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A site that tracks the price of a Big Mac in every US McDonald's

TulliusCicero
90 replies
1d1h

Visiting Japan this last summer, I was shocked at how much cheaper basic meals were.

Even if you used a 1 USD = 100 JPY exchange rate instead of the real one, I could get nicer breakfasts than McDonald's for much cheaper somewhere like Sukiya, and they're open 24/7 to boot! Fully open, not just a drive through sometimes like in the states. Ordering experience was great too, they have these tablets where you can switch the language to English so it's easy.

Anyway, it kinda feels like McDonald's in the US isn't actually that cheap anymore? When I order breakfast there sometimes, it always feels like the food is kind of pricey considering they're just keeping it warm or warming up premade food.

Edit: looks like I'm not just imagining it, Big Mac prices have outpaced inflation over the last couple decades - https://www.axios.com/2022/04/17/mcdonalds-big-mac-inflation...

I wonder why?

throwup238
53 replies
1d1h

> Anyway, it kinda feels like McDonald's in the US isn't actually that cheap anymore? When I order breakfast there sometimes, it always feels like the food is kind of pricey considering they're just keeping it warm or warming up premade food.

US McDonalds has extreme price discrimination akin to what you see with grocery store memberships like Ralphs where they have a "regular" price that almost no one is expected to pay because everyone has a free membership that just requires your (or Jenny's) phone number . If you download their app, it has a bunch of coupons that lower the price of (almost) the entire menu.

crazygringo
33 replies
1d1h

Exactly this.

It used to be the same prices for everyone.

Now prices have gone up, but if you use the app you basically always get either free medium fries (normally $4), buy-one-get-one-free for a Big Mac or QPC, or a few other promos, or accumulated points (that basically give you 10% off everything in the long run).

Generally speaking I'll pay $8 for a meal that would be $12 otherwise, basically every single time.

(Not to mention that you also skip the line, and if you use the app a few minutes before you arrive, your food will be waiting for you when you do.)

xattt
18 replies
1d1h

I shuddered when the (Canadian) iPhone app insisted that it was allowed to run as a background process and that precise geolocation was on. GFYS was my second reaction.

crazygringo
17 replies
1d

Precise geolocation is used to pick the nearest McDonald's. You need precise in urban areas where there might be multiple locations only a few blocks away.

I don't know why you would have given it always-on (background) location permission. iPhones don't ever grant that by default, you always have to opt in. Nor does the app require it -- when it asks the first time you run the app, just pick "only while using the app". Or turn it off in Location settings if you picked the wrong setting initially.

gruez
11 replies
1d

Even if you choose "only while using the app", the app can work around that if it's registered as a navigation app. I've seen the "[app] is actively using your location" message in the statusbar when using both the uber and mcdonalds app, despite only granting the "only while using the app" permission. Also the mcdonalds app requires precise location access to see any of the offers/promos.

crazygringo
9 replies
1d

I've seen the "[app] is actively using your location" message in the statusbar

Sure, but that's intentional and incredibly obvious in the status bar. It tracks your location between when you place an order and when you're close to the restaurant so that you can confirm for them to start the order.

It's not like it keeps tracking you for hours or days afterwards or anything. Same as Uber -- it turns off after your ride is done. The status bar message disappears.

Point is, the app doesn't seem designed to harvest location data. If you pick up an order at the restaurant, they know you were there anyways. Your phone isn't telling them something they don't already know.

water-your-self
6 replies
23h42m

Having location data on can potentially implicate you in a crime.

fragmede
5 replies
22h15m

It can also be used as an alibi, so if you go kill your ex wife, make sure you have location tracking turned on, and give your phone to someone else to be in another place.

cookie_monsta
4 replies
18h40m

Not a lawyer, but my estimate is that this would stand up in approximately zero courts worldwide

mcculley
2 replies
17h10m

It has been presented as evidence (e.g., https://corrcronin.com/2023/05/never-off-the-grid-how-to-fin...)

cookie_monsta
1 replies
15h23m

All of those examples are of LE claiming that somebody was at a given location, not a defendant using it to prove they were somewhere else.

What's the difference? One is somewhat difficult to fake, the other is laughably easy.

Not saying it hasn't been attempted somewhere, I'm saying it would be a very weak prosecutor who couldn't cast doubt on it as a piece of "proof"

sokoloff
0 replies
12h25m

The proof obligation is (correctly) vastly higher in one direction than the other in a US criminal trial.

A defendant using it to create reasonable doubt is a win for the defense. A prosecutor who is only able to cast doubt on it is not a win for the prosecution.

chmod600
0 replies
16h50m

It's evidence. What it means is up to interpretation, but I doubt it would be blocked entirely. It would be up to the prosecutor to challenge the assumption that you and your phone are in the same place, or that there was some other flaw in the data.

WWLink
1 replies
21h29m

It does actually. The McDonalds app "accidentally" forgets to check when you've picked up your order and keeps tracking you until you go into the app, then it'll check and realize you picked it up and stop tracking you.

crazygringo
0 replies
20h32m

Sounds like a bug? It doesn't do that on my phone.

Especially since the blue status bar is so obvious. Nobody wants that sticking around on their screen.

kccqzy
0 replies
1d

When using that workaround the Dynamic Island will show that the app is using navigation. It's a prominent UI indicator impossible to miss. Much more obvious than the small location icon next to the clock.

For such apps I prefer to manually terminate them when not using, instead of merely moving them to the background.

smeej
3 replies
18h57m

Can you download the app from their parking lot, on their WiFi, do your thing, and uninstall it?

Leaving a food app installed seems unnecessary in the first place.

hattmall
2 replies
14h14m

Yeah you could do that, but uninstalling and reinstalling every time seems unnecessary imo.

xattt
1 replies
8h15m

This was my issue. It took too long.

smeej
0 replies
1h57m

"Too long"? Are we not talking about, like, 60 seconds? Admittedly I don't use these things, but is there some major inconvenience I'm missing?

astrange
0 replies
14h18m

It's because if you order pickup, they don't actually start making it until you get there.

ipaddr
4 replies
21h29m

To save a few dollars you installed an app that will gather as much data as possible, selling your info to big data providers but we're only worried about Google.

cwalv
3 replies
18h9m

Gasp! Maybe I'll be forced to see an ad somewhere too .. or worse, they'll use this info about me visiting McDonald's to profile me and my kind, and we'll suffer endless harassment and persecution

spacebear
1 replies
16h34m

They’re selling your precise location to data brokers that sell it to the police (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/03/fbi-finally-admi...) so you can get a deal on french fries that are killing you. This is no way to live.

crazygringo
0 replies
3h42m

I hate to tell you, but they already know your location because they know you picked up your food at that McDonald's. They don't need the app for that.

The app isn't tracking your location except between ordering your food and picking it up. As discussed elsewhere in this thread, your Location privacy settings in iOS ensure that.

ipaddr
0 replies
16h40m

Location tracking, sharing other apps installed, photos, contacts and aggregating that data to larger providers to be used for rtb adnetworks is the main reason. Doubt you will get persecuted but I also doubt you would publicly share your photo photos.

el_benhameen
4 replies
23h55m

And here I’ve been paying for my fries like a sucker. I’m hesitant to call this information “helpful” as it’ll increase my consumption of French fries, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

skibbityboop
3 replies
22h9m

Maybe it depends on the McDonald's franchisee in your area, I never see free fries in the app but it's always "any size fries for $1.29" (which is still massively cheaper than their normal price).

crazygringo
1 replies
20h38m

Yeah I think the promos are very region dependent. I've never seen that one, for instance. Yours is worse for a medium, but way better because it lets you save money on a large!

AuryGlenz
0 replies
10h31m

Yeah. I was once driving home to Minnesota from Wisconsin. I was getting gas, opened to app, looked at the deals, and decided I’d rather eat later. Once I was in Minnesota a lot of them changed.

joshstrange
0 replies
4h17m

Yep, it’s region and even sub-region specific. Sometimes different McD near me (a couple of miles apart) have different deals.

Where I live the one closest always has a BOGO breakfast sandwich while the one closer to my parents (3hrs away) will do a “buy one, get $1 off another”.

