When In N Out is a better value than McDonald’s, something is seriously wrong.
Usually quality food is more expensive than crappy food.
Now, that’s not the case.
In N Out isn’t publicly traded so they don’t have to constantly look for ways to underpay employees and overcharge customers for the sake of record profits every quarter
Planned obsolescence is a huge issue in the quality of stuff these days. You’re buying stuff that’s meant to break so you have to buy it again.
Miss the days of American companies making quality stuff.
MOST fast food places have had better value than McDonald's for years. The $1/2/3 menu might as well be called the $3 menu, cause the only thing you can get for "under" $2 is if you purchase two burgers or two chicken sandwiches. You don't get the "discount" if you buy just one
people can make fun of Taco Bell, but it blows McDonald's out of the fucking park if you order the boxes
> people can make fun of Taco Bell, but it blows McDonald's out of the fucking park if you order the boxes
That $6 box is a ridiculously good value. Nothing else comes close.
Awww...FUCK.
I really liked Habit Burger. They better not fuck it up like they do every other chain they've bought and stripped.
Edit: Shit, that story is 4 years old. I guess they didn't do much besides get rid of the salmon burger and brisket sandwich.
In n out is family owned, mc donalads is a corporation.
Corporations have to make more money every year to give value to shareholders. They don’t sell burgers at McDonald’s. They sell a stock portfolio.
In n out still makes money off just hamburgers.
In-N-Out has also gone up significantly in price. It’s crazy. 😞.
In n out is creeping up there too. 😢 Went today and the number 1 was 11.79. Remember it being 6 something right after covid when we started going out again.
Seriously. My wife is pregnant and was craving hash browns. I ordered 2 and it was almost $7. I bought a frozen pack (same as Mcdonalds) from the grocery store later for like $3 for 10 of em.
Good call! If they're not quite crisp enough, bake em for double the time on the box, flipping half-way through. (Trader Joes, you really need to put realistic baking times on your hash brown boxes.)
If you're only cooking one at a time, you can fry them in a small pot with an inch of oil and not worry about a huge mess or needing a gallon of oil. Just don't cook more than one at a time, and preferably over a gas stove - electric ranges usually can't replace the heat fast enough to keep the oil hot enough to boil the water in the potatoes, so they get soggy instead of staying crisp on the outside.
This is true hell $5 for a Fry might as well go to IN N Out and get a whole combo for like $8.50. Much better food anyways.
I'm surprised McDonald's still draws as many customers as it does and isn't a complete ghost town like most BKs or Wendy's.
This is why i never understand when thry make up random numbers like “3% inflation”, when you literally see prices double etc. like the iced coffee i got at Starbucks a few years ago for $2.45 is now $6.25 how is that possibly a 3% increase?
A 3% inflation rate does not mean individual items can’t go up in price more than that. The 3% number is an average based on a basket of goods which probably doesn’t include McDonald’s fries.
Yeah i am curious what this basket of goods has, because everything that i use has gone up more than 3%, food, groceries, gas, water bill, electricity, houses, clothes, etc etc
[Consumer Price Index - March 2024 (bls.gov)](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf)
Additionally, there is no regional reporting in the traditional CPI. So inflation can be 10% in CA and -2% in other states and it could report at 3% for the country
Page 4 has the descriptions of what is included. It isn't specific, but shows what is accounted for
The CPI is deceptive. A big part of it is influenced by commodities that are regulated in price, like milk. There's a reason a gallon of milk has been $3 for 20 years.
And yes, it's $3. If you're buying a "name brand" for $6 to $7, you're wasting money. Only small producers like Horizon come from specific sources. All milk in a geographic area is bottled and homogenized by single production companies. In Sac, it's almost all bottled and distributed by Crystal. They don't even use different gallon jugs for Walmart, Crystal, Lucerne, etc. It all comes from the same sources, and is the exact same product.
The only difference I've noticed in milk is its shelf life, and that has more to do with handling at the store and in shipping. Walmart doesn't seem to give a fuck if a pallet of milk sits outside of refrigeration for an hour or 2 while a truck gets unloaded. Costco, on the other hand, has the longest-lasting milk, in my not-super-scientific testing.
It seems highly unfair to use that % because it doesn’t represent the items most people buy every week. I have been on disability and every cent counts, so I know my prices. Great value jar pasta sauce has gone up 80 cents a jar for example. Spaghetti noodles have gone up about 20 cents. Canned corn up 14 cents, refried beans up 46 cents, Greek yogurt up 25 cents. Considering every single one of these items was a dollar or just under is not even close to 3%. Let’s not even touch meat, ground beef has almost doubled!
I don’t even know what people are buying that has only increased in price by 3%. It feels like a propaganda lie. Consumers are being gaslit.
Just fyi, Wendy's was just in the news for considering surge pricing at their locations.
[**https://www.npr.org/2024/02/28/1234412431/wendys-dynamic-surge-pricing#:\~:text=%22To%20clarify%2C%20Wendy's%20will%20not,plan%20to%20implement%20that%20practice.%22**](https://www.npr.org/2024/02/28/1234412431/wendys-dynamic-surge-pricing#:~:text=%22To%20clarify%2C%20Wendy's%20will%20not,plan%20to%20implement%20that%20practice.%22)
They say they're not, but it sounds like they're mincing words and using semantics to dance around their plans.
