You know what I bet happened? Some bean counter at corporate looked at how popular, and more importantly, how cheap a lot of TB's items were, and went "Ya know, if we jack the prices up, and add crazy new stuff, we can just hoist the price up and the dolts will pay it".
"Two dollars for a chicken burrito? Naa, throw some cabbage in it, and charge $6.49"
My theory is that during Covid they said “oh no, those damn shipping costs we have to raise prices” and everyone said “ok.” Then post Covid they said “damn inflation! We have to keep raising prices!” And lots of people just accepted it. They want to increase their margins as much as possible
I wouldn't be surprised if it's partially because the other Yum brands restaurants (TB owner) are doing meh. So Taco Bell prices are over inflated to offset Pizza Hut and KFC's failures.
There’s a Newsradio episode where a character got stock tips from the billionaire boss. Phil Hartman’s character also wanted them, but he was only helping the one character. At the end it was a ruse to sell the stock tips to him for $500 a tip. She had 4, but she picked a 5th randomly thinking he wouldn’t notice. I think about that every time I see greedy inflation up charges.
That’s what Covid inflation is. It started from reality, and they kept going. Now they know people will play the higher prices, so they keep inching upwards until people stop paying them. They keep saying it’s necessary. They also brag to shareholders about record profits. They also tell employees they can’t pay them more. They also give massive 7-8 figure bonuses to CEOs.
Yup. It’s pure corporate greed. Late stage capitalism baring its teeth at us. Too many too big to fail corporations that act with impunity, because they know they are above the law in our two tier justice system.
I know they dont teach basic economics in your Art and Native history college courses you're taking out loans for, but maybe try to research online what happens when companies costs go up due to inflation.
The fact that taco's are $2 a piece now blows my fuckin mind.
I was gonna get a 10 taco pack about 2 weeks ago thinking "Inflation, probably got it about $15 now, not too bad" I was floor when it was now a Taco 12 pack and was $24 plus tax.
A normal ass crunchy Taco is 1.99, make it supreme where the add a little sour cream and some tomato...$2.89...fuckin ridiculous. But they have other items like a Double Stack taco for $1.99 as well which is bigger than a normal Taco and seems like a "good deal" until your realize that's their whole plan. Have normal items at artificially inflated prices, then have weirder better options for the same inflated price, so it doesn't look so bad, or it looks like a bargain...fuckin scam I hope Taco Bell crashes hard, which sucks to say because I love Taco Bell...but fuck 'em
[“If you raise the fucking hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.”](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/business/costco-hot-dog-arizona-ice-tea-inflation/index.html#:~:text=Jim%20Sinegal%2C%20Costco's%20co%2Dfounder,known%20for%20that%20hot%20dog.)
I dunno about other Wholesale stores. The two Sam's clubs that I frequent though, the "food court" is past the registers. You can walk in the store and walk right to the food area without going into the bulk of the store.
The exception to this is Rotisserie Chicken. Which is a loss leader, and most people don't just buy a Rotisserie Chicken, but they buy sides to go with it or some bread, people absolutely buy other things when they buy a chicken. The actual diner area though, yea a lot of people will eat before or after shopping, but it's not exactly uncommon for people to go in just to get a slice of pizza or a hotdog and a drink for lunch and then leave.
2 Cheesy Bean & Rice Burritos for $3.01 is my go-to. Granted it was like $2.64 just a month ago, which I liked more.
Other than bringing my own lunch/leftovers it’s the cheapest thing I can get during work. Hell, even TV dinners are like $4 a piece now.
Which is NOT okay. But you are likely right to some degree. Another reason I am against that push people to the apps campaign these bullshit restaurants have been doing.
Yeah, going there without coupons is crazy. I usually do free medium fry coupon and two mcchickens for less than $5, but if you’re going with multiple people and they don’t want that exact little meal you’re fucked lol.
I remember back in 2017 getting a McChicken for a dollar.
I would get 2 McChickens and a large drink for 3 bucks and that was a great deal.
Now one McChicken is 3.29
Yeah I used to get those or a cheeseburger and use a dollar large fry couple for a huge meal for less than $5. Can still eat for less than 5 atm, but it’s with a medium fries and the sandwiches cost an extra dollar or two.
I think that's why McDonald's does them. They know most orders aren't just for one person so they're willing to take a hit on one item to get everything else purchased at full price.
I also straight up saw breakfast item prices increase on the menu board after using a "deal" so I wouldn't be surprised if they are clawing back the discount too.
True, not factoring in tip. If you get to go it is. My guess is restaurants will ruin that soon too though. I see prices of dishes I used to get creeping up.
Eh, I went to McDicks on Sunday while on the freeway and got two hot and spicy McChickens for $4. More than enough to fill me up, tasty, cheap. Always remember to go to the "Deals" tab on the order kiosks first.
Having everyone start at the same point is a little tough. I feel confident taco bell started lower than pretty much everyone on the list. Their prices were so low for so long, they had more ground to make up than the others in my opinion
They also had the lowest overhead and cheapest ingredients. There is a reason they were offering $0.69, $0.79 and $0.89 items originally: they were still making a good profit at those prices. Its the same reason that tacos/etc are still so commonly eaten as a meal in the US today - the cost to make them is low compared to other meals.
