Why Has Fast-Food Gotten So Expensive?
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
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Sticker shock at the drive-thru window is real! In this episode, I break down why fast-food prices are up and share tips for keeping eating on the go budget-friendly. Plus, you'll find out my favorite affordable meal for when I'm in a pinch.
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If you love yourself enough to care about your finances, you love yourself enough to also stop eating fast food and start preparing healthy meals at home.
❤ this
even if it's a cold can of tomato soup, it's better deal on so many levels
Amen!
100%
Fast food is expensive, and NOT FAST...
I have gotten a little “get off my lawn“ about tipping. Yes, I will tip if a server brings me my food drinks, and whatever else I need, but I refuse to tip when I go up to the counter, make the order, pick up the order, and then bring it to my own table. Especially, when I know that the fast food employee is making $20 an hour!
Yup. I absolutely don’t feel guilty for pressing the 0% tip button if I have to pay before I eat, except for buffet.
i quit going anywhere that involves a tip.
really simples up life.
unless you tip yourself, why would you give
money to a person that has not done any work?
carrying the work of the cook and bagger to the
front counter is not work...
@@user-yb5bg8im5g We’ve pretty much done the same. Lot less stressful and more peaceful.
We like using Costco prepared meals for our "eating out." It's yummy and half the price.
That's what I'm always saying to my kids. We love a ten minute drive from fast food. Twenty minutes driving plus waiting time is more than if I just cooked at home.
That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing
Last time I checked, their pizza is literally like $10 for a whole 18" too, and it's pretty delicious. Don't even need to have a membership to get one either. Such a good hack
@@sethcarlisle7330 Yep, yep!!! Love it!
Knowing how to cook is a very good skill to have indeed.
Remember the dollar menu.
What dollar menu?
Thats a thing of the past 😢
Remember the Alamo 😅
Biggie Bag ☠️
The other thing to try to do is to not be so picky..
In that I mean, if you are grabbing fast food, and they have a meal deal for $5-$7, but you want the fancier meal deal for $12, just get the less expensive one... It's just fast food... ;-)
Do I like a Big Mac from time to time? Yeah? But if that meal is going to cost me twice as much as a double cheeseburger meal, I'm picking the double cheeseburger meal...
Who remembers the 19 cent cheeseburgers in the mid-90s at McDonald's? My buddy would by 25 cheeseburgers every Saturday for around $5.
One word: Costco. The best value for food, including their pre-made meals / easy-to-heat-up meals!
I also do have the rewards app for a LOT of the fast food places and any casual food place I like / can see myself returning to. Taking advantage of their deals, birthday freebies, etc. is very satisfying and saves money!
Instead of buying ice cream at Dairy Queen or restaurant I just bought a gallon of store brand ice cream, smuckers hot fudge topping for $9.48. I will have more than 1 serving, plus I will add fresh fruit I already have at home & DH can make milkshakes. Definitely a $ saver
make it a treat that does NOT break the bank or the budget.
so many times i have been tempted driving by a dq, then i remind myself i have the fixins in my house...
We eat at home, and pack snacks on the go❤
My wife and I don't necessarily patronize fast food establishments. Here is what we do in Arizona.
1) we patronize mom and pop restaurants more.
2) we patronize regional and local providers more
3) we are careful about tipping and where we tip. We tip where appropriate...but not necessarily in the drive thru.
4) if we eat out, we are most likely not in the USA. Tipping cultures vary around the world.
5) we cook at home more.
6) we don't shop at Whole (paycheck) Foods. We are more likely to shop at a local no label market....maybe a regional name market.
7) we shop and purchase at ethnic markets...same great stuff but better prices.
8) we bring our lunch to work
9) we buy store brands...not national brands
10) we look at unit price...not just the full price.
11) we have done away with subscriptions
12) we coupon clip.
These are some of the things we do to pay out less money, snd still eat healthy.
This is what happens during inflation and people having to pay higher minimum wages.
Example: my two kids and I got lunch at (what used to be affordable) Taco 🌮 Bell 🔔 last week and it cost me $47!!!!
I told my kids we can no longer afford to eat there, and we will not be returning, but they can go once they get jobs and pay for themselves, if they want.
It would have been more affordable to eat at Chipotle with better ingredients, no less. 😅
In the mid to late nineties, you could get $.39 crunchy tacos 🌮 at TB on Sundays and Tuesdays and $.49 Tacos and bean burritos any other day.
I sure miss those prices!
Plain crunchy tacos are over $2 now 🤦🏼♂️…not worth it
Plus, they’ve been making the tacos skimpy for years now. When I was the kid, a taco had equal amounts of meat, lettuce, and cheese, and it was full.
Yes, I just spent $62 at Burger King yesterday and told the kids never again! 😅
Someone came up with this tipping policy: If I’m standing up, the proper tip amount is 0%.
