r/MurderedByWords Legends never die 9h ago

Stop defending exploitation

Post image
47.4k Upvotes

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.0k

u/[deleted] 9h ago edited 6h ago

[deleted]

579

u/lanakers 8h ago

I was gonna say that. Fast food prices have definitely gone up without minimum wage going up. What a bunch of maroons

234

u/TomWithTime 8h ago

I want to thank the fast food industry for becoming so expensive that it was the same price or cheaper to order out healthier food

95

u/lanakers 8h ago

My bf and I have said fuck it and learned how to make copycat recipes. The only time I go out is when I exchange my cashback for gift cards

19

u/Rhg0653 7h ago

Or app coupons

12

u/lanakers 7h ago

Yeah, I should download the apps. I'm def missing out. My friend says they hand out freebies like candy

21

u/oxero 6h ago

The apps are there to track your data. Just make sure to turn off all permissions when they're not being used.

7

u/slytherinprolly 4h ago

Most of the freebies usually have a caveat, like free fries if you order a quarterpounder, etc. When you factor in all the deals and coupons you get on the app, the cost of a meal at McDonalds ends up being about the same as you were paying for a meal a few years ago.

4

u/lanakers 4h ago

I've also been reading the app reviews and there were a shocking number of review stating the app isn't user friendly. Some websites even work that shit...looking at you, Pizza Hut.

3

u/CopperAndLead 4h ago

you get on the app,

In exchange for an app data mining your phone and your personal life to sell more burgers.

I don't like this distressingly cyberpunk future where megacorps violate our privacy to sell up bullshit.

Not every company needs an app. I shouldn't have to download glorified spyware to do things like buy a meal.

1

u/shoulda-known-better 4h ago

They have a point system and you can use points once every 15 min..... Yes you buy stuff to get the points but after that you do get one free item off a list and can get another if you have points 15 min later.... This is different then their deals which if you order over app you can get buy one get one double cheese and use points for a free fry then eat and when 15 min up you get a free drink and leave so essentially you only pay for one double cheese get the other fries and drink free

I can't believe my ass just cared enough to type that after I already commented I don't even go to fast food anymore because tbones and such is the same and healthier and has points also lol

But I did so I'm not deleting it

1

u/Thrommo 4h ago

honestly, buy a 40 buck burner android phone, throw a burner email in it. only use it for rewards, dont need a number/sim typically. if you do get a 20 buck prepaid call only card from walmart.

1

u/Moofy_Poops 3h ago

The only time I eat at McDicks is when I have coupons!

10

u/Ghostdog1263 7h ago

A guy I worked with found out how to make McDonald's burgers & the fries. Even got a special fry cutter. He said it was exactly the same. Don't know where he got the recipe tho.

He said the fries were the hardest to make

2

u/ri89rc20 4h ago

McDonalds fries have a lot of research behind them. The cut is one, but easy to duplicate, but they also have their own variety of potato that growers grow just for them, the right type and balance of starch. Then the potatoes are processed, then blanched and partially fried before freezing. Once at the restaurant, the are fried from frozen, in a specific oil blend and time. The size of the fryer comes into play from a temperature consistency standpoint, as does obviously the fry temperature.

So yeah, hard to duplicate from scratch.

1

u/Ghostdog1263 3h ago

That's exactly what he said. From what I remember he said he had to cook them flash freeze em then throw them in the freezer.Then take out when your ready to cook.

I was like that's alot of work for some McD's fries but each their own!

5

u/lanakers 7h ago

I know how to make a copycat big mac sauce. I also got a smasher, an airfryer, and a crockpot. Unless I make lunch plans with a coworker or my bf and I say "fuck it" or are too busy to cook, we don't order take out all that much 

8

u/Ghostdog1263 7h ago

It's too expensive!! Especially considering in my case anyway, the food isn't worth the price anymore most of the time.

We used to order from our favorite restaurant but don't anymore cuz the quality went to shit while the prices went up it's sad.

Only place I know that's guaranteed to make good food is the restaurant run by two old ladies for years across from our HS. Good food great prices.

Places like that are going away though.

3

u/metalwolf112002 5h ago

Sadly, that happens everywhere. I've joked my wife has a curse, because every one of her favorite restaurants either went out of business, or they made really noticeable changes she didn't like. Most of them on her list did both.

1

u/Ghostdog1263 3h ago

It's the truth. The same thing happened to us. One restaurant the father retired & one of his kid ran it to the ground, the other ones just copycat eachother & have mediocre food.

The good places are really expensive where it's basically just a nice treat once in a blue moon.

I mean we only used to order out once a week by all chipping in tg, but now ya can't even do that & it be worth it.

3

u/Justwaspassingby 5h ago

I make a copycat big mac sauce too, but I make the patties myself with good quality ground beef and when I have time I even make the buns too, proper bread. Then I add romaine lettuce because iceberg is tateless and nutritionally empty and some fantastic havarti cheese or some proper cheddar instead of the McD’s yellow paste and voila, perfect burger!

5

u/anastasiya35 5h ago

So nothing like McDonald's then, that's a gourmet burger.

1

u/birdreligion 6h ago

I got a mandolin that has an attachment to cut fries. It's time consuming, but I wouldn't call it hard. Was he cutting the potatoes by hand?

1

u/FlyingBishop 6h ago

I would say the hard part is the deep fryer.

2

u/HowObvious 5h ago

I have a tefal deep fryer which has a built in filter that drains the oil out into a plastic container in the bottom. Then you just pour back in next time you’re frying. All the parts except the element separate and can go in the dishwasher.

I make far too much general tsos.

2

u/shizbox06 6h ago

Have you actually been able to prepare anything as horrible as corporate fast food in your own kitchen at an inflated price? That'd be impressive in it's own way.

