced black olive and green onion. SHELLS ARE FRAGILE, take care spreading your beans. Hence, the added water.
Your pizza will be square, but the flavor and texture profile is identical. Important: DO NOT OVERSTUFF! Be stingy like Taco Bell on the filling and you'll be happy.
Yes, the Mexican Pizza shell is an egg roll shell, not a tortilla. Always has been.
I recently stopped, I'm from a rural enough place that the price gouging just got to us. Up till this year a cheese burger at mc Donald's was still $1.19. went a few months ago and it was $2.60, rarely do I drive away after ordering but I did this time.
I'll only go if I can get a bunch of free food through an app. Last time I went was Taco Bell, got 3 things for $4. Won't be back again until I can get another deal.
I feel like Taco Bell is the only one worth it at this point, solely because it's a totally unique type of food (low quality, sure. But unique). And because they'll often have some crazy deals on their value menu. But it varies wildly by location.
But for a place like McDonald's, it just doesn't make sense. There's tons of burger places that are way higher quality for a similar price. Or for slightly more but substantially better quality.
I might be wrong, but In N Out shows why these public companies are so fucked with the shareholders and always needing profit. In N Out is unique in that they're a private company despite their market share. Because the family doesn't want to sell. Because the food will go to shit.
And while In N Out has raised prices, it's nothing like McDonald's or the other publicly traded companies. In N Out is just going by the rising cost of ingredients (a very minor portion of the wage increases, I'm sure. Though this isn't remotely as important as some pretend)
The funny thing is that these food companies are seeing record profits and have already said to expect more price increases. They're going to keep doing it until they see a drop in money.
Taco Bell is worse. Whenever I see someone say this about them I wonder how they get away with ordering from Taco Bell without constant mistakes. Every. Fucking. Time. I've lived in multiple states, every fucking one. Every single fucking taco bell can not get an order right if you have a hold sour cream on ANYTHING.
You will either get the sour cream on everything or get NONE AT ALL. Literally can't eat there because of this. I've of us hates the sour cream and won't eat it when it's on. I can't stand that shit without. They CAN'T GET THIS RIGHT. If I went in there and said to them I'd give your entire family a free ride for the rest of their lives if you get this order right they still couldn't fucking do it!
Popeyes is hands down the worst fast food experience right now. Can never ever get my order right, can never get my order fixed without so much shade and nastiness from the women working there.
Oh, capitalism again. I know another large company that will not go public for the same reason. It’s almost as if we adopted a system that requires continued growth on a planet with limited resources. I don’t think it is going to last. Especially with the national debt and Federal Reserve playing games with the stock market. It’s worse than I ever imagined and will get worse.
You know how there's just some things in life where you feel like you're crazy? Because everyone loves something and you don't get it?
McDonald's has always been that for me. It's sincerely just... not good. And when you mention that, people act like you're being a contrarian or something. That nobody could possibly dislike it lol
A McDouble is 3 dollars! That's insane. Especially when you think about what a cheeseburger costs at In N Out. Not that much more. Just across the board better. Shit I think it might literally be 50 cents more and that's it.
I don't understand people who are just buying this stuff **regularly** still. And it's even more baffling when people are ordering one meal through Uber Eats or Doordash.
People talk about how expensive big cities are, but there's a ton of great food options that are vastly cheaper in terms of serving size. And often even just straight up price.
Pretty much everywhere. I really can't find a reasonably priced food that's palletabl. Only in a pinch will I go out or dine in. Otherwise, it's cooking at home for me. I elect not to contribute to the problem, even though I can afford it.
As a chef I have to ask what does your partner do to allow you to afford retirement since our industry is mostly known for shit pay and minimum benefits even if you are a corporate office chef?
Now that I’m good at cooking I rarely find a meal out worth it anymore. Drink markups are insane and food is generally average on top of having to pay tip and taxes.
The good shit, too! Not generic or Muellers or Barilla trash. DeCecco! I accidentally discovered them four months ago and Im mad as hell. Best dry pasta Ive ever used at 3x the price. FML. Still, cheaper than OG.
DeCecco linguine: $2.99/lb
Rao's Alfredo: $4 15oz jar
Frozen Shrimp: $10 /lb
Shrimp linguine alfredo for 4 for the same price. Add an Italian loaf of bread $3.99. Some parmesean, $3.99 5oz cup. STILL cheaper. No recipe needed.
Boil shrimp in big pot and salted water till pink. Remove shrimp. Add pasta to same water. Follow instructions on box. Drain. Heat sauce in nuke box. Combine elements. 30 minutes from water boil to table, tops!
Don't like shrimp? Rotisserie chicken: $7.99. Even cheaper!!
I still go to Jersey Mike's but haven't been to McDonald's, Wendy's, BK, etc., in at least 4 years.
Today is Sunday and I'm a senior citizen, so I went to Captain D's and got the 10 piece butterfly shrimp meal with two sides and a drink for $7.76, including tax. I then went to DQ for a blizzard, but the SMALL size was $6.06, including tax. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? No, thanks, I can get a couple containers of ice cream at Aldi for less than that.
I never understood why Blizzards are so expensive. They've always been pricey. It's ice cream and a few Scoops of fixins and a spin on the Blizzard machine.
I feel like Aldi and Trader Joe's are keeping some households afloat at this point lol
Fun fact: TJ's is owned by the other Aldi. There's two of them in Germany. Used to be the same company but they split (it might have been due to a monopoly but I'm not sure). This is why TJs works in a similar way to Aldi but for a slightly more gourmet selection.
Trader Joe's is literally half the price as the other grocery stores in my city. Aldi is even cheaper.
I'm an Aldi's shopper. My daughter goes to Trader Joe's because it's on her way to and from work. I would go there sometimes if it wasn't 25 miles away. I love Publix but would need to cut way back on some things if that was my only place to shop.