It’s crazy how much cheaper things are when using the apps for fast food places. I regularly save $3-5 using some $1-item/BOGO/%-off type of coupon.

gnopgnip
1 replies
22h40m

They recently replaced the buy one get one free with buy one get one 30% off for Big Macs here

rahimnathwani
0 replies
11h56m

Same here (in both San Francisco and Pacifica).

rahimnathwani
0 replies
11h58m

  buy-one-get-one-free for a Big Mac or QPC
I've used that deal many many times, but the last time I opened the app, it had been replaced with a buy-one-get-30%off-second :(

qingcharles
0 replies
16h11m

I always use the app to order because of all the deals. I damned near lived off the free shit from the McDonald's app last year.

One issue is that this system (that many places now use) of only giving you the best prices on the app vastly discriminates against many poor and/or homeless people who often neither have a debit card nor a phone (or no data).

ryanwaggoner
14 replies
1d1h

The vast majority of McDonald’s customers are not using the app to order.

throwup238
5 replies
1d1h

They're coupons. They apply to drive through and dine in orders.

dawnerd
4 replies
1d1h

Still the vast majority do not use them.

atdrummond
2 replies
1d1h

It depends on the market. I worked at the East Palo Alto McD while I was getting back on my feet a few years back and we had hours where 60-70% of the orders used the app in some way. I’d say probably 35-40% of our customers used the app; of regulars, more than 50%.

rconti
0 replies
23h53m

I was JUST looking at that location because it's about the closest to me. I'm between EPA, University Ave, Menlo Park, and Stanford locations: 6.59, 6.69, 6.09. Meanwhile, Foster City is only $4.99!

aworks
0 replies
1d

Interesting.

Note that the price was $6.69 at that McDonald's and the one at Stanford Shopping Center. But it was $6.09 at the locations on El Camino Real in Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Mountain View.

thrdbndndn
0 replies
1d1h

That's their entire point.

Extreme price discrimination against people who don't know better/don't bother/etc.

McD has the most generous coupons in their apps among fast food chain and there is basically no limit.

crazygringo
5 replies
1d1h

That's the whole point. Customers who are price-sensitive do use the app to order, while people with money to spare don't bother.

That's why McDonald's does it. It's the same thing grocery stores have always done with coupons in the weekly flyer -- customers who are price-sensitive cut them out and use them, while people with money to spare don't bother. Or with clothing sales -- people who want the trendiest clothes at the start of the season buy them full-price, while people who wait until the end of the season get them at a steep discount.

justsomehnguy
3 replies
23h29m

That's the whole point. Customers who are price-sensitive do use the app to order, while people with money to spare don't bother.

That's the whole point. Customers willing to sell their privacy for the lower prices use the app to order, while people unwilling to sell their privacy are subject to 'privacy tax'.

Slight /s but only slight.

crazygringo
2 replies
22h53m

The app isn't giving away much privacy information that your credit card isn't.

Yeah, they know my name and what I ordered at each location. I'm OK with that.

You can also use a throwaway email address to sign up and use the app to order, get the discounts, but pay in cash when you arrive. If you're determined to keep your identity secret from McDonald's.

justsomehnguy
1 replies
5h49m

The app isn't giving away much privacy information that your credit card isn't.

Always running, internet connected app is surely reveals a bit more of you/your habits than a CC number.

throwaway email address to sign up

They are okay with that, data matters more than an ability to match your email.

keep your identity secret from McDonald's.

I'm not okay with any corporation having an identity info on me. It's not an equal exchange.

crazygringo
0 replies
3h47m

Always running, internet connected app is surely reveals a bit more of you/your habits than a CC number.

Don't think so. It's not always running.

What else is there to reveal? That I changed my mind and swapped the QPC for a Big Mac in my cart at the last second?

Apps are sandboxed. I literally can't guess what you think the app is supposedly tracking besides my orders.

ryanwaggoner
0 replies
23h53m

Yes, I'm aware of the point of price discrimination, I was responding to "they have a "regular" price that almost no one is expected to pay"

seanmcdirmid
0 replies
14h4m

The app isn’t very good. They don’t start preparing your order until you arrive in store, and it just seems like so many steps compared to the Starbucks app where you just say, I want it now and it gives you the estimated time it will be ready. Apps that allow for ASAP are easier to use.

fragmede
0 replies
22h12m

They don't staff the counter anymore so you order from a kiosk, and if I'm ordering from a computer anyway, I might as well use an app on my phone, and then I can do it from my car in the parking lot instead of going in. I'd love to hear from McDonald's how many orders are via the app vs the kiosk vs drive thru.

wkat4242
1 replies
23h33m

Weird. Here in Europe the prices are the same everywhere in the same country and they don't really do coupons.

They also have the excellent "menu4you" meal here in Spain that gets you a double cheeseburger (basically a big Mac) medium meal for 4,50€. Previously it was even 4€.

They are really trying to promote their app with free goodies though. I tried to install it but it refused to work because I didn't install it through the play store. I don't use a Google account so I use aurora store to install apps. I do have the basic Google play services installed for eg push messages, i just don't use a Google account to minimise tracking.

For some reason the McDonald's app is the single one I have tried that complains about it. Not sure what their issue is with that.

I use McDonald's if I need a known quality food quick. Not great quality but consistent. And I actually like their breakfast muffins once in a while.

barrkel
0 replies
19h17m

McD apps for both Germany and Switzerland feature coupons. In Switzerland, physical coupons show up in my postbox.

For whatever reason the coupons very seldom work for my meal preferences so I don't bother with them.

In Spain the main reason I've gone to McDs is for the cheap affogato in summer.

I often end up in an McD off the Autobahn due to a long road trip I take regularly. Reviews matter. McDs are not consistently run. Many stockpile and serve stale fries, and the attention to detail on burger assembly varies wildly.

scubbo
0 replies
20h39m

Huh - I tried installing the app a couple of times, and couldn't get it to work. I'll try again - thanks!

listenallyall
0 replies
18h33m

no one is expected to pay

I eat at US McDonald's frequently. It's easy to observe how many people use their app, place mobile orders, or have a code to use at the ordering kiosks, and that percentage is quite small.

tehwebguy
7 replies
1d1h

Maybe the inexpensive, fresh food at convenience stores drives down fast food prices there?

mech422
5 replies
1d1h

I needed that laugh... :-D

Dylan16807
4 replies
23h37m

What laugh, please explain.

wkat4242
3 replies
23h31m

If people cared about fresh food, McDonald's would not exist let alone thrive :)

nightski
0 replies
23h3m

I care about fresh food, but I can still enjoy McDonalds every once and a while.

astrange
0 replies
14h15m

McDonald's does well in Japan and Australia where people have many very high quality food options.

It's also not that popular with poor people in the US because it's more expensive than grocery shopping.

Dylan16807
0 replies
23h25m

It's not binary. Even caring a tiny bit will add more competitive pressure. And that doesn't address the "inexpensive" part.

hombre_fatal
0 replies
23h31m

Yeah, Japan has so many more options than the US when it comes to food on the go whether you compare the foods available at 7/11s or the $2 bento boxes in a subway station. In the US, fast food is your only option on the go.

practicemaths
4 replies
1d1h

Economic theory would suggest that you price your product where it will give you the maximum amount of return or profit.

So even if increasing price might lower total number of sales the total dollar amount might actually be bigger than before.

blackoil
1 replies
1d1h

In short term aligned with the bonus cycle of management. If high price cause people who have McD as habit slowly trickle to alternate chains/cuisine/modes of eating. In long they may make loss.

astrange
0 replies
14h13m

McDonald's is a franchise so you can't guess its behavior by your assumption of how McDonald's corporate management works.

chii
0 replies
1d1h

price your product where it will give you the maximum amount of return or profit.

this is where price discrimination, aka charging a different price to each customer, comes in.

By finding out the maximum a customer would be willing to pay, you can get more profit than a static price for all customers. The only thing is that another customer would not like to see themselves pay a higher price for the same good.

Coupons, apps, etc, are the modern way to get around the customers seeing the "real" price others are paying.

TulliusCicero
0 replies
1d1h

Right, but normally this is kept somewhat in check by competitive markets.