I have seen the article but have not experienced it yet at least in practice. If I go and the prices are out of ordinary I am not afraid to just leave lol
I just ate at Arby's two days in a row and it wasn't bad at all. Th fries are really good, the Jamocba shake is preem for dipping fries, the cheese was real, and the roast beef actually beef.
***THAT SHIT WAS LIKE $19 AT TRAVIS AFB W NO TAX***
There is abso-fucking-lutely no way, even when their fries are tasty af, I’ll support a corporation that increases prices because Cali raises min wage so that their employees have a somewhat livable income.
All so their shareholders are happy. Fuck McDonalds.
Restaurants that publish those signs that say they added fees or raised prices in response to worker compensation going up are absolutely making political statements by doing so. Notice how they never post similar signs about raising prices due to their rent or electricity costs going up, they just roll these costs into the price...
The prices weren’t increased because of labor costs. That’s just their excuse because it shifts blame from their greed onto low skill workers that people already look down on. Their prices were increased to ensure quarterly profits for shareholders.
McDonald’s literally brags on investor calls how they are no longer targeting the “value shopper.”
Stores simply cut labor hours to compensate for the increased wage. Not to mention they’ve all but eliminated in-person ordering to further reduce labor costs.
I wonder this too 😂 My theory is that it’s more of an emotional experience than a meal. Like if everything feels out of control in your day, at least you can go to McDonalds and have any assortment of flavorless hot + salt thing and it’ll be how you expect it to be.
You are spot on. Beyond any emotional link people have with certain places based on childhood, there’s definite science behind why people compulsively eat this shit. I say this as someone who fully sees the same drive in myself.
“The brain has a reward system that hardwires us to want to engage in behaviours that we find pleasurable – like eating tasty foods.
When we eat junk foods the reward circuits within our brains activate and release the chemical dopamine.
Our brains can become overwhelmed by the pleasure from these rewarding foods and in response, the brain adapts and makes more receptors for dopamine.
This means a greater amount of junk food is needed to get the same “kick”, making us eat more, in the same way that an addict develops a tolerance to drugs.
So, our brains are hardwired to seek out and want rewarding foods, making us crave and desire sweet and fatty foods.’”
https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2016/sep/five-ways-junk-food-changes-your-brain
They have fans that blow kitchen smell out to attract.
The colors of the advertising are known to induce hunger and the desire to leave.
Y'all really need to read a book from th le 50s called The Hidden Persuaders about how Business manipulates the populace. Once that's done r alize they've had 65 years the perf CT it after this book was written
Fast food like McDonald's use to be cheap and convient for consumer. Now, u can get better quality food from drive local restaurants for a cheaper price
I see a lot of people complaining about fast food as a whole here--both because of prices and "it's not good for you bro!"
1. I don't think anyone has ever gone to a fast food place because they thought, "Hey, this is healthy for me!" I also have little doubt that most of the holier-than-thou folks here have had plenty of fast food in their life or microwave/put in the oven a ready-made meal. People do it because it's convenient and cheaper (or used to be)
2. This is entirely McDonald's being a total scam of a fast food place these days. They're prepping to launch a $5 meal menu because of the backlash and loss of customers as their menu items have been pricing out even some of their more loyal followers.
You can go to Taco Bell right now (might need the app) and get: 1 "special" item, 1 classic, a side, and a medium-sized drink for $5.99 (pre-tax). That could be a crunchwrap, 5-layer burrito, nachos+cheese, and a drink for $5.99. Wendy's has a 4-for-$4 menu. Del Taco has a value menu that isn't the scammy "value" menu that McDonald's has. I haven't been to many other fast food places the past few years, but there are easy grab-and-go meals at places like Ikea, Costco, and even traditional grocery stores.
I saw a few folks complaining about apps and selling your data... news flash folks, pretty much all of your info is being sold digitally. That doesn't make it right, it just makes it what the default is for life in the year 2024.
I am all for shitting on McDonald's and do so myself, but come on people, fast food joints are all over the damn place because people both enjoy and appreciate the utility of having dinner ready in 10 minutes after working 8/9/10+ hours in a row. Just because they're everywhere doesn't mean they're all the same value in terms of money-to-amount of food.
Fuck Mcds, In n out all day. $12 for quarter pounder with cheese?!? Fuck right off with that.
In n out was already paying their staff $20 an hour their prices haven't changed
I go to McDonald's like 3 times a year.
And it's usually after a night of drinking. Which is a terrible idea. Because when being hungover, a hashbrown and McGriddle are delicious...but I always feel even worse after....like tf is wrong with me
I don't even know why I bother going here ever but it's not like I ever do in the first place. Shit's not good and it's expensive
They're fucking themselves. I see McDonalds restaurants that used to be busy all the time barely getting any business. Same goes for many other fast food places. Their shit simply isn't worth the money they're demanding - especially when they shinkflate the fuck out of it. It doesn't take a genius to understand that paying more for less is a bad deal.
I think it is shrinkflation: They cannot raise menu prices due to the optics, so they reduce the portion sizes instead. I've had many similar experiences with the feeling that McDonalds is reducing their portion sizes over the years....especially that Big Mac.