Their insights are great but I’d also add that on top the expensive food is these days you also have to pay even more expensive delivery service. So one single burger that cost less than $10 few years ago today easily cost $20+. That is just insane
Online clothing boutiques I have seen asking a tip at checkout um NO! I am paying to ship the item to me. Paying your overpriced price tag. When I can choose to go to a discount clothing store.
I got this ordering a tshirt online! Heck, I want a tip at my corporate job.
That's insane. Some of the boutiques online are so expensive and they want a tip. I don't think so!!!
Growing up fast-food joints were meant for students to work at and we were paid student wages.
Now fast-food joints are paying adult wages and it only stands to reason the food cost of a big mac is through the roof.
and i blame gavin gruesome and his ilk.
I don't know why wages are always mentioned but the laws forcing higher quality food isn't. They had to stop using pink slime. McDonald increased all its meat quality. They had to phase out certain fryer oils and food dyed. That costs money. Also those apps that give you the correct prices for the cost of all your data are a factor.
Five guys burger combo was $30 here in the dfw
@@songhenry1084 boycott Five Guys, that is extortion
I saw someone post that if they are paying before receiving the food, they are not tipping, and that seems like a pretty reasonable rule of thumb.
I don’t get fast food often, but Taco Bell does have a deal through their app where you can get three items and a drink for around $6, so that’s usually what I go for.
I love TB!
i won't use any ff app. they are making money off the info.
you have a product, i buy your product. end of interaction...
Look at your monthly expenses and take responsibility for why prices are running away: because you keep paying them no matter how high they get. I only eat out twice per week. I shop for value. If I’ve gone out to a place and found the price unfair, the quality too low, or the service pathetic, I remove the restaurant from my list for a lot of months and refuse to try them again until I’m satisfied they have lost enough of my money to care. After a year of this, only two small family owned restaurants in my town still make my cut and get my business reliably. Most of the other restaurants have made me wait 45 minutes, missed items from my order, gotten me ill, or otherwise ruined my weekend meal. And when they make me mad, they don’t get my business again for a LOOONG time.
Best part was at the end mentioning her favorite fast food meals- we all can relate!
Why tips when they already get paid to work there?
When they already get OVER paid to work there. If you get tips, your hourly wage is supposed to be half of min. wage. If you're making full min wage or higher, you don't get tipped. Period.
Fast food makes me sick, I think it’s the high amount of sodium they put in the food. Haven’t eaten it for many years.
I’m glad I am not the one high sodium makes me sick.
Yup, some of them make me feel like I’ve just swallowed a brick, and I’m usually SOOOO thirsty after eating out.
I quit eating for the most part as fast food and fast casual places. I like the small town local place and I often receive better food at a better price, and better service too!
Also if you order, order things that are multiple meals. Taco Bell power bowls for example when eaten with tortilla chips at home can become two meals for me. Bring stuff home and serve your food onto a plate. You’ll eat to satiation easier than if your eating mindlessly out of the container.
Ordering on the app is the way to go. With the price of soft drinks at the grocery store, it costs less to pick up my diet cokes for $1 with the McDs daily app deal. If I order lunch, I use the app and get lunch for under $5. Currently there’s also a $5 meal deal.
Regarding tipping, I am sick to death of everyone everywhere wanting a tip. I tip 25-30% and more for favorite servers at sit down. I tip my hairdresser up to 50%. I’m not tipping for standing at a counter. The best way around this is to order online before you pickup. If I order DoorDash, which is rare, I tip high and my order shows up very quickly.
I feel like it’s more to it than just minimum wage going up and people wanting healthier options more organic food etc.
haven’t shopped at McDonald’s in over 12 years but do they really now have organic and healthy options there?
I feel like we’re missing something here Rachael then just those two options. I feel like there’s more to it with how much it’s gone up.
Beside wages going up remember getting food to restaurants & grocery stores cost truck drivers more in gas, tolls & their truck repairs. It's a ferious circle, everyone has gone up.
It's employee shortages too which drives wages way past minimum wage. Here in Ohio it's $10.10 an hour. Nobody pays that though. My local McD starts at $14/ hour. I'm sorry, that's ridiculous. Not for that lousy service!
No they don't. McDonald's doesn't even sell salads anymore. They sell overly processed junk food. I live in Eastern Washington and it's hard to find a place to eat that has good quality food that is also healthy.
One of the few good things to come from there cost of living crisis is that my family and i barely eat any expensive junk food like McDonald's anymore.
Salad and Go is pretty good and cheaper than most fast food.
Ugh, I miss them. I just moved to a rural town that doesn't have them, but we do have Tropical Smoothie for a healthy option, which is nice
I rarely buy fast food now. Rather eat at small pizza shops here.
I remember when the #1 meal at McDonald's was exactly $2.99 for well over a decade. Have not eaten there in many years so have no idea how much it is now
I have that price stuck in my head too.
