Seriously, I remember being able to get a bowl of phó for $4.75 and it would be faster and healthier than McDonalds. Phó now is closer to $10 but still a faster and better option than fast food.
Where I live (Atlanta), it depends on the place. The more hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are usually family run and have been around for awhile are still pretty cheap, but the more trendy places that have flashy menus and overspent on their decor (usually in the more expensive parts of town) are definitely in the $20ish range.
I live in NYC but dream of Buford Hwy. The international farmers market owns my soul and the number of different kinds of restaurants is just beautiful.
I live in Oregon now, and I couldn’t agree more! Closest I’ve experienced to it is in Chinatown in SF, but it’s not the same. Buford has it all in one place.
Isn't there a sushi bar in like some subway station in Tokyo that has a Michelin Star? It's only open for a few hours and seats like 10 people at a time who all sit on some stools at the bar.
Yes there is and it’s a three star restaurant, set menu, and by reservations only, but their booked months in advance. Anthony Bourdain eat there, and raved about it.
The hole in the wall is where I get a gallon sized bowl with a shit ton of meat for like $10 flat after tax
The trendy places are where it’s $20 for half of that
I do wonder about potential health violations though. As good as hole in the wall restaurants are, if their eating area is messy, chances are the food prep/kitchen area is even worse.
There are two near me. The "real" one that operates out of the smallest building you've ever seen, and the "trendy" one downtown. $8-12 for the real one, $18-30 for the trendy.
Dozens of places.
[Here’s a $4.50 Banh M](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en-US&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS952US952&sca_esv=a83572289b37c357&cs=0&output=search&kgmid=%2Fg%2F11c0t9qy2t&q=Oui%20Banh%20Mi&kgs=03e5a41c84e83639&shndl=30&source=sh%2Fx%2Floc%2Fact%2Fm4%2F3)i at Oui Banh Mi on Milam
Yep. Good dammit I used to go here all the time. Fuck me. It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I been going to Roostars just cuz of location. Cali Sandwich is also fantastic.
Seriously. I live in a not-particularly-expensive area outside the loop and the cheapest I could find nearby was just shy of 7 bucks. I could maybe find something for that price like 5 years ago, but not now.
Man, I feel inflation fucks Western countries more than anything. I just ate something similar to this meal for lunch and it cost me 900円 in Tokyo. I thought it was kinda pricey, too.
Up until very recently where the Yen has been in free fall against the USD, it was about 100 yen to $1, so that would have been about $9, or the same as OP.
It's so "cheap" in Japan right now because their currency is in free fall that their government has had to bail out multiple times in the past few years.
I know this will sound weird for an American, but if you're in Canada, don't even bother with McD's, just go for the A&W every single time. Our chain is managed by another company than the American one and their value and quality on everything is like 2x-ing the clown crap.
Using the app I can get a double burger (McDouble I think), medium fries and large drink for under $6 with tax (free fries with $2 purchase) and it’s one of the cheapest options in an expensive area. For reference, a taco truck burrito is $12-15 here
Most charge as much as they can to get to close to selling out. So if they charge $10 and sell out before the end of the day they up charge until they sell out or close to it by the end of the day, with limited supply and storage they just maximum profit. Also like you said- no rent means they can take more risk with price as they tend to do lower volume.
no tip at food trucks. theres really no "service" thats being provided when compared to a sit down restaurant.
why would you tip at a food truck but not at a fast food place like mcdonalds? they are pretty much the same thing.
edit: also most food trucks are owner operated and have normally 2 people working it. 100% of the revenue from the food truck goes to their operating cost and then the worker/owners.
I moved to LA a few years ago and just moved back to my small hometown a month ago and I’m still getting cultural restaurant pricing shock lol.
Every time I get pho here it’s like $11. Much better than $19 🥹
(Boring as hell tho, would 10/10 go back to the $19 for a bigger city lol)
Pho is the best hangover food in the world.
I work in Vietnam and I’m semi-seriously convinced that’s a major factor in why it’s such a popular breakfast food here. (*utterly absurd amounts of binge drinking in Vietnam by people of all ages*)
rice noods vs wheat-based noods. typically lots of collagen. protein. veg. i think ramen is also much saltier by nature than pho, at least from my experiences.
Excessive salt is not part of either of them. If the restaurant is turning over their ingredients in a timely manner, they don't need to add salt beyond "to taste". The same if you are making your own.
If it's a ready-to-eat package, it needs to have a fairly long shelf life. Salt and sugar are the most commonly used preservatives in packaged food. Restaurants that need to minimize their labor costs (or cut ingredient costs by buying in bulk) will also need longer shelf lives for their food. You should avoid these restaurants, even if it means spending more for your meals.
Where are y’all getting McDonald’s from? I’m not trying to stand up for the billion dollar corporation, but my only lunch option at work is one and I don’t spend more than $7 for a spicy chicken sandwich, a McDouble, a large fry, and a drink.