Prices rising are usually a sign that either input costs have risen in a way in which all parties have to deal with them, or the market is becoming less competitive somehow so incumbents can get away with higher prices.

paxys
4 replies
22h50m

The reason is that they have captured a set of customers who don't want cheap fast food, they want McDonalds. Same for most other similar chains.

Chipotle was great when it was a filling Mexican-ish meal for $5-6. Today the same food is $13-16. It makes no sense for them to stay in business when you can get a burrito for the same price from a much nicer Mexican restaurant across the street, but the people going there specifically want Chipotle burritos and are willing to pay $16 for it.

tbihl
3 replies
21h52m

FWIW, I see 9.20 for Chipotle in Maryland (and one of the more expensive parts of that expensive state, at that) for the chicken burrito/bowl, no add-ons. I don't deny the disappearance of formerly free hacks and add-ons, or that price has gone up, but the nearly 2.5x probably has some local craziness thrown in.

Edit: ouch, just saw it jumped to 10.10 since my last monthly Chipotle order.

cwalv
1 replies
17h58m

I stopped at a chipotle in the Bay area a couple months ago; the check was $19. I was pretty surprised

teaearlgraycold
0 replies
16h28m

Really? I get the vegetarian burrito (includes guac, I get a second bean scoop as well) in the bay for $10 after tax, no tip prompt either which is nice.

Rapzid
0 replies
19h27m

And that's without guac? What's the point.

thrdbndndn
2 replies
1d1h

I mean, first of all, Japan as a whole has lower cost of living than the US (in term of absolute value, not percentage of income).

And from my personal experience, certain things like eating out and hotels are particularly more expensive in the US than the baseline.

Even if you used a 1 USD = 100 JPY exchange rate instead of the real one

Well, if we use this.. their website currently lists Big Mac as 450 yen, which isn't that different from 4.x USD price that covers majority of the US.

mplewis
1 replies
1d

450¥ is actually $3.11 which is cheaper than any US Big Mac.

thrdbndndn
0 replies
1d

Hence I quoted his "Even if you used a 1 USD = 100 JPY".

nightski
2 replies
23h4m

I feel like exchange rate doesn't tell you the whole story. If relative income is lower in Japan then items might be priced lower to accommodate the market.

fragmede
1 replies
21h59m

Right. How many hours do I have to work for this food is the real question.

Tiktaalik
0 replies
16h46m

Depending on location, many Japan McDonalds locations would pay its employees less than 1000 yen/hour.

dugmartin
2 replies
1d1h

Yes, McDonalds is way too expensive now given the quality and (lack of) service.

SoftTalker
1 replies
23h41m

When I was a kid/young adult (1980s/1990s) I ate at McDonald's quite a bit. I remember it as being decent food and a pretty good value. The restaurants were generally clean and service was usually fast.

I don't know if my tastes have changed or the food has or both, but I can't stand McDonalds now. I may have eaten there once or twice in the past 5 years.

The food is bad, the french fries in particular are awful (they used to be great), the employees are indifferent and act like customers are an interruption, and it's expensive.

briHass
0 replies
17h38m

You could be remembering a time when McD's used to cook their fries in beef tallow. They switched to 'vegetable' oil around 1990 [1] due to the persistent myth that animal fats promote heart disease, or at a rate higher than other oils.

IMHO, tallow/lard fried fries taste way better, and McD's really messed up here.

[1] https://www.thedailymeal.com/1020277/the-mcdonalds-fries-sca...

rangestransform
1 replies
1d

I suspect the difference in Japan is actually related to commercial real estate rent

Drew_
0 replies
23h31m

The Japanese Yen is just very weak right now for a number of reasons.

Dalewyn
1 replies
16h3m

I could get nicer breakfasts than McDonald's

I'll also point out that Japan McDonald's food is nicer than US McDonald's food.

Yes, I'm serious. Even the buns are so much nicer over there, let alone the stuff between them.

astrange
0 replies
14h12m

Having eaten SFBA and Tokyo McDonald's in the last month I like the SF one better.

(In the US I usually get whichever burger has the most burger for the least bread, ask for extra vegetables, get the mango smoothie, and don't eat the fries.)

thekevan
0 replies
1d

I was shocked at how much cheaper basic meals were

Gregg's in England has entered the chat

matteoraso
0 replies
22h2m

McDonald's prices are all over the place. Big Macs are expensive because of the brand name, but other stuff is remarkably cheap.

gnicholas
0 replies
22h1m

Yeah, egg McMuffins are like 5 bucks now. I’ve started making them on my own, which is actually pretty easy.

dhosek
0 replies
18h44m

I remember being shocked that a nice restaurant meal in Paris was so much cheaper than it would have been in the U.S.

aidog
0 replies
7h48m

Japan has an eating out culture due to smaller living spaces. It sadly became a lot more expensive recently with salaries staying low. McDonalds went up dramatically over 5 years. The quality also went down.

sach90
22 replies
1d1h

This is my site. I need to re-run a scrape and update the prices.

McDonald's blocked my scraper when it went viral the first time

foxandmouse
9 replies
1d

Would it be possible to include Canada? food inflation has been massive over the last couple years.

nosecreek
4 replies
1d

Not for Big Macs, but if you’re interested I’ve been collecting Canadian grocery price data over the past couple of years here: https://grocerytracker.ca/

ssss11
0 replies
12h15m

Have you had any hassles from supermarket chains?

btzs
0 replies
16h36m

This is great! I would love something like this for Hong Kong. The prices here are very volatile due to special offers, etc.

Any plans to add other countries?

ThePowerOfFuet
0 replies
9h27m

You should probably sort the store/city selector dropdown alphabetically.

ClimaxGravely
0 replies
20h51m

Oh wow! I've been looking for something like this. Thank you.

joenot443
3 replies
1d

Big +1 to this. A medium fries at Canadian McDonald’s is now $5, it’s madness!

switch007
0 replies
1d

Wow. $2.74 CAD in the UK.

I feel they’ve shrunk too but ymmv.

loudandskittish
0 replies
17h36m

Yeah, I used to stop at McDonald's on my way home from a big grocery run and stopped when I saw the fries there cost more than the giant bag of frozen fries I had just bought...

Tiktaalik
0 replies
16h44m

I got a 10 piece McNuggets meal the other day. Cost $15. Wild stuff.

cylinder714
3 replies
1d

Don't you have an identical site with Taco Bell prices?

sach90
2 replies
1d

I do - taconomical.com

spiffytech
0 replies
21h4m

Could I interest you in listing any others you have?

paulkrush
0 replies
1d

+1 for https://taconomical.com/ Texas is really divided.

ratsmack
1 replies
1d

Is there a way you prevent them from identifying your scraper?

jonnycoder
0 replies
1d

Yes, there is a lot written about it. Here is one link I have saved:

https://github.com/niespodd/browser-fingerprinting

jrmg
1 replies
1d

How old is the data?

jader201
0 replies
16h46m

Looks like most prices haven’t been updated since March 2023, so about 10 months old.

orenlindsey
0 replies
1d

You should publish the dataset or provide an API to get it. I found what seems to be a dataset but it doesn't have a clear structure.

joenot443
0 replies
1d

Well done. Any personal findings?

ape4
0 replies
1d1h

Ah I was wondering where the info was from. Nice site.

Wistar
0 replies
1d

I admire the crispness and precision of your mapping. Zooming in tight so just three or four McD locations are on screen and then sliding a location juuuust off-screen immediately changes the price results.

matrix87
21 replies
1d1h

Who the hell would get mcd when in n out is like 2x as good for about the same money. Absolute insanity

echelon
6 replies
1d1h

I've had it, but I wasn't impressed. Whataburger and Five Guys have better burgers.

If we're going to rank fast food, Waffle House is the champion, followed by Chick-fil-A and Chipotle. Burgers are mostly fungible.

urdbjtdvbg
3 replies
1d1h

Five Guys is not in the same tier price-wise though. Might as well say you prefer the local brewpub.

ajross
1 replies
1d1h

Not where I live. A Five Guys little cheeseburger is maybe 20% more than a quarter pounder with cheese. It's true that Five Guys serves mostly exclusively the suburban markets that support higher prices, and doesn't compete with the cheapest McDonalds. But where they overlap, they're very comparable in price.