Thank you Rachel for this informative video. Unfortunately every dollar is not available for download in Australia 🇦🇺 😂
New thumbnails are gorgeous
Jersey Mikes club supreme is my go to sandwich
Hey, Burger King has some value in comparison to McDonalds. However, better to eat at home as much as possible.
If it's not a sit-down place, I tip one dollar and one dollar only (unless the employee was actually really helpful or answered a lot of questions, etc.)
I wouldn’t even throw that dollar in the tip jar anymore. The employees are getting paid plenty, and they are supposed to be helpful and answer your questions.
If all restaurants just paid their staff well tipping would be obsolete. You also can’t pay peanuts for quality. It means treating eating out as a treat not a daily practice
Many valid points but no mention of rising/record high profit margins for companies like McDonalds?
I've managed restaurants at a large fast food chain before. Including routinely doing the books. It's not that simple. I'll admit to some ignorance of exactly McDonald's cooperate structure. But most of them are very similar. And it's doubtful their profits have anything to do with a cause to price increases. Other than a symptom.
The brand company makes much of its money on scale. So if you own a few McDonald's and your a franchise. You pay either a flat fee or a percentage of sales to the franchise. This is actually a pretty small amount by comparison. I forgot the actual number but the franchise I worked for it was around 10% or less at that time. I just looked up what it is today and it's 5%. So the income McDonald's corporate brings in are up front costs of opening new franchises, reoccurring charges for the 13+k stores. And anything they operate. And other areas. Keep all this in mind for a moment.
The chain I ran had a profit margin of 10-20%. Though most frequently closer to 10%. Labor was around 28% of the costs. If I added $7 per hour to all of my employees salary I'm now loosing money. In fact wages are so high, that total annual wages exceeds ALL sales to my individual store. Its not actually possible for me to pay that. This isn't a joke. I did the math on this on my old shop. Which made 700k a year. I would have to turn my 700k business into a 2.7 MILLION dollar business over night in order to give those raises. Almost 4x sales. Over night. That's why I raised my prices and they went through the roof. And remember that 5%. We'll before they were getting 35k (700k *5%). Now they are getting 135k from my restaurant. That's why they had record profits. It's not greed. It's a direct consequence of your larger wages & a signed contract between me and the franchise company.
I'm sure McDonald's numbers are all different and maybe they adjusted things a bit differently. Like lowering franchise fees. Idk what they did. And I'm not saying every location requires a 4x more sales. This is meant to be illistrative. In reality i would do a more comolex calculation to determine the changes i would need to make. And probably wouldn't have been that drastic. But my point is labor is a very high percentage of most restaurants. Significant jumps in wages greatly affects profitability and pricing. For reference.. I calculated out that if McDonald's ceo got a 20 million raise... it would cost each McDonalds only $125 per month. I'm not raising my prices really for that. That's nothing. Maybe increase a desert a bit. But I'm not redoing the entire menu. My point is local workers wages and local costs in general have a way way way bigger influence on prices than anything cooperate is doing.
$20 dollars per hour fast food workers in California.
My own oven toasted sandwich with side of grapes or other fruit a million times better than anything prepared by gross people in a gross kitchen
Jack in the box is still two tacos for 99 cents. If you order online. Same price as when I was in high school 15 years ago. Lol don't tell anyone... But I'm enjoying it while it lasts. 🤣
Currency Dilution.
I was so focused on the background music I put scent beads in the DRYER!!!!! Aghhhh they go in the washer 😭😮💨
Rip dryer
Oh no! I am so distracted by Rachel's new hairdo that I have to just listen now and not look. Distraction gets worse as I age!!
Download McDonalds app and order $5 deal with 25% off. Do this only if you have to eat out
Rachel also you wear pajamas more often. That has changed recently. Women these days😂😂
as a budgeting website, this should not even be up for discussion...
I didn't eat a whole lot of fast food before so I sure don't now. Overpriced not great food, I will pass.
UnFederal NoReserves🥴
Why has fast food gotten so expensive? One word. GREED!
Fast food isn't expensive.
It is for fast food workers.
Incorrect, fast food workers get a discount.
I know… you can get a large pizza for 5.99. How is that possible?
My dogs love McDonald's hamburgers so I buy the patties at least once a week. So, since McDs is now 'dog food', I can't bring myself to eat there. But I'd rather eat at home, at least I know what I used.
It's probably not very good for dogs either
@@thedopplereffect00 agree! Finding other alternatives. I don't even want to know what is in them.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Why don’t you just cook beef patties at home for your dogs? Then come back and tell us how much money you’re saving.
@@genxx2724 I do.. McDonald's is a once a week treat as I mentioned above...
Eww, Rachel loves a good side of hate from ChikFilA. Boo.
Bidenomics
Minimum wage is run by the state. How is that Bidens fault? I'll wait...
Bidenomics.