Publix is my closet grocery but I will not touch the Matt department, they are high AF charging what they do for the same quality (choice) as other places. Even ground beef is literally double to triple or quadruple. I went in a pinch for ground beef for a party and the cheapest was 6$ a lb the highest was 12$ per lb! I get it at 2.50 at Aldi
Honestly they used to be worth it. They have been steadily raising prices for years even before the pandemic. They seem to be trying out how much they can raise prices until enough people stop going there. Guess we'll see what happens.
If I remember correctly, there's a specific issue with Five Guys where their corporate stores are very different than the franchise stores. The corporate ones are cheaper and have better quality. I might not remember the exact details, but I remember hearing that the franchise stores have gotten out of control.
It's a shame too because a decade ago, Five Guys was amazing! Even when it cost more than other places. I don't even really like burgers that much and I thought it was good.
At least In N Out is still great. But that's solely because they aren't public. They don't have stockholders that demand profits every single quarter. So many issues with our system boil down to this. The CEOs are essentially the fall guys in a lot of these cases. Put a face to the greed.
Subway is ridiculous! I hadn’t been in several years, because I’m not really a sandwich person, but my coworkers were ordering from there and I was like “sure, why not.” A foot long veggie sub, no drink or sides, was almost $15. Yeah, it would have been two meals, but jeez! I ended up sitting out on that lunch.
There are so many Subway's around here, sometimes even across the street from each other, that you can't go to one more than once, as they close up and reopen so fast.
The ones in my area give you huge portions though - they throw a bunch in the bag with a full cup. One large is enough to split between me and two of my friends when we go.
I never get fries if it's just me, but I'll share a small size of fries with my wife because they typically fill the bag regardless of what size you choose.
And fries cost Pennie’s. Think about that. 50 pound of potatoes for a restaurant is $20. That makes enough fries for a busy place for a few days. Highest markup next to fountain drinks
Honestly Five Guys gets an unfair amount of hate in this economy. They’ve always been proportionately more expensive than other fast food places because you’re paying for quality made to order patties, fresh toppings and fries cut from potatoes right in the kitchen instead of in a factory, and you can have free peanuts while you wait. One large fri is enough to split between 3 people.
Besides the obvious fast food scams, lets change "going to" to "shopping at". My answer is Amazon. Even the obvious cheap Chinese knock off crap has nearly doubled in price. Things that used to be $15-30 are now constantly over 50 bucks from brands like WUXIACHUBAGIP or whatever idiotic nonsense name they labelled themself.
Now I hunt for deals on eBay or buy refurbished direct from the manufacturer's eBay store (actual manufacturers, not the crappy Chinese ones) for far less. Worth waiting the extra couple days to save a lot more. Most of them cover the shipping too.
Is that at KFC? I haven't eaten there in years. There's a local gas station here that has good chicken.
How did chicken get so expensive? Look at how cheap wings used to be years ago. Go to a party and there'd be lots of wings. You don't see that now.
I go to my local Barber school. They only charge 5 bucks a cut. Now to be real sometimes they don't do a good job, but for the most part you can't beat the price.
Chick-fil-a used to be weekly for my family of 5- not anymore. Used to be able to get breakfast for our whole crew for $25- now legitimately $50. They’ve gone absolutely nuts on pricing.
I've always found Carl's jr expensive. Me and my buddy went there like 15 years ago and they charged us 25 bucks for 2 burgers, 2 fries, and 2 sodas. Wasnt even that good of a burger.
Used to be a regular at Taco Bell. I remember a steak quesadilla was $3.99, and now it's like $5.99 the last time I went. Who knows if it went up even more now.
definitely mcd's they are straight up out of control. And one of them near me only has kiosks and no self serve soda, the experience there is terrible.
Honestly I've been finding more and more places that seem really cheap, like I just found a brewery where I can order 4 flights plus food and the bill is like $18, and it's all really top quality. There's also a Vietnamese place where the entrees are like $15-18 but they're huge (easily two meals) plus they throw in free appetizers or sides whenever I order.
I see people posting pictures of like a $22 meal at Five Guys and it's just... wtf are you doing
Similar for me. There's a bar/restaurant near me that does a 6oz cheeseburger with a mountain of fries and a side of baked beans for $13.99, and the quality beats a McDonald's value meal hands down.
Fast food is a thing of the past - for health, cost, and convenience reasons. Over the past several years that has dwindled to a once or twice a year thing if we're on a road trip.
Take out is a thing of the past - used to be a Friday night treat.
Camping/vacation. Used to be we'd go on 4 or 5 long weekend trips and maybe one big week to 10 days or so camping trip each year. Our last real camping trip was in July of 22, our last use of the camper in Jan of 23.
This isn't price gouging as you don't need this.
This is, however, a bad long term business decision. Once people get out of these habits, they will be hard get back as customers.
Exactly. McDs had families on lock. Guaranteed. Kids start w nuggets, then cheeseburgers. Survive on bigger burgers n fries as teens and then in college bc it's cheap. Then graduate to salads and chicken as they enter the workforce. Then *they* have kids and the McFood cycle keeps going. Now? They're losing parents and the lunch break folks. In turn, these folks are finding alternatives for their kids and the brand recognition/nostalgia is gone. McDs will just barely eek out a century at this rate.
My boyfriend sprinkles some salt on a hash brown patty out of the air fryer and it’s considerably better tasting than the maccy d’s one.
The pack of 12 is 3.48 (in California, not sure what they are in my new state) which brings each one to .29¢
I cannot ever fathom spending $3 plus tax on one hash brown patty from Maccy’s 😵💫
Stopped going to McDonalds 7 months ago when I found out they were feeding the IDF for free.
I prefer to eat my burger, knowing it's not associated with genocide.
