Many people believe it’s an astounding $18 after a post on X of McDonald’s menu prices at a rest stop in Connecticut went viral and made national headlines. (Narrator voice: It’s not.)
Now, almost a year after the post, a top McDonald’s executive wants to set the record straight. In a recent letter, Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said $18 for a Big Mac combo was the “exception” and not the norm across all 13,700 restaurants in the country.
The average price of a Big Mac in the US was $4.39 in 2019,” Erlinger said in his recent letter. “Despite a global pandemic and historic rises in supply chain costs, wages and other inflationary pressures in the years that followed, the average cost is now $5.29. That’s an increase of 21% (not 100%),” he added.
I see what you’re saying but the fact is any money we have is the money these types of companies are after, they’re not expecting rich people to keep McDonald’s afloat. They’re relying on commuters in a hurry, busy moms with whiny toddlers, people too tired after a day of work to cook for themselves etc. Voting with those dollars, however limited they may be, is the most powerful form of influence the lower class has.