Fast food fans share ‘interesting theory’ about rising prices and blame DoorDash and Uber Eats for driving the increase

Gone are the days of cheap fast food, as many chains have increased their prices to beat general inflation.

Fast foodies have speculated that food delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats are to blame.

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Fast food is becoming less and less affordable for Americans, with prices outpacing inflation.

The cost of fast food increased by 41% compared to 2017, while the consumer price index increased by just 35.9%, for Fox Business.

Consumers are feeling a pain in their wallets when they dine at chains like McDonald’s, as prices for many menu items have soared in recent years.

For example, the cost of five popular McDonald’s items has soared nearly 150% since 2019.

The average price increase for Taco Bell items over the past five years was 57.4%, and Chick-fil-A’s average increase was 80.1%.

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DELIVERY DILEMMA

One Reddit user suspected that delivery services are to blame for rising fast food prices.

They claimed that high fast food delivery prices potentially encourage consumers to pay more when they dine at the chain.

“My suspicion is that once fast food restaurants realized how much people were willing to pay DoorDash or Uber Eats to deliver a Whopper, they realized they were all severely underpricing their food,” the user explained.

“And the general inflation after COVID gave them the opportunity to see how far they could actually go before people said, ‘OK, that’s too much for a Whopper.’”

Several other fast fooders agreed, labeling his speculation an “interesting theory” and an “insightful examination of what’s going on.”

A Reddit user agreed and provided a supporting example.

“If people’s $10 fast food order went to $15 through a delivery app, they would already be accepting that price, so they might be less averse to $14 at the drive-thru window, even who consider that they are losing convenience”, they explained.

Many fast food fans were furious with the theory, claiming that high delivery costs did not justify the increase in store prices.

“If it costs $15 total, I can at least mentally consider it a convenience,” one customer said of delivery services.

“At the drive-thru window for a meal? Get lost,” they exploded.

Other consumers said they stopped eating fast food because of rising prices, and one of them claimed that the product simply wasn’t worth the price.

“However, their product does not deserve the price increase they want to capture. I hope they are just seeing a general decline in traffic now,” they began.

“If I want a $14 burger and fries, I’ll go to a bar and grill now. McDonald’s is now just for emergency stops on long trips for me.”

Price spikes are hitting consumers not just when they eat out.

Walmart shoppers were furious when the retailer reduced the size of an everyday essential item but didn’t reduce the price.

Goodwill customers are also frustrated with rising costs, saying their prices are “like a department store.”