And yeah, Five Guys is the best.

urdbjtdvbg
0 replies
16h31m

Reading a menu I found online it seems you’d pay over double In-n-Out prices for (subjectively) at best comparable eats.

spiderice
0 replies
1d1h

100%. I’m always surprised by the price when I go to five guys. They give off fast food vibes but with very high prices.

Very high quality burgers though.

matrix87
0 replies
1d

Whataburger and Five Guys have better burgers.

Can't speak for Whataburger but Five Guys is usually messier and the "little cheeseburger" is huge. Maybe the patties are better and the fries are objectively better but I wish they had a "little little cheeseburger" or something

Minor49er
0 replies
13h22m

The Chipotles in my area have been turning away walk-ins at undetermined hours. During working hours, the doors may be locked. Or you can be in line where people are ordering, but as soon as you get to the front, they tell you that they won't take your order because they're suddenly doing online only. There are no signs posted or anything as to why this happens. It's very unusual

bdcravens
3 replies
1d1h

In Texas, there are very few In-n-outs, and they always have ridiculous lines. Sometimes you want literal fast food, and McD is everywhere. Also after having it a few times, I prefer Whataburger to In-n-out (like In-n-out, Whataburger isn't everywhere)

rblatz
2 replies
1d1h

Preferring Whataburger over In-n-out is the most Texas thing there is. It’s more true of a stereotype than most Texas stereotypes like Cowboy Boots, cowboy hats, guns, or high school football.

bdcravens
0 replies
1d1h

Guilty as charged lol. Though to be fair, anecdotally I've heard of many travelers who are also impressed by the big W.

adl
0 replies
1d

I live in Monterrey, Mexico, 3 to 4 hours from the US border with Texas. There are people who offer Whataburger delivery services.

They will collect orders throughout the week and on the weekend drive to Texas and pick up the burgers. I think they have a deal with a local whataburger because they pick the burgers disassembled.

The heat and reassemble them here in Monterrey. No fries, though.

They sell for 3x, I believe.

Firmwarrior
2 replies
1d1h

In n Out always has a 30+ minute line when I try to go there.. quicker to buy ingredients at a grocery store, go home, cook burgers myself, then clean up

tekla
1 replies
1d

The secret is to walk in.

Firmwarrior
0 replies
20h21m

hmm, I could never see any open parking spots either.. it's weird too, that place is packed even in off-peak times

I'll admit the burgers are a lot better than McDonald's, although still not as good as something half-assedly home made with bottom-shelf Safeway ingredients

MOARDONGZPLZ
1 replies
1d1h

I am not usually a fast food person, but I’ve tried In n Out several times, because it seems to be recommended, in the last couple years due to travel taking me to their territory and haven’t found it to be particularly good. Compared to McDonalds, which I also rarely frequent unless it’s a splurge day from the gym or I’m on a road trip, it seems objectively worse. The McDonalds quarter pounder and double quarter pounder are significantly better than InO.

My suspicion is, like Whataburger, it’s a bit of a “having grown up with it” sort of thing that makes people recommend it so highly.

cylinder714
0 replies
1d

“having grown up with it” sort of thing

Kind of like beans on toast.... ;-)

twoodfin
0 replies
1d1h

2X as good and maybe 4X the wait.

stalfosknight
0 replies
1d1h

If you could explain to me where I might find an In-n-Out here in Florida, I would love to.

saurik
0 replies
1d1h

FWIW, In-n-Out only exists in a few locations, many of us believe they have much worse fries (you might disagree), and McDonalds has a much larger menu (which is even more of a discrepancy if you don't know you can customize the In-n-Out burger, which many people do not); it additionally is a different model which takes a lot longer to order.

cylinder714
0 replies
1d

If you're heading to Tahoe or Reno, Dave's Giant Hamburger in Fairfield makes burgers better than an animal-style Double-Double, and bigger: 1/3-pound (151g) patties and double-thick cheese. Ask for fried onions and "the hot sauce." The shakes and chili are brilliant, too.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dave%27s%20giant%20hamburger

astrange
0 replies
14h2m

Is this even true? Honestly I don't even like In n Out anymore. They're less dry but that's it.

I don't usually eat fries but theirs are terrible as well, because "fresh" isn't how you make fries good.

avalys
18 replies
1d1h

Am I the only one that didn’t know the price differed between locations?

I just assumed that, other than airports and other special cases like that, the prices were set nationally.

ttyprintk
13 replies
1d

You might also be surprised that 82% are franchises.

throwaway290
9 replies
1d

I thought franchisees cannot just set whatever price they feel like though?

epolanski
5 replies
23h45m

Why wouldn't they?

michaelt
1 replies
23h24m

If they want to run national advertising campaigns about the price of a value meal, every store has to offer a value meal at the advertised price.

I suppose they could just leave all the prices off national advertising, though.

lotsofpulp
0 replies
17h19m

There is always a disclaimer of “at participating locations” in those advertisements.

crazygringo
0 replies
22h7m

Franchisees have very little control over anything.

They can't change decoration, they often can't add an extra employee on a shift, they can't opt out of promotions, and they often can't set prices at all, or are allowed to change them only within a very narrow range.

They run the restaurant exactly the way corporate decides. This is standard for franchising. It's just how it works.

(If you want to do things your way, you start your own independent restaurant -- you don't franchise.)

Dylan16807
0 replies
23h36m

The contract that makes so many other things be the same.

8organicbits
0 replies
23h18m

Ads that quote the prices and the dollar menu give the perception of uniform pricing. I guess ads are regional, only mention one or two products, and they mention "in participating stores". I wonder how much the dollar menu varies (if that's even a thing any more, it's been many years...)

UberFly
1 replies
21h6m

They have to be able to adjust to whatever the local landscape allows. I know in places like Seattle they tax it heavily.

seanmcdirmid
0 replies
13h53m

Seattle has a 10% sales tax, and a tax on sugary beverages that doesn’t apply to coke zero for example. There is maybe a b/o tax, but nothing really special beyond that.

ttyprintk
0 replies
20h59m

As I understand it, corporate in Chicago sets a USA maximum price.

Sebb767
2 replies
1d

I'm actually surprised that 18% aren't. I always assumed that all McDonalds are franchises, with a few exceptions for halo stores and the likes.

throwaway290
0 replies
1d

McD direct owned almost all stores in Russia from what I heard, I bet they are done with that model now...

seanmcdirmid
0 replies
13h54m

I worked for a corporate store in the Seattle area as a teenager. They had a lot of them in the suburbs, but in Seattle itself it was all franchises.

whartung
0 replies
20h26m

Certainly not. Land, taxes, labor, etc. vary across the country, and that has an impact on local pricing.

An extreme case is the McDonalds at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is a small town, obviously catering to the tourist trade. But, it's also, essentially, in the middle of nowhere. Plus, they have to truck water in, as there's no ground water or wells.

The prices of sodas and beer were about the same, and they have to pay more labor to attract folks to make the drive out to the town to work.

At the time, this was early 90's, it was almost $6.00 for the quarter pounder/fries/coke, which was an "outrageous" price, especially for McDonalds.

Similarly, not McDonalds related, but there's another gas station in the middle of the desert with signs around the store to essentially tell folks "Yes, we know everything is expensive here. We're in the middle of the desert."

lotsofpulp
0 replies
17h17m

The minimum wage varies by $13+ across the US, and labor is a huge portion of a restaurant’s COGS. And land/rent/property tax/insurance/business tax also vary widely, so national pricing rarely makes sense in the US.

boguscoder
0 replies
1d

Ditto, this site brought me observational joy but informational shock

BuildTheRobots
0 replies
1d

I was doubly surprised to find out that price varies by location in the UK as well (seems to have been introduced in 2008).

orenlindsey
16 replies
1d2h

Also, the most expensive McDonald's is actually connected to a gas station, which might be part of the high price. It's actually one of two on opposite sides of the highway (for travelers in either direction). The westbound side is more expensive and the eastbound side is cheaper. Wild!

hiAndrewQuinn
11 replies
1d2h

I'm a connoisseur of combination gas station/food joints worldwide. People get away with such interesting and varied culinary sins in those places. My favorite so far has been a place that sold moose steaks shot by the owner up in Finnish Lapland for way, way more than any sane person would pay for.

cylinder714
4 replies
1d1h

- If you ever find yourself in Reno, Deli Towne U.S.A. is locally known for making amazing sandwiches in a Chevron station at the corner of Lakeside and Moana.

