A trip to Five Guys Burgers and Fries is now akin to visiting a Michelin-starred restaurant. Alright, it’s not that extreme, but inflation has now hit fast-food joints, where a run-of-the-mill meal soars past $20. Families are already getting pinched at the grocery store. Now, locations that used to serve affordable meals are starting to deliver a one-two punch to the gut for middle America.
If you haven’t seen the viral photo of one woman’s trip to Five Guys, prepare yourself. In Biden’s America, a burger, fries, and a soft drink is a $24 hit to your bank account. Fox Business added that Chick-fil-A had increased its prices 21 percent since 2022:
A controversial $24 receipt from a Five Guys restaurant has recently put social media users up in arms and is the latest sign that high inflation under the Biden administration remains a drag on everyday Americans.
An X account named Wall Street Silver published a picture of the viral receipt, which he said he took from Reddit, on Friday.
"Five Guys prices are out of control," the X user wrote. "$24 for one person."
The receipt shows that a bacon cheeseburger was sold for $12.49, along with a regular soda priced at $2.89. A small portion of fries was also added on — for a whopping $5.19.
Many fast food restaurants have raised prices as inflation soared above 9% at its peak. While top line inflation has come down, prices for many food items remain elevated. Beef prices are up over 7% and steak over 10%, according to the consumer price index's latest reading.
Don’t be surprised at McDonald's if a Big Mac meal costs you close to $20. And if these locations are in a deep-blue state, like California, expect the costs to be higher (via NY Post):
Is the $18 Big Mac combo what finally broke America?
Low-income customers making less than $45,000 per year have largely stopped ordering from McDonald’s, the fast-food giant’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski admitted Monday on an earnings call with Wall Street analysts.
A Big Mac, fries and drink has risen to nearly $18 at a handful of locations while hash browns are up to $6.
And it’s driven away customers fed up with inflation.
[…]
Over the summer, a franchisee in nearby Darien, Conn., was called out for charging $17.59 for Big Mac combo meal.
That location also sold a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon meal that came with fries and a soda for $19.
[…]
Experts warn that fast food prices will climb even higher as minimum wage hikes are implemented across the country.
California’s $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers goes into effect in April.
McDonald’s and Chipotle both announced that they would be hiking the prices of menu items at Golden State locations beginning this year.
You can see why automation is being pushed heavily with these legislative pushes to increase the minimum wage to absurd levels. Yet, you’ll hear that the Biden economy is strong despite jobs reports being consistently revised down. Inflation is still high, affecting anyone getting a raise or a new job. Until inflation gets under control, no one will give Biden credit for an economic recovery that isn’t his—it was already rebounding under Trump. It’s just not there, and if fast-food establishments are now eating into American working families' budgets as well, they can blame one man: Joe Biden.