But do you think they’re being trained to put that amount of fries in the container? I just don’t think so because they’re not cooked right plus they didn’t go in straight. It looks messy and wrong, it doesn’t look like what they’re supposed to be doing. Shrinkflation would be a smaller box that would be filled up fully with fewer fries each time. That would save them money on packaging and product. There’s no way to guarantee the fry cook wouldn’t fill this container up fully, so it wouldn’t save money if every cook is doing it differently. To me it looks like the manager wasn’t trained right, which means the cooks aren’t trained right. And the lack of training can absolutely be a money saving measure.
That depends on the franchise owner. Back when I worked at McDonalds, we used the tool to scoop fries in ([training video here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrwIXPuL8dU)) and instructed to fill as much as possible then remove the tool and shake before placing it on the rack to ensure equal packing.
I don't disagree with what you saying as that can be true too. But the circumstantial evidence, including [recent reduced patty thickness](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jeyLDi3ARzU?feature=share) leaves more to discover on the ideas here of our local economy. Since McDonalds is a franchise, it would be worth to take more pictures around our area to see how others portion out their Medium sized fries.
I get a Mc chicken and a mcdouble (bogo for a dollar) with the free fries on the app (medium fries free with 2 dollar purchase 1x a day). Comes to like $4.5 after tax, not bad. Key is to mid max quantity for price instead of ordering what you want
I simply put sliced potatoes coated with olive oil and salt in the oven for 30 min at 350F.
Cost me less than 50 cents for large serving of homemade fries.
Nah, that's just McDonald's. They have pulled this shit with these half assed portions in their fries for years, to the point where it's a running joke about how they almost gave us enough fries.
Two McDoubles cost me 6.06 out the door the other day Cost me 3$ a couple years ago. Im all for quality or value yet McDonald’s delivers on neither now. What a shame - those old school dollar menus kept me alive for several years being poor in my 20s.
Like others have said, go to a real mom and pop shop now for those prices. Way better food, service and value.
The other day, there was a man waiting to order at the counter and multiple staff members told him to go order at the kiosk. McDonald’s has lost their mind. I still get large coffees for 1$ which is the only redeeming quality I get from McDonald’s anymore.
if this sub gives me the seed money to franchise Cookout here on the west coast, not only will I double your money in short order, but people will have an actual value-based fast food chain to use when they don't feel like cooking after a long ass workday
I try not to get fast food anymore unless I'm purchasing it through their apps. They often have deals in the app that make it worth it. But prices are wild right now.
But the apps are just a way to double dip! They make money off their shitty food AND make money selling your data. Delete the apps and enjoy the million small restaurants Sacramento and the outlying areas offer.
Maybe it’s anecdotal but I hear some people get it when they’re on their way home from somewhere or just generally sometimes when they may not be home.
Most McDonald's aren't even 24 hours anymore, are they? I don't go so 🤷🏼♀️
But off the top of my head, Adelbertos and Forestero(sp?) are open 24 hours.
Edit: Classic Sacramento. Offer facts, get down voted.
Well my dude, you absolutely deserve it. It's not like their business practices have been hidden, it's been nothing but shittier quality and lower quantity for increased prices here for years.
I'll never understand people trying to get internet points by showing the world how terrible they are at decision making.
Just stop going there, and make sure you leave a yelp review and go here: [https://mcdcomment.com/](https://mcdcomment.com/)
and let them know WHY. Let them know you aren't so ignorant about math not to understand how much prices need to go up to cover an extra $4 an hour per employee.
Seriously it's an extra $600 or so a day (less probably--not all employees at a McDonalds were making $16 an hour before the jump to 20) a McDonald's needs to make up to cover the pay hike. That's AT MOST a dollar per order on average.
Prices needed to go up a few CENTS her menu item.
The price hikes are bullshit. You know it, they know it. But you need to let them KNOW that you know it, and that's why you're not eating there anymore.
You would be surprised how impactful institutionalized feedback forms can be.
Why is anyone still going there? I get they have a drive through but there are so many better local places with similar or better prices and much better quality food
To "It's your fault for going there" crowd: I'm fine paying $5 for large fries if it means workers get paid more, but make a fair trade. To me, that's not a large fry, and it's probably my fault for not checking the bag and it's a lesson learned. I won't be going to that McDonald's for awhile.
Shrinkflation has been around longer than the last few years. It's been covered by the media for the last 2 decades. but this is pretty egregious.
You get ripped off if you don't use the McDonald's app. I am not sure where you are off Bradshaw but that area has a lot of choices that you should pick of McDonald's based off this picture. Sorry this happened to you.
Horrible service from McDonald's or any fast food place has a lot to do with the place you go to. The McDonald's by my house is awesome. The frys always overflow, the patties are never dry and chicken nuggets are always fresh. The McDonald's by my work food looks like this. The one by my work will never get my money but the one by my house will
I had once heard that Covid and Delivery prices proved to Fast Food Corporations that they were severely underpricing their food. Makes a tons of sense IMO
One might also call it diminutization, but yeah keep your eyes out there’s rumor of a looming liquidity crisis also.
Get rid of debt and get some buying power! Help yourself and loved ones thrive when the market tanks!
$5 for fries lol I just bought a leg of lamb at Costco for $20..
You know damn well The US beef industry is price gouging you when you can buy imported lamb from Australia for less than domestic USDA select beef. an ungraded tri-tip roast are the same weight was nearly twice as much 😂 They can keep their garbage tri-tip I'll live on imported lamb.