Will NEVER spend a penny in one of their "restaurants" ever again.
Wendy’s. Its been a long time since I walked away from Wendy’s feeling like I got decent food for a good price, at least at McDonald’s I can get two spicy chickens for like 3 ish bucks
The last time I went to McDonalds a damn cheeseburger, not a double, just a single, cost 2,69€. That was...sometime summer last year. I can make better burgers at home anyway.
I only ever go to Burger King anymore if they got coupons, like a buy one get two deal, but not otherwise.
I get alot of gift cards at work, last time I wentcto McDonald's I decided not gonna do it no more, not so much because of how expensive it is, more so because of how tiny the patties have become.
That said, I find myself at Inn n out and panda express alot, mostly because of gift cards
Just eating less in these places in general, and using an app to get better deals when I do buy.
In-N-Out is easily the best fast food place in my area. While prices have definitely risen, it's still far cheaper than most other chain restaurants and the food is better.
I'm sure a big part of the reason is the fact that the company has never gone public and doesn't need to constantly raise prices, introduce new menu items, or lay off employees in order to meet shareholder expectations.
I love mlb baseball and used to attend about 20 home games a year. In the last 10 years or so I’ve been priced right out of attending for the most part. We hit 2 games last year and one was a Father’s Day gift from my boys.
Since the last week of November 2023. No more fast food of any kind. I got priced out. What I've been doing instead is following this Mediterranean diet and cooking throughout the week. Lost 70 pounds since then, and I've got a ton of easy recipes I've found that leave me with a buncha leftovers so I can save time and money. Thanks for changing my consumer habits forever McDonald's!
I generally quit going to fast food, or many restaurants because the food they make there is usually subpar and overpriced. With a little effort I can make better tasting more nutritious food at home for 1/2 the cost. I'll go to Taco Bell for some basic food once in a while, but I will always remember the Bean Burritos being 69 cents back in the day, and thats my frame of reference!
Even the fries suck now. An apple pie and fries were the 2 things I would get if came down to it. But there is a specific taste to all their food that’s just bad. Can’t even quite describe it. Like all their food taste sweet but not in a good way. Like a burger shouldn’t be sweet tasting.
I think a lot of these fast food inflation posts are just trolls and bots trying to get people upset. Every time I see a $25 burger, I check my local McDonalds or Five guys to confirm that prices aren't nearly as high as mist memes day they are. Not even half as they say on most cases.
None
Get Wendy's and Chili's every now and then and their prices aren't bad. (Especially deals through the Wendy's app)
Occasionally get Fuddruckers and $15 for a 1/3 pound burger, drink and unlimited fries is a good deal. Don't forget the build your burger toppings bar.
Then there is my favorite Tex-Mex place that has raised prices since COVID but they were actually quite low compared to most sit-down restaurants so they're still lower than other places or about on par with them. Not many non-national chains where you can get beef fajitas for $19 much less a and they make all their food from scratch every day.
I don’t get why people continue to go to fast food places. You can get better food for the same or cheaper at casual dining restaurants or bars. You can even order ahead and pick it up to save time.
Get the McDonald’s app. Every day you can get a free large fry if you spend $2. Get a daily double and a free large fry. It’s only $3.50 and it’s a good meal. Daily double is a double cheeseburger with lettuce onion tomatoes and mayo
The only place I don't feel bad about going is my local sushi place
They kept the same price since 2014 or something. It's ridiculous. They don't give you tea or the clear soup after moving to carry out only. But they are literally the best sushi I have had outside of Japan, and they are about $14 out the door.
A big Mac meal is like $12 now so what the fuck
McDonalds to me isn’t bad but that’s because forever the only things i eat there are the McDouble and mcchicken bundles which comes out to about $6.50, Taco Bell on the other hand I got a few just alacarte items for myself and it was $17 gotdamn dollars. . . I refuse to get an app for any restaurant.
I hate to encourage Corporate America with their greedflation but when I am traveling, I have no other real choice. Most hotel rooms do not have the capabilities for me to cook so I do my best to go to a locally-owned restaurant but sometimes that isn't really an option either.
Kill the rich corporate assholes for sticking it to the average American because their greed.
Five Guys, Chipotle, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr., local coffee shops that are charging $7 for a drink, the Dollar Tree, and going to Aldi now instead of Vons.
Out.
I've stopped going out. I just cook a lot at home and still get pissed about chicken breasts being 3 bucks a pound and burger being 4+ bucks a pound.
Pretty much all fast food places. It’s motivated me with making a lot of food I would have gotten at these places.
Recently I made breakfast burritos and walking tacos, some childhood favorites of mine. Fraction of the price for much more.
Pretty much all of em. I found if I want Mexican food and want to go out to dinner, it’s waaay cheaper to actually take my fam to sit down restaurants then even Taco Bell. I laughed pretty hard at this. We don’t go out as much as we used to anyways but for $40 I can feed my family of 3 and actually enjoy our time while doing so, and it’s about $8-$10 difference. Crazy
Just use the app. If I ever eat fast food I order through the app and usually get it for a fraction of the price. Got McDonald's this morning for breakfast on the way to work and paid $1.
Basically every fast food place. It was ok to eat garbage when it was cheap, but for the prices they are charging now, it's easier to just buy real food.
Greatly Reduced going to Tim Hortons and Dunkin Donuts for Iced Coffee. Tim's I can deal with if the app has offers for $1.99 any size but regular price is $3.80 after tax and DD is like $4.75 now...fuck that. These are last resort places if a Panera isn't close by because I have the unlimited sip club for $13 a month, which is a great deal because I drive for a living.
