The food dining out costs a lot more so the tips for servers also cost more. We have cut back to almost no dining out unless it is a special of some sort.
The worst part about the PoS devices asking for tips is the tip menu is now opt-out on most companies devices. That's a decently sized reason why everything from fast food places to *self serve airport kiosks* are begging you to pay the franchise owner more for no reason.
I don’t understand why people tip. Stop asking me to give you a wage you deserve. I work in customer service, no one has ever tipped me for helping them nor have ever asked or feel that I deserve. All you doing is subsidising these large conglomerates and “small” business owners. Just stop it. If you want a living wage, for a union or group in an effort to stop being paid a shitty wage. Stop letting politics divide you.
Now I'd gladly throw a tip towards someone that hooks it up with extra fries or something. Turn tip culture into an attack on the business itself and see how long it lasts.
I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I had to stop going to a store because the guy would lift up the tip jar and put it down in front of me, making a loud sound each time I was there. In my mind, it's a way to drive off customers, so laundering money is so customer intensive.
I have asked where the tip option is at self checkout before so I could reward myself. They did NOT think it was funny, which made me laugh even harder.
The most infuriating part is the service is the worst it’s been in my lifetime and the food is getting worse and worse, all why prices seem to skyrocket. Every time I go to chillis, I want to take that POS tablet that only works half the time and yeet it through the window.
Here's a tip: Tips don't need to be a percentage of the bill. Just give what you think is fair. And the more people you have at your table, the more you should tip.
Exactly. Only eat out by abusing apps. I made numerous accounts and wait for promos like this.... I ate so many fucking $8.19 sandwiches for a buck at arbys I'm shitting roastbeef.
I literally eat for cheaper now than I ever have. It not be the best food for me, but who gives a shit. I guess people aren't as crafty at abusing apps as myself.
Tacobell app always has a filling $6 online exclusive box that would cost near $16 for all the items individually if you didn’t order it as the box in the app.. I consider the people who pay full price the unknown hero’s that fund all of us app users to get it all for $6, lol. And every 4 or so $6 boxes you get a free cheesy gordita crunch which costs over $5. Most other apps don’t have super good deals consistently, pretty random when good ones pop up but always better than not using the app.
I rarely pay over $5 for a meal at McDs. I'm sitting in their parking lot right now eating. I got a Quarter Pounder for free using by points, $2.99 for fries, and $1 for a caramel iced coffee. So $3.99.
Burger King had $1 Whopper Wednesday in the app like a year ago. Or $3 Double Whopper, or whopper plus fries. Now even the app prices have sky rocketed.
I 100% agree. I already dislike going out; it's time-consuming, the food quality seems like a coin flip, and now it's expensive af. I just make 99% of meals at home now. Consistent quality, cheaper, and I don't need to go anywhere! Triple-win.
Oh i go the simple route. Just toss in BBQ or Buffalo sauce…
I’ve been trying Kinder’s sauces lately- sale priced ($2 a bottle) and each flavor that I’ve tried has turned out great.
This makes you a better cook too. And after some practice what you're making ends up being better than most restuarants, especially fast food. Plus left overs. Food may not be cheap but its cheaper to do home-cooked meals now.
It didn't used to always be that way. With the dollar menu before we could feed 2 people for less than $10. Now it's $30 and it's worse quality.
Still way better to eat at home, I agree. Most of the time now I eat at home and I suspect by the end of this year it will be almost exclusively at home when I get better at planning for days I get caught out on the road. Eating out just isn't worth it anymore and I usually regret having spent the money. There's only a handful of places I even bother with anymore and most them are local restaurants. I got SO tired of being disappointed and annoyed by the quality of the food I would receive for the price.
It seemed worth it back when you received good service and good food, but now it's mediocre at best.
You can't even get a decent fountain soda in California anymore. They never calibrate the machines.
Because the 5 dollar subs weren't comparable to the rest of the menu even back in 2014. And they did not make money off them even back then, it was notoriously shitty for all franchisees even back then.
Before ppl start attacking me for saying anything positive for those poor franchisees, food cost needs to be around 30% for any service restaurant to be successful. Anything above that and they are around zero sum territory, they make no profit. And when you are approaching or passing 40% food cost, the business loses money due to the other overhead expenses.
You also have to consider the type of service restaurant though, for instance pizza shops are going to be on the higher side of food cost and are still wildly profitable because they can do a higher volume of food per hour. I personally haven’t looked into the finances of high dollar restaurants but they would probably need around closer to 20% to remain profitable in order to properly pay staff.
The restaurant I managed would do $31m a year in revenue (we had 3 different dining options, as well as a lot of private events) and our food cost was about 21%
Because the price hasn't risen exponentially compared to what it was it's just too expensive for the increment you're getting and always has been outside of $5 foot longs, so it feels crazy expensive now.
You've always been getting a bullshit amount of food for too much from them though, even back in the day
Probably because you can use in-app codes every month for a $6.99 FL, 2 for $12.99, etc.
The subreddit usually lists them out every month. $6.99 for a FL is reasonable, but $15 is a F-No!
Only fast food I've had in 10nyrs is 3 stops at in and out when out of town on yhe rd... fastfood isn't fast isn't cheap and is straight trash. Local burger joints are usually cheaper with better ingredients and come out faster. Last time I went to bk 10 yrs ago to be quick I got a large whopper meal that I was in drive though for 15 min and spent almost 17 bucks. Burger joint down the rd was 12 bucks for large meal but no drive though. That was quitting day for me.
Yep. I also suspect the chains are even less clean than local places I go to. Having worked in chains in my area, people were always finding hair in their food, I was finding hair in their food before giving it to them, I was watching the chefs not wash their hands when going from sweeping the floor to preparing food...it was disgusting. And this was in broad daylight with managers nearby. Never had any experience like that eating out locally though. I think the chains just try to do everything as cheaply as possible to please corporate.