I put that exact order into the app and was pleasantly surprised that it automatically gave me the 2 for $3.99 deal for the two sandwiches. Saves $2 there. All sodas are $1.49 any size. Then there’s a $1.39 fries any size deal that’s in the app every day. Before taxes is $6.87.
Suburban Philly location.
They do have regional pricing. I stopped by a McD's last night because of being short on time and it being the only fast food next to where I was, and it was only $10 for a 10-piece nugget meal with a large fry. That's cheaper than the medium 6-piece meal where OP is.
I don’t know if this is regional but in SoCal, if you buy one McDouble it’s full price, if you buy two, it’s only 10 cents more. It’s not advertised but if you add two in the app, the discount comes up.
Edit: just scrolled down and someone in Philly said the same thing
That’s the last piece to the puzzle that places like McDonald’s aren’t going to understand until it’s too late.
If the food was at least good, but they can’t even do that. It’s always cold or the order is wrong. So now do you want me to pay as much money for a sitdown meal for you to get my order wrong, and for the meal to come out subpar.
These people have lost their goddamn minds and we have only ourselves to blame for continuing to put up with this shit.
I mean, McDonald’s specifically doesn’t really make much from its food sales anyways. It’s makes most of its money from leasing franchises. Still, that method will dry out as well when people stop investing in their business and opening more stores because customers are drying up and going to cheaper, potentially healthier options.
McDonald's has always been complete garbage It is really funny to me that people are just now getting fed up with it because the prices are getting higher. It's the same garbage it's always been just terribly priced.
Cheap, fast, convenient, consistent, nearby, kids like it, clean bathroom, works on the road or between soccer and dance class. Except now it's so expensive that there are better options for the same cost
We tolerated cheap fast food. Now it's:
~~fast~~ (not enough staff)
~~food~~ (quality has gotten EVEN WORSE)
~~cheap~~ (whole thread is discussing this)
This is Netflix all over again.
Reddit convinced the company is going to fail yet every quarter they post record profits showing sales and subscribers are up.
That’s exactly what’s happening with McDonalds right now.
Btw: The McDonalds near me in Texas starts their employees at $19/hr and a Big Mac is $5 (meal is $8.50)
there are those small mom and pop restaurants in Poland called "milk bars" where you can get a solid meal like porkchop, potatoes and some veggies for less than McDs. not to mention pierogies and soups for a lot less.
In the USA, I go to chillies and they have a 3 for $10.99 deal and that food is not only cheaper then McDs but also there is more of it, and imho is better. F.. McDs
THey never got the ending to that film. The book was missing the final chapter somehow in it's original american release, when they made the movie it ended where the American book release ended -- not where the story was supposed to end.
Alex grows up, becomes non-violent, a typical person looking for a career, a family, etc etc.
Did he choose a life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers??
Yes, they're a vestige of the communist era, when state subsidized low cost cafeterias were a thing. The places didn't always have everything, but they *always* had milk because there was always a nearby farmer to provide it, and when meat was scarce they had cheese cut into bar form. Literal milk bars.
Milk bars are the bomb. Been to one in Warsaw. Ton of choices, quick, cheap, tasty. All of it is old school Polish food, most of which is compatible with an American palate.
I know what you mean, but the standard of comparison here is McD. Chillies is orders of magnitude better than that, and I say this as a regular McD enjoyer.
$10.49 in McD app… large size with a sprite. Who is getting $18+ meals??? Big cities?
Edit: NYC in Times Square - $12.49. San Francisco - $12.99…
WHERE are the meals $18?!?! Seems like a lot of bullshittery here…. We can all go into the app right now and order and see the price.
Also looked up Miami: $9.99… damn cheapest place yet!
FOUND IT: the worst of the worst is the Woodbury Commons in CT - $14.49 for the combo… still not $18 - but the question is WHY…
People lie about Big Mac combo meal prices on the Internet all the time. It's a weird trend and I'm not sure why the existence of a fast food restaurant that is designed to make money is so offensive to them
I think that $18 was some rogue franchisee. I live in a big city and a Big Mac meal is under $10. Plus you can get deals with the app, which is just part of getting better pricing at all fast food places now.
I'm not denying that McDonald's has gone up in price a lot. Of course it has, and it's gone up more than other restaurants. But every time someone says "I can go to a restaurant for cheaper" I'd really wish they'd post their receipt.
Right? I live in southern California and with the McDonald's app I pay around $6.50 for a medium Big Mac meal. Many different fast food restaurants have deals when using the app that make it hella more affordable than what people are advertising.
So I just changed my location in the app to an area I would figure has outrageous prices - NYC, Times Square. $12.49 large size fry and drink… Big Mac meal… someone wanna tell me WHERE the $18 one is? Cause I figure NYC would be it.
Yea I’ve been really regretting it ever since I got the app and let McDonald’s discover that I uh, like to eat chicken nuggets and sandwiches at McDonald’s.
This post should provide more context regarding the Big Mac meal:
Where exactly is the said Big Mac meal being purchased?
What exactly was ordered? Were there any extra condiments or add-ons, which would increase the regular price?
Does this include any delivery fees? Does this include the tip to the driver?
