$20 for Lunch at Five Guys

[canyonwalker]

I went to Five Guys for lunch yesterday. It felt like months since I'd eaten their food (really it had only been about six weeks, I think) and I had a sudden jones for one of their burgers and fries. I placed my usual order: a cheeseburger, little fries, and a small soda. The bill for this basic combo came to just over $20. $20 for fast food lunch?!?!

FIVE
GUY$

Yeah, it's inflation. A few months ago the same order was well under $20. Not several dollars under but under enough that it didn't trip the $20 wire in my thinking that separates, "Hmm, this is getting expensive" from, "WTF?" And it seems like not that many years ago the same order was $12 and change. Inflation's a bitch. But it seems like some businesses are taking advantage of it to raise their prices more than others.

Don't get me wrong; I appreciate that Five Guys is better quality than many fast food alternatives. And it does taste good. But for $20+ the taste pales. Now it probably will be months before I eat there again.

Comments

[canyonwalker]

I went to a favorite local taqueria for lunch today and was surprised by their newly raised prices, too. My usual lunch order was $18.xx, almost $19. That's slightly higher than a week or two earlier and much higher than a year ago, when it was around $13. That restaurant, too, strikes me as gouging with some of its prices using "But iNfLaTiOn!1!" as cover. At least it's not as bad. Yet.