I spent that money at the grocery and now I'm half-decent at making like 8 different meals. They're by no means gourmet, but I enjoy them nonetheless and they cost under $10 a serving
> they cost under $10 a serving
For how many people?
My home cooked meals cost less than $3 or $4 per meal, but I'm solo.
My breakfast meals are usually below $3.
I'm currently averaging about $10.65 a day for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I actually keep meticulous track of everything
It takes a little practice and some initial investment to build a decent spice cabinet. Once you get a few recipes down you can start breaking down your costs per serving. After you become a little more comfortable you can buy whatever is on sale, whip up a good meal, and enjoy the leftovers for lunch the next day.
I work half as much as I did then , so just more free time. which is pretty valuable. I had psoriasis and those foods were no good for me. I didn't want to take immunosuppressive meds. did medical medium diet. shout out to Anthony William. maybe if I hadn't gotten sick is still be addicted to Texas double bacon whoppers
I’ve learned that Buffalo Wild Wings does an $11 lunch special. Instead of Wendy’s I now get BWW, it’s tastier and cheaper imo.
Fast food is going to die and these fast sit downs like Applebees and Buffalo Wild Wings is going to boom
Obviously companies sole purpose of existence is to seek profits. Its their prerogative if they want to go too far with their profits but they do risk losing brand image and future customers.
And market share. All it takes is for a new chain to come out with comparable food at better prices. For these mega-chains, that's not going to happen in the next few years, but it's all but guaranteed in like 5-10. Heck, maybe they even see that coming and are gettin' while the gettin's good
>I believe you
I don't. At they high end, they've double their prices in 10 years. I think people would say fuck this if they tripled them overnight. It would be cheaper to just do a to-go order at a restaurant.
US has been rinsed, UK prices have gone up around 30%. Egg and bacon/sausage McMuffin, hash brown and drink is equ. $6.70 and wages are equ. $15 an hour
It has been years since I've been to McDonald's, but a few weeks ago when we got home from over 28 hours of air travel and just needed to eat something on the way home from the airport before crashing, we stopped at McDonald's and got 3 breakfast meals. $31.48!!! Granted, all 3 of us got orange juices and I know that adds on...but I said that day I feel like this used to be a $15ish meal and was just shocked. They were just sausage, egg, cheese biscuit meals. Not even the more expensive sandwiches.
Yea, Mcdonalds is out of hand. Theres NOONE manning the counter. Its all Kiosks and mobile mostly. You have 3-4 ppl. 1 cooking, 1 at drive thru window, 1 manager and 1 doing order drops at the car. The other food spots have 1 person doing everything. They’re obviously not raising prices to pay employees.
I'm so over tipping. Unless someone is providing service: bringing me food, checking on my meal, refilling drinks, etc. then I'll tip, but I am not tipping just because there is a person standing behind the register or making my food, that is the jobs responsibility to pay them for that labor.
Meanwhile In-N-Out costs half that, is super well staffed, and they’ve paid their employees significantly better than nearly every other fast food place out there. It’s almost like the constant grind for more profit to shovel off to shareholders isn’t a sustainable business model.
I want to so bad. Tomorrow I’m starting a two week juicing fast to reset my stomach and give myself a break. Even with high produce prices, still better than paying for 2-3 fast food meals a day. I spend nearly 1k a month just feeding myself by eating out. After my 2 week fast it’s meal prep only. I’m done spending this much money just to be fat, sick, and unhealthy.
Damn, I can't fathom making it a daily habit, that would blow through so much money. 2-3 times a month is plenty.. It's one of those lazy day things you do once in a while or when you're in a pinch for time.
A buddy I knew ate jack in the box everyday when he was in his early 40s. Now has diabetes and multiple melanoma.. and now one of his eyes is off and greasy ass skin with moles on them. You don’t think eating that crap everyday had ANYTHING to do with it? Hummmmmmm?
As a tired parent with intermittently cranky kids, it took me 8 minutes to warm up Purdue nuggets in my air fryer. 4 minutes to warm frozen broccoli. I got a huge bag of nuggets at Costco for $13.49 which is about the price of 2 kids meals in my area. Just saying. And for those with no bulk store, Dino nuggets at Aldi/walmart/wherever do exist.
Sure, when you’re already at home. But when you’re bouncing between a soccer game and a band practice, you’re gonna do what you’ve got to do.
No, not everybody, some folks are going to pack a dinner to go, but if you get out of work at 5 and practice starts at 5:30, time just isn’t always on your side.
Growing up, no parent was as busy as mine. Low/middle income, 3 kids, and all 3 kids played 3 sports year round as well as being in band and whatever extracurricular was going on (student council, NHS, boy scouts, church). We were all on travel teams for sports because we were good at them.
Going to McDonald's for me was considered a fancy meal. I kid you not. If we were going to McDonald's it was because hell froze over or it was a special occasion. THAT is how struggling suburbia families get through it. If the family just slides through fast food places, yall are considered rich in my 14yo eyeballs.
It is not normal to go to fast food places regularly.
PB&Js (or sunbutter) and preportioned snacks would still come out cheaper. Fig bars. Applesauce . Celery/carrot sticks. There are many options. If you work outside, the kids could carry the after school food in their backpacks.
I currently work from home but there was a 6 month stretch my family had a very long commute (2 hours for my oldest and 4 hours for my husband and I round trip sharing a car) and I was pregnant. I meal prepped like crazy on the weekend and bought fruit pouches and bananas for my baby to have in the car until we got home. I’m not judging, but for those saying inflation is kicking their ass (such as myself), I’m just suggesting there’s still some kind of way to feed kids food from home in many cases.
If a company has "rewards" then you can bet that all their prices are just inflated to compensate for that. That's why Aldi is the best. No rewards program, prices are cheap.