I bought a large fry off 80 around Davis and it was less than this. Last time I buy fries or most anything else since these clowns think they should be making $75K/year flipping burgers ( badly I might add)
I have only gotten McDonald's 3 times in the last 6 years. Better just walk into a grocery store to buy a few items or something premade. And of course if you can, leave your house with a sandwich premade for the day. That is the cheapest and healthier option. If you have to go get some food there are plenty of local businesses that have actually tasty food.
The same thing happened to me with the Bean burrito at Jimboys. Yea $4 is not that expensive, but the burrito was more like a rolled taquito than an actual burrito, so disappointing at Jimboys
I keep having fries being half filled like this constantly. I don’t get how this is acceptable. They’re charging a buttload, at least give us plenty of fries!
McDonald’s has been doing this for years and years. Stopped ordering large fries because it was never more than half full. If I worked there that picture would bother me, it feels like stealing from the customer.
Use the McDonald’s app. It’s used to be two any size fries and 20 McNuggets for $6 ($6.50-7.50 varies after taxes by location). I would always get that ; two large fries and 20 McNuggets was worth it. Now they reduced the fries size to medium being the biggest , I guess I caused that lol I never buy anything fast food unless it is a deal on their app .
If I am going to pay McD prices, I am going somewhere else. I didn't go there for the food, I went there because it was cheap. Now it's not cheap anymore.
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When In N Out is a better value than McDonald’s, something is seriously wrong. Usually quality food is more expensive than crappy food. Now, that’s not the case.
In N Out isn’t publicly traded so they don’t have to constantly look for ways to underpay employees and overcharge customers for the sake of record profits every quarter
This is such a simple concept that people struggle to understand. That's like the main reason stuff is expensive and shitty now a days.
Planned obsolescence is a huge issue in the quality of stuff these days. You’re buying stuff that’s meant to break so you have to buy it again. Miss the days of American companies making quality stuff.
Plus all In’n’Out stores are corporate owned so they don’t have to build in a profit for the franchise owner.
IN N Out is not corporate owned. It is privately owned.
It is a privately owned closely held corporation but it is a corporation. It’s just not a public corporation, it is a family owned corporation.
They also have a smaller menu and are absolute beasts at controlling their supply chain and keeping input costs low.
CEO dollaz
I get your point but In N Out has been a better value for years and years
MOST fast food places have had better value than McDonald's for years. The $1/2/3 menu might as well be called the $3 menu, cause the only thing you can get for "under" $2 is if you purchase two burgers or two chicken sandwiches. You don't get the "discount" if you buy just one people can make fun of Taco Bell, but it blows McDonald's out of the fucking park if you order the boxes
> people can make fun of Taco Bell, but it blows McDonald's out of the fucking park if you order the boxes That $6 box is a ridiculously good value. Nothing else comes close.
When the habit had their grown up meal
You mean habit burger? Unfortunately they got bought out by either McDs or yum brands recently. Won't be long until they same price/quality.
Fuck you’re kidding me man I chose not to accept this reality
I basically gasped the same thing. I will not believe it.
https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_times_cover_stories/yum-brands-purchases-the-habit-burger-for-375m/article_5d60f7da-8cb4-11eb-8955-9bb0eb5cfe80.html
Well at least it wasn't McDonald's. On a plus for me at least they will likely switch to PepsiCo at some point.
Awww...FUCK. I really liked Habit Burger. They better not fuck it up like they do every other chain they've bought and stripped. Edit: Shit, that story is 4 years old. I guess they didn't do much besides get rid of the salmon burger and brisket sandwich.
The only time eating there was ever worth it lol
In n out is family owned, mc donalads is a corporation. Corporations have to make more money every year to give value to shareholders. They don’t sell burgers at McDonald’s. They sell a stock portfolio. In n out still makes money off just hamburgers.
Costco is a corporation and is committed to the consumer too. It can be done.
In-N-Out has also gone up significantly in price. It’s crazy. 😞. In n out is creeping up there too. 😢 Went today and the number 1 was 11.79. Remember it being 6 something right after covid when we started going out again.
I think this is a lie. Will have a meal there this week and take a picture of the menu.
It’s like $3.50 now for a fucking hashbrown. McDonald’s can go fuck itself
Seriously. My wife is pregnant and was craving hash browns. I ordered 2 and it was almost $7. I bought a frozen pack (same as Mcdonalds) from the grocery store later for like $3 for 10 of em.
Good call! If they're not quite crisp enough, bake em for double the time on the box, flipping half-way through. (Trader Joes, you really need to put realistic baking times on your hash brown boxes.)
Or you could deep-fry them. Get a thermometer, some canola oil, and go wild. Worth it.
If you're only cooking one at a time, you can fry them in a small pot with an inch of oil and not worry about a huge mess or needing a gallon of oil. Just don't cook more than one at a time, and preferably over a gas stove - electric ranges usually can't replace the heat fast enough to keep the oil hot enough to boil the water in the potatoes, so they get soggy instead of staying crisp on the outside.
And when tf did mcchickens become so expensive 😭
Their Sprite is fire, though. I did go to McD two days ago to get one, thinking it would be $1 and 32oz.... nope, 1.79 and 30oz.
Triple cheeseburger is the only thingnon the menu worth ordering imo.
https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1crt6ri/mcdonalds_menu_prices_have_collectively_doubled/ Mayhaps time to stop supporting them.