- Maverik stations in the western U.S. are about the nicest convenience stores I've ever visited, and their onsite kitchens prepare pretty decent gas-station food. Lately, they've rolled out premium pizzas in their larger locations; I had a thick-crust Detroit-style slice recently and it was absolutely restaurant quality.

- I understand Wawa stations in the eastern U.S. are known for their food; can anyone here comment?

ascagnel_
1 replies
1d

Wawa has generally good hoagies (they’re a Philly-centered chain, so I’ll use their vernacular), and above-average coffee. Their hot food is usually pretty disappointing, because they put all of it through convection ovens (vs frying/grilling/deep frying/baking as is usual).

They recently rolled out pizza in my area (northern NJ), and while I haven’t personally tried it, friends say it doesn’t hold up to what local pizza places can do, but it’s better than big chain pizza.

yial
0 replies
1h41m

I don’t know if they’re considered big enough, as they both have <5 locations.

But Lykens Markets and Ingrams Fuel in the center “centre” of PA both have surprisingly good food for gas stations. Made fresh. Usually they’ll stock some surprising items from Local dairies too.

metaphor
0 replies
23h43m

I understand Wawa stations in the eastern U.S. are known for their food; can anyone here comment?

The only thing that Wawa food has going for it is that it's prepared hot at any hour; the quality of the food itself is quite mediocre.

Different story for Buc-ee's, which I thought was of exceptional quality and value.

gonesilent
0 replies
22h10m

Lots of the Maverik stations now popping up along hwy 5 love them.

yial
3 replies
1d1h

Can you share the restaurant? I suddenly want to visit.

mynameishere
2 replies
1d

Why would you want to pay too much for moose? Go to a place with reasonable moose pricing.

wahnfrieden
1 replies
1d

They think that high price is a valuable novelty

yial
0 replies
1h44m

I didn’t say I necessarily wanted to buy moose. It’s attached to a gas station. Visiting sounds like a potentially interesting experience. Plus, I don’t know how common it is to have restaurants serving moose shot by the owner.

qingcharles
0 replies
16h7m

Is moose taster than reindeer? When I did a gig at Nokia HQ the first thing they told me was "Eat reindeer", and it was delicious.

nktrnk
0 replies
11h44m

My absolute favorite is the Farmshop chain in the UK. For example: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wn4frCqKwjPyZUo8A?g_st=ic.

I haven’t seen anything even remotely comparable in other countries I’ve visited.

ourmandave
0 replies
1d1h

They get you coming, but not going.

m463
0 replies
1d1h

Are they in the same state/county/city?

The Valley Fair mall in the bay area is in both San Jose and Santa Clara, and the minimum wage is different at different locations in the mall.

deathanatos
0 replies
23h56m

On a toll road, so there's something like a local oligarchy of food and gas at service plazas. I figure the pricing is more akin to airport pricing, but it seems like Lee Plaza manages to beat even the airport McDs…

(Unlike the freeways elsewhere in the US, where you can easily get on/off, so there's a bit more options for food and gas.)

blamazon
0 replies
22h45m

Regarding that turnpike, it may be of interest that the service stations were a public-private partnership between McD's and the commonwealth, and that the contract is up soon and the commonwealth gets a cut of the sales:

Under a 25-year deal brokered two years ago, [the year 2000] McDonald's has spent more than $25 million to overhaul the Pike's 11 service plazas. In return, the Pike receives at least $9.3 million annually in rent, plus a percentage of food sales.

https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/news/2002/08/17/havin...

squeaky-clean
10 replies
1d1h

Love the website idea. It seems a bit slow on updates. My local McDonald's is 40c more expensive than this website shows, and it says the last update was in February 2023.

It would be neat if it tracked the delivery version of the price too. At my local McDonald's a Big Mac is $6.39 for pickup and $7.79 for delivery. That's not me including a delivery fee in the price, the menu prices are just higher if you select Delivery in the app. There's also a

Okay everyone seems to be ignoring the fact that the Big Mac has 2 menu prices. 6.39 for pickup and 7.79 for delivery. So I'm just going to delete the part where I list the other fees that are separate from the hidden menu price adjustment.

ajross
8 replies
1d1h

What do you think would be a fair price for hauling a single burger 3 miles to you on demand would be? Objectively, on-demand/super-low-latency (less than an hour!) courier services have always been vastly more expensive than mere food preparation.

Seriously, get in your time machine and go check what it would cost for a law firm in Manhattan[1] c. 1930 to get a document across town on that schedule. That it's down to the same scale as the burger you crave to sate your grumbling tummy is an amazing innovation of our modern techno-whizgig society, not something to whine about in a throwaway comment on HN!

[1] Because needless to say, no one would think to have applied that kind of service to mere burgers.

squeaky-clean
6 replies
1d1h

I think you've completely missed the fact that the base menu price increases when you select delivery? I listed the separate fees to show that the $6.39 to $7.79 price increase does not come from one of the later fees.

Besides do what every other restaurant historically has done and say "$20 order minimum for delivery". Also it's not 3 miles, it's 2000ft. The restaurant is literally 3 blocks away from me.

There's no need to be such an asshole just because you misunderstood my comment. You could also get in your time machine to 2010 when every pizza chain or Chinese restaurant could do this for $2.99 plus tip.

ajross
3 replies
1d1h

My sincere apologies if you were offended. It really seemed to me (and still does, honestly; maybe you want to edit and rephrase?) like you were complaining about the cost of delivery. And I stand by my reply there. It's an unreasonable complaint, delivery is outrageously cheap in the modern world, such that we can now apply it to things we'd never have had delivered even a decade ago, like a McDonalds burger.

squeaky-clean
2 replies
1d1h

Yes I'm complaining about the fact that they sneakily change the menu prices for items when you select delivery as an option. All the other fees are kind of expected these days.

But again if you want to argue about delivery prices, delivery is far more expensive than it was a decade ago. I know firsthand, I put myself through college delivering pizza and Burger King.

https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/8324-burger-king-expand...

Burger King used to deliver for a $2 fee in major cities from around 2012-2015. $10 order minimum. No secret menu pricing changes.

Even if you did understand my comment correctly, there's still no need to be an ass.

mleo
1 replies
1d

The delivery service charges a fee to the restaurant per delivery. So the restaurant can eat the commission, average it across all customers or pass it along the added cost to the delivery customer.

Dylan16807
0 replies
23h32m

Yes, that's what the "delivery fee" line item is supposed to pay for.

rconti
1 replies
23h50m

But it's all part of the cost of delivery. I'm not sure anyone who points out that "delivering things costs lots of money" is missing your point. You're merely assuming that the prices you see broken down the way they break them down is actually an honest accounting.

Dylan16807
0 replies
23h33m

I assure you nobody is assuming that.

Especially the person complaining about the dishonesty, that wants an easier way to track the dishonest numbers.

seanmcdirmid
0 replies
13h47m

When I lived in Beijing, getting delivery from the McDonald’s a quarter of a mile away was pretty easy and cheap, and that was only in 2016. The USA is just way too expensive labor wise for that kind of thing. Density helps, of course, and you can get pretty much food from any restaurant delivered for a reasonable fee (no tip).

justsomehnguy
0 replies
1d1h

No minimum order amount I guess?

bigmattystyles
9 replies
1d1h

I’m actually surprised it’s not standardized and centrally dictated.

night-rider
3 replies
1d1h

Some things cost more depending on their situational advantage. For example a run-down Jeep sitting in a garage and thought of as 'worthless' would be worth a fortune at a Jeep fair and seen as a collectible.

bigmattystyles
2 replies
1d1h

Sure, but it’s McDonald’s, their thing is consistency, but I guess it’s only for how their stuff tastes.