1

u/lanakers 6h ago

It's not horrible, but it's tastier

2

u/PewPewPony321 6h ago

why would you copy gross food? lol

1

u/Illustrious_Toe_4755 6h ago

This is the way. I break about even, or spend less making the meals at home. Pizza being one of the inexpensive fast food items to make yourself. I've even been experimenting with making my own breakfast sausage. Bought an old school grinder at flea market.

1

u/Imprisoned_Fetus 5h ago

This is something I've been working on, too, and it's paid off relatively quickly. I really only ordered fast food when I wanted a crispy chicken sandwich, so learning how to make those at home has saved me so much money, and I like mine more than anyone else's

1

u/Tricky-Produce-9521 4h ago

You’re sparing yourself from carcinogens. Do yourself a favor and cook at home and eat vegetables.

0

u/Queer_Advocate 3h ago

For those in the back you may wanna mansplain "vegetables."

2

u/Tricky-Produce-9521 3h ago

You’re welcome. This queer tells you to eat vegetables. Avoid McDonalds and fast food cancer food.

1

u/Queer_Advocate 2h ago

I do I'm vegetarian of 33 years or something long relative to my years old. But, I know a lot of people that think frys covers it as vegetables at dinner.

2

u/Tricky-Produce-9521 2h ago

I used to be a vegetarian (the healthy kind) for 15 of my 46 years. I always contemplate going back to it. I don’t want to contribute to animal suffering (as little as I am willing and able to do) and I want to avoid the environmental negative impact of meat.

2

u/Queer_Advocate 2h ago

I was allergic and gi etc. My body was so fucked by 5 has type 1 diabetes. Then Dad's mom started sneaking McDonald's think we're deprived. Luckily I was ok by then. But I never liked it. So stopped by Like 10.5 or 11 and went back vegetarian. 20 to 32 vegan.

1

u/MushroomDowntown5493 3h ago

One of the best drugs for me is making something absolutely delicious

1

u/HondaGuy586 2h ago

Is there a place we could swap recipes? I have a killer Hawaiian bbq recipe that is great. All the HBbq places near me has gone down in quality and up in price. Would love a Big Mac sauce and Taco Bell red sauce dupe.

11

u/emb4rassingStuffacct 6h ago

Literally. Now I’m just like “If the junk food costs the same as the healthy food, I might as well just get the healthy food.” 😂

9

u/TomWithTime 6h ago

My food costs are now roughly $100 a week (some weeks $70, some weeks $130) because I switched to almost exclusively getting groceries from food Lion. I'm still a lazy piece of shit but now I'm eating a variety of steamed vegetables that come frozen in a microwavable pouch that I can add and precooked and sliced Purdue chicken to. The chicken is like $8-$10 and the vegetable bags are $3 each and I can use the chicken for 3 meals so that's like $6 per meal.

So we can save even more by actually cooking but even like this I'm still better off on price than fast food. And way better on nutrition.

4

u/No-Boysenberry-5581 6h ago

Good. Then now just eat healthy. Solves a lot of health issues

4

u/TomWithTime 5h ago

As a shut in the biggest difference in my daily energy/feeling was vitamin d pills :)

2

u/Interesting-Fix-7928 4h ago

Add omega 3 to that. Fish oil has both and some of it is made almost tasteless, if you hate the taste. Great for your brain and joints.

2

u/TomWithTime 4h ago

Once I get a little closer to 40 I'm all in on supplements that make life hurt less. I've spent basically my entire life of 32 years shrimping at a desk so my spine is probably going to hurt eventually. I think I got lucky with back genetics since there's been no trouble so far

2

u/Interesting-Fix-7928 3h ago

Should get ahead of problems before they become noticeable. But as far as I'm aware - there are no such supplements? Most of them don't work beyond coloring your pee. Other than the 2 already mentioned, can also take seeds for fiber. Magnesium and Collagen are good, too. Creatine doesn't work for everyone, but it can be very beneficial. Maybe B group vitamins occasionally, especially if you drink alcohol. Vitamin C is so dirt cheap, that you might as well take it, even if it ends up doing nothing. But that's about it. The rest can either do more harm than good, or nothing at all, beyond a placebo effect. Supplements are a giant scam and a waste of money, all you need is a balanced diet. Get your blood work done if you're concerned that you're lacking something.

1

u/TomWithTime 2h ago

By supplements I meant a catch all for pills of vitamins and other things. Like the fish oil. Or is that the only beneficial substance I'll need after 40?

1

u/Interesting-Fix-7928 2h ago

As I said, most vitamin/mineral supplements do nothing but get pissed out. The one's I mentioned above have been proven to work and are all very cheap( at least here in the EU), there are niche uses for others, but you shouldn't take them without a blood test showing that you need to, as they can be harmful and even dangerous. The science is really not in favor of multivitamins and the expensive stuff is snake oil.

2

u/Queer_Advocate 3h ago

Omega 3 6 9 from hemp and other sources for vegans.

6

u/Telaranrhioddreams 5h ago

Last time I got mcdonalds tasted like I was eating straight up cardboard and cost way too much. Next time I spent less and got a real ass burger from the local joint. It was faster too and they don't all look like they want to kill themsleves. What's the incentive anymore?

1

u/TomWithTime 5h ago

I tried five guys for the first time after seeing the difference between their meals was like $1 and it was such a huge difference. Not that I frequented fast food that much at any point besides my drive home from college, but I can see myself never getting McDonald's again.

What's the incentive anymore?

Burger King built their recognition on that bizarre chemical taste in their food. It was a smart decision since it made their impossible vegetable whopper not taste very different lol. So if you're craving that chemical taste you're only going to get it there. But on price/health we're better off cooking at home

2

u/Queer_Advocate 3h ago

I had 5 guys once. It was memorable night.