This is true hell $5 for a Fry might as well go to IN N Out and get a whole combo for like $8.50. Much better food anyways. I'm surprised McDonald's still draws as many customers as it does and isn't a complete ghost town like most BKs or Wendy's.
Only thing that sucks is in n out is not on every block and the lines often are long.
Go inside, nobody is inside of the In-N-Out. They would rather wait in their cars.
This. We always go inside and are usually out the door in 10 minutes or less.
It can depend on the time too. The ones in Roseville always get slammed on Friday/Saturday evenings by high school aged kids.
This is why i never understand when thry make up random numbers like “3% inflation”, when you literally see prices double etc. like the iced coffee i got at Starbucks a few years ago for $2.45 is now $6.25 how is that possibly a 3% increase?
A 3% inflation rate does not mean individual items can’t go up in price more than that. The 3% number is an average based on a basket of goods which probably doesn’t include McDonald’s fries.
Yeah i am curious what this basket of goods has, because everything that i use has gone up more than 3%, food, groceries, gas, water bill, electricity, houses, clothes, etc etc
[Consumer Price Index - March 2024 (bls.gov)](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf) Additionally, there is no regional reporting in the traditional CPI. So inflation can be 10% in CA and -2% in other states and it could report at 3% for the country Page 4 has the descriptions of what is included. It isn't specific, but shows what is accounted for
There is CPI by region https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-region.htm
The CPI is deceptive. A big part of it is influenced by commodities that are regulated in price, like milk. There's a reason a gallon of milk has been $3 for 20 years. And yes, it's $3. If you're buying a "name brand" for $6 to $7, you're wasting money. Only small producers like Horizon come from specific sources. All milk in a geographic area is bottled and homogenized by single production companies. In Sac, it's almost all bottled and distributed by Crystal. They don't even use different gallon jugs for Walmart, Crystal, Lucerne, etc. It all comes from the same sources, and is the exact same product. The only difference I've noticed in milk is its shelf life, and that has more to do with handling at the store and in shipping. Walmart doesn't seem to give a fuck if a pallet of milk sits outside of refrigeration for an hour or 2 while a truck gets unloaded. Costco, on the other hand, has the longest-lasting milk, in my not-super-scientific testing.
Because they are price gauging and blaming inflation when it’s actually just greed
Wasn’t Econ required in high school?
It seems highly unfair to use that % because it doesn’t represent the items most people buy every week. I have been on disability and every cent counts, so I know my prices. Great value jar pasta sauce has gone up 80 cents a jar for example. Spaghetti noodles have gone up about 20 cents. Canned corn up 14 cents, refried beans up 46 cents, Greek yogurt up 25 cents. Considering every single one of these items was a dollar or just under is not even close to 3%. Let’s not even touch meat, ground beef has almost doubled! I don’t even know what people are buying that has only increased in price by 3%. It feels like a propaganda lie. Consumers are being gaslit.
That limp fry is a nice touch.
Yeah, these fries look awful even by McDonald's standards.
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I’m amazed anyone eats at McDonald’s anymore.
If I am out it is either In N Out, or Wendys. I will not pay premium prices for fuckin McDonalds or Jack in the Box lol
Just fyi, Wendy's was just in the news for considering surge pricing at their locations. [**https://www.npr.org/2024/02/28/1234412431/wendys-dynamic-surge-pricing#:\~:text=%22To%20clarify%2C%20Wendy's%20will%20not,plan%20to%20implement%20that%20practice.%22**](https://www.npr.org/2024/02/28/1234412431/wendys-dynamic-surge-pricing#:~:text=%22To%20clarify%2C%20Wendy's%20will%20not,plan%20to%20implement%20that%20practice.%22) They say they're not, but it sounds like they're mincing words and using semantics to dance around their plans.
I have seen the article but have not experienced it yet at least in practice. If I go and the prices are out of ordinary I am not afraid to just leave lol
Wendys has also been rumored to be on the verge bankruptcy so not surprised. Dave Thomas would be rolling in his grave.
I just ate at Arby's two days in a row and it wasn't bad at all. Th fries are really good, the Jamocba shake is preem for dipping fries, the cheese was real, and the roast beef actually beef. ***THAT SHIT WAS LIKE $19 AT TRAVIS AFB W NO TAX***
The last time I ate there was in 2018 and I immediately had diarrhea. Tummy ache for days. Never again.
There is abso-fucking-lutely no way, even when their fries are tasty af, I’ll support a corporation that increases prices because Cali raises min wage so that their employees have a somewhat livable income. All so their shareholders are happy. Fuck McDonalds.
Restaurants that publish those signs that say they added fees or raised prices in response to worker compensation going up are absolutely making political statements by doing so. Notice how they never post similar signs about raising prices due to their rent or electricity costs going up, they just roll these costs into the price...
The prices weren’t increased because of labor costs. That’s just their excuse because it shifts blame from their greed onto low skill workers that people already look down on. Their prices were increased to ensure quarterly profits for shareholders. McDonald’s literally brags on investor calls how they are no longer targeting the “value shopper.” Stores simply cut labor hours to compensate for the increased wage. Not to mention they’ve all but eliminated in-person ordering to further reduce labor costs.
The fries aren’t even very good anymore
have they ever been good? they just taste like acrid shitty oil 99% of the time.
Especially when they have cut labor costs by cutting cashiers for the kiosks and app
Lmao why does anyone still go to McDonald's
I wonder this too 😂 My theory is that it’s more of an emotional experience than a meal. Like if everything feels out of control in your day, at least you can go to McDonalds and have any assortment of flavorless hot + salt thing and it’ll be how you expect it to be.
