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.
disagree. if you stopped eating fast food only because you can’t afford it, you’re not going to all of a sudden “eat healthy.” you’re just going to switch to ramen, tv dinners, frozen tendies, or whatever other <1 minute to cook garbage from the grocery store. nothing’s happened except “cheap fast zero effort food” has become “cheap slow greater than zero effort food”
You’re not wrong, but I’m still betting that stuff you buy from the supermarket and cook at home will be healthier than what’s cooked at a fast food joint.
Anti Commercial-AI license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
if by “stuff” you mean actual fresh produce, fruit, and even meat, then yes you’re right-- i’m talking about the prepackaged shit in a flashy red/yellow themed bag/box, which is as close to fast food as you can get without being fast food. that’s what people are switching to if/when they ditch the drive thru
The biggest issue is breaking the habit - when people are building new habits, some portion are going to make healthier decisions (Though you’re right, some will continue doing the next lowest effort option)