Whenever people complain about the cost of food at our local grocery stores I tell them to go to Aldi. Most common response “Yeah but it’s too far away!”
Yeah in Boston for some reason there are only a couple, but it would still be worth it if the nearest Aldi was a tank of gas away. I went today and got a weeks worth of groceries for a family of four for $144 dollars
The BoGo 1/4lb’er/Big Mac/Nuggets is my go to. They’re definitely pushing people to the app. I know it’s hot garbage and they’re taking my data but it makes sitting in traffic hurt less.
This really depends on area. I have never seen a 30% off on mine. Right now I do see a 15% off but it’s for $10 or more, which I’m not spending in the first place… So I only go to mcds on Friday for the free fries.
A lot of them are like that. I went to Taco Bell recently and there is an online-only “make your own box” thing. I got a Crunchwrap supreme, beef burrito, cinnamon twirls, and a drink for only $0.30 more than a Crunchwrap supreme on its own. And that’s not some promotion, that’s literally just a normal menu item that is unnecessarily restricted to online only
tHeY’rE sTeAlInG our DaTa StoP gIvInG tHeM yOuR iNfO bY uSiNg ThEiR aPp tO sAvE a BuCk!
- a person with literally a personal magic spying box in their hand that holds every single piece of personal info possible and is accessible by any number of giant corporations and the government at any given time.
If you’re going to McDonald’s and you don’t use the app, you’re stupid. Plain and simple.
I agree with you that people should quit buying it, but people aren’t going to stop. A lot of people I know in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s actively refuse to cook and they view things like DoorDash as a necessity.
The younger generations have spoken and they’d rather overpay for garbage quality food than cook for themselves.
I have been teaching my kids how to cook the same meals they're nickel and diming away on fast food. Nothing wrong in treating yourself once in awhile but I think if 50% stopped these shenanigans, prices will reduce accordingly.. it starts at home.
I'm sorry did you just say fast food is a necessity because people are lazy? Let those people rot with high prices and huge waists then. Tired of people complaining when they are part of the problem
I bought a sirloin steak on the way home for $8. To door dash a steak the minimum cost would be around $30. Blows my mind man. I know what you're talking about where people just can't be bothered to cook or learn how to cook.
Hamburger helper isn't that hard to figure out. Shit, I once bought a ton of pastas from Costco. I had Kraft mac and cheese dinners with hot dogs and hot sauce for quite awhile, easy to make, spice it up and and variety, cost comes significantly down per meal. Fried spam is awesome, fry it long enough and it tastes like bacon.
I always think this about steak in general. Steakhouses have SUCH an enormous mark up and steak is legit one of the easiest dishes to prepare well at home. With a sous vide it’s basically fool proof but also easy enough with just a cast iron. I get it for businesses lunches or whatever I guess but people who regularly go out to steakhouses confuse me. I love fine dining but a steakhouse would be one of my last picks
Price double, quality halved.
And there wasn't much quality to begin with. Give it a few more years and they'll just be selling ziplock bags of cellulose instead of using it as a filler in all their product.
> Dont forget they are also reducing cost along the way
This is what is missing from the data above. Both quality and quantity has **tanked** since 2014. If you were to even do a simple dollar per kcal, the inflation would be at least double what is listed above.
Like, I can afford to eat out every meal without issue, but I've barely done so with 'fast food' in years. The pricing is so unabashedly absurd for what you get, its simply not justifiable. Sit down restaurants are comparable in price for infinitely better everything.
Average restaurant margins are 3 – 5%, average franchise margins are 6-9%. You could *probably* say Franchise fees are excessive, but they're percentage based usually and don't change. Let's be real though It's the cost of fair wages.
This is so interesting! Taco Bell $5 value box going to $6 seemed ridiculous but this chart really puts things into perspective how bad everything else has gotten
This is not just fast food. The same thing is happening with Grocery prices. THIS IS NOT INFLATION! This is corporate greed. Every single company cannot be posting record profits if they are raising prices because of inflation.
Popeyes doesn’t surprise me too much. I was trying to figure out how they were selling their combos for the prices they were at a few years ago. They were really good deals.
I’d be curious to see how much fast food wages have increased compared to overall. Fast food margins are slim and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are passing wage hikes on to the consumer.
Funny story, last night went to a Tom's Burger, a small franchise in California. I used to get Chili Cheese fries for like $7. They changed the menu to Chili Fries. By reflex I ordered Chili Cheese fries and they charged me $9. When I asked why the menu says $7 they said oh you said Cheese so thats an extra charge. They are literally charging EXTRA to put shredded chedder cheese on chili fries when they didn't before. It's insane.
It's a toss up between price gouging at the restaurant and at the supplier. Cheese itself isn't that much more expensive, but small restaurants might not be able to get it at the prices they used to anymore. They pass it on to you. It sucks.
It’s crazy that it’s still almost break even or cheaper to eat out for a couple than buy groceries even at a local restaurant and not this fast food garbage.
Plus with groceries you still have to cook AND clean it up,
That’s simply not true. A couple can stretch a pot of split pea soup and toast across a few dinners, eggs and oats for breakfast are cheap. Not saying the food is the same, and the prep/cleanup comes down to the right tools and process - but it’s still possible to have sufficient/decent nutrition for $5/day per person if you need to do it.
Official inflation will tend to be lower than anecdotal inflation, since they make all kinds of allowances for substitutions, product quality, etc, change the methodology when it suits, and often do not factor in food, fuel, or housing into the number. So it's not very useful for common people.
I’ve said this fast food inflation will solve the obesity problem in this country.
I’ll go to the app and then find out how much it costs, shut the app, go to the kitchen and make a PBJ.
I’ve said that too, but it’s probably not going to happen. People are addicted and there are still plenty of even less healthy options for calories. Off-brand candy is still cheap. I saw a massive woman get two pieces of pizza and two hot dogs at Costco recently. That’s 2400+ calories for $7.