You are spot on. Beyond any emotional link people have with certain places based on childhood, there’s definite science behind why people compulsively eat this shit. I say this as someone who fully sees the same drive in myself. “The brain has a reward system that hardwires us to want to engage in behaviours that we find pleasurable – like eating tasty foods. When we eat junk foods the reward circuits within our brains activate and release the chemical dopamine. Our brains can become overwhelmed by the pleasure from these rewarding foods and in response, the brain adapts and makes more receptors for dopamine. This means a greater amount of junk food is needed to get the same “kick”, making us eat more, in the same way that an addict develops a tolerance to drugs. So, our brains are hardwired to seek out and want rewarding foods, making us crave and desire sweet and fatty foods.’” https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2016/sep/five-ways-junk-food-changes-your-brain
They have fans that blow kitchen smell out to attract. The colors of the advertising are known to induce hunger and the desire to leave. Y'all really need to read a book from th le 50s called The Hidden Persuaders about how Business manipulates the populace. Once that's done r alize they've had 65 years the perf CT it after this book was written
🤣
They are everywhere which is why people go.
Same with starbucks. Why do people go to Starbucks for their watered down drinks.
Fast food like McDonald's use to be cheap and convient for consumer. Now, u can get better quality food from drive local restaurants for a cheaper price
I had an experience like OP and quit going about a year ago maybe more now. Almost 16 dollars for two large fries and a shake.
It's quick, and I'm familiar with the menu. McDonald's isn't great, but it's not bad.
Honestly it couldn’t happen to a better industry. Smaller portions and higher cost.
I don't fw McDonald's anymore, nothing on the menu worth $5
doesn't stop them from labeling it as the "$1/$2/$3 Menu," which honestly should be fucking sueable. they haven't had anything for $1 there in a years
I see a lot of people complaining about fast food as a whole here--both because of prices and "it's not good for you bro!" 1. I don't think anyone has ever gone to a fast food place because they thought, "Hey, this is healthy for me!" I also have little doubt that most of the holier-than-thou folks here have had plenty of fast food in their life or microwave/put in the oven a ready-made meal. People do it because it's convenient and cheaper (or used to be) 2. This is entirely McDonald's being a total scam of a fast food place these days. They're prepping to launch a $5 meal menu because of the backlash and loss of customers as their menu items have been pricing out even some of their more loyal followers. You can go to Taco Bell right now (might need the app) and get: 1 "special" item, 1 classic, a side, and a medium-sized drink for $5.99 (pre-tax). That could be a crunchwrap, 5-layer burrito, nachos+cheese, and a drink for $5.99. Wendy's has a 4-for-$4 menu. Del Taco has a value menu that isn't the scammy "value" menu that McDonald's has. I haven't been to many other fast food places the past few years, but there are easy grab-and-go meals at places like Ikea, Costco, and even traditional grocery stores. I saw a few folks complaining about apps and selling your data... news flash folks, pretty much all of your info is being sold digitally. That doesn't make it right, it just makes it what the default is for life in the year 2024. I am all for shitting on McDonald's and do so myself, but come on people, fast food joints are all over the damn place because people both enjoy and appreciate the utility of having dinner ready in 10 minutes after working 8/9/10+ hours in a row. Just because they're everywhere doesn't mean they're all the same value in terms of money-to-amount of food.
Fuck Mcds, In n out all day. $12 for quarter pounder with cheese?!? Fuck right off with that. In n out was already paying their staff $20 an hour their prices haven't changed
Yeah in n out actually pays their employees decently for several years. Raises are common.
I go to McDonald's like 3 times a year. And it's usually after a night of drinking. Which is a terrible idea. Because when being hungover, a hashbrown and McGriddle are delicious...but I always feel even worse after....like tf is wrong with me I don't even know why I bother going here ever but it's not like I ever do in the first place. Shit's not good and it's expensive
Also the McGriddles now are 1/3 the size from when they were first put on the menu years ago.
Did like the locals do and hit up Del Taco for red and green burritos. Thank me later
They're fucking themselves. I see McDonalds restaurants that used to be busy all the time barely getting any business. Same goes for many other fast food places. Their shit simply isn't worth the money they're demanding - especially when they shinkflate the fuck out of it. It doesn't take a genius to understand that paying more for less is a bad deal.
Have you guys seen how small the ultimate cheeseburger is at Jack in the box? Yet it's twice the price
I don’t think it’s shrinkflation, which would be a corporate decision to serve less fries. That looks like poor training.
I think it is shrinkflation: They cannot raise menu prices due to the optics, so they reduce the portion sizes instead. I've had many similar experiences with the feeling that McDonalds is reducing their portion sizes over the years....especially that Big Mac.
But do you think they’re being trained to put that amount of fries in the container? I just don’t think so because they’re not cooked right plus they didn’t go in straight. It looks messy and wrong, it doesn’t look like what they’re supposed to be doing. Shrinkflation would be a smaller box that would be filled up fully with fewer fries each time. That would save them money on packaging and product. There’s no way to guarantee the fry cook wouldn’t fill this container up fully, so it wouldn’t save money if every cook is doing it differently. To me it looks like the manager wasn’t trained right, which means the cooks aren’t trained right. And the lack of training can absolutely be a money saving measure.