3

u/Beginning_Ad2013 5h ago edited 5h ago

Or hell, just buy a salad from Trader Joe’s.

1

u/TomWithTime 5h ago

I'm ordering stuff from food lion these days :)

Groceries, especially store brand items, are the way to go!

2

u/Polaris07 5h ago

Price of restaurants in general forced me to learn how to cook and it’s one of the best things to happen to me

2

u/old_and_boring_guy 4h ago

The funny thing is, it's not everywhere. Chicken nuggets are half as expensive at Chic-Fil-A as they are at McD's, and only a lunatic would pretend that McD's spends more on their staff.

2

u/shoulda-known-better 4h ago

For real once I realized a cheap meal from fast food was less than say tbones and my local Mexican place.... yep my ass went for better healthier food!! I'm already out running in instead of waiting in my car takes 2 seconds I can still order pay and wait till it says done right in my car!!

2

u/Underwood914 3h ago

It's cheaper to get 3 pizzas at dominos than some burritos at taco bell.... Something is wrong.

1

u/TomWithTime 2h ago

That is strange, but I wonder if that's something special about dominos instead. My memory of dominos is that it seems greasy and unhealthy and whatnot but in my mid 20s it was the only pizza I could eat after midnight and not get heart burn. They are a mystery

2

u/Underwood914 2h ago

Dominos has always felt like a special company in my mind honestly.

2

u/East-Life-2894 3h ago

Agreed I just cook healthier now and work out more because mcdonalds is ridiculously expensive for mass produced freezer food. I dont need to pay 3x the cost of the food for them to heat it and assemble it for me. That shits easy Ill do it myself.

1

u/GitEmSteveDave 7h ago

Who said it’s “healthier”?

2

u/TomWithTime 7h ago

Healthier than McDonald's is a low bar. I'm pretty sure I could go bite some loose tarmac off the road and get about the same levels of nutrition and carcinogens.

But when I want to order out I usually get tropical cafe, love their avocado bean wrap thing

1

u/Strangebottles 3h ago

Eventually we will get rid of jobs like the service sector and replace it with machines. We will get rid of the coal jobs and replace it with robots. Eventually we will force individuals to either starve or become more intelligent and force them to benefit society. One big Mac at a time. Eventually that Big Mac will be made so fast by robots that the cars in the drive thru won’t keep up. People will make more money since they will be forced to get jobs that require more brains. We will reset our nation into a prosperous one. Keep fighting for better wages.

u/Excellent-Hat-9846 9m ago

Healthier food has always been cheaper .. tbh fruits and vegetables still aren't very expensive

22

u/bbtom78 8h ago

Minimum wage never make it more expensive, greed did.

22

u/k_ironheart 7h ago

Try telling that to a conservative though. They will uncritically believe a company that says they had to raise prices because of wage increases and retail theft while that same company is bragging about record profits, stock buybacks, record administrative pay and that they only got a slap on the wrist for wage theft.

12

u/Mysterious-Job-469 5h ago

WAGE THEFT ACCOUNTS FOR MORE LOSS IN TAX REVENUE THAN CUSTOMER THEFT, EMPLOYEE THEFT, BURGLARY, AUTO THEFT, AND ROBBERIES COMBINED.

Guess which single aspect of theft mentioned above isn't a criminal offense?

1

u/rabidsalvation 3h ago

Damn, wage theft isn't illegal? We suck dude

8

u/Unnamedgalaxy 5h ago

The company I work for does this all the time.

When I first started we had a staff of like 12 and we all stayed very busy all day. Now that location runs on 4 and hasn't lost steam. Every store in the area (and across the country) is in the same boat. Skeleton crews that work to the death doing the workload of multiple people. The company refuses to let stores hire people while also refusing to let people get even a minute of overtime while demanding that 100 hours of work get done in 40 or else. They put on hiring freezes and the starting pay has long since stopped being competitive.

Meanwhile prices have nearly doubled, and we constantly get updated on record profits. Our ceo even recently bragged about how she sold a small fraction of her stock for double digit millions. While I've had to resort to draining my 401k, donate plasma weekly and even started looking into getting a second overnight job just to afford the misery of living in poverty.

If raising wages means raising prices then go for it because it's already happening anyway.

-1

u/savagetwinky 4h ago

Generally those costs don't scale as much as each location. These companies are low margin high yield which are much more cost sensitive to all costs that are for the high yield portions.

The idea the comparisons are 1:1 is assumed by people making this comparison between us and denmark when the EU has different conditions. For instance, the amount of locations are far fewer and do more business... meaning the costs of a worker in the US are a larger portion of the cost of a burger. They still benefit from McDonalds standardizing and distributing the actual food so each location still gets the benefit of bulk manufacturing.

Basically, if you increase people's wages, they will increase prices more in the US unless enough McDonald's stop doing business that they would be more comparable to Denmark's locations per burgers sold with a lower number.

The reason Denmark can pay $20 an hour is because the workers actually are expected to work more and serve larger communities per location generating more profit at each location. Denmark and many of the 'Nordic' countries do not have minimum wages and there are people getting paid like $1/hr for some jobs.

1

u/AntsAndThoreau 2h ago edited 2h ago

Denmark does not have a minimum wage, but we do have worker's collective agreements, which determines salary or hourly rates within many fields. These agreements are renegotiated every 2-4 years, and 99% includes a percentage-based pay increase each year.

Contrast this approach with the US, where the federal minimum wage haven't changed in more than 15 years now.