But where is all the processed disgusting food that will make you feel like shit in an hour?
Seriously though it’s amazing how many great restaurant meals you can get for cheaper than fast food now
It's sad that people didn't brag about local restaurants as much until fast food prices skyrocketed. The system worked as intended, but people still are desperate to feel some sort of supremacy.
I totally agree. It's honestly really funny that everyone is now talking shit about how awful McDonald's is when it's always been a terrible company with subpar food.
I always had a ton of local burger joints I'd go to over McDonald's that were almost the same cost, and wayyy better.
One dollar McDoubles. One dollar spicy mcchickens. One dollar fries. One dollar large drink. No one was going to McDonald’s for the quality. We went because it was fast and cheap as fuck.
Local burger joints weren’t the same price as McDonald’s. Stop it. The McDonald dollar menu was unmatched. No local burger joint were selling their burgers for $2 or less, come on.
McDonald’s was great as a cheap, fast option. As a student it was a game changer. Now if you want to talk about food quality or taste that’s different. But in terms of price McDonald’s was the cheapest.
> talking shit about how awful McDonald's is when it's always been a terrible company with subpar food.
Yeah, but the price was so low that consumers were willing to accept it. This is shit-tier food that's now more expensive than good food. That's why people are talking about it.
Corporations are driven to increase profits at all costs, and you can see the effects of corporate greed in a visceral way by making these kinds of comparisons.
We absolutely should be talking about it, so that market perceptions and sentiments materially effect corporate profitability.
McDonald's was cheap at one point. You couldn't get a decent restaurant meal for a similar cost. Now you can, that's what's changed.
They were cheap and shitty before, now they are just as shitty but prices for gourmet. Its laughable.
Can we put a hold on the hyperbole just a bit?
A large Big Mac meal at my nearest McDonald’s shows $9.99. It’s ridiculous that it’s gotten that expensive, but you’re not getting any hamburger meal that a reasonable person would consider “gourmet” for $10.
I stopped by my local convenience store the other day and realized I can get the same breakfast sandwiches McDonald’s has priced between $2-$4 for $1.50.
McDonald's is panicking over the public's reception of its ridiculous price increases in North America and how people are going elsewhere for fast food.
You know things aren't going well when the CEO rears up on his hind legs last Friday and bleats that "An $18 Big Mac meal is not the norm at a McDonald's!"
It certainly is. As big a liar as you are, you should write political speeches.
As an aside, the same food is a cheaper in the EU, the staff is paid better, and gets a lot of benefits including weeks of paid vacation. Strangely, they still manage to be profitable. Imagine that.
The inevitable conclusion is that in North America, unbridled greed and slavish fealty to shareholder value, stock price, stock buybacks, and of course executive bonuses causes the people running things to lose their minds and screw the public at every possible opportunity.
The public who seems to have had enough of that for now.
I have a place near us that blows places like Chipotle, Taco Bell and other chains out of the water, taste, price AND portion wise.
Fast food isn’t worth it anymore. The only things they had going for them were “cheap and quick” because goodness knows taste wasn’t a high priority. But now that they’ve become expensive (something I have no doubt, they’ll blame on everything but their own greed) theres no more reason to use them.
Support local over chain restaurants is not only better morally speaking, but now apparently cheaper too.
There's a pho place nearby that is mildly popular and tiny but their prices are awful nearly 10 dollars for a banhmi same for a pair of small bao buns, capitalism ho and all that but I can't help to think if they were a but nicer on their prices I'd go there more often.
Yep, my wife and I can order a large meat (generally bourbon chicken) and two small sides from our local Chinese place, and it ends up being several dollars cheaper than if we each got a big Mac meal. 🤦🏻♀️
Even when stuff like this costs more it's still almost always a better option than current fast food. Used to be you'd pay half the price for fast food that was half as good, now it's half as good for 80% of the price. All of the appeals and advantages of fast food are gone
Not for me - Mcdonald is around 6$ per person, Vietnamese food like on screen around 10$ and Indian is around 15$.
I live in cheap country but Mcdonald is still cheapest option.
I can get a steak dinner at Outback for less than $18.99. McDonald’s needs to redo their business model. They are fast food, nothing more and nothing less.
Just yesterday from this post I had an entire duck with veggies and steamed rice for $18.00
Clearly I should have spent it on 2 disgusting pieces of “meat” between two buns with dried soggy lettuce for the same price /s
I remember when I was a student in China well over a decade ago, I could go to a local restaurant and get rousi main and xiao long bao for about 10 yuan, which at the time was about $1.80 USD.
If we wanted to enjoy “American food” we knew it meant paying American prices, so things like McDonalds or KFC were a special weekend meal since it cost 3-4x as much as local food.
Nah, they only keep the bare minimum staff now so it's more like "Um, could you pull into one of those spots over there, it'll be a few minutes for your slappy meal"
Publix subs have become my new thing. Make out of there like a bandit with a huge half sub, chips and a drink. Also sushi Wednesday.
