Fast food prices (!)

[Ad Astra]

I used to eat fast food a lot, with a previous job and before covid. Generally not healthy, no, but when it's lunchtime and you're in the field with little time, food options can be few.

So - believe it or not - I hadn't had Taco Bell in about three years. Stopped in at one yesterday ... though in an upscale area, place was filthy. Tables, floors covered with napkins, sauce packets, receipts etc. Undeterred, I ordered an old fave, No1 combo with crunchy tacos supreme. Hand the order taker a $10 and she repeats herself.

"$10.74."

"Oh. I thought you said $7.74."

"Prices just keep going up," she shrugged. Forked out another buck. $11 for Taco Bell? Never in my life! Even if a person was starving, $10 at the Bell would've done it...

Sweeping a table clean enough to eat, I sat down and people-watched, but that's another story. This morning I checked. TB has raised prices 10% this year, and 14.5% the year before. So, my old fave is up about 25%.

Incrementalism. A frog leaps out of boiling water, but if it slowly simmers ... it's just a warm bath.

I guess if you went all the time you might not notice ... but at $11, I could have gone to a better (real) restaurant.

At what point does fast food become a non-option for you? It's real close here.

AA

 

[Deano]

Agreed but understandable. With produce prices what they are and the idea that kids need $15 an hour to flip burgers the cost gets passed along. Eating out has always been more expensive than eating at home but yeah, l dont eat out much anymore.

 

[NorthernSoul]

I started cooking for myself a lot more during COVID. Have not been out to eat for quite a while. I eat very simply now and am fine with that. I will say that Mexican/Central American style cooking can be among the most economical if made at home.

 

[Ad Astra]

Thanks/agree! Can likely make tacos for two for that ...

The Bell was notoriously cheap, was the shocker. You can get really good Mexican food for under $15 here.

AA

 

[DesertIguana]

I use to do El Pollo loco, Popeye, and Del Taco, was not the prices that drove me away. It was inconsistent service, inconstant portion, cold food, wrong food, and people who do not care.

Franchise owner are big corporation, with bean counters, who have no clue about anything but bottom line. Was talking one night to area manager for Popeyes, he had 7 or 8 stores. Franchisee who over hundreds just mandate a 20% cut in labor costs, so proper staff, went away.

Next thing I know this guy is gone, lady who replaced him, is also gone. Don't do no more, El Pollo loco, Popeye, and Del Taco.

 

[Eric_75]

I don't eat fast food anymore, but I loved the Meximelt and the Mexican Pizza at Taco Bell as a kid.

 

[Dogrescuer]

I started cooking for myself a lot more during COVID. Have not been out to eat for quite a while. I eat very simply now and am fine with that. I will say that Mexican/Central American style cooking can be among the most economical if made at home.

How do learn to cook that type of food?

 

[Tanuki]

I am not a fast food patron, but the biggest bump I see in grocery prices locally is in dairy and meat/poultry. Eggs rocketed up elsewhere, but the bird flu was less of a factor here.

So fast food is square in the sights of food inflation. As for minimum wages, I'm not personally inside those outlets, but my general impression is that kids are working less and adults are staffing fast food more often. $15/hour is not keeping up with food prices, let alone housing costs.

 

[NorthernSoul]

How do learn to cook that type of food?

We have a large immigrant population here. I used to go out for lunch to the local hole-in-the-wall places run mostly by people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, etc. I took an interest and tried to learn to cook some of the same things at home. I am sure I'm not as good at it as the ladies at these places, but I do OK.

I learned mostly from websites and food blogs, believe it or not. There were some online cookbooks, too. An easy thing to learn is a common meal of El Salvador. That is pupusas, curtido, salsa roja, refried beans and rice. It's also easy to make soft tacos and fillings for them. Burritos and enchiladas are not too complicated. A lot of these things can be partially prepared in advance, so making a meal doesn't take too long.

 

[Ad Astra]

We have a large immigrant population here. I used to go out for lunch to the local hole-in-the-wall places run mostly by people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, etc. I took an interest and tried to learn to cook some of the same things at home. I am sure I'm not as good at it as the ladies at these places, but I do OK.

I learned mostly from websites and food blogs, believe it or not. There were some online cookbooks, too. An easy thing to learn is a common meal of El Salvador. That is pupusas, curtido, salsa roja, refried beans and rice. It's also easy to make soft tacos and fillings for them. Burritos and enchiladas are not too complicated. A lot of these things can be partially prepared in advance, so making a meal doesn't take too long.