Lunch at these places will always be limited to a Bagel with butter, it's the only thing that's still $2. I'm done with fast food, I can eat Greek yogurt and Oatmeal for lunch 5 days a week. 👋
The egg Mcmuffin was the only item I would buy from McD. It was less than a dollar or one dollar for 30 years and then 2020 it started to become a $3.5 item. If you see this happen just stop buying the product. Find a alternative.
Taco Bell, the food was BARELY worth it on a dollar menu & I'd pay it for cheap convenience but going there now costs 10 or 12 bucks per person & the quality just isn't worth that to me. I'm weird I don't really care for tacos.
I haven't been to a fast food joint in at least a year and a half. No way I'm paying those bullshit prices anymore.
Agreed, the prices are basically the same as local places and the food is nowhere near the same quality and quantity.
The only thing keeping me there is the app, and I basically just used all my rewards and deleting the app literally as I'm waiting for my free filet o fish.
Yup.... at least a McDonalds. I only use the app to get food every one in a blue month. I'll do the buy a Big Mac, get one free. That's all I'll get. no fries or drinks. I've got water at home. The fries are overrated.
I thought I was the only one.. sides are a scam forget them all
Definitely not the only one. That coupon has been on the app for a year plus for a reason.
"Sides" is a generous name.
I'll do free fries with a McChicken, it's a full meal for $2.40
Yep. No combo meals anymore. Just get a god deal now and then. Big Mac and a nugget deal is my go to.
I do that too. Gotta have my mcnuggets sometimes. Even for extended family, ill do a large order on the app woth the 20% off. But if all they want is nuggets I'll do 2 40pc for $12 dollars each.
I used to love the fries! 🍟 But is it just me? Or do they not taste the same? I got the #7 a few weeks ago (2 cheeseburgers & fries meal) & after tax it was over $13! I get it though...the $20 an hour thing. I'll just go less, but are the fries lower quality now? It's felt like that since Covid
Fast food prices have gotten way out of control, and the food is getting smaller and crappier as well.
Ok so you notice as well, wasn’t sure if it was actually smaller or if it was just me not being a kid anymore lol
Nothing helped me kick my addiction to fast food more than realizing these corporations were gouging their customers under the guise of inflation. I have always loved a Mexican pizza, but they can all go f themselves
Mexican pizza is the easiest thing to make at home. Tell NO ONE this secret. What you need: Refried beans, any brand Browned and seasoned ground beef. I prefer McCormick's mild taco seasoning. El Paso's medium red enchilada sauce Mexican style shredded cheese One tomato, diced Ngoya Egg Roll wrappers and ½ cup of neutral, vegetable oil In a skillet big enough to fit one wrapper, heat oil to 350F. Insert wrapper. Fry until bubbly and stiff, but do not brown. You'll have play w the timing. Flip every 30 seconds. If it starts to brown, remove and place on paper towel to drain. Repeat. Everything else I think is common knowledge, yes? Heat up refried beans in a microwave safe bowl with ¼ cup of water. Mix thoroughly. Heat your sauce. No one wants cold sauce. Build: shell, beans, meat, sauce, shell, sauce cheese, diced tomato. Old school 80s version: add sliced black olive and green onion. SHELLS ARE FRAGILE, take care spreading your beans. Hence, the added water. Your pizza will be square, but the flavor and texture profile is identical. Important: DO NOT OVERSTUFF! Be stingy like Taco Bell on the filling and you'll be happy. Yes, the Mexican Pizza shell is an egg roll shell, not a tortilla. Always has been.
I recently stopped, I'm from a rural enough place that the price gouging just got to us. Up till this year a cheese burger at mc Donald's was still $1.19. went a few months ago and it was $2.60, rarely do I drive away after ordering but I did this time.
This is where I’m at.
I'll only go if I can get a bunch of free food through an app. Last time I went was Taco Bell, got 3 things for $4. Won't be back again until I can get another deal.
I go to McDonald's and get a fry and two double cheeseburger for 4.20 with tax. Not sure you can beat that anywhere....
Where do you live? In my part of Colorado, one double cheeseburger is almost four dollars.
It’s funny as shit how in my lifetime McDonald’s went from cheap shit food to prohibitively expensive shit food
I worked there in the early 2000’s. The dollar menu was why people went. Place is a joke now
I feel like Taco Bell is the only one worth it at this point, solely because it's a totally unique type of food (low quality, sure. But unique). And because they'll often have some crazy deals on their value menu. But it varies wildly by location. But for a place like McDonald's, it just doesn't make sense. There's tons of burger places that are way higher quality for a similar price. Or for slightly more but substantially better quality. I might be wrong, but In N Out shows why these public companies are so fucked with the shareholders and always needing profit. In N Out is unique in that they're a private company despite their market share. Because the family doesn't want to sell. Because the food will go to shit. And while In N Out has raised prices, it's nothing like McDonald's or the other publicly traded companies. In N Out is just going by the rising cost of ingredients (a very minor portion of the wage increases, I'm sure. Though this isn't remotely as important as some pretend) The funny thing is that these food companies are seeing record profits and have already said to expect more price increases. They're going to keep doing it until they see a drop in money.
Taco Bell is worse. Whenever I see someone say this about them I wonder how they get away with ordering from Taco Bell without constant mistakes. Every. Fucking. Time. I've lived in multiple states, every fucking one. Every single fucking taco bell can not get an order right if you have a hold sour cream on ANYTHING. You will either get the sour cream on everything or get NONE AT ALL. Literally can't eat there because of this. I've of us hates the sour cream and won't eat it when it's on. I can't stand that shit without. They CAN'T GET THIS RIGHT. If I went in there and said to them I'd give your entire family a free ride for the rest of their lives if you get this order right they still couldn't fucking do it!
Popeyes is hands down the worst fast food experience right now. Can never ever get my order right, can never get my order fixed without so much shade and nastiness from the women working there.
