McDonald’s Price Hikes and Desperate Measures Spark Outrage as Fast Food Wars Heat Up
We’ve been watching McDonald’s spiral for a while, and it seems things really kicked off when they started ripping people off during the lockdowns. Along with other places like Wendy’s and Arby’s, McDonald’s was allowed to stay open while many smaller, healthier mom-and-pop restaurants had to close. McDonald’s knew they had everyone “over a barrel” and started blasting prices “up to the moon”. Now, they’re doing it again and resorting to some “desperation moves”.
People are getting sick of being ripped off and price gouged. We highlighted an article showing a McDonald’s customer who cried and posted on X because their $9 meal surged to $19.60. A longtime fan shared a screenshot of a DoorDash order for a Double Cheeseburger meal with a large Hi-C and fries. While this meal used to cost around four bucks, it was listed at $9.39 for the meal itself. But the total exploded due to added costs: a delivery fee of $2.49 (though it was listed as $3.50, we’re not sure why they got a dollar off), fees and estimated taxes of $4.22, and a $2.50 tip for the Dasher. The total came out to $19.60. This kind of thing is “ridiculous”.
America got addicted to delivery companies like DoorDash during the lockdowns. Now that things are open again, people are looking at these prices and saying they’re tired of it. These apps seem to be “taking advantage”. It’s not just the customers getting hit; delivery drivers are also struggling, with one report saying they made only $40 for a 12-hour shift. We think these services might “crash”. Our advice? Either don’t eat at McDonald’s or go get it yourself to avoid these insane app prices.
In response to challenges, McDonald’s is extending hours at most U.S. locations this summer, linking it to a hiring surge where they plan to add over 300,000, possibly up to 375,000, American workers. They say fans know there’s “no way to end an unforgettable night than feasting” on their food, which we agree is a good way to end a “drunken night”. We think this hiring effort is actually “pretty based and mega,” as not many companies can hire that many people. We’re happy they’re hiring, especially for entry-level jobs.
Other moves include giving away 1,000 virtual gift cards for a free McCrispy on Saturday via tweets and handing out gift cards at concerts in LA, New York, and Detroit. However, one major move is the decision to close all standalone CosMc’s locations, which we hear was a “financial disaster”. They plan to close 100% of these doors in late June. There weren’t many of these locations, maybe 5-15, and they focused on expensive coffee drinks that felt like “giant ripoffs”. McDonald’s plans to add CosMc’s-inspired drinks to some main menus.
The “fast food wars rage on”. We’ve seen Burger King throwing “serious shade” at McDonald’s and Wendy’s. The CEO of Burger King in the U.S. and Canada accused major chains of copying their strategy, stating, “I know that they’re scrambling”. Burger King is trying a family-first strategy, though we note that families can’t afford to eat out when prices are so high. We think fast food companies need to lower prices if they expect parents to spend $60 on a meal for their family. While fast food has a purpose, like when you’re on a drive and don’t have time, the problem is how much it costs. If we’re going to eat unhealthy food, we don’t want to be ripped off while doing it.
It’s going to be interesting to watch the fast food wars heat up this summer. We hope to see lower prices, but we don’t see that happening right now, which we think is a very bad long-term decision for these companies.