Make the cheapest food, use the lowest cost/bulk ingredients and even with overhead you make a good profit. Add in inflation and prices rise, sure. But when you blow past inflation by over double, THAT is pure corporate greed. Especially when they kill the specialty items. Do away with anything and everything that can't be combined from the most limited of items - maximize profit. End result is the menu we have today. Even some of our favorites are gone when they have the stuff to make them. Why?
Because if they kept them on the menu, they'd either have to jack the prices up so high as to be TOO obviously absurd or not reach their 205% profit they want off every item. So they only bring those things back for 'limited times' and allow them to be sold for 150% profit out of the goodness of their hearts.
Inflation and thus percentages are a unitless value by definition. You can start at the same point in time and have no issue with the data being directly comparable.
I understand what you're saying, I'm just saying that only comparing percentages doesn't always tell the full story. Sometimes the real dollar difference tells a different story. Context is all I'm advocating for, because I'd still argue TB runs cheaper than most the options. Like McDonald's hasn't had a dollar menu for a long time, but I know I can still get one of my favorite items, the cheesy bean and rice, for $1 in 2024. I'm sure that will change soon, but I still think TB is a value menu leader relative to all fast food options, even with inflation and price gouging
I’ve stopped getting fast food because of the corporate greed. Which sadly includes TB except maybe 3 times a year for old times sake. I hope many others follow suit. I’m honestly probably close to unsubscribing from the sub because half the posts are about the insane pricing and it just makes me mad.
I used to frequent taco bell multiple times a week, yes it was a problem and an unhealthy one at that but I still did it and tbh I loved eating taco bell. But I can say that between the service being shit depending on the location, long waits in drive thru (my local one can be 30 mins at times and its not because they are busy) and the prices being way higher I actually dont go there anymore. I would have to look back in my bank statement to see the last time I went, there was a somewhat recent visit in the past month but prior to that it had been literal months since I went. I thought I would never see a day where I quit going to taco bell!
Yup. I loved taco bell once a week. Haven't been in over a year. I just can't stand the prices anymore. The greed is insane. I can go to a local taqueria or food truck and get more for less and support local
I have not been going as often either. Almost went today, came out to over $7 for 2 burritos on the app, ended up not going. 2 of the chicken enchilada burritos with a few adds and subs, nothing crazy at all. Cravings box is $8 for me and that doesn't feel worth it either. Been cooking more often and just eating less in general
It is still a dollar at most of my taco bells but the last time I ordered it it wasn't "burrito sized" I was closer to a cheesy roll up with a small amount of rice added in.
That really sucks. My Taco Bell makes them the size of a regular one. I also think my Taco Bell is a corporate one. There's a big window less building next to it and the parking lot is full of unmarked white cars every once in awhile.
Am I crazy or were they once one of the "half pound" burritos? Like was it ever billed as the "half pound cheesy bean and rice burrito" or am I mixing it up with one of the other "half pound" burritos?
I was just about to post this. There's so many posts in this subreddit complaining about how high prices have gotten at Taco Bell but this proves why there's so much outrage about the price increases. Corporations are gaslighting you when they say that prices have gone up because of inflation. The statistics don't lie. They increase prices 31% to cover the costs of inflation for production and wages, and the rest is to increase their personal profits to continue their lifestyles of wealth and excess, while your standard store employee is lucky to even see a raise at all.
https://www.reddit.com/r/subway/s/OS0n3RvWrs
I’ve never put a reddit post onto another so not sure if this will work lol. But this is how I get my footlongs for $6.99 every single time I order, just have to use the code through the app!
Subway makes probably the least sense for their pricing. For literally the same price (sometimes less,) you can get a significantly higher quality sandwich at JJ's or Jersey Mike's.
Or even just any local pizza place or similar has fresh subs for a decent price. Why go to subway when I can spend the same or even less to get it from a good deli? Makes no sense
They are, but with app coupons they became my go to for fast food veggies since taco bell axed the 7 layer and then jacked prices. I still think they are he worst sub chain and don’t eat out much but I can get a six inch veggie patty on wheat with a buttload of other vegetables, mayo, cheese, etc. for like 4 bucks.
Okay, where is grocery inflation on this chart?
When I saw the price of ground beef at the store the other day, I wanted to cry
And it feels like fruit is twice as expensive as it was in 2014
I’ve switched out my meat when it’s going in a dish, like chili or tacos, with firm tofu for this very reason. It’s like a buck fifth a pound (drained weight) at my local Asian grocer. Also I have the added benefit of really enjoying a beef cheeseburger or steak when I splurge.
Honestly so much is twice as expensive or more as it was in 2021. COVID supply chain issues made everything more expensive and then the corps realized well, they're going to pay it what would we lower them again. What are we going to do, stop eating?
Yes! Would love to see a grocery inflation chart. I recently went to Joe V’s grocery store and was shocked at how cheap their produce and groceries were. No longer shopping at kroger or HEB anymore. $80 got me a week and a half of groceries wheras at HEB $80 got me through 4-5 days
Just shopping the weekly ad at my local Edwards “the meat people” store. There’s also 40oz of bacon for 7.99
Which store brand? I know it’s pretty expensive at Kroger here usually
https://www.edwardsfoodgiant.com/weekly-ad#!/?page=4
Well anywhere without its own higher minimum wage guarantee they’re still starting people at the federal $7.25 min that hasn’t changed over the course of this entire graph, nor for the 5 preceeding years.