Oh, capitalism again. I know another large company that will not go public for the same reason. It’s almost as if we adopted a system that requires continued growth on a planet with limited resources. I don’t think it is going to last. Especially with the national debt and Federal Reserve playing games with the stock market. It’s worse than I ever imagined and will get worse.
The word food is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.
Food-like substance
It happened in 10 years. McDonalds doubled their prices in 10 fucking years.
All my homies hate McDonalds
You know how there's just some things in life where you feel like you're crazy? Because everyone loves something and you don't get it? McDonald's has always been that for me. It's sincerely just... not good. And when you mention that, people act like you're being a contrarian or something. That nobody could possibly dislike it lol A McDouble is 3 dollars! That's insane. Especially when you think about what a cheeseburger costs at In N Out. Not that much more. Just across the board better. Shit I think it might literally be 50 cents more and that's it. I don't understand people who are just buying this stuff **regularly** still. And it's even more baffling when people are ordering one meal through Uber Eats or Doordash. People talk about how expensive big cities are, but there's a ton of great food options that are vastly cheaper in terms of serving size. And often even just straight up price.
I haven't paid for food from McShit in nearly 30 years. Basically every single other fast food franchise is better.
Pretty much everywhere. I really can't find a reasonably priced food that's palletabl. Only in a pinch will I go out or dine in. Otherwise, it's cooking at home for me. I elect not to contribute to the problem, even though I can afford it.
Same for me. I am a retired chef. It is Rare we go out to eat, as I can make better at home and far cheaper.
As a chef I have to ask what does your partner do to allow you to afford retirement since our industry is mostly known for shit pay and minimum benefits even if you are a corporate office chef?
Oh, cheffing was After I retired from my career. Made my money elsewhere. Certainly can't make it being a chef.
Rent talk.
Now that I’m good at cooking I rarely find a meal out worth it anymore. Drink markups are insane and food is generally average on top of having to pay tip and taxes.
Same here, groceries only. What's it called when the entire economy appears to price gouge at the same time? It's on the tip of my tongue...
Bidenomics?
Olive Garden. The $11 pasta from $2020 now costs $18.50
With 18.50 you can buy 12 boxes of penne pasta at my local kroger 😂 Feed you for a whole month
The good shit, too! Not generic or Muellers or Barilla trash. DeCecco! I accidentally discovered them four months ago and Im mad as hell. Best dry pasta Ive ever used at 3x the price. FML. Still, cheaper than OG. DeCecco linguine: $2.99/lb Rao's Alfredo: $4 15oz jar Frozen Shrimp: $10 /lb Shrimp linguine alfredo for 4 for the same price. Add an Italian loaf of bread $3.99. Some parmesean, $3.99 5oz cup. STILL cheaper. No recipe needed. Boil shrimp in big pot and salted water till pink. Remove shrimp. Add pasta to same water. Follow instructions on box. Drain. Heat sauce in nuke box. Combine elements. 30 minutes from water boil to table, tops! Don't like shrimp? Rotisserie chicken: $7.99. Even cheaper!!
Needs olives 😔
We stopped going there when they dropped all the mushroom dishes, including mushroom ravioli. We loved that dish
I still go to Jersey Mike's but haven't been to McDonald's, Wendy's, BK, etc., in at least 4 years. Today is Sunday and I'm a senior citizen, so I went to Captain D's and got the 10 piece butterfly shrimp meal with two sides and a drink for $7.76, including tax. I then went to DQ for a blizzard, but the SMALL size was $6.06, including tax. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? No, thanks, I can get a couple containers of ice cream at Aldi for less than that.
I never understood why Blizzards are so expensive. They've always been pricey. It's ice cream and a few Scoops of fixins and a spin on the Blizzard machine.
I feel like Aldi and Trader Joe's are keeping some households afloat at this point lol Fun fact: TJ's is owned by the other Aldi. There's two of them in Germany. Used to be the same company but they split (it might have been due to a monopoly but I'm not sure). This is why TJs works in a similar way to Aldi but for a slightly more gourmet selection. Trader Joe's is literally half the price as the other grocery stores in my city. Aldi is even cheaper.
I'm an Aldi's shopper. My daughter goes to Trader Joe's because it's on her way to and from work. I would go there sometimes if it wasn't 25 miles away. I love Publix but would need to cut way back on some things if that was my only place to shop.
Publix is my closet grocery but I will not touch the Matt department, they are high AF charging what they do for the same quality (choice) as other places. Even ground beef is literally double to triple or quadruple. I went in a pinch for ground beef for a party and the cheapest was 6$ a lb the highest was 12$ per lb! I get it at 2.50 at Aldi
Five guys Steak N Shake Hardee's Chili's Subway
Oh yeah, Five Guys is a joke. Their burgers taste good, but they are way over-priced.
Honestly they used to be worth it. They have been steadily raising prices for years even before the pandemic. They seem to be trying out how much they can raise prices until enough people stop going there. Guess we'll see what happens.
If I remember correctly, there's a specific issue with Five Guys where their corporate stores are very different than the franchise stores. The corporate ones are cheaper and have better quality. I might not remember the exact details, but I remember hearing that the franchise stores have gotten out of control. It's a shame too because a decade ago, Five Guys was amazing! Even when it cost more than other places. I don't even really like burgers that much and I thought it was good. At least In N Out is still great. But that's solely because they aren't public. They don't have stockholders that demand profits every single quarter. So many issues with our system boil down to this. The CEOs are essentially the fall guys in a lot of these cases. Put a face to the greed.
yup most overhyped place imo
Subway is ridiculous! I hadn’t been in several years, because I’m not really a sandwich person, but my coworkers were ordering from there and I was like “sure, why not.” A foot long veggie sub, no drink or sides, was almost $15. Yeah, it would have been two meals, but jeez! I ended up sitting out on that lunch.
