Cuz of world politics.
I’ve almost completely eliminated fast food from my diet (Taco Bell is the only one I will go to on occasion because it really is its own genre of food. I love me some real Mexican food, but I also love Taco Bell. They are different things) because it has gotten so goddamn expensive.
At this point, I can spend another $3 and go to a local place with fresh cooked food that is 1000% better, and then have enough leftovers for two more meals.
The only reason it ever made sense to get fast food, historically, was that it was dirt cheap. I remember when Chick-fil-a value meals were $5-6. That price has increased by like 150% in ~10-15 years.
And in the same time, the wages that they pay have dropped relative to inflation.
This wondering is how you get into politics
I just spent 25 dollars at Hardee’s for two meals. I never buy fast food but I wanted to get my kid something quick at 6am for wrestling. Breh. What.the.hell…
I’ve gone to two Hardee’s in two different states that blatantly and repeatedly charged more than they listed on the menu.
That said, they have the best biscuits possibly in the world.
I remember years ago when I went to order one of those $5 meal boxes at Taco Bell. I asked for it by calling it the “$5 box” or something. The person over the speaker replied with “it’s $9 here” lmao. That was pre-COVID and it had been advertised as a $5 box where I was from.
My question is, why does the crunchwrap suck so much now?
Way less of everything in it. Seems like it’s just tortilla, tostada, and lettuce now. A token smearing of beans and/or protein.
If they’re too expensive, stop giving them money. Make food at home or go to a local small business, not a chain franchisee.
Sometimes you just want a Crunchwrap quick, and you can’t get that from a local joint. I don’t always want to wait 20 minutes for a local joint, and half of them are closed by 8. So they’re useless at the time I want Taco Bell.
You used to be able to get a soft or hard-shelled taco for 59 cents.
3 for 99 on tues
They charge that much because you’re willing to pay that much. If it isn’t worth it, don’t buy it. Simple as.
because the cost of food has nothing to do with world politics.
The price of taco bell has very little to do with the cost of food.
The price of anything has less to do with the cost
Buckle up buttercup!
Fast food is still affordable!!!
If you use the app and don’t get only exactly what you want but what the app gives deals on! At the low low cost of sharing your personal data to their marketing and development teams! (And maybe their 3rd parties depending)
“I found a way to stay tied to giant megacorporations!”
head pats at the speed of light
WHAT A GOOD CONSUMER
You’re not getting better deals. They’re subsidising the cheaper prices with the data they collect on you with the app.
The amount of people who have responded to me saying “I don’t go to fast food anymore, it’s too expensive” who proudly proclaim “just use the apps!!!” Just saddens me.
For all the reasons you said and more. No, they lost my business, I go to the local place now. Only time I get fast food now is in airports
Taco Bell is fine but have you seen Wendy’s prices? Holy crap!
Yeah except I can get s whole ass meal every Wednesday and Friday for $2… No matter what I have to pay $7 at taco bell. Used to be like $2-$3 for a few decent filling burritos
I can find several items at the Taco Bell near me that are just under $3.
Fun fact: “Make it Fresco” will replace any dairy based items and add basically pico de gallo. I love doing this cause I don’t like the sour cream and nacho sauce anyways. Add lettuce for $.50 and you can almost transform the Cheesy Double Beef Burrito into the Burrito Supreme at half the cost.
Seriously, it’s way cheaper to hit up McDonald’s than to eat even the bare minimum from Taco Bell now. Even their drinks are insanely expensive.
For me, McDonald’s is way too expensive for what it is anymore. I’m a little ways away from the $8.29 Big Mac, but not by too much. At my local grocery store, I could put together a better burger for significantly cheaper. That’s even if I buy premade patties, buns, and sauces, rather than make them from base ingredients. Buying pre-prepped veggies could get expensive though. They’d need to drop the cost by about 50% for them to reach a point consider to be value, which they can’t afford to do.
They can afford it, but they’d rather have the money.
Unfortunately, given that I’m in the NYC DMA, individual franchisees probably couldn’t afford to cut their prices in half, as much as that sucks to admit. Minimum wage here is $15.49 per hour, which is ridiculous. Utilities, insurance (both for the business and the workers), sanitation, taxes, rent, ongoing franchising fees, and material costs do add up. Plus, they’re not seeing the volume that they had been, due to a combination of people like me who aren’t going there and the fact that they’re open less hours (because reliable overnight labor is too expensive).