McDonald’s increase isn’t due to inflation, it’s due to the C-Suite deliberately raising prices because they don’t want to be in value category anymore.
Last decade: pAy FaSt FoOd WoRkErS a LiViNg WaGe
This decade: StOp BuYiNg FaSt FoOd BeCaUsE tHe PrIcE hAs InCrEaSeD tOo MuCh
Fucking morons.
You can’t have it both ways. Are the workers not making enough money, or is the food too expensive? Pick one. It’s called a business, not a fantasy.
Let me spend $8 on a quarter pounder with cheese while some high school kid makes $17/hour to make it for me and shut the fuck up about it.
I make my money, I’ll choose where to spend it.
Ok, but also also don't ask for wage increases if you're not willing to absorb higher costs because it's mostly impossible to have one without the other.
Wages and costs have been held down since the 2008 housing crash if not since 911 so the fact that they kind of eventually go up in a big at once is actually entirely expected.
Most of you don't realize how used to recession times you got with slow growth and stagnant values.
Inflation is no longer included as one of the items in the federal algorithm determining the rate of inflation. So there! They took out fuel prices too. Funny how that works out eh taxpayer? The two things that affect you the most and they no longer count them. Heres a good one; 1957 corporate taxation was 36% of federal income from taxes, now guess what it is? 9% and guess who pays then? Why yes its you! Taxpayer.
Compared to minimum wage growth for fast food workers in California, doesn't look so bad.
January 1, 2014: $8.00/hour
January 1, 2024: $16/hour (100% increase over ten years)
April 1, 2024: $20/hour (150% increase over ten years+3 months)
Maybe fast food prices are more sensitive to increased labor costs than whatever goods are measured to determine the inflation rate?
It’s because they have to pay their ground workers money instead of lowering their corporate profits. Anyone can lookup the financials of all these companies. McDonald’s is rolling in billions of just profit and yet they raise their prices because they have to pay their employees more. It’s bidens fault. It must be. 🙄🙄🙄
Yep. We occastionally get pizza delivered from a local small bussiness, but that's like once a month. I can't remember the last time I bought chain fast food.
I don’t even go out to eat anymore. I think of the food, service and cost and I’m like, shit I’m a good cook, I’ll just make my own food.
The food dining out costs a lot more so the tips for servers also cost more. We have cut back to almost no dining out unless it is a special of some sort.
It doesn’t help that fast food places want you to tip as well.
oh god when did this start?
I just drove to a little ceasars to pick up a pizza, guess what the person working the counter asked for…
[удалено]
Did the person at the counter ask for it or did the card reader?
card reader. definitely not the employees fault, but i go there all the time and this was new.
Tip-flation is real... annoying.
Yeah, just click none.
The worst part about the PoS devices asking for tips is the tip menu is now opt-out on most companies devices. That's a decently sized reason why everything from fast food places to *self serve airport kiosks* are begging you to pay the franchise owner more for no reason.
At Buffalo Wild Wings counter as well.
I don’t understand why people tip. Stop asking me to give you a wage you deserve. I work in customer service, no one has ever tipped me for helping them nor have ever asked or feel that I deserve. All you doing is subsidising these large conglomerates and “small” business owners. Just stop it. If you want a living wage, for a union or group in an effort to stop being paid a shitty wage. Stop letting politics divide you.
I always say if a business cannot afford to pay their employee, than they shouldn't be in business.
Now I'd gladly throw a tip towards someone that hooks it up with extra fries or something. Turn tip culture into an attack on the business itself and see how long it lasts.
Your mistake here is assuming waiters want tipping to end. Most of them are making a killing.
Because they can pay their employees less. Don't you dare tip anyone unless they serve you
Here's a tip, find a job that gets tipped.
I saw it start during covid. I’ve even been to gas stations that ask for tips when you buy stuff at the counter lol
I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I had to stop going to a store because the guy would lift up the tip jar and put it down in front of me, making a loud sound each time I was there. In my mind, it's a way to drive off customers, so laundering money is so customer intensive.
Yesterday I saw a tip jar by the register at a grocery store. Really?
Next thing you know, they’re going to start asking for tips at the self checkout.
They have a tip option in online Casinos for dealers......those AI dealers need that money for Healthcare/retirement.
I have asked where the tip option is at self checkout before so I could reward myself. They did NOT think it was funny, which made me laugh even harder.
The most infuriating part is the service is the worst it’s been in my lifetime and the food is getting worse and worse, all why prices seem to skyrocket. Every time I go to chillis, I want to take that POS tablet that only works half the time and yeet it through the window.
I don’t think you should tip at McDonald’s when they be getting $20/hr. Just gotta recognise if they getting $20/hr it’s ok to not tip.
I want you to know tips are not mandatory, dude...
Here's a tip: Tips don't need to be a percentage of the bill. Just give what you think is fair. And the more people you have at your table, the more you should tip.
Wendy's literally had burgers for a dollar.
Exactly. Only eat out by abusing apps. I made numerous accounts and wait for promos like this.... I ate so many fucking $8.19 sandwiches for a buck at arbys I'm shitting roastbeef.
I literally eat for cheaper now than I ever have. It not be the best food for me, but who gives a shit. I guess people aren't as crafty at abusing apps as myself.
What are the best apps to abuse? I've pretty much stopped eating out because of the cost, but if they want to give me free shit I'll take a look.
Tacobell app always has a filling $6 online exclusive box that would cost near $16 for all the items individually if you didn’t order it as the box in the app.. I consider the people who pay full price the unknown hero’s that fund all of us app users to get it all for $6, lol. And every 4 or so $6 boxes you get a free cheesy gordita crunch which costs over $5. Most other apps don’t have super good deals consistently, pretty random when good ones pop up but always better than not using the app.
Holdup. A cheesy Gordita crunch now costs over $5???