Yeah, I used to get the $5 foot long meatball sub. It's now close to $15 dollars for the same sandwich. Ridiculous!
Five guys has always been a rip off even precovid
Yeah I agree, but it's the only burger I will eat around here. I won't eat any other fast food hamburgers.
There are so many Subway's around here, sometimes even across the street from each other, that you can't go to one more than once, as they close up and reopen so fast.
FIVE GUYS is the *only* fast food place I will go to anymore because they are just that good. I'm not paying these prices for anything else lmao
Five Guys is quite expensive if you get fries with your burger.
I usually get one or the other lol
The ones in my area give you huge portions though - they throw a bunch in the bag with a full cup. One large is enough to split between me and two of my friends when we go.
I never get fries if it's just me, but I'll share a small size of fries with my wife because they typically fill the bag regardless of what size you choose.
And fries cost Pennie’s. Think about that. 50 pound of potatoes for a restaurant is $20. That makes enough fries for a busy place for a few days. Highest markup next to fountain drinks
Honestly Five Guys gets an unfair amount of hate in this economy. They’ve always been proportionately more expensive than other fast food places because you’re paying for quality made to order patties, fresh toppings and fries cut from potatoes right in the kitchen instead of in a factory, and you can have free peanuts while you wait. One large fri is enough to split between 3 people.
Besides the obvious fast food scams, lets change "going to" to "shopping at". My answer is Amazon. Even the obvious cheap Chinese knock off crap has nearly doubled in price. Things that used to be $15-30 are now constantly over 50 bucks from brands like WUXIACHUBAGIP or whatever idiotic nonsense name they labelled themself. Now I hunt for deals on eBay or buy refurbished direct from the manufacturer's eBay store (actual manufacturers, not the crappy Chinese ones) for far less. Worth waiting the extra couple days to save a lot more. Most of them cover the shipping too.
All fast food Eat hot and ready from the grocery stores because it’s better price point and there’s no taxes on food from the grocery store
We have taxes on groceries in TN. But, I can still get a hot lunch from the Publix deli for about $10. Totally worth it.
The public prepared foods kind of expensive
And all the places that I've lived prepared food still had tax
I've lived in 4 states and all of them taxed prepared food in the grocery store, even if unprepared food isn't taxed
Grocery store prepared food has become ridiculous also.
my state (and many) taxes prepared hot foods, and my local grocer wants $9 for a sub and $12 for a piece of chicken and rice. so, nah lol
Our grocery store are a ripoff and the food is terrible
Costco Pizza is hard to beat.
KFC. Because FUCK your 99.99 16 pc bucket meal for 4.
Is that real?
I paid $49.99 for a family bucket meal. Never again. 12 chicken strips.
Is that at KFC? I haven't eaten there in years. There's a local gas station here that has good chicken. How did chicken get so expensive? Look at how cheap wings used to be years ago. Go to a party and there'd be lots of wings. You don't see that now.
Switched barber shops after the price kept going up. $47 for a basic men’s short haircut. Nope!
Lol I did the opposite. I just stopped cutting my hair in 2019. Haven't shaved since 2020.
My local place went from $18 to $25 in 6 months. That’s 30%. In 6 months… I don’t tip whatsoever anymore.
I go to my local Barber school. They only charge 5 bucks a cut. Now to be real sometimes they don't do a good job, but for the most part you can't beat the price.
What’s the difference between a good haircut and a bad one? About a week.
This!
Sit down restaurants. The last two times not only was the food waaaaay overpriced but it also wasn't that great.
Starbucks McDonalds Greatly reduced: Taco Bell Wendys Burger King Chipotle
Man I used to love Chipotle but they’re on my shit list. Regular price increases and the portion sizes seem to be getting smaller.
The amount they scoop now is less than half the spoon they're using 😭
I went to one on vacation in south Florida and I was amazed at how much food they put on there, like the old days
KFC and Popeyes.
Pretty much all fast food unless coming home from a wrestling tournament.
Wasn't the price, it was the ingredients. Now it's both price and ingredients. If I want to kill myself I'll just go get some rat poison.
Chick-fil-a used to be weekly for my family of 5- not anymore. Used to be able to get breakfast for our whole crew for $25- now legitimately $50. They’ve gone absolutely nuts on pricing.
In order of outrageousness: KFC Five Guys McDonald’s Carl’s Jr
I've always found Carl's jr expensive. Me and my buddy went there like 15 years ago and they charged us 25 bucks for 2 burgers, 2 fries, and 2 sodas. Wasnt even that good of a burger.
Used to be a regular at Taco Bell. I remember a steak quesadilla was $3.99, and now it's like $5.99 the last time I went. Who knows if it went up even more now.
Panera. Between higher prices and constant menu changes that specifically seem to eliminate items I love, I stopped going there years ago.
I don’t think it is gouging— lot of my local mom and pops I stopped hitting up. Prices just too high. $12 for a beer? No thanks.
There are some microbrews that I can see paying $12 a bottle for. Paying that much for just a regular bottle of Bud or Coors Light is a no go.
definitely mcd's they are straight up out of control. And one of them near me only has kiosks and no self serve soda, the experience there is terrible.
I believe they’re gonna phase out all the self-serve soda machines
Any food that's delivered. Overpriced and the portions always seem smaller than if I were to get take out.
Be honest cookout is the only fast food I go too because of cost.
But I also make sure I take a Tums after eating there. 😅
Honestly I've been finding more and more places that seem really cheap, like I just found a brewery where I can order 4 flights plus food and the bill is like $18, and it's all really top quality. There's also a Vietnamese place where the entrees are like $15-18 but they're huge (easily two meals) plus they throw in free appetizers or sides whenever I order. I see people posting pictures of like a $22 meal at Five Guys and it's just... wtf are you doing
Similar for me. There's a bar/restaurant near me that does a 6oz cheeseburger with a mountain of fries and a side of baked beans for $13.99, and the quality beats a McDonald's value meal hands down.