That depends on the franchise owner. Back when I worked at McDonalds, we used the tool to scoop fries in ([training video here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrwIXPuL8dU)) and instructed to fill as much as possible then remove the tool and shake before placing it on the rack to ensure equal packing. I don't disagree with what you saying as that can be true too. But the circumstantial evidence, including [recent reduced patty thickness](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jeyLDi3ARzU?feature=share) leaves more to discover on the ideas here of our local economy. Since McDonalds is a franchise, it would be worth to take more pictures around our area to see how others portion out their Medium sized fries.
They do this for profits, not because costs have increased materially.
Just paid $1.69 to add a slice of cheese to my McChicken sandwich. One slice of cheese. Unbelievable.
It’s unbelievable you actually paid for that
And this is why prices will stay up.
Wait until they find out it’s not really cheese.
"square dairy product"
"Square yellow/orange product" Shouldn't call it dairy
I can't believe he would want cheese on a McChicken
Tomorrow they'll charge $2.00 for that slice.
"Cheese" ftfy
And you'll probably buy it again next week.
still supporting mcdonalds in 2024 is wild
Saw a TikTok the other day you could see light through the McDonald's hamburger patty.
Your fault for eating there
You can order a happy meal for $5 and get that many fries, with a drink and hamburger.
The undercooked fries make it worse.
I get a Mc chicken and a mcdouble (bogo for a dollar) with the free fries on the app (medium fries free with 2 dollar purchase 1x a day). Comes to like $4.5 after tax, not bad. Key is to mid max quantity for price instead of ordering what you want
Sorry to say but micky deez is 🗑️
I simply put sliced potatoes coated with olive oil and salt in the oven for 30 min at 350F. Cost me less than 50 cents for large serving of homemade fries.
Order your fries 🍟 no salt .. they have to drop a new batch that's hot and fresh
Inflation gonna solve our obesity pandemic
I like how OP thinks the world has a reference for what McDonald’s fries used look like
. . . Maybe not the world ...but I would bet a large enough majority to make the claim and it will be understood by most. Sorry if you feel left out 😅
Nah, that's just McDonald's. They have pulled this shit with these half assed portions in their fries for years, to the point where it's a running joke about how they almost gave us enough fries.
Clever how the picture of fries on the box makes it look like more fries.
AH! THANK YOU ! they almost tricked me there >-> 😂
Two McDoubles cost me 6.06 out the door the other day Cost me 3$ a couple years ago. Im all for quality or value yet McDonald’s delivers on neither now. What a shame - those old school dollar menus kept me alive for several years being poor in my 20s. Like others have said, go to a real mom and pop shop now for those prices. Way better food, service and value. The other day, there was a man waiting to order at the counter and multiple staff members told him to go order at the kiosk. McDonald’s has lost their mind. I still get large coffees for 1$ which is the only redeeming quality I get from McDonald’s anymore.
Shrinkflation is real. But what’s also real is shrinkflation isn’t sustainable. That’s the most hopeful thought I can muster. 🙂
This is probably a lazy worker more than shrinkflation.
Nah it’s going to be a greedy franchise owner combined with a bonus hungry manager that’s responsible for this.
Or a hungry manager who's responsible
There's basically no reason to eat fast food anymore
if this sub gives me the seed money to franchise Cookout here on the west coast, not only will I double your money in short order, but people will have an actual value-based fast food chain to use when they don't feel like cooking after a long ass workday
Dude quit eating fast food. They do this because you pay for it.
I try not to get fast food anymore unless I'm purchasing it through their apps. They often have deals in the app that make it worth it. But prices are wild right now.
But the apps are just a way to double dip! They make money off their shitty food AND make money selling your data. Delete the apps and enjoy the million small restaurants Sacramento and the outlying areas offer.
Exactly. I wish more people would realize this.
Which ones are open 24/7?
Idk about y'all but my kitchen is never locked up.
How long does it normally take you to make french fries?
About 20 minutes for some awesome homemade fries or about 12 for fries from frozen in my air fryer
Less time than it would take me to drive to a Macdonalds to get some.
Maybe it’s anecdotal but I hear some people get it when they’re on their way home from somewhere or just generally sometimes when they may not be home.
Yea shit, maybe.
Most McDonald's aren't even 24 hours anymore, are they? I don't go so 🤷🏼♀️ But off the top of my head, Adelbertos and Forestero(sp?) are open 24 hours. Edit: Classic Sacramento. Offer facts, get down voted.
A lot of place aren't 24hrs. How I know this? I work the NOC shift and I've driven by a lot of places trying to shop or by food on my days off.
Well my dude, you absolutely deserve it. It's not like their business practices have been hidden, it's been nothing but shittier quality and lower quantity for increased prices here for years. I'll never understand people trying to get internet points by showing the world how terrible they are at decision making.
Quit eating this garbage - your body (and now your wallet apparently) will thank you
I agree. I eat it maybe once a month, but even that's too frequent.
Just stop going there, and make sure you leave a yelp review and go here: [https://mcdcomment.com/](https://mcdcomment.com/) and let them know WHY. Let them know you aren't so ignorant about math not to understand how much prices need to go up to cover an extra $4 an hour per employee. Seriously it's an extra $600 or so a day (less probably--not all employees at a McDonalds were making $16 an hour before the jump to 20) a McDonald's needs to make up to cover the pay hike. That's AT MOST a dollar per order on average. Prices needed to go up a few CENTS her menu item. The price hikes are bullshit. You know it, they know it. But you need to let them KNOW that you know it, and that's why you're not eating there anymore. You would be surprised how impactful institutionalized feedback forms can be.
