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.
The experience has been getting worse and the pricing getting higher and bizarre.
One of the places we would hit up a few years ago was about 8-9 dollars a person, you’d come in, sit down, have a server come out to take order/bring out food/everything.
We went there recently and it was about $18 a person, and you went up to the counter, placed your order, then you came and picked up your food, and went up to the counter for refills. At the end you walk up to the cash register, they ring you up and then suggest a 25% tip.
I wouldn’t mind a bit more self service, but at that point it’s just ridiculous amounts of money to charge people afraid of using a stove for a little while.
If only we had a stove at work … all we have are like 8 microwaves…