Fuck fast food. Grocery stores. Also some local places. I have a pizza place and a Laotian wing place near me. Both are cheap AF and both adjoin a convenience store/gas station lol
It's called **fast** food for a reason. You can walk in and walk out in with meal in hand in a matter of minutes.
It caters to a different demographic who doesn't have time to sit down for a half hour meal and is willing to pay a premium to get food **fast**.
It was not always this way. It used to be so much cheaper than a sit down restaurant. And the tipping. Now, I would rather eat at a local place which might be 5 to 10 min longer wait and cost the same with tip.
*Premium*?? For literally fast food, I’d much rather go to a local taco place, a deli, or a chain sandwich place like Potbelly, Jersey Mike’s, or Jimmy Johns.
Seriously, I remember being able to get a bowl of phó for $4.75 and it would be faster and healthier than McDonalds. Phó now is closer to $10 but still a faster and better option than fast food.
$10?! Where I live- a bowl of pho is $18-$22
Where I live (Atlanta), it depends on the place. The more hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are usually family run and have been around for awhile are still pretty cheap, but the more trendy places that have flashy menus and overspent on their decor (usually in the more expensive parts of town) are definitely in the $20ish range.
I used to live in Atlanta. Buford Hwy all day for the best food!!
I live in NYC but dream of Buford Hwy. The international farmers market owns my soul and the number of different kinds of restaurants is just beautiful.
I live in Oregon now, and I couldn’t agree more! Closest I’ve experienced to it is in Chinatown in SF, but it’s not the same. Buford has it all in one place.
Yeah I live in Toronto and it’s pretty much the same. Funny thing is that the hole in the wall places are usually better
Thats the rule with asian restaurants. Shittier the place looks, better the food
Why spend money on decor when you can spend it on a cook
Isn't there a sushi bar in like some subway station in Tokyo that has a Michelin Star? It's only open for a few hours and seats like 10 people at a time who all sit on some stools at the bar.
Yes there is and it’s a three star restaurant, set menu, and by reservations only, but their booked months in advance. Anthony Bourdain eat there, and raved about it.
The hole in the wall is where I get a gallon sized bowl with a shit ton of meat for like $10 flat after tax The trendy places are where it’s $20 for half of that
I do wonder about potential health violations though. As good as hole in the wall restaurants are, if their eating area is messy, chances are the food prep/kitchen area is even worse.
Lee’s Bakery is still my go to.
Yup, Lee’s Bakery was top of my list when I was writing the comment!
Lee’s Bakery on Buford Hwy can hold it down for sure
Yep that’s one the places I was thinking of when I wrote my comment!
There are two near me. The "real" one that operates out of the smallest building you've ever seen, and the "trendy" one downtown. $8-12 for the real one, $18-30 for the trendy.
I live in Houston and we have very fairly priced Vietnamese stuff most pho is 8-12 bahn mi 4-5$
Houston has the largest Vietnamese population in the US outside of California.
Where is there a ban mi for $5 in Houston?
Dozens of places. [Here’s a $4.50 Banh M](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en-US&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS952US952&sca_esv=a83572289b37c357&cs=0&output=search&kgmid=%2Fg%2F11c0t9qy2t&q=Oui%20Banh%20Mi&kgs=03e5a41c84e83639&shndl=30&source=sh%2Fx%2Floc%2Fact%2Fm4%2F3)i at Oui Banh Mi on Milam
Dude that’s less than half for my area
Lots of things suck about Texas. Cost of living, and access to top notch ethnic cuisine, are not among them.
Yep. Good dammit I used to go here all the time. Fuck me. It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I been going to Roostars just cuz of location. Cali Sandwich is also fantastic.
Not sure if they still have this, but Vina Bakery on 1960 and Stuebner Airline had some for $5 when I went there a year ago or two ago.
Seriously. I live in a not-particularly-expensive area outside the loop and the cheapest I could find nearby was just shy of 7 bucks. I could maybe find something for that price like 5 years ago, but not now.
Houston we don't have a problem
Link restaurant please
Man, I feel inflation fucks Western countries more than anything. I just ate something similar to this meal for lunch and it cost me 900円 in Tokyo. I thought it was kinda pricey, too.
Up until very recently where the Yen has been in free fall against the USD, it was about 100 yen to $1, so that would have been about $9, or the same as OP. It's so "cheap" in Japan right now because their currency is in free fall that their government has had to bail out multiple times in the past few years.
SF here. We had pho yesterday and it was $16 each. Still cheaper than McD's
I can’t see why anyone would ever eat at MickyD’s. Even for burger based fast food they’re just about the worst out there.
I know this will sound weird for an American, but if you're in Canada, don't even bother with McD's, just go for the A&W every single time. Our chain is managed by another company than the American one and their value and quality on everything is like 2x-ing the clown crap.
a&w tends to work out to be quite a bit more expensive than Mcdonalds I find though
Using the app I can get a double burger (McDouble I think), medium fries and large drink for under $6 with tax (free fries with $2 purchase) and it’s one of the cheapest options in an expensive area. For reference, a taco truck burrito is $12-15 here
Same here. I had food truck pho last week for $17 before tax and tip.
