Fast But Not Affordable By: Brody Sorbera

Remember when the dollar menu at McDonald's used to cost a dollar? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Stale memes aside, it seems like the hardest-hit industry during the inflationary period we have been witnessing the past two years is food; I could write a whole separate article on groceries, but for this, I'm deciding to focus on fast food, something that I have been a connoisseur of since my childhood. Another appeal to fast food was its affordability. But sadly, those days are long gone. A regular-sized sub with chips and a drink costs $13, and two meals at Checkers are $23. You can get two meals with an appetizer at Applebee's or another superior sit-down restaurant for around that same amount. So let's analyze this problem, what's causing it, and whether it will improve.

Fast food is the hardest hit industry by inflation. Food is still the hardest hit by inflation, but fast food, in particular, has seen the most significant price increases. The average menu prices jumped 13% in 2022, according to Pricelisto, a price tracker of the industry. The biggest offenders are Chick-fil-A and Wendy's (which coincidentally are two of my least favorite fast food places), and even Taco Bell, known for being the cheapest out of all the options, had their menu prices jump 14.6%.

It hasn't been all bad. Burger King's prices only jumped by 2%, and McDonald's declined from 2022 to 5%. Although it may not seem like it, the simple reason for inflation is the basic theory of supply and demand: a short supply and a high demand. There was a chicken shortage starting in 2021, which may explain why Chick-fil-A had substantial price increases, but all chicken-related items jumped by an average of 10%. This didn't just affect fast food but grocery stores too, as that is a whole different story with inflation.

Another reason is labor shortages, as the economy has gone through seismic shifts over the last few years. With great resignation and people changing their jobs rapidly, employers need help to replace their lost numbers. However, some positives are coming out of this meaning: better work benefits and better pay, but the days of a $.99 double cheeseburger are probably behind us.

Now, a full disclaimer: I am in no way advocating anybody make fast food a daily diet or even a significant part of their diet; as we have seen the health concerns and how it overall leads to obesity, cooking at home is still and always will be the best option and we have witnessed hello fresh. Every plate makes billions off of shipping meal kits to people who aren't necessarily the best cooks but want to cook at home more to be healthier and save money. This fast food inflation could lead to a positive; we in America are too fat as it is, and this could be a way out of that.

Sources:

https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/fast-food-inflation-heres-wher e-burgers-fries-and-sandwiches-are-most-expensive/

https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/inflation-fast-food-restaurant s-shows-no-sign-slowing