Zancarius
0 replies
21h40m

Honestly, that's the only reason I'd ever go there (and even then only very rarely). Not because it was "good," but because I knew what to expect. Although... I should probably qualify that bit about expectations: Last time I was there was probably early '22 and only because my dad was in hospice with a craving for one of their menu items (and fries). I bought a BigMac for myself, got home, and saw that the bun was moldy. No thanks!

Detrytus
0 replies
22h43m

Well, some stuff can be centralized, like burger production, or ordering million gallons of Coke. Some stuff, however, has to remain local, like labor, or real estate costs.

bdcravens
2 replies
1d1h

Price is also dictated by factors like labor costs, taxation, etc.

ourmandave
0 replies
1d1h

And what the competition is charging down the street.

The McD I worked at regularly sent someone to get the prices off the Wendys, Burger King, and Hardees menus.

diob
0 replies
1d1h

It's kind of funny how far up the United States is on the big mac index these days: https://www.statista.com/statistics/274326/big-mac-index-glo...

sib
1 replies
1d

Over 90% of McDonalds locations are owned by franchisees - less than 10% corporate-owned. The franchisees have pricing decision-making authority.

bigmattystyles
0 replies
22h43m

Interesting! Are they completely free or does corporate set a range and you are only free within that range?

crazygringo
7 replies
1d1h

Thank you, this is amazing -- especially with so many stories about McDonald's sticker-shock recently. This actually shows where that is and isn't the case, how localized it is.

It also illustrates a fundamental problem with the Economist's famous Big Mac Index [1] -- I've never understood how they choose the price of a Big Mac per-country, when it's so extremely variable locally. Even if they tried to choose "major metropolitan city prices", Big Mac prices vary a ton even within New York City, for example. There's more variation within NYC than the Economist reports between many countries. I've never understood it.

Edit: their GitHub page [2] reports:

In July 2022 we updated the Big Mac index to use a McDonalds-provided price for the United States (previously, we averaged the price from four major US cities).

Which again, gives me no confidence. How is McDonald's providing a single price? That's a black box. And even averaging the cost between four major cities, there's a meaningful difference between a McDonald's in Times Square vs. in the Bronx. So how did they even used to pick a price per-city?

So just thanks for this McCheapest site. Pretty awesome to have actually accurate data.

[1] https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index

[2] https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data

p3rls
4 replies
1d

Well, NYC has wildly differing levels of affluence mostly segregated into neat neighborhoods, sometimes even along a nice north-south gradient.

What's interesting here is how there's barely any pattern visible to me at all, besides lower manhattan = stay away. The most expensive McDonalds there for instance (besides airports), 1540 Westchester Ave is not affluent at all, the streetview is even covered in garbage.

rconti
3 replies
23h52m

To an outsider shocked by the NYC garbage situation, that's what all of the street views look like :)

Detrytus
2 replies
23h0m

How come? Did Google make a deal with a garbage truck company to put Street View cameras on their trucks?

rconti
1 replies
22h44m

No, it's a comment about how NYC (until very very recently) just threw their trash in plastic bags on the sidewalk.

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/09/1210494331/trash-problem-nyc-...

p3rls
0 replies
22h8m

Lil bit of that lil bit of residents just not caring in these neighborhoods... Above ground train station in a poor neighborhood? You're going to need some very dedicated porters in those buildings next door.

tekla
0 replies
1d1h

If you read the article that you posted and the methodology, they document exactly how they calculate the big mac index and how they choose the price.

https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data#methodology-cha...

dhosek
0 replies
18h42m

I was rather shocked to see how much the prices varied just within the handful of stores within a couple miles of my home. I’d always assumed they all had the same prices. Silly me.

anthomtb
7 replies
1d2h

Interesting. I expected Hawaii to skew high in price (it does), as does much of the northeast. But why are prices so high in Arizona?

SV_BubbleTime
6 replies
1d2h

As I understand it from my time there, one franchisee owns all of them and they set the price.

crazygringo
4 replies
22h3m

Is there no competition from Burger King etc.? That's generally what keeps prices down.

SV_BubbleTime
3 replies
20h53m

This works while there are four food chains and they all completely independently decide that prices should be a little higher.

Even without cooperation that isn’t allowed, let’s say 5Guys comes in and see that the market will bear higher prices. Why wouldn’t they take advantage of that?

crazygringo
2 replies
20h40m

But if the prices are way higher, then 5Guys sees that by setting prices a bit lower it can capture 90% of the market, rather than 50%. Which is way more total profit.

That's how downwards price pressure in capitalism works -- by reducing price you gain market share and increase profit overall. Otherwise, under capitalism, all our prices would be sky-high!

saltminer
1 replies
19h33m

This assumes that Five Guys is in direct competition with those other chains and that people are directly comparing prices when choosing where to eat. People are not the perfect rational actors economists like to pretend they are, and they tend to make assumptions about prices and have personal preferences (e.g. the last time I went to BK it was so bad you would have to pay me to go back).

crazygringo
0 replies
19h29m

I'm just saying, there's generally fast-food competition in burgers pretty much everywhere in the US.

The fact that a bunch of McD's franchises in Arizona are owned by the same person doesn't explain a lack of competition.

thefourthchime
0 replies
1d1h

It's a McMonopoly!!

phkahler
6 replies
1d2h

A few years ago I could get a sausage mcmuffin and a coke (any size) for $2.12. Over the last 4 years it kept creeping up, price bouncing etc. It reach $4.23 for a few weeks. I remember because it was a penny shy of double the old price. Then one day.... Boom $4.24. No idea how they set prices but it was interesting they felt "just one cent more" was important :-)

And yes there is also a lot of variation around the region, but the above was at a single location.

floren
3 replies
1d1h

The McDouble used to be a good deal for a quick bite on a road trip... I think it was about $1.40 when it first showed up? It'll now run $4 at some Bay Area locations.

Just like the high prices of soda ($2.50 for a 20oz bottle?) it's had the effect of making me stop consuming the stuff, so overall it's a win for me.

earthling8118
1 replies
1d1h

The McDouble was a replacement for the double cheeseburger on the $1 menu. It was the same burger with one less slice of cheese and acted as a placeholder when they raised the price of the regular double beyond $1

floren
0 replies
1d1h

The $1 menu which is now of course the $1-$2-$3 menu... and I think the only thing that's still close to $1 is soda.

WWLink
0 replies
21h19m

Yea I remember when the McDouble was $1 .. that was like 10 years ago wasn't it?! Burger king had a fantastic double cheeseburger for $1 too, pissed off all the franchisees lol.

I think the mcdouble is $3.50 or so out here now.

diob
1 replies
1d1h

The 2 muffins for 4 was the only time I ever went to them. I don't really understand the folks still visiting Maccas these days.

DontchaKnowit
0 replies
16h34m

Its the only 24 hour place ti get food (including grocers) within a 25 minute drive radius. Thats the only utility. Prices are robbery but theyve got you over a barrel at 3am

beau_g
6 replies
1d1h

The rural Arizona Mcdonalds kingpin may try to get this site taken down - make sure to archive

dghughes
3 replies
1d1h

My Canadian province there is a "kingpin" of sorts a family who owns many restaurants. One brother owns all the local Tim Horton's coffee shops here and another brother owns Wendy's restaurants. The also both have a pile of restaurants like steak, micro breweries. There is an even worse guy super arrogant but not related to the other two who owns many properties. People hate them.

ethbr1
0 replies
1d

If I ever win the lottery, I'm opening Waffle Houses across the street from as many Tim Horton's as I can.

TMWNN
0 replies
21h5m

Are you in New Brunswick? I know the Irvings own everything in that province.

ClimaxGravely
0 replies
20h35m

If you don't mind my asking, which province?

therealdrag0
0 replies
22h47m

Is that why it’s so expensive there?

rblatz
0 replies
1d1h

I’m not sure if that’s a joke or if there is a rural Arizona McDonalds franchisee that has a history of being litigious.

If anything I’d expect McDonalds to block API access for this user and implement controls to limit data aggregation.

sneed_chucker
5 replies
1d2h

Wow. I'm shocked anyone pays 8 US dollars for a McDonald's quality burger.