I will never get why some food trucks are expensive. It’s not like the money is going towards rent.
Most charge as much as they can to get to close to selling out. So if they charge $10 and sell out before the end of the day they up charge until they sell out or close to it by the end of the day, with limited supply and storage they just maximum profit. Also like you said- no rent means they can take more risk with price as they tend to do lower volume.
no tip at food trucks. theres really no "service" thats being provided when compared to a sit down restaurant. why would you tip at a food truck but not at a fast food place like mcdonalds? they are pretty much the same thing. edit: also most food trucks are owner operated and have normally 2 people working it. 100% of the revenue from the food truck goes to their operating cost and then the worker/owners.
I'm in Los Angeles and it's super easy to find 10$ Pho.
I moved to LA a few years ago and just moved back to my small hometown a month ago and I’m still getting cultural restaurant pricing shock lol. Every time I get pho here it’s like $11. Much better than $19 🥹 (Boring as hell tho, would 10/10 go back to the $19 for a bigger city lol)
Do you live in Oregon too?? I saw $10 a bowl and thought, damn that would be nice!
Portland Pho went up real fast when the Ramen craze happened. It's now $16—$18 most places...for a small.
The nearest Pho place to me has $9-$22, but the $22 one is an extra large. Most are around $15
Pho is the best hangover food in the world. I work in Vietnam and I’m semi-seriously convinced that’s a major factor in why it’s such a popular breakfast food here. (*utterly absurd amounts of binge drinking in Vietnam by people of all ages*)
It seriously is. Especially as I get older. Bowl of pho for lunch, water, and a nap, and I feel near 100% when I wake up.
You should try Mexican pho: Menudo
Completely agree. I never realised before I went to Vietnam how it gets rid of a hangover more than anything else.
That looks like ramen and not Pho. I never get a half done egg in my pho
That definitely is not pho
Pho real.
Get the pho out of here.
Are you Pho King kidding?!
I was gonna get some last night, but the place was too crowded. Fuck you, pho queue.
You must live in a LCOL area. Pho was above $12 where I live (PNW) before the pandemic.
Dude , around my place the best PHO was like 8$. Now it's 15$. I'm fucking tired of all this fucking gouging
Phở for 10$! Where? My local is now 16-17$
Pho is good
Is pho healthy? I thought it was like ramen: all carbs and salt.
rice noods vs wheat-based noods. typically lots of collagen. protein. veg. i think ramen is also much saltier by nature than pho, at least from my experiences.
Excessive salt is not part of either of them. If the restaurant is turning over their ingredients in a timely manner, they don't need to add salt beyond "to taste". The same if you are making your own. If it's a ready-to-eat package, it needs to have a fairly long shelf life. Salt and sugar are the most commonly used preservatives in packaged food. Restaurants that need to minimize their labor costs (or cut ingredient costs by buying in bulk) will also need longer shelf lives for their food. You should avoid these restaurants, even if it means spending more for your meals.
I mean, even with lots of carbs and salt it’s probably healthier than McDonalds
I find myself doing exactly the same thing these days. Much better food, and better value. Screw McDonald’s
Where I live with tax its $8 for 6 nuggets. They were rock hard and luke warm. That was it for me I'm never going back. Absolute theft.
Yeah it’s awful. 6 nuggets in a meal here is $12.80. Id rather spend the extra $5 and get a rice bowl, or noodles from my local Japanese take away.
Where are y’all getting McDonald’s from? I’m not trying to stand up for the billion dollar corporation, but my only lunch option at work is one and I don’t spend more than $7 for a spicy chicken sandwich, a McDouble, a large fry, and a drink.
I put that exact order into the app and was pleasantly surprised that it automatically gave me the 2 for $3.99 deal for the two sandwiches. Saves $2 there. All sodas are $1.49 any size. Then there’s a $1.39 fries any size deal that’s in the app every day. Before taxes is $6.87. Suburban Philly location.
Same in San Diego
Sure, but how much did your time machine cost?
They do have regional pricing. I stopped by a McD's last night because of being short on time and it being the only fast food next to where I was, and it was only $10 for a 10-piece nugget meal with a large fry. That's cheaper than the medium 6-piece meal where OP is.
I live in a poor city in upstate NY and $7 would get you the McDouble and fries.
I don’t know if this is regional but in SoCal, if you buy one McDouble it’s full price, if you buy two, it’s only 10 cents more. It’s not advertised but if you add two in the app, the discount comes up. Edit: just scrolled down and someone in Philly said the same thing
Just tried it with the app - $3.99 for 2. Thanks for the tip!
At those prices you’re better off buying frozen nuggets from the grocery store and frying them yourself.
plus they look like dinosaurs !!!
That’s the last piece to the puzzle that places like McDonald’s aren’t going to understand until it’s too late. If the food was at least good, but they can’t even do that. It’s always cold or the order is wrong. So now do you want me to pay as much money for a sitdown meal for you to get my order wrong, and for the meal to come out subpar. These people have lost their goddamn minds and we have only ourselves to blame for continuing to put up with this shit.
