I remember back when I was younger, I would grab a McChicken from McDonald’s or a sandwich from Subway all the time because I loved food and it was cheap. I worked throughout high school in various jobs such as cashier or as a store associate at 7-Eleven. I didn’t have much money, but I did for fast food. Now fast forward to today, where fast food is basically the cost of eating at a restaurant. I’ve seen the prices increase so dramatically post-pandemic. From 2024 to 2025, when comparing prices, Subway’s price has increased by 9% (which is actually not the worst), McDonald’s by 100%, and Popeyes by 86%. Now you can say it’s due to inflation, but let’s be honest, it’s corporate greed. Whole executive teams see massive pay raises. Take Starbucks’ CEO getting a $100 million compensation package and then seeing revenue slump for 6 straight quarters under his watch. We can say that executives do not care about their customers anymore, and we’ve known that for a while.
You know, I understand businesses have to make a profit and return value to shareholders, but I do believe we’re at a time where these corporations have reached a level of greed that even they know isn’t sustainable. They just want to squeeze the last bit of money out of their customers. We’ve seen the “value menu” being resurrected in many fast-food chains, notably McDonald’s, where sales have slumped. They’ve basically told middle and lower-income consumers that McDonald’s is now a luxury for them. We have CEOs blaming the economy. Sure, the economy isn’t in the best shape, but that’s largely because these corporations are making it worse for the common consumer.
The middle class and lower-income consumer are being hit the hardest. I walked into a McDonald’s recently and mind you, I have the app, which you basically need now just to feel like you’re “saving” any money. And it was depressing in there. The memories I have from my childhood aren’t there anymore. It’s gloomy, understaffed, and while the food never tasted amazing, it now feels worse when you’re paying restaurant prices. Do I hope it will get better? Nope. It can’t. The pursuit of constant profits will only keep making executives in these corporations greedier. But what we can do is avoid fast food restaurants until they realize things need to change. The food quality has dropped so much at these places that it’s a bit easier to avoid them, but honestly, it’s still hard for me. Sometimes I drive by a Subway and think about getting a footlong chicken teriyaki, but then that desire quickly dies when I see what they’ve done to the experience, like putting a metal cover so you can’t even watch them make your sub anymore. And don’t get me started on paying $12–$15 for a sandwich. A sandwich. That’s crazy.
But I do hope one day I can return to these fast food chains with a smile on my face, actually feeling like I got a value meal rather than them trying to convince me I got a deal while I munch on a deformed meat patty with a side of sadness.