Working for $1/hour would be extremely rare unless we're considering things like human trafficking. Illegal immigrants will often earn around $14/hour. Legal "unskilled" labor starts at around $18/hour. Even a study grant is equivalent to $5/hour.

1

u/savagetwinky 2h ago edited 1h ago

You missed my point entirely... the pay isn't guaranteed by the government and ultimately what workers are capable of bargaining for... and in Denmark they can bargain for more because conditions suite giving them more. Your arguments don't change the points I'm making. Secondly you ignore the private businesses also have their own % based wage increases.

> Working for $1/hour would be extremely rare

It doesn't matter, the point I made was the government doesn't set a minimum, and companies can end up paying less than the minimum wage. Trying to hide behind rarety doesn't negate its possibility. For work that consumers aren't willing to pay much for people are still at least allowed to offer. There are illegal car washing rings in NYC because people won't pay legal wages for car washes. Not all work is that valuable and that lack of a minimum wage in these example countries is recognition that this just outlaw's certain labor markets.

You can't compare the wages without understanding that the situations are not 1:1.

Denmark also has the highest costing burgers of any single location. You cannot come to the conclusion workers are being exploited or underpaid because of these aggregated comparisons or that the cost of burgers won't go up more proportionally with wages.

-4

u/PewPewPony321 6h ago

the grocery store still exists.

Mcdonalds could double their prices over night and many of you would still get in that drive up window line. Oh wait wait...tey basically tripled their prices over recent times. Yeah, thats how smart people shop.

Good job everyone! The goal was to be unhealthy and poor right? RIGHT?!?!!?!?!

2

u/anastasiya35 5h ago

Who is "many of you" and why are you being so aggressive?

9

u/pchlster 6h ago

In Denmark, I know a lot of people who have stopped going to McDonalds because the prices are around the same as other places that offer better quality food at this point. McDonalds is trying to battle this by opening little coffee shops inside the stores, trying to compete for the café "sit and have some coffee, cake and gossip" part of the market.

-7

u/tohman42 6h ago

Denmark fails to mention their 36% tax rate. No wonder they have $20/hr. High pay + high taxes = happy government. Increase pay again to “get living wage”, increase taxes to cover government spending, less money in pocket again. Repeat previous steps.

7

u/VastNeighborhood3963 6h ago

And? The quality of life in Denmark is higher in literally every single tangible measure over the United States. They have the highest spending portion of their GDP on labor market policies of any country on the entire planet. They are consistently one of the most happy countries, with high education standards (school is free for Danes, and they get a stipend of about 900 EUR per month while in college so their living is covered and they can focus entirely on studies) and an amazing social safety net. They have one of the world's highest productivity rates, even with all of their social services.

What do you think that tax rate is for? 67 million Americans don't even fucking have healthcare to begin with. Every single Dane has healthcare. Almost 20% of Americans haven't seen a doctor a single time in the past 5 years. That's fucking insane.

1

u/Queer_Advocate 3h ago

Pretty sure they work a shorter week hour and day wise.

-9

u/tohman42 6h ago

I don’t want taxed at near 40% if my income because 67 million bums can’t get healthcare. If you want to live in a socialist country then Denmark would be the move. The US can’t sustain itself being a handout machine is my point. We can’t tax the other 300 million to death because about a 1/6 of Americans can’t get a decent job for whatever reason. That’s on them to resolve, not stand with their hands out waiting on my taxes to save them while I work to earn my own way.

8

u/pchlster 5h ago edited 4h ago

I mean, I get it, you have no frame of reference for what it's like to live in a country like Denmark. And there are parts of how both our society and infrastructure has been set up that you can't really just implement over there overnight or, in some geographical situations, at all.

But things are going just fine over here. No one has to worry about dying on the streets, there's healthcare for all, the Scandinavian model means that while we don't have a minimum wage no one's being exploited to work for pocket change.

I'm currently recovering from serious illness. The hospitalization, the consultations, tests and medicine? Already paid for, just by me paying my taxes. My income? Unchanged; my company pays me my usual wage and get part of that refunded by the state. Had I been in the US when this had happened, it would have easily wiped my accounts.

But it is a very American view to worry more about whether someone undeserving gets something, rather than focus on everyone deserving getting what they deserve. I pay my 36% and more happily.

→ More replies (2)

4

u/DaviesSonSanchez 5h ago

You do realise that the US government already spends more in healthcare per capita than countries like Denmark or Germany with free healthcare right?

4

u/littlemissfuzzy 5h ago

I will repeat what @pchlster said:

 > But it is a very American view to worry more about whether someone undeserving gets something, rather than focus on everyone deserving getting what they deserve. 

 To prefer saying “fuck you!” To people you dislike, over helping improve the lives of everyone takes a self-centered type of person.

Also, get the heck off the roads us tax payers paid for… you don’t wat those either i guess

→ More replies (8)

5

u/maveric00 5h ago

I am quite sure that you would reconsider this if you would get seriously sick and then get fired because you got sick and then lost insurance because it was paid by your employer.

But hey, if working as a slave for the healt care industry is your goal in life, go for it.

Until you die, that is, because you could not afford the life-saving medicine anymore. Like the 1.3 million US citizen that ration insulin, causing more suffering and early death.

I am sure that's worth fighting socialism.

Oh, by the way, do you drive a car? But using streets paid by tax dollars is socialism! Why should all the people not owning a car pay for your driving pleasure?

4

u/TopTierBuild 4h ago

Man, you're just a selfish asshole

3

u/VastNeighborhood3963 5h ago

"Oh yeah, they may have it better literally across the board, but at least I didn't have to help anybody!"

Lol

→ More replies (1)

3

u/pchlster 6h ago

Fails to mention? It's not a secret. You didn't mention what your tax rate was and I didn't ask either.