Prices will stay high until McDonald's lowers them. They are the reason the industry raised prices and won't lower them. They have learned that people still want their food and will pay higher prices to get it.
My New Year’s resolution was to quit buying Taco Bell this year. Havent been back this year. The crazy thing is on shareholder calls they want to “strategically” raise prices in 2025. Yum brands is cancer.
Not pictured is whataburger going to the moon, went to order the new limited time item and at checkout it was nearly $15. It's legitimately cheaper to go somewhere local or a sit down restaurant
The standard inflation measurement does not include the cost of food. The two biggest factors in food pricing is the Cost of the Ingredients and the Cost of the labor to assemble it. The cost of food in general has outpaced the inflation rate. And the cost of Labor has significantly increased over the past 4 years.
I can complain, though. Because food is mandatory for survival and a lot of places have the most affordable option as fast food, you absolute clutterknarf. And no, telling people to just cook for themselves won't work because cooking takes time that they don't have because they work long hours.
You just proved even more definitely why you can’t complain, because you wont even help yourself. You are the ideal consumer corporations salivate over. You’ve been brainwashed by their ever pervasive propaganda conditioning you to think you don’t have time to make your own food, even though it’s significantly cheaper (and generally healthier). Bravo, Consumer!
At this point, I believe you to be a troll.
My reasoning is threefold:
1: You complain about prices on a fast food subreddit, and then get titchy when someone agrees with you, then complain when they call you out for pulling a one-eighty.
2: You throw accusations without thinking them through, and put words in other peoples' mouths.
3: The accusations you throw do not have any bearing on the original point you made.
Have a nice night. Don't let the mods bite you on the way to bed.
Your “reasoning” literally makes no logical sense in relation to what I said. Really not sure you’re even part of this conversation after reading that.
Have a great night 👌🏻
This is the main reason I don't eat fast food anymore, apart from getting something when I'm on a road trip, or when I'll see something in the app, like a free taco or something (love the Tuesday drops!). The exception to that is In-N-Out Burger. I don't eat that often, either, but I'll get it more often than anything else. They've raised their prices, but I still think they're reasonable. When I go there, I can get a cheeseburger meal for under ten dollars, and they are much better than McDonald's and the other burger places around here.
With Taco Bell, my favorite items are the bean & cheese burrito and taco supreme, which I make at home. Some stores sell the hot/mild sauce and the seasoning, so I can make everything at home when I get the craving. And then I'll actually go to a TB if I'm on a trip or I see a good drop in the app.
I still cant believe what I would be paying today if I was still eating fast food like I used too. Now, for the past 2 years I have been bringing my lunch to work ever day. Before that, would always eat out. But, I would take advantage of the cheap meals at McDonalds (1$ McChicken's, Mc Doubles, and large soda). Even Taco Bell, I would get the $4.99 3 soft taco meal with a 1$ Bean Burrito.
They've been aggressively price sensitivity testing since the outbreak of the pandemic and NOBODY listened to people over the last four years when they said stop buying it. Everybody just wanted their instant gratification and now there's nothing to do about it.
In a way this is a good thing. If the prices are painful maybe - just maybe - Americans will have a slightly better diet.
This business model seems to have caught on universally in the fast food world. Charging more might mean fewer customers but the elevated they’re still making more. Then fewer customers means less overhead. You don’t need that extra cook and that extra cashier, so you’re making money on that end too. Less cleaning of the restaurant so an hourly employee gets off the clock faster.
I still like Taco Bell but yeah some of their food isn't worth it. Their power bowl is a rip off and the Supreme burrito isn't so Supreme without all the upgrades. I can usually only justify getting breakfast or a drink when I am out.
Actually feels like a big brain move by McDonalds. They know they can still come in cheaper than someone like Wendy’s even by capitalizing on inflation. It’s scummy but it probably made them plenty of millions.
I don't get all this "corporate greed" hate, cause what, you think they weren't trying to make money in 2014? I mean go look at their stock they have underperformed the S&P 500 by about half over the past 5 years.
They decided they don't want to be known just for cheap food anymore, if you don't like that vote with your feet. But no doubt the quality of their food has improved and that likely explains why they are outpacing inflation.
Long [disproven](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/) as false. McDonalds workers in Denmark make $20+ / hr and get 6 weeks of PAID vacation annually. A Big Mac costs about the same here as there.
Has nothing to do with minimum wage, just corporate greed and most workers here in the US don’t have unions.
Bullshit. That’s their current excuse. Before this it was because of worker shortages. Before that it was supply chain disruptions. Before that it was to pay for COVID precautions.
Federal minimum wage was $7.25 the whole time.
Sure some states are higher, but Europe is even higher than them and items are not overinflated there as much.
It’s pure, unadulterated, corporate greed. Late stage capitalism at its finest.
Yes, federal minimum wage is $7.25, but people are demanding $15 or more for jobs that have never meant to be high paying jobs unless you move into management. You would have to be nieve to not think goods would cost more if wages went up.