We're friends with a Salvadoran couple, and pupusas at their house is not to be missed! Tasty.

AA

 

[lasta]

Sunday morning Sausage McMuffins is de rigeur at my house! And yes, they are getting more expensive every year.

I still remember when KFC's Tooney Tuesdays became $2.50!

 

[CANES]

I might eat fast food twice a year on a road trip or something. Maybe even not twice a year. I do like ice cream, though, and got the idea that I wanted a Blizzard from Dairy Queen about a month ago. Since it was around lunchtime, I got a medium Blizzard and a chicken sandwich. No drink, no fries, no combo meal thing. $11 also. Next time the urge for ice cream hit, I went to Dollar General and got a big tub for like $4.50.

At my last job, the guy I worked with went out to eat everyday for breakfast and lunch. I usually brought lunch. We had Wendy's, BK, McD, and Jimmy Johns within 2 miles of work. He rotated between them all. Numerous times he came back to work telling me that one of those restaurants were closed due to lack of workers. Both BK and McD use their huge signs looking for help. They both offer $10 an hour. Neither one has changed the sign in over a year, I'll bet. It used to show the weekly special on burgers. Not any more.

Times truly suck.

 

[mikhou]

We rarely go out to eat either, but we took our family of 5 to Dairy Queen recently while on a road trip. With my wife and I splitting a combo and my daughter buying a kids meal, it was still $48. We came to the same conclusion that you did. For that or just a little more we could have gone to a real restaurant.

 

[Rhody]

I try to avoid the drive thru and fast food at all costs for many reasons but totally agree about the prices. Across the board really…prices are up. Business have increased costs so they raise prices. However corporate profits are sky high. Generally speaking that means price increases are much higher than costs. That’s pretty good if you own the stock but not so good if you’re at the cash register.

 

[GFT et al]

I recently used a Buy One Get One Free certificate for a large Frosty at Wendy’s and it was $3.29. For one shake. Not a life changing sum, but made me pause.

When I noticed that “Value Meals” at fast food places are in the $10-15 range, it made me think that some of the non-fast food chains are a much healthier option and a better value.

With mobile ordering now, even newer, non-traditional fast food - like sandwich shops and burrito joints - can be just as fast, or faster, than driving thru.

 

[SharpieB]

I don’t eat a lot of fast food, but when I do I always go cheap. I figured out years ago that the “value” items can be pretty good and are cheap. Why buy a $6 Big Mac when I can buy 2 $1.99 McDouble cheese burgers?

Raunchy Ronald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, A&W, Wendy’s… cheapie menu items are all I eat on the rare occasion I feel like cleaning out the old insides. Drives my wife and kids crazy, but no $12.99 combos for this guy!

I have no problem paying $50+ for a great steak at a good restaurant, but I ain’t paying $15 for a crappy burger, fries and a Coke.

 

[La Malice]

I do not eat at fast food much anymore unless I do not have much more choice. The idea of getting in and out with a $10 bill is long gone.

My last usual jaunt is the local Whataburger (yeah I am in texas) for the breakfast platter at $6.71 all in, I get 3 pancake 3 bacon strip a serving of hashbrown and a beverage, grab this at 10:45 and I am set until diner.

Overwise I just go to a taco place, $6 top for a solid Taco, a serving of rice / refried bean, a glass of water and I am all set under $10 and do not have any tommy ache after ward either .

 

[TinyTim]

We don't eat Fast Food too often, but I don't begrudge them the raised prices due to food costs and the higher wages required to attract workers nowadays. But at restaurants, the meals are overpriced for underwhelming food. Better to eat a well-thought out homecooked meal.

 

[Eben Stone]

I went to Del Taco. They had a poster in the wall: Two Carnitas Stuffed Quesadilla Tacos for $6. Seems reasonable. I ordered two and accidentally said carne asada, which are two for $12. Added a milk shake and medium fries. Total $19.

Now, in comparison, there's Chronic Tacos... I can get a huge grilled shrimp burrito that's about two meals worth for about $12. That's a fantastic meal.

 

[Ad Astra]

I went to Del Taco. They had a poster in the wall: Two Carnitas Stuffed Quesadilla Tacos for $6. Seems reasonable. I ordered two and accidentally said carne asada, which are two for $12. Added a milk shake and medium fries. Total $19.

Now, in comparison, there's Chronic Tacos... I can get a huge grilled shrimp burrito that's about two meals worth for about $12. That's a fantastic meal.

Love the name, but watch out for the "cilantro" ...


AA