Kevin Roberts remembers when he could get a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a drink from Five Guys for $10. But that was years ago. When the Virginia high school teacher recently visited the fast-food chain, the food alone without a beverage cost double that amount.

Roberts, 38, now only gets fast food “as a rare treat,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “Nothing has made me cook at home more than fast-food prices.”

Roberts is hardly alone. Many consumers are expressing frustration at the surge in fast-food prices, which are starting to scare off budget-conscious customers.

A January poll by consulting firm Revenue Management Solutions found that about 25% of people who make under $50,000 were cutting back on fast food, pointing to cost as a concern.

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Hey McDonald’s.

    This isn’t reddit so you probably won’t see this.

    Hashbrowns cost $1. Figure it out. Not here to haggle.

    Also can someone sue these MFS giving deals through apps? Like “sorry homeless guy pan-handling out front, medium fry is only free if you have a $200 phone! Sucks to suck.” How is that ok?

    • Liz
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      6 months ago

      I have vague memories of there being a law that you’re supposed to just be able to ask the cashier to apply any discounts you know about at the cash register?

        • Liz
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          6 months ago

          I thought about it for a second, and could see it being an accessibility law passed for this very type of thing. Kind of like how (in the US) you must always be able to join a sweepstakes without paying any money (usually you mail them your name and address) even if the way they want you to join us by buying product or something. But anyway, I don’t actually know about that coupon thing.

          • jj4211@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            The “No Purchase Necessary” isn’t about giving everyone fair access to the winnings, it’s about being legal even where gambling is not, since “maybe winning” something in exchange for money is either illegal or highly regulated throughout the US.

            • Liz
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              6 months ago

              Ah, I didn’t know! Thanks for the info.

        • foggy@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          There is a law in the US that any x for y deal must be sold at the ratio unit price.

          So like “10 for $10!” Means they are breaking the law to sell them at a price more than $1 for 1.

          The caveat is packaging. E.G. Marlboro can wrap two packs of cigarettes and call it a Buy One Get One deal which is not the same. Weird little loopholes.

    • scottywh@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      The apps are fucking awesome though.

      I literally get free burgers with no purchase required regularly at the moment thanks to a fast food app.

      • Rekorse@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 months ago

        I’m surprised to see all the replies about the McDonalds app and how its actually a great deal.

        Most companies are doing this now, and giving free food regularly as an incentive to keep using it.

        Why would these companies spend money to keep us using the app, and keep it installed?

        The truth is, they make far more off selling your data then they spend giving away food periodically. Look at the permissions the app needs under the guise of “making it easy to tell when you are near a McDonalds so we can start cooking your food!”.

        Lemmy is supposed to be better about privacy and such than this.

        • jj4211@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          That’s not the only motive. The other is that if people are in the habit of using the phones and kiosks to place their orders, then that’s less money spent on people stuck on order taking. I’d even speculate that is the primary driver of “discounts in the app”.

          For many of the restaurants, I’m actually in favor of tapping in the order, since it’s less likely to screw up getting the order right when I’m tapping it in.

          • Rekorse@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            6 months ago

            I think this is a case where people might actually prefer the kiosks over the cashiers, since like you said, the kiosk doesn’t vet your order wrong.

            There can be multiple reasons to do things, and they can definitely add on new ideas on top 9f old ones when they realize an avenue to make more money.

            I’m not even saying noone should use these apps, just be aware of what the cost actually is.

            I hope people in general figure out this whole “free” stuff scam soon. Drug dealers have been giving out “testers” for hundreds of years but I guess people just assume they aren’t part of the “easy to deceive” crowd.

    • UckyBon@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      All big companies are keeping tabs on socials, incl. Lemmy. You think you’re special for using Lemmy? 🤪

      • foggy@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        There’s not enough of us for any movement here to make their stock price move.

        They don’t care. It would be a bad use of their resources.

        They will eventually, but they don’t.