Had the same experience last time I ate at a BK, it was sometime in the 1970’s.

You are talking about 1 -2% inflation being the desired rate, the higher the rates go above that is the effect of economic distortions , supply and demand issues

One of the problems is in the calculation of inflation. Core inflation does not include food or energy - which people deal with on a daily basis.

In 2023, food prices increased by 5.8 percent. Food-at-home prices increased by 5.0 percent, while food-away-from-home prices increased by 7.1 percent.

And yet people are told that inflation is only at 3.4% and are only given a social security increase of 3.2%.

If the goal is 2%, we are 70% above the target rate.

Im sure many of us lived thru the inflation of the 1970s. Perhaps some remember when Nixon put in wage and price controls. He also had a nice little program…called WIN…Whip Inflation Now….none of that worked…took the economy to finally stabalize.

Yes, we have had inflation for the past year or two…its going down…not as much as we would like.

When inflation hits and then goes down..prices dont fall…i believe economists call it “sticky pricing”. Retailers who bought a product at a high price are reluctant to lower it even though the replacement price on that item is lower.

But I think retailers…fast foid, supermarkets, restaurants..are now just taking advantage and raising prices unnecessarily.

Read an article today..the ceo of mcdonalds is looking at their inflated prices. A big mac meal is $18 in some areas!
..

Fast food is a very competitive industry. So, I really don't think there is much room for price gouging. If you don't like the cost of a fast food meal at Burger King or McDonald's, you can eat at Wendy's or somewhere else. I think competition works well at controlling prices.

McDonald's will focus on affordability in 2024, CEO says!

Amid backlash over $18 Big Mac meals, McDonald's will focus on affordability in 2024, CEO says

Last week, a McDonald’s location in Connecticut was criticized after a customer was charged $7.29 for an Egg McMuffin and nearly $5.69 for a side of hash browns. The franchise in Darien, Connecticut was called out for charging $17.59 for a Big Mac combo.
From: McDonald's CEO says fast food chain will focus on affordability amid outrage over menu hikes

The last time my husband and I were there was probably 5-ish years ago. The service was bad.

When I paid the cashier I gave her the change part, for example if it was $7.26 I gave her $10.26. I know that people aren't taught how to make change. She gave me back something along the line of 90 cents and closed the register. When I pointed it out to her she denied making a mistake and she seemed rude about it. I was so hungry, and irritable because I was overly hungry that I told myself to keep my mouth shut, which was a mistake.

After I finished eating I decided to go back to the register and ask for a manager. I told the manager what happened and she didn't seem to care or want to be bothered. I never went back in there again. The other BK on Bichara wasn't much better. I remember going in there with my husband and we waited, and waited, and waited. Nobody ever came to the register.

Go to COSTCO, get a hot dog and a soda (or water) for $1.65.

Sorry that you had that experience but amazing how managers can care so little about losing customers.

History is going to repeat itself.
Remember as a kid, going out to eat was a treat? :icon_hungry:
Welcome back to the 40's and 50's.
These places will not survive doing business like this.

You could have considered carry out and had it your way somewhere else with a water? Sometimes there is a work around in life. I’d be interested if they had provided the water where was it coming from? Do you drink tap water at home?

so here's the reasons for the cost increases:

Why McDonald's is charging $18 for a Big Mac meal; there's no relief in sight

Amid the uproar, McDonald’s franchisees say they are being financially squeezed by the rising cost of insurance, equipment and labor. “I just got my quote for my insurance and it went up by 31% and the cost of equipment is out of this world,” griped one operator who did not want to be identified.

Experts warn that fast food prices will climb even higher as minimum wage hikes are implemented across the country.
California’s $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers goes into effect in April.

McDonald’s and Chipotle both announced that they would be hiking the prices of menu items at Golden State locations beginning this year.


good luck to us. .

I stopped at a 7-11 the other day for a coke ($2.89) and a snickers bar ($2.99). More than $6 with taxes!

I remember going into a Hardee's in Bemidji, Minnesota; ordering a cheeseburger, fries and a coke--and getting change back from my dollar. 'Course, that WAS back in '71...

Not to oversimplify, but I think that what people are complaining about is the result of a lack of a work ethic. And even more so, the lack of NEED for a work ethic.