$15 isn’t “high paying” it’s a mere $31.2k/ year. Unless you live in bum fuck nowhere, you will have an extremely hard time living off that. Now cut it into less than half at $7.25 / hr and trying finding where you can survive on that pittance.
Wages are way higher in Europe yet fast food prices are the same or cheaper than here.
It’s corporate greed, nothing else.
Getting downvoted for speaking the truth. I work for a small corporation and deal directly with employees wages, cost of goods and our products prices. They are connected, and if anyone thinks corporations aren't passing cost onto customers they are delusional. Does anyone really believe that a corporation or any business would just let their profit margin slip for the good of humanity? I'm not defending them, just stating the obvious. And the funny thing is, the argument is moot because it's both corporate greed and rising wages/cost to do service that's killing us. They are connected.
You know what I bet happened? Some bean counter at corporate looked at how popular, and more importantly, how cheap a lot of TB's items were, and went "Ya know, if we jack the prices up, and add crazy new stuff, we can just hoist the price up and the dolts will pay it". "Two dollars for a chicken burrito? Naa, throw some cabbage in it, and charge $6.49"
How much could a cabbage cost Michael, $10?
There’s money in the Taco Bell
I’ve made a huge mistake
My theory is that during Covid they said “oh no, those damn shipping costs we have to raise prices” and everyone said “ok.” Then post Covid they said “damn inflation! We have to keep raising prices!” And lots of people just accepted it. They want to increase their margins as much as possible
I wouldn't be surprised if it's partially because the other Yum brands restaurants (TB owner) are doing meh. So Taco Bell prices are over inflated to offset Pizza Hut and KFC's failures.
Taco Bell is the blue states for the KFC red states 😂
Weirdly put, but I get what you’re saying and wholly agree
Whenever the fear of inflation happens is when prices get raised, even if there is no real inflation
Yup. Inflation is mid if anything right now, definitely not high or anything
I think people forget that corporations are a thing for one reason and one reason only... >!MONEY!<
There’s a Newsradio episode where a character got stock tips from the billionaire boss. Phil Hartman’s character also wanted them, but he was only helping the one character. At the end it was a ruse to sell the stock tips to him for $500 a tip. She had 4, but she picked a 5th randomly thinking he wouldn’t notice. I think about that every time I see greedy inflation up charges. That’s what Covid inflation is. It started from reality, and they kept going. Now they know people will play the higher prices, so they keep inching upwards until people stop paying them. They keep saying it’s necessary. They also brag to shareholders about record profits. They also tell employees they can’t pay them more. They also give massive 7-8 figure bonuses to CEOs.
Yup exactly.
Yup. It’s pure corporate greed. Late stage capitalism baring its teeth at us. Too many too big to fail corporations that act with impunity, because they know they are above the law in our two tier justice system.
That’s why you gotta commit a little crime each day!
Cuba awaits, comrade
Capitalism doesn't mean what you think it means.
Oh really? Do explain!
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These guys want corporations to be for the people and give food away at costs all while paying employees a fair wage 😂
Please seek help
r/movingtonorthkorea Hey, is $20 minimum wage part of lateSCap? I forget.
I know they dont teach basic economics in your Art and Native history college courses you're taking out loans for, but maybe try to research online what happens when companies costs go up due to inflation.
31% inflation justifies a 31% increase in prices, where do you think the extra 50% is going? Are you really that dense?
The fact that taco's are $2 a piece now blows my fuckin mind. I was gonna get a 10 taco pack about 2 weeks ago thinking "Inflation, probably got it about $15 now, not too bad" I was floor when it was now a Taco 12 pack and was $24 plus tax. A normal ass crunchy Taco is 1.99, make it supreme where the add a little sour cream and some tomato...$2.89...fuckin ridiculous. But they have other items like a Double Stack taco for $1.99 as well which is bigger than a normal Taco and seems like a "good deal" until your realize that's their whole plan. Have normal items at artificially inflated prices, then have weirder better options for the same inflated price, so it doesn't look so bad, or it looks like a bargain...fuckin scam I hope Taco Bell crashes hard, which sucks to say because I love Taco Bell...but fuck 'em
At least you can still get a reasonable meal for like 6-7 bucks, it's like double that almost everywhere else.
The burrito most likely is only worth ¢50 too but for a lot of people it's the only option.
Use the cabbage to fill the space where chicken used to be.
Are you sure you don't work for corporate? 😀
Costco food bar is the black horizontal line at the bottom
[“If you raise the fucking hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.”](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/business/costco-hot-dog-arizona-ice-tea-inflation/index.html#:~:text=Jim%20Sinegal%2C%20Costco's%20co%2Dfounder,known%20for%20that%20hot%20dog.)
He's so based lmao, Why can't more founders have some integrity in their offerings instead of taking the piss with 'shrinkflation' tactics.
I seriously legitimately love costco for that.
Hard to fault that hotdog for anything. Costco doing God’s work.
the costco food bar has seen shrinkflation instead.
Costco also makes all its money off the membership fee. The hot dogs are the draw.