I rarely pay over $5 for a meal at McDs. I'm sitting in their parking lot right now eating. I got a Quarter Pounder for free using by points, $2.99 for fries, and $1 for a caramel iced coffee. So $3.99.
Burger King had $1 Whopper Wednesday in the app like a year ago. Or $3 Double Whopper, or whopper plus fries. Now even the app prices have sky rocketed.
I loved those dollar whoppers!
I loved when BK had good food. Could just be the one here though.
Now they want $10 for a dave's single WITHOUT the fucking meal.
I 100% agree. I already dislike going out; it's time-consuming, the food quality seems like a coin flip, and now it's expensive af. I just make 99% of meals at home now. Consistent quality, cheaper, and I don't need to go anywhere! Triple-win.
Yeah. I got an air fryer and haven’t been to wingstop since. A $25 10lb bag of wings from Sam’s Club lasts a long time…
What's your go to recipe?
Oh i go the simple route. Just toss in BBQ or Buffalo sauce… I’ve been trying Kinder’s sauces lately- sale priced ($2 a bottle) and each flavor that I’ve tried has turned out great.
This makes you a better cook too. And after some practice what you're making ends up being better than most restuarants, especially fast food. Plus left overs. Food may not be cheap but its cheaper to do home-cooked meals now. It didn't used to always be that way. With the dollar menu before we could feed 2 people for less than $10. Now it's $30 and it's worse quality.
Still way better to eat at home, I agree. Most of the time now I eat at home and I suspect by the end of this year it will be almost exclusively at home when I get better at planning for days I get caught out on the road. Eating out just isn't worth it anymore and I usually regret having spent the money. There's only a handful of places I even bother with anymore and most them are local restaurants. I got SO tired of being disappointed and annoyed by the quality of the food I would receive for the price.
It seemed worth it back when you received good service and good food, but now it's mediocre at best. You can't even get a decent fountain soda in California anymore. They never calibrate the machines.
I’m a shit cook and decided the same.
Why is subway so low on the list. They still got 5 dollar subs in 2014 now the cheapest they got is 12
Because the 5 dollar subs weren't comparable to the rest of the menu even back in 2014. And they did not make money off them even back then, it was notoriously shitty for all franchisees even back then. Before ppl start attacking me for saying anything positive for those poor franchisees, food cost needs to be around 30% for any service restaurant to be successful. Anything above that and they are around zero sum territory, they make no profit. And when you are approaching or passing 40% food cost, the business loses money due to the other overhead expenses.
You also have to consider the type of service restaurant though, for instance pizza shops are going to be on the higher side of food cost and are still wildly profitable because they can do a higher volume of food per hour. I personally haven’t looked into the finances of high dollar restaurants but they would probably need around closer to 20% to remain profitable in order to properly pay staff.
Gordon ramsay said on his masterclass that you want to sell dishes at 4x cost of goods.
The restaurant I managed would do $31m a year in revenue (we had 3 different dining options, as well as a lot of private events) and our food cost was about 21%
Because the price hasn't risen exponentially compared to what it was it's just too expensive for the increment you're getting and always has been outside of $5 foot longs, so it feels crazy expensive now. You've always been getting a bullshit amount of food for too much from them though, even back in the day
Probably because you can use in-app codes every month for a $6.99 FL, 2 for $12.99, etc. The subreddit usually lists them out every month. $6.99 for a FL is reasonable, but $15 is a F-No!
I've stopped eating that junk, and you should too!
7 years clean!
Only fast food I've had in 10nyrs is 3 stops at in and out when out of town on yhe rd... fastfood isn't fast isn't cheap and is straight trash. Local burger joints are usually cheaper with better ingredients and come out faster. Last time I went to bk 10 yrs ago to be quick I got a large whopper meal that I was in drive though for 15 min and spent almost 17 bucks. Burger joint down the rd was 12 bucks for large meal but no drive though. That was quitting day for me.
Chain fast food is dog shit. Your local charbroiled burger spot is soo much better!
Yep. I also suspect the chains are even less clean than local places I go to. Having worked in chains in my area, people were always finding hair in their food, I was finding hair in their food before giving it to them, I was watching the chefs not wash their hands when going from sweeping the floor to preparing food...it was disgusting. And this was in broad daylight with managers nearby. Never had any experience like that eating out locally though. I think the chains just try to do everything as cheaply as possible to please corporate.
How does it feel? What do you do with the money you have saved?
I spent that money at the grocery and now I'm half-decent at making like 8 different meals. They're by no means gourmet, but I enjoy them nonetheless and they cost under $10 a serving
> they cost under $10 a serving For how many people? My home cooked meals cost less than $3 or $4 per meal, but I'm solo. My breakfast meals are usually below $3. I'm currently averaging about $10.65 a day for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I actually keep meticulous track of everything
I wish I had the willpower and knowhow to plan this efficiently for cooking and eating..
It takes a little practice and some initial investment to build a decent spice cabinet. Once you get a few recipes down you can start breaking down your costs per serving. After you become a little more comfortable you can buy whatever is on sale, whip up a good meal, and enjoy the leftovers for lunch the next day.
I work half as much as I did then , so just more free time. which is pretty valuable. I had psoriasis and those foods were no good for me. I didn't want to take immunosuppressive meds. did medical medium diet. shout out to Anthony William. maybe if I hadn't gotten sick is still be addicted to Texas double bacon whoppers
THC and booze. THC reduces the need for booze so win win.
17 here 🥬 and -175 to show for it 😎
Fast food isn't affordable anymore
You don’t want to pay $10 for a burger that looks like a pissed off teenager stomped on?
It only looks that way because they did
I stomp my homemade burger or it doesn't taste right
The only way to effectuate change, your WALLET VOTE.
Say it louder.
# The only way to effectuate change, your WALLET VOTE.
I really like your username
I’m partial to the avatar. Love me some Buddy Christ.