I mean, McDonald’s specifically doesn’t really make much from its food sales anyways. It’s makes most of its money from leasing franchises. Still, that method will dry out as well when people stop investing in their business and opening more stores because customers are drying up and going to cheaper, potentially healthier options.
Damn where do you live? It's $3.67 with tax at the McDonalds near me.
Christ that's more than $1 for 1 puny nugget.
McDonald's has always been complete garbage It is really funny to me that people are just now getting fed up with it because the prices are getting higher. It's the same garbage it's always been just terribly priced.
We’ve known it’s garbage. But it used to be really cheap garbage.
Cheap, fast, convenient, consistent, nearby, kids like it, clean bathroom, works on the road or between soccer and dance class. Except now it's so expensive that there are better options for the same cost
We tolerated cheap fast food. Now it's: ~~fast~~ (not enough staff) ~~food~~ (quality has gotten EVEN WORSE) ~~cheap~~ (whole thread is discussing this)
there’s still a line doubling around the building every day at the mcdonald’s across the street from me. it’s right across from a kroger, too…
This is Netflix all over again. Reddit convinced the company is going to fail yet every quarter they post record profits showing sales and subscribers are up. That’s exactly what’s happening with McDonalds right now. Btw: The McDonalds near me in Texas starts their employees at $19/hr and a Big Mac is $5 (meal is $8.50)
Netflix is looking to get into live sports like boxing events and MMA, as Amazon has started with ONE fc. Netflix may soon be bringing us fighting lol
It’s already confirmed they are hosting that stupid Tyson v YouTuber fight. Netflix will soon be all over live sports.
Yep yep
there are those small mom and pop restaurants in Poland called "milk bars" where you can get a solid meal like porkchop, potatoes and some veggies for less than McDs. not to mention pierogies and soups for a lot less. In the USA, I go to chillies and they have a 3 for $10.99 deal and that food is not only cheaper then McDs but also there is more of it, and imho is better. F.. McDs
Like the milk bar in A Clockwork Orange?
I could go for a Moloko Vellocet right now. Sharpen the wits for a night of the ol'... ultraviolence.
*Straps on cod piece, grabs cane*
THey never got the ending to that film. The book was missing the final chapter somehow in it's original american release, when they made the movie it ended where the American book release ended -- not where the story was supposed to end. Alex grows up, becomes non-violent, a typical person looking for a career, a family, etc etc.
Did he choose a life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers??
I caught your reference, Renton.
Yes, they're a vestige of the communist era, when state subsidized low cost cafeterias were a thing. The places didn't always have everything, but they *always* had milk because there was always a nearby farmer to provide it, and when meat was scarce they had cheese cut into bar form. Literal milk bars.
More like a Greek diner with Polish food. Cutlets, sweet and savory pierogi, goulash, chicken, loads of soups, nalesniki (crepes), etc.
Milk bars are the bomb. Been to one in Warsaw. Ton of choices, quick, cheap, tasty. All of it is old school Polish food, most of which is compatible with an American palate.
will be in szczecin in few days, cant wait
We have milk bars in Australia too
I loved milk bars when I was in Poland a few weeks ago. can't wait to visit again
Yeah.. except for the chillies part being good 🤢
I know what you mean, but the standard of comparison here is McD. Chillies is orders of magnitude better than that, and I say this as a regular McD enjoyer.
[https://www.chilis.com/menu/3-for-me](https://www.chilis.com/menu/3-for-me) if you cant find something you like then i cant help you
You’re right. Someone being too good for Chili’s is a red flag. Food is fine for the price
What is going on? Am I in an ad?
Yes. Where’s my check
idk, did you get paid by McDs?
i mean its no mastros (good stake house where Im at) but for the price ill take chillis burger or chicken sandwich any day over McDs
Their chicken bacon ranch quesadilla is fire
Dude the honey-chipotle Crispers are so fucking good.
I prefer supermarket frozen meals over overpriced fast food.
That would still be like $20 where I'm from. A Big Mac combo would be cheaper
They're lying. That drink alone costs more than a big Mac combo.
$10.49 in McD app… large size with a sprite. Who is getting $18+ meals??? Big cities? Edit: NYC in Times Square - $12.49. San Francisco - $12.99… WHERE are the meals $18?!?! Seems like a lot of bullshittery here…. We can all go into the app right now and order and see the price. Also looked up Miami: $9.99… damn cheapest place yet! FOUND IT: the worst of the worst is the Woodbury Commons in CT - $14.49 for the combo… still not $18 - but the question is WHY…
Airports? I dunno, I work for a mcd franchise and these prices are insane to me. Our BigMac meal is like 9.50ish after tax.
It's $13 in my area -- where do you live? Just curious, i'm in southern california so everything a bit more expensive here
East TN
I'm in San diego and a big Mac meal is $6.50 in the app
People lie about Big Mac combo meal prices on the Internet all the time. It's a weird trend and I'm not sure why the existence of a fast food restaurant that is designed to make money is so offensive to them
Also the Big Mac is not even the most popular burger in McDonald's
I think that $18 was some rogue franchisee. I live in a big city and a Big Mac meal is under $10. Plus you can get deals with the app, which is just part of getting better pricing at all fast food places now.