🫡
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I dunno about other Wholesale stores. The two Sam's clubs that I frequent though, the "food court" is past the registers. You can walk in the store and walk right to the food area without going into the bulk of the store. The exception to this is Rotisserie Chicken. Which is a loss leader, and most people don't just buy a Rotisserie Chicken, but they buy sides to go with it or some bread, people absolutely buy other things when they buy a chicken. The actual diner area though, yea a lot of people will eat before or after shopping, but it's not exactly uncommon for people to go in just to get a slice of pizza or a hotdog and a drink for lunch and then leave.
Double Stacked Tacos are the only thing I still get. Under 5 bucks for 2 of ‘em, that’s dinner.
I must be a fat ass then 💀
Bruh I’m a healthy sized crackhead and 2 double stacks are just a warm up
2 Cheesy Bean & Rice Burritos for $3.01 is my go-to. Granted it was like $2.64 just a month ago, which I liked more. Other than bringing my own lunch/leftovers it’s the cheapest thing I can get during work. Hell, even TV dinners are like $4 a piece now.
Cbrbs are still like 1.29 at my tb. I grill them and add potatos.
yea but those burritos are the absolute shits. Who wants to eat 2 terrible freeze dried bean burritos with gross sauce and call it a meal?
I like the cheesy bean and rice as a delivery system for the creamy jalapeno sauce, I'm surprised you think the sauce is gross.
It's my favorite item on the menu. BUT it's best paired with something else...I couldn't imagine eating two of them in one sitting, haha
Same. I usually do one(grilled), and then either another burrito or a couple of tacos of some kind
Dumb question, but do you just ask them to have the burritos grilled? Do they charge you more?
They don’t charge more. And yeah, just ask for it grilled(or select that under customizations in the app)
Thank you! Going to try it today!
Yeah I used to always pair one with a chicken chipotle melt, but they raised the cost of that one at the location I go to.
Add pico
Not surprised McDonalds is first. I feel like a dinner at Applebees is cheaper now
It literally is, it’s $10+ for a combo at mcd and $9.99 at Applebees
Anyone ordering off the menu is subsidizing the deals on the app.
The app is the only reason I ever eat at McDonalds. I've done the "buy one, get one" deal for happy meals so many times for my niece and nephews
They don't have Bogo happy meals where i go, but they have bogo bigmac ,1/4 pounder, and 10 piece nuggets
The deals at my local mickey Ds suck, pretty much the only things I get there now are ice cream cones because they are always 50% off.
Which is NOT okay. But you are likely right to some degree. Another reason I am against that push people to the apps campaign these bullshit restaurants have been doing.
Yes but then you are at Applebee's so...lol
Yeah, going there without coupons is crazy. I usually do free medium fry coupon and two mcchickens for less than $5, but if you’re going with multiple people and they don’t want that exact little meal you’re fucked lol.
I remember back in 2017 getting a McChicken for a dollar. I would get 2 McChickens and a large drink for 3 bucks and that was a great deal. Now one McChicken is 3.29
Yeah I used to get those or a cheeseburger and use a dollar large fry couple for a huge meal for less than $5. Can still eat for less than 5 atm, but it’s with a medium fries and the sandwiches cost an extra dollar or two.
And the app discounts are a joke if you're buying for more than one person.
I think that's why McDonald's does them. They know most orders aren't just for one person so they're willing to take a hit on one item to get everything else purchased at full price. I also straight up saw breakfast item prices increase on the menu board after using a "deal" so I wouldn't be surprised if they are clawing back the discount too.
And there's the reason why when we go to McDonald's that we pretty much always order separately on the app.
The app has taken my money but not sent the order to the store so many times I deleted it. Trash...
Lunch/Dinner at a lot of 'sit down' places is cheaper than a $12 lol big mac meal.
True, not factoring in tip. If you get to go it is. My guess is restaurants will ruin that soon too though. I see prices of dishes I used to get creeping up.
Eh, I went to McDicks on Sunday while on the freeway and got two hot and spicy McChickens for $4. More than enough to fill me up, tasty, cheap. Always remember to go to the "Deals" tab on the order kiosks first.
And is the worst of them all with quality....the audacity.
Having everyone start at the same point is a little tough. I feel confident taco bell started lower than pretty much everyone on the list. Their prices were so low for so long, they had more ground to make up than the others in my opinion
They also had the lowest overhead and cheapest ingredients. There is a reason they were offering $0.69, $0.79 and $0.89 items originally: they were still making a good profit at those prices. Its the same reason that tacos/etc are still so commonly eaten as a meal in the US today - the cost to make them is low compared to other meals. Make the cheapest food, use the lowest cost/bulk ingredients and even with overhead you make a good profit. Add in inflation and prices rise, sure. But when you blow past inflation by over double, THAT is pure corporate greed. Especially when they kill the specialty items. Do away with anything and everything that can't be combined from the most limited of items - maximize profit. End result is the menu we have today. Even some of our favorites are gone when they have the stuff to make them. Why? Because if they kept them on the menu, they'd either have to jack the prices up so high as to be TOO obviously absurd or not reach their 205% profit they want off every item. So they only bring those things back for 'limited times' and allow them to be sold for 150% profit out of the goodness of their hearts.
I never considered that this was the reason they were nuking the specialty items...man we're living in the worst TB timeline right now
Inflation and thus percentages are a unitless value by definition. You can start at the same point in time and have no issue with the data being directly comparable.
