McDonald's Pricing

[Ben]

I haven't really done fast food in a long while and not McDonald's in over a year. I'm just finishing up road tripping picking up my dad and taking him back home.

On a standard road trip, I do a stop and go at McDonalds for their crappy dried up burgers that won't spill on me as I eat them while I drive. I also do a stop and eat at the In and Out. I have a standard meal:

McD's: Double quarter pounder meal, large, and a filet o' fish.
In and Out: Double Double, cheeseburger, fries, all animal style, and a large drink.

These both generally run ~$12. Except this year the McD's was $17. What?!? I'm paying $5 more for the crappy food than the fresh food? This is outrageous!

[zxcvbob]

I haven't really done fast food in a long while and not McDonald's in over a year. I'm just finishing up road tripping picking up my dad and taking him back home.

On a standard road trip, I do a stop and go at McDonalds for their crappy dried up burgers that won't spill on me as I eat them while I drive. I also do a stop and eat at the In and Out. I have a standard meal:

McD's: Double quarter pounder meal, large, and a filet o' fish.
In and Out: Double Double, cheeseburger, fries, all animal style, and a large drink.

These both generally run ~$12. Except this year the McD's was $17. What?!? I'm paying $5 more for the crappy food than the fresh food? This is outrageous!

I only do McD's on road trips, and then it's usually just coffee, an ice cream cone, and use the restroom.  I don't get their burgers often enough to have an opinion.

I get burgers at BK; the two Whopper Jr. meal.  Or sometimes Wendy's and order from the dollar menu (which isn't a dollar anymore)   What I've noticed that is relevant is the Whopper Jr. has gotten a *lot* smaller.  It's almost just a slider now.

[Perd Hapley]

Given your "standard meal" Ben, I think McDonalds is just trying to help you spend all of your money before you die next year. 

[Ben]

Given your "standard meal" Ben, I think McDonalds is just trying to help you spend all of your money before you die next year. 

 

[Hawkmoon]

It's the fish filet at McD's that ran your price up. It seems the world has over-fished the oceans and white fish is now selling at a premium.

Next time you hit McD's make the order like your In-and-Out order and substitute a cheeseburger for the fish filet and see how the price compares.

[Hawkmoon]

I get burgers at BK; the two Whopper Jr. meal.  Or sometimes Wendy's and order from the dollar menu (which isn't a dollar anymore)   What I've noticed that is relevant is the Whopper Jr. has gotten a *lot* smaller.  It's almost just a slider now.

I noticed that a long time ago, and I gave up on the Whopper Jr. several years ago.

It has now become academic. The Burger King I usually frequented was next door to the Lowe's home center. I went to Lowe's last week and noticed that the BK has closed, and they are ripping out the connector between the two parking lots. That particular BK wasn't in a great location, despite being next to Lowe's. It's on a high traffic state road, but the entrance is off a side street so it's not easy-off, easy-on. I think when the dining room closed due to COVID-19, the drive-through wasn't generating enough business to keep them going.

[K Frame]

Mc'D's Fillet O Mystery Fish is my absolute fast food kryptonite. I could eat them every day, multiple times a day.

Normally I only stop at a fast food place while on the road, mainly to/back from Castle Key's place. I'll stop at the BK because, even through Covid, their interior was open so I could use it as a piss stop. The McD's was only doing drive through. And, the BK is right next to the Sheetz where I can get gas if I need to.

Only, last time I was through... the Sheetz' had been leveled. They were rebuilding the store to the new footprint.

Oh, and BK, last time I was through, was having their two for $6 sandwich deal, so I got two Impossible Whoppers. Damned things are actually pretty good.

[zahc]

1-2 years ago I was buying 7/16 OSB for $9/sheet. Right now, if you can find it in stock, it's $17-19. C'est la pandémie, hein.

[charby]

Do you destroy the rest stop after all that fat?

[AZRedhawk44]

The quality of food at the big fast food chains pales in comparison to the quality of food you can get at a sit-n-eat establishment.  And the rise in price at the fast food joints has put their prices on parity with a decent pub-n-grub.

All that "fight for $15" has done is reduce the customer base at fast food, and driven them to neighborhood bars.  The servers there make around $15 an hour through tips, the establishment provides better food for the same cost, and the aholes at McDonalds that put unmelted cheese lopsidedly on your smushed burger don't get a piece of it at all.

[K Frame]

1-2 years ago I was buying 7/16 OSB for $9/sheet. Right now, if you can find it in stock, it's $17-19.

Lumber prices are absolutely insane right now.