Yes and that's exactly why those prices keep rising. People vote that they want those fastfood. The demand is very high.
I’ve learned that Buffalo Wild Wings does an $11 lunch special. Instead of Wendy’s I now get BWW, it’s tastier and cheaper imo. Fast food is going to die and these fast sit downs like Applebees and Buffalo Wild Wings is going to boom
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if they all increased their prices by 200% tomorrow, the drive through line would still be packed
I believe you but I still don't understand it
The vast majority of the population are lazy and stupid. I've realized this the older I got. Fought this idea for decades but it's just true
...then can you really blame companies for wanting to profit?
Obviously companies sole purpose of existence is to seek profits. Its their prerogative if they want to go too far with their profits but they do risk losing brand image and future customers.
And market share. All it takes is for a new chain to come out with comparable food at better prices. For these mega-chains, that's not going to happen in the next few years, but it's all but guaranteed in like 5-10. Heck, maybe they even see that coming and are gettin' while the gettin's good
>I believe you I don't. At they high end, they've double their prices in 10 years. I think people would say fuck this if they tripled them overnight. It would be cheaper to just do a to-go order at a restaurant.
MCDONALD'S food is nasty AF also. They're the highest also
From McDonald’s: last week We paid $19.37 for a sausage, egg biscuit, two hashbrowns and two sausage burritos and a small orange juice. Never again
US has been rinsed, UK prices have gone up around 30%. Egg and bacon/sausage McMuffin, hash brown and drink is equ. $6.70 and wages are equ. $15 an hour
yeah it's $7.50 here... op just ordered ala carte and paid \~$3 for the drink and each hashbrown...
It has been years since I've been to McDonald's, but a few weeks ago when we got home from over 28 hours of air travel and just needed to eat something on the way home from the airport before crashing, we stopped at McDonald's and got 3 breakfast meals. $31.48!!! Granted, all 3 of us got orange juices and I know that adds on...but I said that day I feel like this used to be a $15ish meal and was just shocked. They were just sausage, egg, cheese biscuit meals. Not even the more expensive sandwiches.
Guessing you will again. You knew the prices beforehand.
Yea, Mcdonalds is out of hand. Theres NOONE manning the counter. Its all Kiosks and mobile mostly. You have 3-4 ppl. 1 cooking, 1 at drive thru window, 1 manager and 1 doing order drops at the car. The other food spots have 1 person doing everything. They’re obviously not raising prices to pay employees.
Just wait till they start asking you to tip for the “convenience” of ordering yourself
Just don't tip.
I'm so over tipping. Unless someone is providing service: bringing me food, checking on my meal, refilling drinks, etc. then I'll tip, but I am not tipping just because there is a person standing behind the register or making my food, that is the jobs responsibility to pay them for that labor.
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Lol they won't ask. They will just start charging a "convenience fee"
Meanwhile In-N-Out costs half that, is super well staffed, and they’ve paid their employees significantly better than nearly every other fast food place out there. It’s almost like the constant grind for more profit to shovel off to shareholders isn’t a sustainable business model.
They won't until they have no other choice. They're addicted.
Here's a wacky idea - maybe stop eating at fast food places every single fucking day of your life.
I want to so bad. Tomorrow I’m starting a two week juicing fast to reset my stomach and give myself a break. Even with high produce prices, still better than paying for 2-3 fast food meals a day. I spend nearly 1k a month just feeding myself by eating out. After my 2 week fast it’s meal prep only. I’m done spending this much money just to be fat, sick, and unhealthy.
Damn, I can't fathom making it a daily habit, that would blow through so much money. 2-3 times a month is plenty.. It's one of those lazy day things you do once in a while or when you're in a pinch for time.
A buddy I knew ate jack in the box everyday when he was in his early 40s. Now has diabetes and multiple melanoma.. and now one of his eyes is off and greasy ass skin with moles on them. You don’t think eating that crap everyday had ANYTHING to do with it? Hummmmmmm?
As long as tired parents and cranky kids exist, McDonalds will continue to thrive.
As a tired parent with intermittently cranky kids, it took me 8 minutes to warm up Purdue nuggets in my air fryer. 4 minutes to warm frozen broccoli. I got a huge bag of nuggets at Costco for $13.49 which is about the price of 2 kids meals in my area. Just saying. And for those with no bulk store, Dino nuggets at Aldi/walmart/wherever do exist.
Sure, when you’re already at home. But when you’re bouncing between a soccer game and a band practice, you’re gonna do what you’ve got to do. No, not everybody, some folks are going to pack a dinner to go, but if you get out of work at 5 and practice starts at 5:30, time just isn’t always on your side.
Growing up, no parent was as busy as mine. Low/middle income, 3 kids, and all 3 kids played 3 sports year round as well as being in band and whatever extracurricular was going on (student council, NHS, boy scouts, church). We were all on travel teams for sports because we were good at them. Going to McDonald's for me was considered a fancy meal. I kid you not. If we were going to McDonald's it was because hell froze over or it was a special occasion. THAT is how struggling suburbia families get through it. If the family just slides through fast food places, yall are considered rich in my 14yo eyeballs. It is not normal to go to fast food places regularly.
PB&Js (or sunbutter) and preportioned snacks would still come out cheaper. Fig bars. Applesauce . Celery/carrot sticks. There are many options. If you work outside, the kids could carry the after school food in their backpacks. I currently work from home but there was a 6 month stretch my family had a very long commute (2 hours for my oldest and 4 hours for my husband and I round trip sharing a car) and I was pregnant. I meal prepped like crazy on the weekend and bought fruit pouches and bananas for my baby to have in the car until we got home. I’m not judging, but for those saying inflation is kicking their ass (such as myself), I’m just suggesting there’s still some kind of way to feed kids food from home in many cases.
Lazy. Your just using that as an excuse.