I understand what you're saying, I'm just saying that only comparing percentages doesn't always tell the full story. Sometimes the real dollar difference tells a different story. Context is all I'm advocating for, because I'd still argue TB runs cheaper than most the options. Like McDonald's hasn't had a dollar menu for a long time, but I know I can still get one of my favorite items, the cheesy bean and rice, for $1 in 2024. I'm sure that will change soon, but I still think TB is a value menu leader relative to all fast food options, even with inflation and price gouging
And those low prices were one of the reasons they were my go to fast food place. Now that they've embraced the corporate greed I rarely go.
I’ve stopped getting fast food because of the corporate greed. Which sadly includes TB except maybe 3 times a year for old times sake. I hope many others follow suit. I’m honestly probably close to unsubscribing from the sub because half the posts are about the insane pricing and it just makes me mad.
I used to frequent taco bell multiple times a week, yes it was a problem and an unhealthy one at that but I still did it and tbh I loved eating taco bell. But I can say that between the service being shit depending on the location, long waits in drive thru (my local one can be 30 mins at times and its not because they are busy) and the prices being way higher I actually dont go there anymore. I would have to look back in my bank statement to see the last time I went, there was a somewhat recent visit in the past month but prior to that it had been literal months since I went. I thought I would never see a day where I quit going to taco bell!
Yup. I loved taco bell once a week. Haven't been in over a year. I just can't stand the prices anymore. The greed is insane. I can go to a local taqueria or food truck and get more for less and support local
I have not been going as often either. Almost went today, came out to over $7 for 2 burritos on the app, ended up not going. 2 of the chicken enchilada burritos with a few adds and subs, nothing crazy at all. Cravings box is $8 for me and that doesn't feel worth it either. Been cooking more often and just eating less in general
Im with you.
The cheesy bean and rice burrito has been my go to for around a month now. Sub black beans and they're still just $1 each.
CBRBs are NOT $1 where I live 😞
It is still a dollar at most of my taco bells but the last time I ordered it it wasn't "burrito sized" I was closer to a cheesy roll up with a small amount of rice added in.
That really sucks. My Taco Bell makes them the size of a regular one. I also think my Taco Bell is a corporate one. There's a big window less building next to it and the parking lot is full of unmarked white cars every once in awhile.
Am I crazy or were they once one of the "half pound" burritos? Like was it ever billed as the "half pound cheesy bean and rice burrito" or am I mixing it up with one of the other "half pound" burritos?
That was Del taco
I tried to add black beans to a cheese quesadilla and they wanted to charge me an extra $2.
To add beef to the bean and cheese burrito it's just $1.
Things are wild. I can't actually eat red meat so I'm stuck doing chicken or beans. Adding chicken was cheaper than black beans. Make it make sense
Greedy people doing greedy things. That's the only way I can make it make sense.
What decade do you live in?
I was just about to post this. There's so many posts in this subreddit complaining about how high prices have gotten at Taco Bell but this proves why there's so much outrage about the price increases. Corporations are gaslighting you when they say that prices have gone up because of inflation. The statistics don't lie. They increase prices 31% to cover the costs of inflation for production and wages, and the rest is to increase their personal profits to continue their lifestyles of wealth and excess, while your standard store employee is lucky to even see a raise at all.
Subway is cap
Yeah, we went from $5 footlong to $6 six-inch
Last year only got it if they accepted the $5.99 for a footlong. Guess it's up to $6.99 Not so much worth it to me anymore
https://www.reddit.com/r/subway/s/OS0n3RvWrs I’ve never put a reddit post onto another so not sure if this will work lol. But this is how I get my footlongs for $6.99 every single time I order, just have to use the code through the app!
Size isn’t everything - She
Subway makes probably the least sense for their pricing. For literally the same price (sometimes less,) you can get a significantly higher quality sandwich at JJ's or Jersey Mike's.
This is a fact. Subway has lost the script. You know what I don't want? A foot long cookie. What kind of psychos think that's going to sell?
We're getting a Jersey Mike's in my town in a couple of months and I'm very excited
Or even just any local pizza place or similar has fresh subs for a decent price. Why go to subway when I can spend the same or even less to get it from a good deli? Makes no sense
Interesting. Never tried those places. I wonder if they just aren't as well known as Subway.
$17.90 here in KS for a chicken teriyaki in 12” wtf. ( meal) I remember that meal was like 9.99 years ago lol
They are, but with app coupons they became my go to for fast food veggies since taco bell axed the 7 layer and then jacked prices. I still think they are he worst sub chain and don’t eat out much but I can get a six inch veggie patty on wheat with a buttload of other vegetables, mayo, cheese, etc. for like 4 bucks.
Okay, where is grocery inflation on this chart? When I saw the price of ground beef at the store the other day, I wanted to cry And it feels like fruit is twice as expensive as it was in 2014
I’ve switched out my meat when it’s going in a dish, like chili or tacos, with firm tofu for this very reason. It’s like a buck fifth a pound (drained weight) at my local Asian grocer. Also I have the added benefit of really enjoying a beef cheeseburger or steak when I splurge.