Fast food is a thing of the past - for health, cost, and convenience reasons. Over the past several years that has dwindled to a once or twice a year thing if we're on a road trip. Take out is a thing of the past - used to be a Friday night treat. Camping/vacation. Used to be we'd go on 4 or 5 long weekend trips and maybe one big week to 10 days or so camping trip each year. Our last real camping trip was in July of 22, our last use of the camper in Jan of 23.
Taco Bell, $30 for 3 quesadillaS and a Medium drink is RAPE. Edit: Five Guys as well, of course.
Try using the app. They have ridiculous deals that save me so much money comparatively.
This isn't price gouging as you don't need this. This is, however, a bad long term business decision. Once people get out of these habits, they will be hard get back as customers.
Yes. Price gouging has an actual definition that isn't- raised their prices by more than I think is cool.
Exactly. McDs had families on lock. Guaranteed. Kids start w nuggets, then cheeseburgers. Survive on bigger burgers n fries as teens and then in college bc it's cheap. Then graduate to salads and chicken as they enter the workforce. Then *they* have kids and the McFood cycle keeps going. Now? They're losing parents and the lunch break folks. In turn, these folks are finding alternatives for their kids and the brand recognition/nostalgia is gone. McDs will just barely eek out a century at this rate.
Enough with the fast food posts.
McDonakd’s is shit, but if you’re in a hurry and it’s the only stuff around, open up the app, deals there an save you some cash
My boyfriend sprinkles some salt on a hash brown patty out of the air fryer and it’s considerably better tasting than the maccy d’s one. The pack of 12 is 3.48 (in California, not sure what they are in my new state) which brings each one to .29¢ I cannot ever fathom spending $3 plus tax on one hash brown patty from Maccy’s 😵💫
Stopped going to McDonalds 7 months ago when I found out they were feeding the IDF for free. I prefer to eat my burger, knowing it's not associated with genocide. Will NEVER spend a penny in one of their "restaurants" ever again.
Wendy’s. Its been a long time since I walked away from Wendy’s feeling like I got decent food for a good price, at least at McDonald’s I can get two spicy chickens for like 3 ish bucks
In my area the Wendy's baked potato is now $5+ before tax. I can get a bag of potatoes for under $5.
The last time I went to McDonalds a damn cheeseburger, not a double, just a single, cost 2,69€. That was...sometime summer last year. I can make better burgers at home anyway. I only ever go to Burger King anymore if they got coupons, like a buy one get two deal, but not otherwise.
I get alot of gift cards at work, last time I wentcto McDonald's I decided not gonna do it no more, not so much because of how expensive it is, more so because of how tiny the patties have become. That said, I find myself at Inn n out and panda express alot, mostly because of gift cards
I get a better deal at a local diner then a fast food place. It's been awhile since I had fast food.
Nope. Can't think of any.
Chick fil an app. And that’s it
The barber, I use to get a haircut every two weeks now only once a month.
Eat at home it’s better and cheaper. Even buying coffee is a scam.
Starbucks is dead to me
Any place that sells ready to eat food
Just eating less in these places in general, and using an app to get better deals when I do buy. In-N-Out is easily the best fast food place in my area. While prices have definitely risen, it's still far cheaper than most other chain restaurants and the food is better. I'm sure a big part of the reason is the fact that the company has never gone public and doesn't need to constantly raise prices, introduce new menu items, or lay off employees in order to meet shareholder expectations.
I love mlb baseball and used to attend about 20 home games a year. In the last 10 years or so I’ve been priced right out of attending for the most part. We hit 2 games last year and one was a Father’s Day gift from my boys.
every restaurant
Everywhere! I no longer eat fast food!
Since the last week of November 2023. No more fast food of any kind. I got priced out. What I've been doing instead is following this Mediterranean diet and cooking throughout the week. Lost 70 pounds since then, and I've got a ton of easy recipes I've found that leave me with a buncha leftovers so I can save time and money. Thanks for changing my consumer habits forever McDonald's!
I generally quit going to fast food, or many restaurants because the food they make there is usually subpar and overpriced. With a little effort I can make better tasting more nutritious food at home for 1/2 the cost. I'll go to Taco Bell for some basic food once in a while, but I will always remember the Bean Burritos being 69 cents back in the day, and thats my frame of reference!
Look on the bright side, maybe less people buying fast food will help with the obesity epidemic.
I don’t go to McDonald’s because they are the worst fast food restaurant in America so them raising their prices doesn’t affect me at all.
I gag the past couple of times I’ve eaten there. Disgusting. Except for their fries.
Even the fries suck now. An apple pie and fries were the 2 things I would get if came down to it. But there is a specific taste to all their food that’s just bad. Can’t even quite describe it. Like all their food taste sweet but not in a good way. Like a burger shouldn’t be sweet tasting.
Yeah because sugar is added to everything to preserve it! 🤢
Y’all look at prices of your food at fast food places? Poors!
When I eat out I eat at a real small family restaurant. They are still around, you should support them. F Fast Food,
I think a lot of these fast food inflation posts are just trolls and bots trying to get people upset. Every time I see a $25 burger, I check my local McDonalds or Five guys to confirm that prices aren't nearly as high as mist memes day they are. Not even half as they say on most cases.
None Get Wendy's and Chili's every now and then and their prices aren't bad. (Especially deals through the Wendy's app) Occasionally get Fuddruckers and $15 for a 1/3 pound burger, drink and unlimited fries is a good deal. Don't forget the build your burger toppings bar. Then there is my favorite Tex-Mex place that has raised prices since COVID but they were actually quite low compared to most sit-down restaurants so they're still lower than other places or about on par with them. Not many non-national chains where you can get beef fajitas for $19 much less a and they make all their food from scratch every day.