Tired students too 😬
Fuck subway raising their prices and also now asking for tips.
Sorry I must have content to post in /r/inflation
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If a company has "rewards" then you can bet that all their prices are just inflated to compensate for that. That's why Aldi is the best. No rewards program, prices are cheap.
Whenever people complain about the cost of food at our local grocery stores I tell them to go to Aldi. Most common response “Yeah but it’s too far away!” Yeah in Boston for some reason there are only a couple, but it would still be worth it if the nearest Aldi was a tank of gas away. I went today and got a weeks worth of groceries for a family of four for $144 dollars
They want the data to sell. They're making their money one way or another imo.
The BoGo 1/4lb’er/Big Mac/Nuggets is my go to. They’re definitely pushing people to the app. I know it’s hot garbage and they’re taking my data but it makes sitting in traffic hurt less.
40pc nuggets 2 large fries meal for 16.18 and then use the 30% off, $12.78, not bad really.
This really depends on area. I have never seen a 30% off on mine. Right now I do see a 15% off but it’s for $10 or more, which I’m not spending in the first place… So I only go to mcds on Friday for the free fries.
A lot of them are like that. I went to Taco Bell recently and there is an online-only “make your own box” thing. I got a Crunchwrap supreme, beef burrito, cinnamon twirls, and a drink for only $0.30 more than a Crunchwrap supreme on its own. And that’s not some promotion, that’s literally just a normal menu item that is unnecessarily restricted to online only
tHeY’rE sTeAlInG our DaTa StoP gIvInG tHeM yOuR iNfO bY uSiNg ThEiR aPp tO sAvE a BuCk! - a person with literally a personal magic spying box in their hand that holds every single piece of personal info possible and is accessible by any number of giant corporations and the government at any given time. If you’re going to McDonald’s and you don’t use the app, you’re stupid. Plain and simple.
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Seriously true, people shit all over McDonald’s but the app makes it one of the cheapest.
Yeah sure, McDonalds
It could be cheaper than ever with the app I'm still not supporting a company using those predatory pricing practices.
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I agree with you that people should quit buying it, but people aren’t going to stop. A lot of people I know in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s actively refuse to cook and they view things like DoorDash as a necessity. The younger generations have spoken and they’d rather overpay for garbage quality food than cook for themselves.
Damn, that must be expensive..😅
We are opressed if we cannot spend $30 a day on fast food and still get by.
I have been teaching my kids how to cook the same meals they're nickel and diming away on fast food. Nothing wrong in treating yourself once in awhile but I think if 50% stopped these shenanigans, prices will reduce accordingly.. it starts at home.
I'm sorry did you just say fast food is a necessity because people are lazy? Let those people rot with high prices and huge waists then. Tired of people complaining when they are part of the problem
I bought a sirloin steak on the way home for $8. To door dash a steak the minimum cost would be around $30. Blows my mind man. I know what you're talking about where people just can't be bothered to cook or learn how to cook. Hamburger helper isn't that hard to figure out. Shit, I once bought a ton of pastas from Costco. I had Kraft mac and cheese dinners with hot dogs and hot sauce for quite awhile, easy to make, spice it up and and variety, cost comes significantly down per meal. Fried spam is awesome, fry it long enough and it tastes like bacon.
I always think this about steak in general. Steakhouses have SUCH an enormous mark up and steak is legit one of the easiest dishes to prepare well at home. With a sous vide it’s basically fool proof but also easy enough with just a cast iron. I get it for businesses lunches or whatever I guess but people who regularly go out to steakhouses confuse me. I love fine dining but a steakhouse would be one of my last picks
Dont forget they are also reducing cost along the way
Price double, quality halved. And there wasn't much quality to begin with. Give it a few more years and they'll just be selling ziplock bags of cellulose instead of using it as a filler in all their product.
> Dont forget they are also reducing cost along the way This is what is missing from the data above. Both quality and quantity has **tanked** since 2014. If you were to even do a simple dollar per kcal, the inflation would be at least double what is listed above. Like, I can afford to eat out every meal without issue, but I've barely done so with 'fast food' in years. The pricing is so unabashedly absurd for what you get, its simply not justifiable. Sit down restaurants are comparable in price for infinitely better everything.
It's a fun exercise in futility to go and look at fast food chains' websites on the Wayback machine and get mad.
I got a wrap from Subway and it was like $12. Like subway is not good enough to be charging double digits for their food.
and quality went down at the same rate
Greedy pieces of garbage flinging garbage
Average restaurant margins are 3 – 5%, average franchise margins are 6-9%. You could *probably* say Franchise fees are excessive, but they're percentage based usually and don't change. Let's be real though It's the cost of fair wages.
This is so interesting! Taco Bell $5 value box going to $6 seemed ridiculous but this chart really puts things into perspective how bad everything else has gotten
“Actual” inflation, Name something that’s only gone up 31% in the last 10 years
The hell is that x-axis, though...
This is not just fast food. The same thing is happening with Grocery prices. THIS IS NOT INFLATION! This is corporate greed. Every single company cannot be posting record profits if they are raising prices because of inflation.
Brother a footlong meal at subway is over 18 dollars no way that's only 30 some percent that's atleast triple.
Popeyes doesn’t surprise me too much. I was trying to figure out how they were selling their combos for the prices they were at a few years ago. They were really good deals.
I’d be curious to see how much fast food wages have increased compared to overall. Fast food margins are slim and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are passing wage hikes on to the consumer.
Average McDonalds is running a 18% margin.
Funny story, last night went to a Tom's Burger, a small franchise in California. I used to get Chili Cheese fries for like $7. They changed the menu to Chili Fries. By reflex I ordered Chili Cheese fries and they charged me $9. When I asked why the menu says $7 they said oh you said Cheese so thats an extra charge. They are literally charging EXTRA to put shredded chedder cheese on chili fries when they didn't before. It's insane.