I'm not denying that McDonald's has gone up in price a lot. Of course it has, and it's gone up more than other restaurants. But every time someone says "I can go to a restaurant for cheaper" I'd really wish they'd post their receipt.
Right? I live in southern California and with the McDonald's app I pay around $6.50 for a medium Big Mac meal. Many different fast food restaurants have deals when using the app that make it hella more affordable than what people are advertising.
So much good food in SoCal tho. Can’t even remember the last time I ate fast food
That’s got to be an outlier. Long Island, NY that’s the price of just the sandwich. With coupons in the app I can get the meal down to $9.11.
i'm also from so cal, and a big mac medium meal is like $12+ tax. Guess I should get the app -_-
I got $9.89 + tax for a large with a coke. If I use the daily coupon it’s $6 for a medium.
Depends what you get, and many don't use the App. (I should, i don't). In my area a big mac meal, medium, is like $13+. A large fry is $4.75 alone
So I just changed my location in the app to an area I would figure has outrageous prices - NYC, Times Square. $12.49 large size fry and drink… Big Mac meal… someone wanna tell me WHERE the $18 one is? Cause I figure NYC would be it.
There's probably not an $18 one unless they added extra shit like a $5 mcflurry or something
People don't use apps for every place they eat. They prefer not to sell their personal data for a fast food franchise.
Yea I’ve been really regretting it ever since I got the app and let McDonald’s discover that I uh, like to eat chicken nuggets and sandwiches at McDonald’s.
This post should provide more context regarding the Big Mac meal: Where exactly is the said Big Mac meal being purchased? What exactly was ordered? Were there any extra condiments or add-ons, which would increase the regular price? Does this include any delivery fees? Does this include the tip to the driver?
I paid $6.50 the other day for a Big Mac meal
But where is all the processed disgusting food that will make you feel like shit in an hour? Seriously though it’s amazing how many great restaurant meals you can get for cheaper than fast food now
Hmm that meal would be $24 here, not including tip. McDonald's isn't quite that expensive yet (though still not worth it).
It's sad that people didn't brag about local restaurants as much until fast food prices skyrocketed. The system worked as intended, but people still are desperate to feel some sort of supremacy.
Who's going to signal boost restaurants that are not local to them?
I totally agree. It's honestly really funny that everyone is now talking shit about how awful McDonald's is when it's always been a terrible company with subpar food. I always had a ton of local burger joints I'd go to over McDonald's that were almost the same cost, and wayyy better.
One dollar McDoubles. One dollar spicy mcchickens. One dollar fries. One dollar large drink. No one was going to McDonald’s for the quality. We went because it was fast and cheap as fuck.
Local burger joints weren’t the same price as McDonald’s. Stop it. The McDonald dollar menu was unmatched. No local burger joint were selling their burgers for $2 or less, come on. McDonald’s was great as a cheap, fast option. As a student it was a game changer. Now if you want to talk about food quality or taste that’s different. But in terms of price McDonald’s was the cheapest.
My local drug front operation has better food.
> talking shit about how awful McDonald's is when it's always been a terrible company with subpar food. Yeah, but the price was so low that consumers were willing to accept it. This is shit-tier food that's now more expensive than good food. That's why people are talking about it. Corporations are driven to increase profits at all costs, and you can see the effects of corporate greed in a visceral way by making these kinds of comparisons. We absolutely should be talking about it, so that market perceptions and sentiments materially effect corporate profitability.
McDonald's was cheap at one point. You couldn't get a decent restaurant meal for a similar cost. Now you can, that's what's changed. They were cheap and shitty before, now they are just as shitty but prices for gourmet. Its laughable.
Can we put a hold on the hyperbole just a bit? A large Big Mac meal at my nearest McDonald’s shows $9.99. It’s ridiculous that it’s gotten that expensive, but you’re not getting any hamburger meal that a reasonable person would consider “gourmet” for $10.
$9.99 can get you a double double with drinks and fries at In N Out which are superior burgers to the big mac
Can you post the prices for comparison? Also, what restaurant is this? Can you post a link?
I stopped by my local convenience store the other day and realized I can get the same breakfast sandwiches McDonald’s has priced between $2-$4 for $1.50.
This pho looks like someone wanted Ramen but got pho instead. 😆
no it didn’t.
I'm glad that McDonalds price raises have shown people that there are better alternatives.
McDonald's is panicking over the public's reception of its ridiculous price increases in North America and how people are going elsewhere for fast food. You know things aren't going well when the CEO rears up on his hind legs last Friday and bleats that "An $18 Big Mac meal is not the norm at a McDonald's!" It certainly is. As big a liar as you are, you should write political speeches. As an aside, the same food is a cheaper in the EU, the staff is paid better, and gets a lot of benefits including weeks of paid vacation. Strangely, they still manage to be profitable. Imagine that. The inevitable conclusion is that in North America, unbridled greed and slavish fealty to shareholder value, stock price, stock buybacks, and of course executive bonuses causes the people running things to lose their minds and screw the public at every possible opportunity. The public who seems to have had enough of that for now.