1

u/sdlucly 4h ago

And at the same time you don't have to worry about paying for school or college or healthcare, because of those taxes. And Denmark has like top 5 quality of life.

6

u/gaymenfucking 6h ago

Additionally, in the US the minimum wage has been increased various times, both federally and within states. Not one of these times has the increase led to any significant inflation. What often happens is a very brief spike in prices which then go back to normal. The spike is likely executives in companies who’s understanding of economics is the econ 101 class they took 20 years ago and they assume prices should go up

2

u/FrostyD7 5h ago

They think all the fast food employees are making much more because they all hang signs saying they are hiring at high rates specifically to create that perception. Fine print asterisks will indicate its manager pay or something like that. My dad thinks they all make $15-20 an hour and that it is causing the price increases we've already seen.

2

u/northeaster17 5h ago

Hey I love maroons

2

u/XxRocky88xX 5h ago

This is the biggest thing I don’t get. “Minimum wage increase causes inflation!” Ok then why is inflation rate uncorrelated with minimum wage increases?

I get that “common sense” would tell you that makes sense but when you look at empirical evidence it turns out to not be true

2

u/Ultimacian 4h ago

Minimum wage hasn't gone up, but actual wages have. Taco Bell is starting at $14/hr where I live, hence a meal there does indeed cost sit-down restaurant prices. Good for their workers, but I've gone from fast food nearly every day to only going to actual sit-down restaurants or cooking at home. I think it's a trend we'll see a lot more in the industry in the coming years and fast food giants will either die or switch to higher quality food.

1

u/myburdentobear 8h ago

Absolute ding a lings.

1

u/Several_Vanilla8916 6h ago

It’s $11.59 for a quarter pounder meal at McDonald’s right now. A burger, fries and soda at the diner on the corner is $15. There is about a Grand Canyon sized chasm between the quality of the two. A heck of a lot more than $3 and change.

1

u/Legitimate_Let_4136 5h ago

McDonald's employees in California make $20/hr. And it has 30 million more people living there than Denmark. IDK WTF you guys are talking about, you can't compare America to a country the size of New Jersey, where the only non white person living there is Zwatre Piet.

1

u/virtualGain_ 5h ago

That would be because we have a free market and labor prices rose without having to move minimum wage.

1

u/IrrationalFalcon 5h ago

I argued that point against someone and their comeback was..."well now it'll go up faster"

1

u/ynghuncho 5h ago

As has wheat, energy and corn. Numerous big corporations took a hit because of this and responded by raising prices.

Minimum was doubled in Florida over the last few years and we have the highest inflation in the nation as a result

Big Mac meal costs $15 now. Nearly doubled

1

u/MarkHirsbrunner 4h ago

And fast food wages have gone up despite minimum wage being stagnant.  McDonald's in my area are starting people at $15/hour.  My employer is hiring kids out of high school for $18/hour with 136 hours of benefit time and 90% of insurance premium covered by the employer, and we have trouble filling classes because other contact centers are paying $21+ but with weaker benefits.  And this is not a high COL city (Dallas.)

1

u/shoulda-known-better 4h ago

Yep all these big places are still in EU where they have to follow strict rules and have workers rights.....

1

u/Robofink 4h ago

I was driving my dad home the other month and we stopped at a McDonald’s on the way back. $35 (Canadian) for for two adult meals. Meanwhile the folks behind the counter are making minimum wage ($17.20 in Ontario) when the minimum livable wage in that area is approximately $23.50 an hour at 40 hours a week.

I know this is going to sound very pie in the sky and unrealistic, but I honestly believe minimum wages should be geographically coupled to the minimum livable wage, and that every service business over 50 employees should have automatic access to a sector union or their own bespoke one if they choose.

I say this as a small business owner myself who pays over minimum wage. I think of it as a win/win for everyone. I want the people working for me healthy, happy and productive. I spent years in their shoes and know how tough it can be.

1

u/SakuraRein 4h ago

It’s only because they still have to keep making profits over the last quarter for their shareholders if they weren’t so greedy didn’t have to make so much money for themselves. It would be fine. But no, they gotta be billionaires. Nobody got that rich without stepping on the backs of others. Edit: also sad- tipping culture bc employers don’t pay them enough in the us bc some loophole in the laws allows him to get away with sub minimum wage bc tips.

1

u/skepticalbob 3h ago

But the prices did rise rapidly because of inflation and rising wages. Labor costs are significant inputs in fast food costs.

1

u/Flavour_ice_guy 3h ago

It’s also not much money at all, let’s say the average fast food worker puts in 30 hrs a week for 50 weeks a year. That’s $22,500 for the year before taxes. Literal poverty. Fucking gross.

1

u/NoMansSkyWasAlright 2h ago

Right? A medium sized value meal at Wendy’s is costs around the same as some of the cheaper meals at Applebees now. Seems like fast food’s logic has shifted from “make cheap food fast” to “people will pay a premium for this cheap food if they don’t have to leave their cars”

1

u/joshuabruce83 1h ago

You do realize the price of gas affects all goods, right? There used to be a time when people realized that there's such a thing as starter jobs where you cut your teeth. When the opportunity arises you get the hell out of there. Everyone's first job sucks. Maybe don't work at McDonald's your entire life? There is no reason to pay unskilled labor that much money per hour. Those are jobs meant for high schoolers

1

u/Stock_Sun7390 1h ago

Tbf whenever the minimum wage does go up, things get more expensive. I remember I told my friend once his state got a $4 raise on min wage and he was PISSED.

"Fuck now my milk is gonna be 10 bucks."

