Wife and I haven't had a good fast food meal in a while so we decided on KFC. Called and price for 8 piece 2 sides bucket was $26.99. OK, I'll try Five Guys because they had really good burgers last time I went several years age. Burger, fries, and bottle of water for us was $41.88. Next try, BBQ. Rack of ribs with side and drink was $39. We ended up getting a shrimp plate, 2 sides, and 9 extra catfish pieces for $25.99. I don't see how these places can stay in business.

huh?

You called ahead to check on pricing? At a fast food joint?

Hahahaha I thought the same thing.

If more people did that perhaps it would send a message to the democrats who work there. Just say, "Ever since Joe Biden got elected I have to call and check prices to see if I can afford the extra slice of cheese on my burger"

I can’t wait until you call and price the cost of two movie tickets, drinks and a tub of popcorn 🤣

Yep, prices have sky rocketed. Service is at an all time low.

Your ROI on letting your wife buy a new bigger purse to smuggle in snacks to the movie theater is ~3 movies.

Who in the world calls ahead to price a meal at a Fast Food joint??

Also, that price for 5 guys sounds about right. They've been higher than giraffe nuts since well before JB became president. Last time we ate at 5 Guys was early 2020 (right before Covid kicked off) and for me, the wife and 2 kids (6 and 8 at the time) it was like $65-70.....I swore "never again".

Let me clarify since the fact I called a fast food bothers so many. I didn't actually call but wife looked up prices on line.

Why does it bother people that anyone calls ahead to check for prices? Sounds like someone who is a good steward with their money if you ask me.

5 Guys has always been WAY overpriced and overrated.

I think most of us eat fast food when we don't have the time or energy to prepare a meal. The quality of fast food is terrible. Very often the order is wrong. The person preparing the food is barely able to hold down any job or they would be working elsewhere. I try not to look at the health ratings. The cost is such that many local sit down places are not much more expensive with much better service and food.

In other words if you have the time and energy to price shop fast food, there are many better options.

Totally agree. The burgers are okay but the portion size on the fries is enough for three people and they charge you accordingly. So if I walk in by myself and get a burger and fries plus a drink, it's sky high.

Hard for me to believe many of these fast food joints would even answer the phone. Since Covid the fast food industry has gone to pot & I don't see it improving anytime soon, if ever.

Edited to add:
Bojangles still does a good job IMO. Same for Zaxby's. Sadly, the Jack's on my side of town is hit or miss & many times I leave the drive thru line before ordering & go somewhere else. They just take too long. Here lately I only hit up fast food joints for a b'fast on Sat or Sun morning.

Yep food has gotten worse and prices higher at them all. Not to mention the service is chit at most of them now.

Don’t call Buckeys. Damn they proud of the Brisket Sandwich.

I have started demanding a refund if I pay my money and then they ask me to pull forward. Back when fast food worked right they never did that. Its total disrespect for the customer.

I went to one of the Mexican restaurants in Andalusia the other day about mid afternoon and did with the tip was out of there for just shy of $25. Now I do order an appetizer (cheese dip), an entree (fajita taco salad) and a Diet Coke. So, if I skipped the appetizer and ordered water, even with a tip would have come out within a couple bucks of what a fast food total is for one person these days.

The cost for eating out has definitely encouraged me to cook at home more often. But, when it is just me here, sometimes it is cheaper for me to eat out for something specific than it is for me to go the grocery store and get all items to make it at home. I do cook more when DoA is home since the effort for 2-4 people is about the same as for just me.

The reason is because lots of folks now CAN'T cook! It is astounding to me how many people eat out multiple times during the week simply because they cannot cook a meal for themselves. Especially the pampered young adults who play video games and smoke pot all day and haven't learned to cook and support themselves.