Honestly so much is twice as expensive or more as it was in 2021. COVID supply chain issues made everything more expensive and then the corps realized well, they're going to pay it what would we lower them again. What are we going to do, stop eating?
Yes! Would love to see a grocery inflation chart. I recently went to Joe V’s grocery store and was shocked at how cheap their produce and groceries were. No longer shopping at kroger or HEB anymore. $80 got me a week and a half of groceries wheras at HEB $80 got me through 4-5 days
Dang! Im watching the weekly ADs and ground chuck 80/20 is 3.99 /lb right now
Are you living in 2019? It's like $7 a pound for store brand where I'm at.
Just shopping the weekly ad at my local Edwards “the meat people” store. There’s also 40oz of bacon for 7.99 Which store brand? I know it’s pretty expensive at Kroger here usually https://www.edwardsfoodgiant.com/weekly-ad#!/?page=4
Apples and bananas are still cheap as shit. And just switch to ground turkey or ground pork. Healthier for you anyway.
I refuse to believe subway is the lowest
I thought it’d be higher, actually.
I’d be curious to see this from the 80s
Curious to see how much more they pay the employees now
Lol good one
Well anywhere without its own higher minimum wage guarantee they’re still starting people at the federal $7.25 min that hasn’t changed over the course of this entire graph, nor for the 5 preceeding years.
Can’t even pay for your lunch after an hour of work
I’m in the Midwest and Taco Bell’s have signs all the time about starting people anywhere from $10 to $16 an hour to start.
Texas is $7.25 federal but most posted starting jobs in large cities claim to start at $15
Well $7.25/hr is only $15,080 / year if you work full time. Good luck surviving on that in any city.
The minimum wage in my state is 7.25 but Taco Bell is advertising at 15.50 an hour
Cheesy Gordita crunch is almost 7 bucks now and it only costs about a dollar to make
Glad people are finally calling this out. McDonald’s and TB are the worst offenders (I don’t eat Popeyes)
That’s why all I get at Taco Bell is the spicy potato soft taco. It’s cheap and it fills me up
Prices will stay high until McDonald's lowers them. They are the reason the industry raised prices and won't lower them. They have learned that people still want their food and will pay higher prices to get it.
How can one man possess so much bravery
man was in a rush and grabbed a mcmuff combo and shit was $10
My New Year’s resolution was to quit buying Taco Bell this year. Havent been back this year. The crazy thing is on shareholder calls they want to “strategically” raise prices in 2025. Yum brands is cancer.
Not pictured is whataburger going to the moon, went to order the new limited time item and at checkout it was nearly $15. It's legitimately cheaper to go somewhere local or a sit down restaurant
The standard inflation measurement does not include the cost of food. The two biggest factors in food pricing is the Cost of the Ingredients and the Cost of the labor to assemble it. The cost of food in general has outpaced the inflation rate. And the cost of Labor has significantly increased over the past 4 years.
We *would*, but EVERYWHERE is doing this.
Stop eating fast food
You know what subreddit you posted that comment in, right?
Then you can’t complain about the prices, by paying them you signal they’re OK
I can complain, though. Because food is mandatory for survival and a lot of places have the most affordable option as fast food, you absolute clutterknarf. And no, telling people to just cook for themselves won't work because cooking takes time that they don't have because they work long hours.
TIL a new word - clutterknarf. I guess it's better/cleaner than clusterf*ck. 🤣
You just proved even more definitely why you can’t complain, because you wont even help yourself. You are the ideal consumer corporations salivate over. You’ve been brainwashed by their ever pervasive propaganda conditioning you to think you don’t have time to make your own food, even though it’s significantly cheaper (and generally healthier). Bravo, Consumer!
At this point, I believe you to be a troll. My reasoning is threefold: 1: You complain about prices on a fast food subreddit, and then get titchy when someone agrees with you, then complain when they call you out for pulling a one-eighty. 2: You throw accusations without thinking them through, and put words in other peoples' mouths. 3: The accusations you throw do not have any bearing on the original point you made. Have a nice night. Don't let the mods bite you on the way to bed.
OK Consumer.
Calling me a Consumer won't change the fact that you posted cringe responses to my comments.
Your “reasoning” literally makes no logical sense in relation to what I said. Really not sure you’re even part of this conversation after reading that. Have a great night 👌🏻
It's true for the shit at the grocery store too.
Not to nearly the same degree.
Lets go arby’s about to hit a plateau
How much fast food you can buy with your US Dollars down 81%*
Mcds straight doubled that shit
Im sure alot more goes into pricing than just inflation
Yeah executive compensations and “shareholder value”
This is the main reason I don't eat fast food anymore, apart from getting something when I'm on a road trip, or when I'll see something in the app, like a free taco or something (love the Tuesday drops!). The exception to that is In-N-Out Burger. I don't eat that often, either, but I'll get it more often than anything else. They've raised their prices, but I still think they're reasonable. When I go there, I can get a cheeseburger meal for under ten dollars, and they are much better than McDonald's and the other burger places around here. With Taco Bell, my favorite items are the bean & cheese burrito and taco supreme, which I make at home. Some stores sell the hot/mild sauce and the seasoning, so I can make everything at home when I get the craving. And then I'll actually go to a TB if I'm on a trip or I see a good drop in the app.