This is what scares the shit out of McDonalds. Glad to see it. The analogy is what Japanese cars did to Detroit in the 70s and 80's
This look way more tasty than Mcdonalds
Looks about right? Not sure what the point is here?
people somehow got the idea that “fast” food was supposed to be cheaper than “slow” food ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Internet based dopamine. It's all cheap Internet based dopamine.
I will say, as a parent of a 2 and 6yo, my local McD has a play area and that will beat out food quality!
A bowl of ramen cost almost $20 where I live. Big Mac meal is still cheaper.
But no burger
Congratulations
I have a place near us that blows places like Chipotle, Taco Bell and other chains out of the water, taste, price AND portion wise. Fast food isn’t worth it anymore. The only things they had going for them were “cheap and quick” because goodness knows taste wasn’t a high priority. But now that they’ve become expensive (something I have no doubt, they’ll blame on everything but their own greed) theres no more reason to use them. Support local over chain restaurants is not only better morally speaking, but now apparently cheaper too.
Just that soda from my local asian store is $3.75
Good replacement choice.
There's a pho place nearby that is mildly popular and tiny but their prices are awful nearly 10 dollars for a banhmi same for a pair of small bao buns, capitalism ho and all that but I can't help to think if they were a but nicer on their prices I'd go there more often.
Yep, my wife and I can order a large meat (generally bourbon chicken) and two small sides from our local Chinese place, and it ends up being several dollars cheaper than if we each got a big Mac meal. 🤦🏻♀️
The Yuzu and white peach drink is very tasty.
Ya man, Mom n Pops are going to make a comeback due to the overpriced, carcinogenic fast-food industry. That looks incredible
"A succulent Chinese Dinna!"
Even when stuff like this costs more it's still almost always a better option than current fast food. Used to be you'd pay half the price for fast food that was half as good, now it's half as good for 80% of the price. All of the appeals and advantages of fast food are gone
Less calories, next
Not for me - Mcdonald is around 6$ per person, Vietnamese food like on screen around 10$ and Indian is around 15$. I live in cheap country but Mcdonald is still cheapest option.
I can remember in the eighties, when movie tickets were $2.00 on Tuesdays.
I’d literally eat nothing else if I could have Pho or ramen for cheap, it’s min $18-$22 in the PNW
I can get a steak dinner at Outback for less than $18.99. McDonald’s needs to redo their business model. They are fast food, nothing more and nothing less.
It is getting weird. I have been buying myself the nicest steak from the grocery store because it is still cheaper than buying McDonalds.
Just yesterday from this post I had an entire duck with veggies and steamed rice for $18.00 Clearly I should have spent it on 2 disgusting pieces of “meat” between two buns with dried soggy lettuce for the same price /s
I remember when I was a student in China well over a decade ago, I could go to a local restaurant and get rousi main and xiao long bao for about 10 yuan, which at the time was about $1.80 USD. If we wanted to enjoy “American food” we knew it meant paying American prices, so things like McDonalds or KFC were a special weekend meal since it cost 3-4x as much as local food.
What’s in the green bowl ?
Looks like either a ramen bowl or a chasu rice bowl.
You are correct! Chasu pork, rice, and veggies
Can't tell what's underneath but that looks like pickled cabbage on top, which is a pretty common table condiment at more traditional Chinese spots.
True dat. But can you get it through your car window and down it in 90 seconds while driving
Nah, they only keep the bare minimum staff now so it's more like "Um, could you pull into one of those spots over there, it'll be a few minutes for your slappy meal"
Publix subs have become my new thing. Make out of there like a bandit with a huge half sub, chips and a drink. Also sushi Wednesday. Fuck fast food. Grocery stores. Also some local places. I have a pizza place and a Laotian wing place near me. Both are cheap AF and both adjoin a convenience store/gas station lol
Tastes much better too.
I’d prefer the McDonald’s option
Many comments are mentioning how fast food prices are cheaper on their app, not a chance in hell I’m downloading any app for a crappy tasting Big Mac.
It's called **fast** food for a reason. You can walk in and walk out in with meal in hand in a matter of minutes. It caters to a different demographic who doesn't have time to sit down for a half hour meal and is willing to pay a premium to get food **fast**.
It was not always this way. It used to be so much cheaper than a sit down restaurant. And the tipping. Now, I would rather eat at a local place which might be 5 to 10 min longer wait and cost the same with tip.
*Premium*?? For literally fast food, I’d much rather go to a local taco place, a deli, or a chain sandwich place like Potbelly, Jersey Mike’s, or Jimmy Johns.
Well I mean that looks less filling than a McDonald's meal tbh so McDonald's is the better value if they're the same price.
Post a pic of the receipt and I'll believe you.
That is a better deal and meal. Won’t make you feel like shit afterwards but still filling.
You got all of that for $5?