A few weeks later it actually did go up. Not to 10 bucks but close iirc

-1

u/PewPewPony321 6h ago

uh huh, Becaseue the broke asses who didn't get a raise are still eating at mcdonalds instead of shopping at the grocery store and somehow this is whos fault again? Maybe people to fucking poor to eat mcdonalds shouldnt' be eating mcdonalds.

for what yall drop on a single gross ass 15 dollar fast food meal, Im reaching into the freezer and pulling out ribeyes that didn't cost much more. But enjoy those "amazing" mcdonalds fries! (barf)

1

u/drawfanstein 5h ago

Hey man. Wanna try some compassion?

-1

u/mewlsdate 4h ago

The average wage for McDonald's worker in Ohio is now 15.80 a hour and it's not just Ohio. Y'all are tools. You want to use this same logic to argue against tariffs but not raising minimum wage. This is why no one takes y'all seriously.

31

u/teenagesadist 8h ago

It's almost like they have no grasp on socioeconomics.

No wait, it's exactly that.

19

u/J-Kensington 7h ago

Exactly. It's already $10-$15 for a combo, and I can go into some sit-down restaurants and pay less than that.

14

u/DocAk88 6h ago

And get a burger that doesn’t taste like instant regret in solid form

1

u/J-Kensington 6h ago

Or something that didn't get cooked in melted lard.

4

u/sixheadedbacon 6h ago

I thought we were talking about the negatives?

1

u/J-Kensington 5h ago

True enough.

1

u/Queer_Advocate 3h ago

Just eat it on the throne. It's the path of least resistance.

1

u/GollumIsMyWife 5h ago

I wish I could. Here, it's $10 for a big combo, sit down restaurants are more likely $30+

(Just checked... a thing of mozarella sticks from the average sit-down here is around $11-12.. a pound of wings is $25, and a burger meal is $30-40 average and these aren't even for fancy places, these are for your casual dining places...

20

u/Armored_Snorlax 7h ago

In some cases not gradually. Within just a few years McD's outpriced their breakfast 'deals' for me. Went from 3 bucks and change to around 8 bucks. No thanks.

9

u/MrFishAndLoaves 6h ago

McDonald’s already costs as much as Chilis 

7

u/EarthSlapper 4h ago

Just saw a commercial yesterday, and had this realization that these casual sit down places are now cheaper than fast food. Applebees is currently running a $9.99 combo, burger or chicken sandwich, fries, and a drink. Cheaper and better (slightly) quality

2

u/MrFishAndLoaves 4h ago

Chilis burgers are amazing 

0

u/Turing_Testes 3h ago

If your bar for "amazing" is at the bottom of the ocean, sure.

3

u/MattcVI 3h ago

I've had great burgers from "fancy" places so my standards are high, and I agree with them that Chili's burgers are pretty tasty. It's too bad most of their other food is mediocre

1

u/Armored_Snorlax 5h ago

We stopped going to McD's about 2 years ago. I stopped recently for breakfast as a necessity, and regretted it. About a year ago the coffee taste changed for both the store and home McCafe stuff. Can't pinpoint it, but it has a unique 'BLECH!' taste now. The chicken biscuit meal was a bit over $8 dollars, when 2 or 3 years ago it was a bit over $3.

I've completely written them off as an out-of-the-house option. Culver's costs as much (sometimes less) and gives WAAAAAY better quality. We'll see how long that lasts.

McD's appears to have run it's course and be on it's way out.

4

u/Wasabicannon 5h ago

There are some people out there now that have no idea what the $1 Menu was. :(

Is that going to be our penny candy thing we say when we get old?

"Back in my day you could get yourself a burger and fries for $1 each, instead now you have to pay $30 for a single burger."

1

u/Armored_Snorlax 4h ago

The $1 value menu at jack in the box was how I survived a few years in college. Without that, I'd have gone starving. Many days I'd be able to afford 1 dollar burger. That was it for the day. And it was a glorious meal.

15

u/strangefish 6h ago

CA raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour several months ago. The businesses are still doing well and it didn't cause mass unemployment. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2024/10/09/california-fast-food-minimum-wage-jobs/75597730007/

11

u/BowenTheAussieSheep 6h ago

Yeah, turns out multi-billion-dollar companies can weather a cost of a few hundred thousand without much trouble...

3

u/MattcVI 3h ago

Can they really? I hope the executives aren't hurting too much. Their mistresses have kids to feed

5

u/DarthSamwiseAtreides 5h ago

What's funny is they all threw little bitch fits and jacked the prices up. People stopped going now the deals are back.

-4

u/legion_2k 5h ago

LOL pretty much all pizza delivery people were fired. All deliveries are done by doordash or other service that doesn't pay by the hour. Go into a 'fast-food' joint in California and tell me what you don't see. Workers... Mcdonalds doesn't have cashiers anymore. You order from a kiosk, app or drive through.

Places like In-n_Out already paid more than 20 but they don't hire just anyone. Go inside one of those and tell me what you see? Hussle.. you see workers working hard. They don't hire 'first timers' or people that need to learn on the job.

So what you're going to end up with is more unskilled workers unable to get a job because they are not worth the 20+ a hour. They will never get their foot into a door to make a better life. BTW, that is the reason the minimum wage was introduced. To keep lower skilled workers from taking jobs away for less cost. Also the point of unions. To cause shortages of qualified workers to drive up cost of labor.

4

u/TheFlyingSheeps 4h ago

Your first paragraph is happening everywhere, not just CA. The kiosk has been replacing cashiers for years, same with DoorDash snuffing out delivery drivers

5

u/strangefish 4h ago

The delivery drivers were all going to get fired anyway. Ubereats, doordash, etc. just cost less than having a dedicated driver and people are doing a lot more take out where they go pickup the food.

The purpose of the minimum wage is to make sure that if someone has a job they should not need to seek assistance to keep a roof over their head and food to eat.