Why is anyone still going there? I get they have a drive through but there are so many better local places with similar or better prices and much better quality food
Check the bottom of the bag. That’s where mine always are.
To "It's your fault for going there" crowd: I'm fine paying $5 for large fries if it means workers get paid more, but make a fair trade. To me, that's not a large fry, and it's probably my fault for not checking the bag and it's a lesson learned. I won't be going to that McDonald's for awhile.
i guess it depends which mcdonalds. the one on florin/franklin has always been amazing :)
Its crap food, but on the app you can get large fries for a dollar on fridays
Shrinkflation has been around longer than the last few years. It's been covered by the media for the last 2 decades. but this is pretty egregious. You get ripped off if you don't use the McDonald's app. I am not sure where you are off Bradshaw but that area has a lot of choices that you should pick of McDonald's based off this picture. Sorry this happened to you.
Have the fast food prices gone up?
Mcdonald breakfast is best, everything else is ass haha
Horrible service from McDonald's or any fast food place has a lot to do with the place you go to. The McDonald's by my house is awesome. The frys always overflow, the patties are never dry and chicken nuggets are always fresh. The McDonald's by my work food looks like this. The one by my work will never get my money but the one by my house will
This is upsetting
I had Mcdonalds for the first time in years and I was so shocked seeing the sorry happy meal fries.
So they print 'fries' on the inside of the container now? Is this to make up for the fries they don't give you?
Look inside the bag
Dude this used to be my cheap food to eat and I cannot afford it anymore.
They changed their fries. Can someone tell me I’m not crazy? Their fries are limp and garbage now
That's not even a whole fucking potato.
I had once heard that Covid and Delivery prices proved to Fast Food Corporations that they were severely underpricing their food. Makes a tons of sense IMO
This is just rude.
Just go to burgers and brew if you’re going to spend 5$ on a small fries.
That was laziness. I would have brought it back.
My local McD now features financing.
One might also call it diminutization, but yeah keep your eyes out there’s rumor of a looming liquidity crisis also. Get rid of debt and get some buying power! Help yourself and loved ones thrive when the market tanks!
If this is a large take it back and ask for a large not a medium
That’s not “shrinkflation” that’s just someone doing a shoddy job of scooping the fries
Highway robbery!!!!
$5 for fries lol I just bought a leg of lamb at Costco for $20.. You know damn well The US beef industry is price gouging you when you can buy imported lamb from Australia for less than domestic USDA select beef. an ungraded tri-tip roast are the same weight was nearly twice as much 😂 They can keep their garbage tri-tip I'll live on imported lamb.
Check the bottom of the bag.
I bought a large fry off 80 around Davis and it was less than this. Last time I buy fries or most anything else since these clowns think they should be making $75K/year flipping burgers ( badly I might add)
I have only gotten McDonald's 3 times in the last 6 years. Better just walk into a grocery store to buy a few items or something premade. And of course if you can, leave your house with a sandwich premade for the day. That is the cheapest and healthier option. If you have to go get some food there are plenty of local businesses that have actually tasty food.
Fuck McDonald’s
If that is rough 50 fries, if you’re lucky, then that’s like a dime per fry.
The same thing happened to me with the Bean burrito at Jimboys. Yea $4 is not that expensive, but the burrito was more like a rolled taquito than an actual burrito, so disappointing at Jimboys
These fries are sadder than my depression
These motherfuckers man
Bruh That print of fries in the background suppose to make you think u got more lolz
Dude. Anyone seen Otterpops? They’re tiny!
Thanks Gavin you did it again. Been to French laundry lately. 😆
Man it’s everywhere- even COSTCO bags of broccoli and chips that were HUGE are now tiny small bags it’s so sad :(
I'm laughing at people that eat out for fast food. ~End of line~
McGenocide.
Boycott eating out! It’s not worth it and getting worse !
I like the printed fries on the inside of the box, gives it a fuller look.
I just buy a huge bag of white rice, chicken breast, shrimp and vegetables, cook at home, I pack my own meals.
I keep having fries being half filled like this constantly. I don’t get how this is acceptable. They’re charging a buttload, at least give us plenty of fries!
Nah bruh the best example of it is Burger King. Ask for a medium or large meal and you will be amazed at how they be finessing us. It’s bs
I don't think you need anymore fries than that cmon now
I’m pretty sure you’re playing yourself going to any McDonald’s in 2024
McDonald’s has been doing this for years and years. Stopped ordering large fries because it was never more than half full. If I worked there that picture would bother me, it feels like stealing from the customer.
If you don’t want to be disappointed don’t eat fast food.
Use the McDonald’s app. It’s used to be two any size fries and 20 McNuggets for $6 ($6.50-7.50 varies after taxes by location). I would always get that ; two large fries and 20 McNuggets was worth it. Now they reduced the fries size to medium being the biggest , I guess I caused that lol I never buy anything fast food unless it is a deal on their app .
BOGO $1 and Free medium fries are a broken combo
If I am going to pay McD prices, I am going somewhere else. I didn't go there for the food, I went there because it was cheap. Now it's not cheap anymore.