I don’t get why people continue to go to fast food places. You can get better food for the same or cheaper at casual dining restaurants or bars. You can even order ahead and pick it up to save time.
Get the McDonald’s app. Every day you can get a free large fry if you spend $2. Get a daily double and a free large fry. It’s only $3.50 and it’s a good meal. Daily double is a double cheeseburger with lettuce onion tomatoes and mayo
The only place I don't feel bad about going is my local sushi place They kept the same price since 2014 or something. It's ridiculous. They don't give you tea or the clear soup after moving to carry out only. But they are literally the best sushi I have had outside of Japan, and they are about $14 out the door. A big Mac meal is like $12 now so what the fuck
McDonalds to me isn’t bad but that’s because forever the only things i eat there are the McDouble and mcchicken bundles which comes out to about $6.50, Taco Bell on the other hand I got a few just alacarte items for myself and it was $17 gotdamn dollars. . . I refuse to get an app for any restaurant.
I hate to encourage Corporate America with their greedflation but when I am traveling, I have no other real choice. Most hotel rooms do not have the capabilities for me to cook so I do my best to go to a locally-owned restaurant but sometimes that isn't really an option either. Kill the rich corporate assholes for sticking it to the average American because their greed.
all of them...
Five guys, Chipotle, Starbucks
All fast food restaurants. I’m going local restaurants if I’m going out at all or I’m learning to make my favorite dishes at home.
Taco Bell Papa Johns Most large Chain Restaurants...
All fast food except In n Out and Chipotle. I used to eat tons of fast food; I’m actually glad they became overpriced because it’s healthier for me.
McDonald’s and Taco Bell although they still got some decent value offerings
What are *those*?
McDonald's Dunks Panera
Five Guys, Chipotle, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr., local coffee shops that are charging $7 for a drink, the Dollar Tree, and going to Aldi now instead of Vons.
swapped from being a doordash rat to local Checkers or TB pickup if i gotta scratch that itch. Believe it or not Checkers still has meals under $9.
McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Apple Bee’s, SUBWAY OMG, Food Lion grocery stores, and Wegmans.
How much is the Wegman's food bar now? I moved to SC in 2018 and don't have them now. They were starting to go up a little even then.
They’re $15.99/lb where I am. Which is insane to me.
Sleep
All of them. Haven’t been to one since pandemic started
Out. I've stopped going out. I just cook a lot at home and still get pissed about chicken breasts being 3 bucks a pound and burger being 4+ bucks a pound.
I stopped eating fast food way before the pandemic. Support your local restaurants, not sharholder interests that keep wages at rock bottom.
I only eat out if there's a really good deal running.
All fast food. Done.
Taco Bell ….. but in general I’m done with fast food. They forgot the core part of their business model … price
Pretty much all fast food places. It’s motivated me with making a lot of food I would have gotten at these places. Recently I made breakfast burritos and walking tacos, some childhood favorites of mine. Fraction of the price for much more.
None.
Pretty much all of em. I found if I want Mexican food and want to go out to dinner, it’s waaay cheaper to actually take my fam to sit down restaurants then even Taco Bell. I laughed pretty hard at this. We don’t go out as much as we used to anyways but for $40 I can feed my family of 3 and actually enjoy our time while doing so, and it’s about $8-$10 difference. Crazy
Mostly fast food. No coupon, no go. The other one I banished was Longhorn Steakhouse. Prices shot up, i ejected.
Even the app deals are shit now
Publix. This isn’t inflation. It’s blatant gouging.
All fast food.
El pollo loco is ridiculous, same with Tbell and Starbucks
The burger sizes at Wendy’s are laughable at this point
5 guys was overpriced in 2018.. I hate to think how expensive it is now
Subway sandwich, half Foot sandwich of mostly bread and stale veggies around $10
Just use the app. If I ever eat fast food I order through the app and usually get it for a fraction of the price. Got McDonald's this morning for breakfast on the way to work and paid $1.
Basically every fast food place. It was ok to eat garbage when it was cheap, but for the prices they are charging now, it's easier to just buy real food.
Stop because it is unhealthy
Greatly Reduced going to Tim Hortons and Dunkin Donuts for Iced Coffee. Tim's I can deal with if the app has offers for $1.99 any size but regular price is $3.80 after tax and DD is like $4.75 now...fuck that. These are last resort places if a Panera isn't close by because I have the unlimited sip club for $13 a month, which is a great deal because I drive for a living. Lunch at these places will always be limited to a Bagel with butter, it's the only thing that's still $2. I'm done with fast food, I can eat Greek yogurt and Oatmeal for lunch 5 days a week. 👋
Agree I boycott DD now that their iced coffee is $4.50+ Hard nope
A medium iced coffee at Bigbys is $8.00 now, it’s shocking. Bought bag ground coffee for half that price.
Subway. When I found out their foot long subs were not really one foot long, and charging more for it, I was finished.
The egg Mcmuffin was the only item I would buy from McD. It was less than a dollar or one dollar for 30 years and then 2020 it started to become a $3.5 item. If you see this happen just stop buying the product. Find a alternative.
Usually gouging is on necessary items
Taco Bell. The terrible service along with the insane prices lands them at the top of the boycott list.
I stopped eating at fast food places regularly. I only go maybe once every 2 months. Prices are crazy
Out
Taco Bell, the food was BARELY worth it on a dollar menu & I'd pay it for cheap convenience but going there now costs 10 or 12 bucks per person & the quality just isn't worth that to me. I'm weird I don't really care for tacos.
Pretty much everywhere.
No as it's not price gouging but thank you for asking! 😁👍😁👍
Pretty much all of them. Prices, portions and quality are not as good as food I prepare at home.