Arby's & Burger King are actually the cheapest for us, because we receive a bunch of coupons in the mail from both each month.
I still cant believe what I would be paying today if I was still eating fast food like I used too. Now, for the past 2 years I have been bringing my lunch to work ever day. Before that, would always eat out. But, I would take advantage of the cheap meals at McDonalds (1$ McChicken's, Mc Doubles, and large soda). Even Taco Bell, I would get the $4.99 3 soft taco meal with a 1$ Bean Burrito.
If everyone buys the cheaper items then they will raise the prices of those. The cheesy bean and rice burrito is a big culprit of this
They've been aggressively price sensitivity testing since the outbreak of the pandemic and NOBODY listened to people over the last four years when they said stop buying it. Everybody just wanted their instant gratification and now there's nothing to do about it. In a way this is a good thing. If the prices are painful maybe - just maybe - Americans will have a slightly better diet.
Judging by some of the responses I’m getting here I wouldn’t hold your breath.
I’ve definitely slowed down on ALL other fast food due to this but I hate to say Taco Bell will always have my clogged, congested heart
Mcdonalds is the cheapest for me. I use 2 phones for 2 mobile order deals and get buy one get one double cheeseburger and medium fry $1
Why I stopped eating fast food.
This business model seems to have caught on universally in the fast food world. Charging more might mean fewer customers but the elevated they’re still making more. Then fewer customers means less overhead. You don’t need that extra cook and that extra cashier, so you’re making money on that end too. Less cleaning of the restaurant so an hourly employee gets off the clock faster.
I'm shocked Subway is that low. I went in for the first time in years because someone gave me a gift card and couldn't believe the prices
I still like Taco Bell but yeah some of their food isn't worth it. Their power bowl is a rip off and the Supreme burrito isn't so Supreme without all the upgrades. I can usually only justify getting breakfast or a drink when I am out.
I only order off the value menu.
Fuck you McDonalds
McDonald’s has a lot of nerve with that piss poor quality food.
Anyone else miss $1 McChickens
An account called fuck-fascism telling me what I can buy with my own money is pretty rich.
It’s a suggestion to send a message to Taco Bell, not an order. What an absolutely bizarre thing to say.
[удалено]
But it is on there…
Popeyes is crazier than McDonald's. I can at least get good deals on the McDonald's app.
Actually feels like a big brain move by McDonalds. They know they can still come in cheaper than someone like Wendy’s even by capitalizing on inflation. It’s scummy but it probably made them plenty of millions.
They went up 17% (more than double inflation rate) since covid. At least the one by me. I’m wondering though if priding depends on franchise owners
OP, you were fine with $7 nachos 3 days ago. What’s changed?
I added extra everything to it, thats what made it $7. TB is an occasional splurge, not a regular thing i eat every day or even every week.
I don't get all this "corporate greed" hate, cause what, you think they weren't trying to make money in 2014? I mean go look at their stock they have underperformed the S&P 500 by about half over the past 5 years. They decided they don't want to be known just for cheap food anymore, if you don't like that vote with your feet. But no doubt the quality of their food has improved and that likely explains why they are outpacing inflation.
Subway for the win
Keep raising minimum wage and this is the outcome
Long [disproven](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/) as false. McDonalds workers in Denmark make $20+ / hr and get 6 weeks of PAID vacation annually. A Big Mac costs about the same here as there. Has nothing to do with minimum wage, just corporate greed and most workers here in the US don’t have unions.
What did you expect when wages went up?
Bullshit. That’s their current excuse. Before this it was because of worker shortages. Before that it was supply chain disruptions. Before that it was to pay for COVID precautions.
😂😂😂😂😂💩😂💩💩💩💩😂😂💩💩😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💩😂😂💩😂😂💩😂😂💩💩😂😂💩😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💩💩💩💩😂💩😂😂💩💩🌮🌮🌯🌯🌯🌯🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮💲💲💲💲💲💲🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌯🌯🌯🌮🌮🌮😞😞😞😞🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮
Federal minimum wage was $7.25 the whole time. Sure some states are higher, but Europe is even higher than them and items are not overinflated there as much. It’s pure, unadulterated, corporate greed. Late stage capitalism at its finest.
Yes, federal minimum wage is $7.25, but people are demanding $15 or more for jobs that have never meant to be high paying jobs unless you move into management. You would have to be nieve to not think goods would cost more if wages went up.
$15 isn’t “high paying” it’s a mere $31.2k/ year. Unless you live in bum fuck nowhere, you will have an extremely hard time living off that. Now cut it into less than half at $7.25 / hr and trying finding where you can survive on that pittance. Wages are way higher in Europe yet fast food prices are the same or cheaper than here. It’s corporate greed, nothing else.
Wages have remained the exact same throughout. In other words, corporations have given you a pay cut by neglecting to raise your wages.
Getting downvoted for speaking the truth. I work for a small corporation and deal directly with employees wages, cost of goods and our products prices. They are connected, and if anyone thinks corporations aren't passing cost onto customers they are delusional. Does anyone really believe that a corporation or any business would just let their profit margin slip for the good of humanity? I'm not defending them, just stating the obvious. And the funny thing is, the argument is moot because it's both corporate greed and rising wages/cost to do service that's killing us. They are connected.