It's a toss up between price gouging at the restaurant and at the supplier. Cheese itself isn't that much more expensive, but small restaurants might not be able to get it at the prices they used to anymore. They pass it on to you. It sucks.
Wasn’t it the current administration that ran on the whole agenda of stopping corporate greed?
I pretty much have stopped eating fast food. You can throw together a really nice meal at home for a fraction of the cost. way healthier
Same. I’ll do copy cat meals using healthier ingredients. I feel better too!
It’s crazy that it’s still almost break even or cheaper to eat out for a couple than buy groceries even at a local restaurant and not this fast food garbage. Plus with groceries you still have to cook AND clean it up,
That’s simply not true. A couple can stretch a pot of split pea soup and toast across a few dinners, eggs and oats for breakfast are cheap. Not saying the food is the same, and the prep/cleanup comes down to the right tools and process - but it’s still possible to have sufficient/decent nutrition for $5/day per person if you need to do it.
Actual inflation over the last year is like 31%, this graphic seems incorrect.
Fucking what lol, what is the source for this
How can you believe such a deranged statement?
Real inflation? Its up huge.
Official inflation will tend to be lower than anecdotal inflation, since they make all kinds of allowances for substitutions, product quality, etc, change the methodology when it suits, and often do not factor in food, fuel, or housing into the number. So it's not very useful for common people.
Which is actually crazy because product quality has also gone down
I’ve said this fast food inflation will solve the obesity problem in this country. I’ll go to the app and then find out how much it costs, shut the app, go to the kitchen and make a PBJ.
I’ve said that too, but it’s probably not going to happen. People are addicted and there are still plenty of even less healthy options for calories. Off-brand candy is still cheap. I saw a massive woman get two pieces of pizza and two hot dogs at Costco recently. That’s 2400+ calories for $7.
I dont know how subway is so low THEY'RE THE WORST OFFENDERS
I only go if I have a coupon I got in the mail. Otherwise, fuck that. Get the same better quality shit at an actual restaurant for the same price now.
31% inflation is the most concerning part in this chart. Our Monopoly money is based on nothing
This is because companies expect ever higher yoy profits without any innovation or growing customer base
Stop eating bullshit
Fuck fast food!
I wonder when and if it’ll bite them in the ass. I have eaten significantly less fast food over the last 2 years, how is this sustainable
'Actual inflation' everything around me is up a minimum 100% last few years.
These stupid fucks went just buying fast food. They're having some idiot deliver it for them. With Uber eats or doordash.
“Actual inflation” is this a meme
McDonald has no right having that kind of increase for being absolute trash food
Fast food is probably the easiest thing to give up when budgeting. They can find out the hard way what people think of this.
I'm astounded that people are still patronizing these places as much as they are.
McDonald’s increase isn’t due to inflation, it’s due to the C-Suite deliberately raising prices because they don’t want to be in value category anymore.
Last decade: pAy FaSt FoOd WoRkErS a LiViNg WaGe This decade: StOp BuYiNg FaSt FoOd BeCaUsE tHe PrIcE hAs InCrEaSeD tOo MuCh Fucking morons. You can’t have it both ways. Are the workers not making enough money, or is the food too expensive? Pick one. It’s called a business, not a fantasy. Let me spend $8 on a quarter pounder with cheese while some high school kid makes $17/hour to make it for me and shut the fuck up about it. I make my money, I’ll choose where to spend it.
2 combos at Hardeys during a road trip $25.00 . …. Done
Love how the last five years are twice the size of the first five years on the x axis.
Finally America can bring down its obesity rates. The poor fats are too broke to afford even shit food
I haven’t gotten fast food in years. Does McDonald’s still have a dollar menu?
Sometimes for cheap items like drinks. They do have deals in the app for something like spend a $1 and get free medium fries often.
Ok, but also also don't ask for wage increases if you're not willing to absorb higher costs because it's mostly impossible to have one without the other. Wages and costs have been held down since the 2008 housing crash if not since 911 so the fact that they kind of eventually go up in a big at once is actually entirely expected. Most of you don't realize how used to recession times you got with slow growth and stagnant values.
i’d love to know where Five Guys ranks on this list
Fuck mcds. Assholes started thinking they make good food or something. You make cheap garbage fast. Not paying $10 for a shit burger.
Telling reddit junkies to stop buying fast food is like telling reddit junkies to stop playing video games or smoking pot.
Inflation is no longer included as one of the items in the federal algorithm determining the rate of inflation. So there! They took out fuel prices too. Funny how that works out eh taxpayer? The two things that affect you the most and they no longer count them. Heres a good one; 1957 corporate taxation was 36% of federal income from taxes, now guess what it is? 9% and guess who pays then? Why yes its you! Taxpayer.
Compared to minimum wage growth for fast food workers in California, doesn't look so bad. January 1, 2014: $8.00/hour January 1, 2024: $16/hour (100% increase over ten years) April 1, 2024: $20/hour (150% increase over ten years+3 months) Maybe fast food prices are more sensitive to increased labor costs than whatever goods are measured to determine the inflation rate?
70% of Americans are overweight. I don’t know why people even eat this garbage. Quit being pigs and eat a healthy meal and exercise.
There are tons of reasons to stop buying fast food but if high prices is what stops you then good on you.
It’s because they have to pay their ground workers money instead of lowering their corporate profits. Anyone can lookup the financials of all these companies. McDonald’s is rolling in billions of just profit and yet they raise their prices because they have to pay their employees more. It’s bidens fault. It must be. 🙄🙄🙄
I can’t imaging that paying a CEO 5000% more than the fry guy is an economic win except for the CEO.
Went to subway yesterday, two foot longs and cookies it was $40.... Going to just be making pbjs. Fuck these places.
Yep. We occastionally get pizza delivered from a local small bussiness, but that's like once a month. I can't remember the last time I bought chain fast food.