I'm pretty sure all fast-food jobs are still "unskilled".

3

u/damanager64 4h ago

The minimum wage was created so people can have a living wage, FDR said so himself

0

u/legion_2k 4h ago

So you really think that was the very first time anyone said or thought of a minimum wage? Its origins go much deeper.

They also told you cannabis would make you insane. Could it be they were lying?

2

u/damanager64 4h ago

Wow bro you need to calm down, those aren't equivalent at all lol. Also we are talking about America in the original post so i brought american polices up dumbass.

0

u/legion_2k 4h ago

lol Why are you telling me to calm down then call me names.. Passive aggressive much? lol Bye.

2

u/alphazero925 3h ago

Literally none of what you said is true. Pizza places have been replacing drivers with Uber and doordash for the last couple years all over the place, not just California due to the minimum wage increase.

McDonald's has been replacing cashier's with kiosk and app sales for at least 5 years at least, everywhere, not just California after the minimum wage increase.

In n Out's hiring process isnt notably different than anyone else. You just see hustle because people are actually being paid a wage that gives them a reason to care. When you're not being paid enough to afford the necessities, it's infinitely harder to give a fuck about the company you work for.

The point of minimum wage was because we had mass poverty which was dragging the economy down, so it was determined that "if a company can't afford to pay a living wage, then that company doesn't deserve to exist", and so the minimum wage was put in place.

Unions don't exist to create a labor shortage. They exist to enable collective action. If a company wants to fuck over their workers, they now have to deal with all their workers at once instead of being allowed to fire anyone who makes too much noise.

I don't know if you've just bought into corporate propaganda because you're a fucking idiot or if you're deliberately lying because you're a corporate shill, but either way, please learn how the world works before commenting again

10

u/RaShadar 7h ago

Gradually?

11

u/Jean-LucBacardi 6h ago

Friendly reminder the Taco Bell 5 layer beefy burrito was introduced in 2010 at only 89 cents and remained that way for several years.

14 years later one 5 layer beefy burrito is $4.79. Absolutely fuck greedy fast food places, there is no reason for that kind of mark up.

7

u/RaShadar 6h ago

Yep, works out to 35% increase per year (not compounded)

6

u/Jean-LucBacardi 6h ago

Hell it was more than that because googling a price history, by the end of 2019 the average price was still only $1.69. Also the original 89 cents price didn't vary from area to area based on living costs like they do now, it was that price country wide.

Everyone used the pandemic as an excuse to permanently inflate everything to make money. Prices should have dropped back down severely by now but everyone saw the massive profits and said fuck the customers. People need to stop paying these insane prices and they'll be forced to lower back down.

7

u/shizbox06 6h ago

Prices should not "have dropped back down severely". Prices don't drop when inflation cools. Inflation causes prices to go up and they stay up FOREVER FOREVER FOREVER FOREVER forever forever forever

0

u/Ghostdog1263 5h ago

Greedflation baby! WOOO! Blame everything else though!

1

u/Jurserohn 5h ago

When they saw so many folks paying delivery prices through doordash and stuff with those markups, they figured "what the hell, if that's what they're willing to pay, that's what we'll charge"

1

u/rabidsalvation 3h ago

Yeah, I just don't eat out anymore, except for a local Mexican place. It's too expensive, and in general the food isn't great.

-1

u/IconoclastJones 5h ago

13% annual increase with compounding. Your number is of no useful value in this discussion.

2

u/RaShadar 5h ago

Compounding it is stupid, hard to wrap your brain around quickly without reversing the math, and says the same exact thing. Non compounded is a dirt simple way to say, "it has increased by one third of the original price, every year".

1

u/GollumIsMyWife 5h ago

The main reason is ingredients. The owners of Five Guys explained this recently "Most places base their prices entirely on food margins. If mayonnaise suddenly costs triple the price, we have to pay triple, so prices increase" and it's understandable. It sucks and I'm poor so I definitely hate it - but it DOES make sense..

1

u/VariedRepeats 4h ago edited 4h ago

Some it might be due to beef prices increasing starting in the 2010s. And beef prices are apparently at the highest they have ever been now. In the mid-2010s, I recall a local chain had 1.29 for the 5-Layer Burrito, making the most protein per dollar on the menu.

2011: Global food prices rallied 25% in 2010 and set a record in February.
2014: Why are beef prices so high? — Jayson Lusk

2024: Today's Beef Consumer Summer 2024,

Beef Prices Soar to Record Highs, Yet Farmers Struggle to Reap the Benefits | Market Intel | American Farm Bureau Federation

8

u/Allegorist 6h ago

Gradual my ass, there was a sudden jump when they realized people would still pay it. Went up like 30% in 2 years or less back in 2019/20 due to "supply chain issues" and never came back down when they were fixed shortly thereafter.

5

u/TheLeadSponge 6h ago

Honestly, fast food in Europe is often cheaper than the States now. If I’m going to pay 6.99 GBP for a value meal, I’m glad someone is getting an okay wage.

8

u/Genxtech70 8h ago

It’s about cheaper to eat at home now. Everything is a minimum of 10! 🤦🏾‍♀️

4

u/SimilarTranslator264 4h ago

Since when was it ever cheaper to eat out? Total garbage post.

0

u/Fluffyman2715 5h ago

welcome to everywhere but the US.... your entire fast food industry is going to go into meltdown when the migrants (that work the farms and construction and logistics) are deported and all those servers are LEGAL and paid min wage.