Retric
1 replies
1d1h

Look at the location on the map. It’s practically next door to a different McDonald’s that’s more than 1$ cheaper.

angoragoats
0 replies
1d1h

Despite them being next door, they’re on opposite sides of a major highway (I-90/Mass Pike) and you’d need to drive just shy of 5 miles to get from one to the other.

distortionfield
0 replies
1d1h

That’s still the cheapest burger that one could find in my area at that price, just for reference.

bluedino
0 replies
1d1h

I was okay paying $10 for Five Guys, but I haven't been there in a while, so it might be $15 for a meal there now.

But most of the chains like Chili's/Applebees have a basic burger for $8.99 and even a combo or two for $20 where you get a fries and soft drink. That's hard to beat even when you throw in a tip.

Fast food has become incredibly expensive if you don't have a coupon or use the app to get a "deal". Burger King has a two whopper meal for $13.99 with drinks/fries, and two Whopper jr meal for $7.99 with fries but no drinks.

Beijinger
0 replies
1d1h

I am shocked that somebody claims that McDonalds has quality burgers....

nostrademons
4 replies
1d1h

A lot of New England towns have local regulations that say that any McDonalds (or other chain business) needs to fit in with the local architectural style. Take a look at the most expensive McDonald's in the country in Lee, MA:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/gWFtn5PRmzHtYq3D9

It's not what you would think a McDonald's looks like; it actually looks basically like every other rest stop on the Mass Pike, which looks like most of the commercial real estate in the area.

There are probably extra costs associated with making the outside of a building look just like every other building, while making the inside conform to McDonald's franchise specifications. Also you lose some of the branding benefit that the nationwide chain has, and the local populace tends to be a bit more hostile toward fast food.

KarlKemp
2 replies
1d1h

Prices have little to do with costs, and absolutely nothing to do with a minor issue such as local regulations of architectural standards.

ttyprintk
0 replies
1d

Not sure what the downvotes are for. Pricing capabilities at volume have surpassed the period where prices are affected by business costs.

Three of the five factors used by a corporation like McDonald's to mandate the maximum price are oriented toward the kinds of advantages you get by maintaining a presence, regardless of a boutique facade. Only one (bundle pricing) is even indirectly related to cost.

thrdbndndn
0 replies
1d1h

Yeah, I thought it's going to be some ridiculous building, but it looks very generic. I doubt it would be any harder than fitting a McD in some plazas/department stores.

djkivi
0 replies
23h19m

Indeed, see the ones in Freeport, Maine or New Hyde Park, New York:

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/beautiful-mcdona...

voidfunc
3 replies
1d1h

I guess the most expensive Big Mac in the US is in my state of Massachusetts...

I've lived here my entire life and I didn't have a fucking clue where "Lee" MA is.., but I have learned now, it's somewhere out in the Berkshires.

aldanor
2 replies
1d1h

And according to the map, there's a mcdonalds across the road where big Mac is a dollar cheaper

voidfunc
1 replies
1d1h

Well the road is the Mass Pike (I-90) so a little harder than just driving across the street to get to, but pretty wild. Also the variances for fairly short distances are very interesting. I wonder how this is all computed.

saltminer
0 replies
19h4m

Yeah, unless you're willing to try the emergency turnaround spots (if there's a cop speed-trapping, you'll get a hefty ticket, and by the time you've slowed down enough to use the turnaround, it's probably too late), you'll probably end up more than paying the difference in tolls.

If you already passed through the Lee Toll Gantry by MM 10, you'll have to drive all the way to exit 3 to turn around, go to the cheaper McD's, then pass through the toll readers around MM 10 to turn back around at exit 10, then incur another toll after getting back on the highway.

You're better off exiting the highway to eat at the McD's off exit 10, which is still $0.40 more expensive than the eastbound service plaza location, but still $1.00 cheaper than the westbound service plaza location.

Edit: Turns out I was wrong. I calculated the difference, and paying the toll thrice would cost $0.75-$1.80 (vs. paying $0.25-$0.60 once), depending on if you have E-Z Pass MA, E-Z Pass (other states), or pay by mail.

Depending on how you pay the toll, you'll save $0.20-$0.70 paying thrice to visit the eastbound McD's vs. paying once to visit westbound McD's, but the cost of gas might make it a wash. If you're paying by mail, the best choice is exiting the highway, paying $7.09, then re-entering. (That said, if you're going eastbound, stopping at the service plaza wins every time.)

paul7986
3 replies
1d2h

Another cool data set would be to show what hourly wage employees are making especially at the ones with dark red colored locations where a Big Mac is over $7.00.

rconti
0 replies
23h43m

The Axios article linked in another comment shows this data for selected cities.

There appears to be a pretty weak correlation. Although there could be other offsetting factors (maybe fewer employees in the high wage areas, more use of the order-yourself screens or something).

https://www.axios.com/2022/04/17/mcdonalds-big-mac-inflation...

diob
0 replies
1d1h

I mean, we already have the big mac index: https://www.statista.com/statistics/274326/big-mac-index-glo...

I don't think hourly wage is connected much to price given how high up the US is on that list compared to other countries.

Kon-Peki
0 replies
1d1h

First data point:

According to this site a Big Mac costs $5.19 at my local McDonalds and I know from driving past it that the starting wage is $15+ per hour.

bdcravens
3 replies
1d1h

Funny enough, I've never liked the Big Mac. I prefer their Quarter Pounder with Cheese or the Deluxe version of the same.

sib
1 replies
1d

> I prefer their Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Do you mean the "Royale with Cheese"? :)

bdcravens
0 replies
22h4m

Call it whatever you want, I call it delicious. Unhealthy AF, but delicious. :)

cylinder714
0 replies
1d

Agreed! Big Mac patties are wafer-thin and that bun disc in the middle makes the sandwich look bigger. I'll bet they're the most profitable burger on their menu.

LordShredda
3 replies
1d2h

I'm actually surprised Hawaii isn't the most expensive, considering all mcdonalds are pretty much identical other than supply shipping costs

yodon
1 replies
1d2h

identical other than supply shipping costs

And taxes, labor rules, insurance rates, operating hour limits, ...

HarryHirsch
0 replies
1d2h

Don't forget rent and energy. They like to gripe about the cost of labour and labour regulations, but the biggest share of operating expenses is rent, then energy.

pxeboot
0 replies
1d1h

I remember the prices seeming comparatively much higher in Alaska/Hawaii in the past. Fast food prices have gone up so much everywhere that shipping to these places likely represents a lower percentage of the total cost now.

yodon
2 replies
1d2h

Looking at the SF Bay Area, Alameda and Contra Costa counties look to be significantly cheaper (~15%) than surrounding counties.

Anyone know if this has roots in specific tax rate differences or other city/county rules?

rconti
0 replies
23h46m

I mean, in general, the east bay is cheaper than the peninsula and south bay. You can even see how the prices sorta stay high in fremont then go lower as you go north. And particularly when you get to the tri-valley, land is a lot cheaper (relatively speaking, of course :)

pkaye
0 replies
1d2h

Alameda county has high sales rates actually.

utkarsh123
2 replies
1d1h

Why are there different prices across the country ? For context, I am not from the US

In my country, the price is same across all the states

zdragnar
0 replies
1d1h

They're all owned by different people (it's a franchise) and, as you might expect with a country the geographic size of the US, costs vary widely.

Land taxes, shipping costs, utility costs, average local salary pushing up (or down) the wage floor they hire at, all influence the minimum amount of money any particular restaurant needs to make to break even or be profitable.

Since they're all owned independently and merely rent the name (and sometimes the land) from the McDonald's corporate entity, they have some leeway on setting their prices. There's a whole lot of rules they have to follow, of course, but that's the jist.

Usually, prices don't vary much, if at all, when looking at a smaller area or among locations owned by the same person.

The exceptions are if a particular location is especially expensive or high demand, such as interstate highway rest stops or when the location is attached to a highly trafficked gas station. The rents and taxes on those locations alone are enough to push prices up.

smithcoin
0 replies
1d1h

There is a massive difference in cost of living between the states. A six figure salary in New York City would afford a very different lifestyle than one in the rural Midwest.

tempodox
2 replies
22h19m

Interesting how the Big Mac density is so much lower in the western half.

sprobertson
0 replies
13h35m

Not that interesting if you look at town density https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/...

codingdave
0 replies
20h16m

The population density is likewise lower in the western half.

photochemsyn
2 replies
1d2h

Looks like McDonald's is having a bad public relations moment:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mcdonalds-ceo-boycott-support-i...

password54321
1 replies
1d1h

Boycotts work. If anyone wants to make an impact, point them towards boycotting. Definitely more effective than standing in the road.

astrange
0 replies
14h4m

They don't work. McDonald's is not able to change policy in Israel and influencing them to is pointless.