[MechAg94]

I don't typically get the double meat burgers, but the basic combo meal is $8 to $10 depending on if you supersize everything.  Most local burger places here end up at $10 to $12 depending on if you get the special.  They often have better fries too. 

[Nick1911]

Fast food prices have gone insane.  We don't eat out much, but when we do usually I order a meal, and the Mrs gets a sandwich ala carte.  We split the drink and side from my meal.  At Burger King, this was $19.  It was close to that at an arby's.

When it's just me and I need a quick bite when I'm doing an HVAC install or whatever, I do taco bell.  They usually have a $5 meal which is decent.  Lately I've been getting 4x Nacho Crunch Double Stacked Taco.  This costs $4 + tax.

[charby]

Lumber prices are absolutely insane right now.

Yep with all the covid projects and now decherco it's going to spike. I paid $62 for 16 7' studs last weekend to finish out a wall in my basement.

[MechAg94]

Fast food prices have gone insane.  We don't eat out much, but when we do usually I order a meal, and the Mrs gets a sandwich ala carte.  We split the drink and side from my meal.  At Burger King, this was $19.  It was close to that at an arby's.

When it's just me and I need a quick bite when I'm doing an HVAC install or whatever, I do taco bell.  They usually have a $5 meal which is decent.  Lately I've been getting 4x Nacho Crunch Double Stacked Taco.  This costs $4 + tax.

I think people look for cheaper alternatives in general.  One place not far away serves a decent breakfast taco in the morning.  I can get two of those and a drink for ~$6 and eat enough I don't need to eat at lunch. 

[K Frame]

"I paid $62 for 16 7' studs "

 

[zxcvbob]

Yep with all the covid projects and now decherco it's going to spike. I paid $62 for 16 7' studs last weekend to finish out a wall in my basement.

I like the sliders at Arby's.  Especially between 14:00 and 17:00 when they are $1 apiece.  I quite often get two of them and a small order of fries (and a glass of water) for lunch.

As small as they are, the Whopper Jr.s are still a good deal if you have the coupon where they are $3.99 for two, including 2 small orders of fries.

The best burger in town is at a sit-down place for $12 (the price just went up) with fries.  And they are good fries.  I get that about once or twice a month, and it's so big it is hard to finish.

[Ben]

Do you destroy the rest stop after all that fat?

My kraut Arian stomach processed the food more efficiently  than yours.

On a side note I'm sitting in the griddle, my favorite breakfast joint in winnemucca, and it sure is nice having the place only 25% full. Now on to my ham steak and eggs...

[Larry Ashcraft]

Fun Fact: In the 60s and 70s (maybe later) McDonald's used the best ground beef they could buy.  They just didn't give you much of it.  Their .15 burgers were .97 lb, so they got 97 patties out of 10 lbs of beef.

I worked in a bowling alley in the late 60s while in college.  We ground our own beef using round steak and brisket.  One night, we were running out of ground beef, so we called the McD's a block away, and they sold us 20 lbs.  It was very good hamburger, but we had to put three patties together to make one of ours.

[HankB]

There are rumors that one fast food giant is now using organic beef in their hamburgers, hence the higher cost.

Of course, their definition of "organic" may not be the same as yours - I've heard it just means the cattle died of natural causes.

[MillCreek]

Ben, is that ketchup that I see on the ham?

[K Frame]

Judging by the color, that's hot sauce on the ham.

[French G.]

The MCD quarter pounder is one of the better burgers out there since they switched to fresh beef. The weak link is the bun and possibly the employees. A Wendy’s 4oz burger is very good and completely different beef from the 2oz value burgers. Place I worked we have had a lot of burgers through as test product while figuring out how to eliminate the $15/hour idiot.

[MechAg94]

Fun Fact: In the 60s and 70s (maybe later) McDonald's used the best ground beef they could buy.  They just didn't give you much of it.  Their .15 burgers were .97 lb, so they got 97 patties out of 10 lbs of beef.

I worked in a bowling alley in the late 60s while in college.  We ground our own beef using round steak and brisket.  One night, we were running out of ground beef, so we called the McD's a block away, and they sold us 20 lbs.  It was very good hamburger, but we had to put three patties together to make one of ours.

If it was good beef and not expensive, I wouldn't mind a thin paddy. 

I also forget that McD's still has the cheap sausage biscuits at breakfast.

[charby]

My kraut Arian stomach processed the food more efficiently  than yours.

On a side note I'm sitting in the griddle, my favorite breakfast joint in winnemucca, and it sure is nice having the place only 25% full. Now on to my ham steak and eggs...

That  would fill me up for the day.