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Was cleaning out some old clothing and found a '08-'09 menu from Five Guys in a coat pocket. Today's prices are all 2x to 3x more in under 20 years. 🤬
$8 for a little cheeseburger, fries, and a drink. Thats very reasonable and still exactly what i feel should be acceptable today... instead if i got this today its like $15.
Edit: I just looked it up at the nearest location and its actually $20 and thats for a small fry which they didnt have back then. That's just crazy.
That's reasonable now, but in 2008 the only thing I would have had for a menu that offers an $8 burger combo is to wipe my ass with it. In 2008 $8 would get you enough Taco Bell to rupture Andre the Giant's stomach.
$8 was definitely the upper limit for lunch, but not crazy either, at least where i live. I remember we would order to go from Bennegins which was a chain restaurant, that i don't think exists anymore, that was kind of irish themed but like applebees or fridays. Every Monday and Wendesday they had $5 burger special which came with fries. There was also Subways $5 footlong which was decent back then for the price. If i went to a good local deli it was definitely between $7-$9 bucks back then. You are right that fast food was the winner for cheap back then with combos basically being $5 for the good things. I miss it lol.
I still have a hard time justifying a 10$ burger, 20$ burgers make me mad!
I stopped going to Five Guys and Shake Shack cause getting a meal for two people is $30-35 (if you get fries).
Its just too much money for fast food.
Edit: And that's getting the cheaper single patty burgers.
I thought so! I feel gaslit by society, I thought they were a cheap quality burger, only to find a $25 meal. 2008 wasn't that long ago, but even after inflation, Five Guys really increased their prices.
The people who call Five Guys cheap are people who ordinarily eat burgers at places that are only reviewed by the kind of food critics who won't disclose the name or location of the restaurant to keep it authentic. The type of place where the name and description is something like
Here Come Dat Burger Oh S*** Waddup — 38
Grilled A4 grade beouf patty avec kickin' jalapeño skateboards and our signature bussin' heritage tomato reduction, served with artisan kettle potatoes
Meaning 70/30 ground beef with canned jalapeños and Red Gold ketchup, and it's brought out on a piece of shale by a guy with little circular sunglasses, black latex gloves, and one of these tattoos:
Cheap in terms of quality not price, at the end of the day its a fast food burger sold at restaurant level prices. I mean for a fast food burger its great but for a fast food burger its expensive as hell. Im not saying "oh its restaurant level prices just go to a restaurant" because they're expensive as hell too, I dont have a solution other than to focus on getting the most food for your money.
Near as I can find, actual tracked inflation for that time period was about "only" 50% cumulatively.
"Voted best bargain (cheap eats) '00 thru '07"
Holy shit they were expensive back then
Burger $6.76 according to BLS.
The Chantilly, VA location is selling them for $10.99 right now. Corporate greed.
I ordered 3 of them a month a go on cape cod before my work crew caught a ferry and they were 9.97 each. We also got 1 small fries, which was almost half a brown paper bag, for i think $6. Not all that bad considering vhcol area.