71–80 of 90 posts
I stopped going to McDonald's (which I previously visited about once per month) mainly because they got very expensive, and the price does not match the quality of the food (and they also are not that fast anymore). If I am going to spend that much, I could spend a little more a go to a much nicer mom-and-pop place. A secondary reason is that they are American. Although I am American, I am currently a resident of ano…
Back in the early 2000s, I would frequently order a "McDouble" (double cheeseburger) for $1 from their value menu. I can't get exact prices from their website (looks like you need the app), but they list the McDouble in their "under $3 McValue Menu" [1]. Given that inflation has nearly halved the purchasing power of a dollar since then, this doesn't seem too bad. They also list a $5 meal deal that includes a McDouble…
They definitely do. I order from 3 different McDonalds in my area depending on where I am when ordering, and all 3 have different prices for their items (especially the value menu). These places can literally be 10 minutes from each other, with one charging $0.50 more for a McDouble.
I kind of lost the point of the article when the author veered into the entirely separate topic of McDonalds being unhealthy. It's like two totally separate articles in one. Article 1. McDonalds (along with other traditionally cheap-food places) is now very expensive and not for poor people. Article 2. McDonalds serves (and people are out there eating) unhealthy food. Article 1 is news if you haven't been in a McDona…
I read it more as a segue into the main point about conflicting narratives in the American public regarding food. Despite our excuses that we have to eat unhealthy fast food because it's cheap, we still eat it it once it's expensive. We all talk about how there is an obesity crisis yet we constantly promote and glorify unhealthy food on social media. >Or maybe no one is fully logically consistent in their views. In t…
We do? The only food I've seen on social media in years has been from someone jerking themselves off about how healthy this thing they ate/made was.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You ordered two complete meals (a drink, a side, and an entree), you probably got it in 30 seconds, and the total was less than the cost of comparable meals at virtually any restaurant. And you were aghast? ....You are aware inflation makes things cost more over time, right? 2% per year means things cost 10% more after just 5 years
That is precisely the problem, you look at the inflation and compare it to what you payed 5,10,20 years ago and your either getting less or paying more than that inflation. Average price inflation of a big mac in the US for the past 25 years is 4% versus average CPI inflation of 2.29%. So instead of increasing in price by 65% it increased 166%.
A Big Mac meal in the states (fried and drink) cost 2.99 USD in 1990. It now costs around 8.50 USD. The inflation adjusted value of 2.99 USD in 1990 is about 7.88 USD. Did the price go up? Sure. Are you likely getting slightly more in 2026 than you were in 1990? No idea, but it seems plausible to me. Inflation is the answer.
i have no data to back this up but it really feels like you get a different experience ordering from the app compared to drive thru. the order is always correct, the packaging is nicer (they have special drink bags with drink holders inside the bag for example), the food even seems better. i have a conspiracy they are making the normal experience worse to push people to the app
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is precisely the problem, you look at the inflation and compare it to what you payed 5,10,20 years ago and your either getting less or paying more than that inflation. Average price inflation of a big mac in the US for the past 25 years is 4% versus average CPI inflation of 2.29%. So instead of increasing in price by 65% it increased 166%.
A burger at any restaurant today costs $15. The quarter pounder at McDonald's is $5.50. You get to sit and eat in both restaurants. McDonald's is 3x cheaper... complaining that it's not 4x cheaper is first world problems
Americans, particularly on social media, seem to have a love-hate relationship with food. These reviews are not uncommonly juxtaposed with fitness content and people in the comments warning of the obesity problem. So these same people praising and consuming this calorie-rich food are at the same time warning of obesity in America and trying to get in better shape. There is a sort of cognitive dissonance in both voici…
Once you see the goomba, you can't unsee it...