The $5 bill, which once was able to buy a full combo meal, now often barely covers a single high end sandwich or a large side of fries.
Modern price spike at the drive thru is driven by average meal prices that have climbed to approximately $11.50, with some cities seeing costs as high as $13.88.
Fast food has officially broken its cheap contract with the customer. It used to be cheap and fast to compensate for the unhealthy food.
Now it’s just fast and unhealthy but with an expensive price tag that no longer meets the average teenage budget.
The dollar menu at most restaurants is extinct while some of the main items on it are going for three dollars. Prices for fast food have skyrocketed compared to almost any other category for widely consumed goods.
“It’s not worth it” Braxton Reimche, a student at LHS said, “all of these big corporations are raising prices and making it hard for me and my friends to spend our money on a measly cheese burger and fries.”
Skyrocketing prices make the value of a fast meal expensive for some teens trying to get a bite to eat after school or for lunch.
Big corporations are using the method of online apps or digital ordering tablets to make an illusion of “points”.
These points make kids spend and spend to save up to get “free” food but all of the items they’ve purchased are adding up money for these “free” items.
You aren’t “winning” with a free side of fries, you’re paying for food in an economy where corporations no longer favor a budget dinner.
“I think that the companies raising prices are stupid”, Solis Vanzandt, a student at LHS said, “I just want a cheap meal that’s fast, that’s it.”
While grocery stores have been jacking up their prices, fast food places have almost doubled that rate. This makes grabbing a quick bite to eat whether it being a burger or some tacos feel more as a financial decision than a convenience.
The era of a budget meal is ultimately dead. What used to be a nice, cheap, and fast stop for hungry students or even busy families has turned into a non budget friendly expense for the day to day person.
When a basic cheese burger costs nearly an hour’s worth of minimum wage labor, the “fast” in fast food no longer justifies the cost.
Why Fast Food is No Longer a ‘Value
