Staff Reports
As inflation makes it harder for Americans to afford everyday items, one website is trying to help people find the best prices for Big Macs at McDonald’s.
Some McDonald’s restaurants were criticized for charging as much as $18 for a Big Mac, while the cost of items at the fast-food chain has been rising nationwide. Prices can vary between different McDonald’s locations, especially since many are owned by franchisees rather than the corporate headquarters.
New App Helps Avoid Skyrocketing Prices – Find Cheapest Big Mac Near Youhttps://t.co/FnpNlkRZIt
— Warner Todd Huston (@warnerthuston) June 6, 2024
This is where the Pantry and Larder’s McCheapest map comes in. The map shows the prices of Big Macs at McDonald’s locations across the United States, with different colors indicating the most expensive, mid-priced, and cheapest options. The cheapest Big Mac on the map was $3.49 in Stigler, Oklahoma, while the most expensive was $8.09 in Lee, Massachusetts.
Veronica Fletcher, the founder of Pantry and Larder, created the map to highlight the variation in food prices across the country. She also noted that the prices on the map may not be completely up to date, but they still provide a useful comparison of prices between different McDonald’s locations.
Fletcher explained that tracking the price of Big Macs is a way to reflect the fast-food industry, and she also created a similar map for comparing egg prices. In response to customer frustration over high prices, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski promised to prioritize affordability.
The rising prices at McDonald’s are part of a larger trend in the fast-food industry, with other chains like Burger King and Chipotle also raising prices to offset higher costs. In general, the increase in prices at fast-food restaurants reflects the larger economic challenge of inflation that many Americans are facing.
This effort to track the prices of Big Macs is just one example of how people are trying to navigate the current economic challenges. It shows how Americans are looking for ways to save money and make smart purchasing decisions in the face of rising costs.