Starbucks even less as the idea they're related to Israel is a complete fiction made up by TikTok posters.

nharada
2 replies
1d1h

The variation even for very nearby McDonalds is fascinating. In the bay area I see differences of over $1 for locations basically next door to each other.

smithcoin
0 replies
1d1h

Different franchisees probably.

add-sub-mul-div
0 replies
1d

In my area there's two Subways essentially next door, one inside a Walmart in a strip mall and the other in the food court of a healthy indoor mall. A footlong rotisserie chicken sub is $14 in the mall and $10 in the Walmart.

grecy
2 replies
1d2h

Fun fact illustrated by the map on this page map - it's impossible to be more than 115 miles from a McDonalds in the lower 48. [1]

Note that is not by road, that is taking a helicopter.

I always take that to be proximate to electricity, a gas station, grocery store, parts store, etc.

The lower 48 is really developed.

http://www.datapointed.net/2009/09/distance-to-nearest-mcdon...

(see update)

s0rce
1 replies
16h8m

Looks like somewhere in nevada is the furthest.

grecy
0 replies
12h55m
xivzgrev
1 replies
1d

Wow this shatters my assumption that prices were generally the same in my metro. I figured real estate, prevailing wages, etc were main drivers of price but there’s a lot of variability despite that.

I wonder why?

My guess is different franchise owners - I notice some lower cost ones cluster near each other and then another cluster in next city over will be more expensive

crazygringo
0 replies
17h56m

Honestly I think it's a pretty direct function of rent and volume. Rent varies dramatically between a chic shopping district and a distant strip mall, and similarly a downtown McD's might have 10x the volume of one further out. (While labor varies very little within a commuting area.)

Higher rent means higher prices, but higher volume allows lower prices to a certain extent. Which is why downtown locations aren't always the most expensive.

orenlindsey
1 replies
1d2h

There seems to be a big area centered in Arizona where they're more expensive. There's seemingly no reason for it.

zdragnar
0 replies
1d1h

Probably a combination of the franchisee that owns them and higher shipping costs to that region.

marban
1 replies
1d1h

How's the data being sourced?

sach90
0 replies
1d

I used Appium (selenium based app automation) to screen scrape the McDonald's app on an android phone. It was painful and got blocked once it went viral.

Couldn't figure out the security/certificate pinning in their internal API so just went with what worked.

I'll update it soon and try again at cracking the API security.

intrasight
1 replies
1d1h

Really needs to be worldwide - in keeping with the Big Mac index

DominikPeters
0 replies
19h36m

Unfortunately most countries have their own app so scraping it would be rough.

cryptichash
1 replies
1d2h

See also the Economist's Big Mac Index.

> THE BIG MAC index was invented by The Economist in 1986 as a lighthearted guide to whether currencies are at their “correct” level. It is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity (PPP), the notion that in the long run exchange rates should move towards the rate that would equalise the prices of an identical basket of goods and services (in this case, a burger) in any two countries.

Burgernomics was never intended as a precise gauge of currency misalignment, merely a tool to make exchange-rate theory more digestible. Yet the Big Mac index has become a global standard, included in several economic textbooks and the subject of dozens of academic studies. For those who take their fast food more seriously, we also calculate a gourmet version of the index.

prairiedogg
0 replies
1d1h

more digestible

I see what you did there.

bryancoxwell
1 replies
1d2h

Where does the data for this come from?

bdcravens
0 replies
1d1h

The mobile app lets you switch locations and see prices, so I assume there's a REST API somewhere.

MrFoof
1 replies
1d

The most expensive ($8.09) in Lee, MA is in a highway rest stop plaza about 110 miles west of Boston near the state’s western border (just outside the Berkshires) that is well known for its crazy prices. You buy anything in that plaza and you’re getting taken for a ride.

For comparison, Boston (and immediate surroundings) Big Mac prices are $5.89 - $6.79 depending on the location, and that includes one of the city’s largest train and subway stations/bus terminals, in some extremely expensive to rent real estate within the financial district because of how many potential customers go through it every day.

linehedonist
0 replies
1d

Weirdly defensive about high hamburger prices.

Beijinger
1 replies
1d2h

Haw, I know a site that tracks the Bic Mac prices world wide!

https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index

wiradikusuma
0 replies
1d1h

I have a pet peeve about this. From the chart, Indonesia's currency is undervalued (meaning burger prices should be more expensive). But for many people here, eating a Big Mac is a "luxury" (not "caviar luxury" but more like "taking Uber instead of taking the subway" luxury).

zylepe
0 replies
17h53m

I’ve stopped at that Lee McDonald’s and remember thinking the price seemed kind of high. Little did I know it was the most expensive in the country. Even the eastbound one across I-90 is $1.40 cheaper!

trevcanhuman
0 replies
1d1h

Is this with taxes included?

throwawaaarrgh
0 replies
21h7m

McDonalds is a franchise. Franchise owners set prices and promotions. The cost of running any given McDonald's is going to be different based on many factors. Hence the prices are different.

sh1mmer
0 replies
22h28m

Just looking at Austin area I was pretty surprised to see that the price varied from $3.89 to $5.39 between South Austin and Round Rock (North Austin). But also even a $1 difference from McDonalds in Round Rock on opposite sides of the free way.

I don’t really eat at McDonalds but surely people who do would notice these kinds of differences right away.

seanhandley
0 replies
1d1h

Would be interesting to know the cost as well as the price.

scotty79
0 replies
1d

Customers should have right to convenient pricing information. Companies should be forced to publish up to date prices in machone readable prices so they can be tracked and compared by third parties.

quotemstr
0 replies
1d

What's with the cluster of extremely high prices in the southwest?

monitron
0 replies
1d1h

This is really neat. I wish it had an alternate color mode, as when the creator chose the endpoints of their scale, they managed to pick the two colors that are least distinguishable for me and about 5% of people!

mikekhusid
0 replies
1d1h

Buffalo and Albany seem like business friendly locales.

michaelcampbell
0 replies
3h54m

Interesting data set, but it's not "every McDonald's site in the US". The one in my town isn't shown at all; maybe I'll submit it.

metaphor
0 replies
1d1h

On a related note, an equivalent site[1] for select Taco Bell products.

[1] https://taconomical.com/

ilamont
0 replies
1d

Those two really expensive ones in western Massachusetts are on a toll road in a sparsely populated area (Mass Turnpike/I90). Lee is a rest area franchise and a de facto monopoly - no competition for hamburgers unless you significantly interrupt your journey. There are likely high fees charged to the franchisee to operate at that location over a period of many years.

alkonaut
0 replies
21h25m

TIL it’s not the same (or merely varying by sales tax) across the US. I thought they always had the same prices in one country. That’s why they feel cheap at the airport or in the center of the capital but relatively more expensive in rural areas. Not so in the US then?

Workaccount2
0 replies
1d

Not surprised one of the most expensive McDonald's in the country is the one by me. This dude took over it about 5 years ago and seemingly just doubled the cost of everything. The prices are jaw dropping insane.

But...

It's in an extremely high traffic area and still to this day regularly has lines at the drive through. Even though there are two other McDonald's within 5 miles with sane prices.

Not that I go to McDonald's a lot and am upset about it, but more upset that this guy is shamelessly ripping people off and no one seems to care.

PerilousD
0 replies
21h42m

Umm this is fine for HISTORICAL prices but if I want a burger today - DONT be telling me what it cost nearly a year ago!!

NautilusWave
0 replies
15h27m

What is going on in Buffalo, NY with those prices? How is it so much more expensive than Rochester? Hell, even Chicago is significantly cheaper!

Caitlynmeeks
0 replies
23h14m

I am reminded of Blahaj Quest

https://blahaj.quest/