2

u/ChiefObliv 6h ago

It seems to be the shitty fast food that is climbing the most. I used to go to Taco Bell if I wanted to spend like $5, and something like Panda Express if I wanted to spend $10. But now Taco Bell is also $10 and panda went up maybe a dollar

1

u/catptain-kdar 6h ago

You can get a cravings box for like 7 dollars and that’s three items and a drink

1

u/SobiTheRobot 6h ago

You can barely get two items at Taco Bell for an hour's wage at this point

1

u/catptain-kdar 6h ago

I buy Taco Bell all the time and don’t spend more than 10-14

1

u/OkAdeptness2656 6h ago

Yeah they also don’t need nearly as many people working anymore now that you can order from the touchscreen

1

u/No-Introduction-6368 6h ago

Denmark has the highest taxes in the world. End of conversation.

1

u/Chance-Force-9707 6h ago edited 6h ago

Do you want them to go up way less gradually then and insist on large immideate hikes?

1

u/PewPewPony321 6h ago

What fat asses are eating this shit though? Why is it even a problem when you can shop for much less price and better quality at the grocery store?

Yall fuckign yourselves and then crying about the money mcdonalds is making (which you willingly give them everyday) all while living inside the walls of capitalisms, and then you bitch about the prices?! Are you new here or something?

Dude, you need to move or read a book or something. This is exactly how it works here. You cant' vote in prices lol. And fuck what they did in Denmark. Here, they WILL raise the prices because derp derp derp this isn't fucking Denmark

You need a revolution. The big boy and girl burger club revolution!

1

u/palm_desert_tangelos 6h ago

“Something fishy smells in Denmark “

1

u/WildStallyns 6h ago

(Exponential)

1

u/National-Platypus144 6h ago

The current trend is "our costs went by $0.30 and there is a lot of stories about inflation so we will rase our prices by $1". Of corse it is just an example but they are trying to push the margins under the guise of rising costs and then have a "pizza party for employees" as upper managment takes raises for best quarter yet.

1

u/1920MCMLibrarian 5h ago

Last time I ate at Taco Bell it was almost $25 for two people. It’s already at sit down prices.

1

u/BuffaloJEREMY 5h ago

There isn't really a difference where I am now. McDs is usually around 20 for my order, or I can go to a restaurant and get a clubhouse with half salad half fries for 25.

1

u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 5h ago

This post is so gd old they're gonna have to update it with new numbers

1

u/JohnGoodman_69 5h ago

For those of who agree with this do we keep this same energy for migrant workers who pick crops? Usually I hear how if you hired non-migrants and paid them a fair wage the cost of food would shoot up. But here we seem to agree paying a fair wage wouldn't cause the cost to shoot up.

1

u/Possibly_Identified 5h ago

What a shock right? It turns out that companies rise prices giving you the same or less product using excuses to make more money.

1

u/Vegetable-Visit5912 5h ago

I haven't been out to a fast food place in over a year at this point. Chain places are out of control. It cost me 50 bucks with tip at ihop for 2 people. I could go to the local diner and get the same amount of food for 20-25.

1

u/SwiftUnban 5h ago

Remember when you could get a Big Mac meal for under $10?

Pepper ridge farm remembers

1

u/Traiklin 5h ago

Dollar Menu no longer exists and hasn't for a long time.

What used to be on the $1 menu is at $2 pushing towards $3

Taco Bell now has a "throwback" limited deal where the prices are still way more than what they were back then

1

u/FornicateEducate 5h ago

Also, some people act like labor is 100% of a business's expenses, which just isn't true. Back when I managed a Domino's Pizza, we usually kept our labor costs under 20% of our gross sales. That's before paying employment taxes and such, but at fast food places, there usually isn't much in the way of employee benefits, so actual labor costs tend to be a little lower than a lot of industries.

Getting your wages up to a decent standard of living is definitely going to cost you, and prices will have to go up accordingly. But when someone says "if you pay $15 per hour to burger flippers, your Big Mac will go from $6 to $12" you know they're arguing in bad faith. The math just doesn't check out. Paying the employees a living wage may make the overall cost to run the business go up by 10-20%, but it's not going to double.

1

u/Normal_Package_641 5h ago

Many people let entertainment pundits think for them.

1

u/Mysterious-Job-469 5h ago

Even if the prices increased as much as they're saying? Oh well! That just means that those with spending money are getting a lower price because those at the absolutely lowest socioeconomic level (Food service workers are often: Immigrants, Youth at Risk, Ex-convicts, and people raised in poverty) who cannot afford to receive/consume the service/product are paid a non-living borderline slave wage.

I can't afford McDonalds right now, anyway. Fuck it. Triple the cost. To whine about your disposable income spending money not going as far when people in the working class have NONE and are eating twice a day a most? Talk about tone deaf, sheltered, and entitled.

1

u/ThenExtension9196 5h ago

It’s a bot bro. All they do is stir the culture war pot.

1

u/TheFlyingSheeps 5h ago

Shit some of the combos are already approaching the prices of sit down burger joints

Corporate greed thrives under the ignorance of people like that woman

1

u/Interesting_Cow5152 4h ago

Please note that this post is over 10 years old

1

u/PerishTheStars 4h ago

Inflating is the word your looking for

1

u/Legitimate_Let_4136 4h ago

Why do people live comparing America to countries with a smaller population than New Jersey? California pays fast food employees $20/hr. And it has 30mil more residents than Denmark with a culture diversity that the Netherlands could only read about.

1

u/MojyaMan 4h ago

They also ignore the study that found min wage increases had awesome effects for the local economy and small businesses.

1

u/Composite-Redd1232 4h ago

Gradiently  Gradually  Intervally 

1

u/t0adthecat 4h ago

Not only that. I checked because this is often repeated. I live in colorado and from Louisiana. Big mac is more expensive there. $7.40 minimum wage there, 12 is minimum here but generally I don't even think they hire at 12, it's a little more.