Fast food feels more expensive than ever before, and people are sick of it. Here's why.

Tech Insider : Economy
Fried chicken sandwich on bun with lettuce, pickle and sauce sitting in a pile of money

Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI

Don't worry, your Shake Shack burger shouldn't get any more expensive this year

Tech Insider
A ShackMeister with bacon from Shake Shack
Overall, Shake Shack's menu prices went up in the mid-single digits in the quarter, its CFO said.

Grace Dean

McDonald's says it's listening to penny-pinching customers and focusing on value

Tech Insider
An aerial view of fast food restaurants on Crenshaw Blvd including Taco Bell, McDonald's, Yoshinoya, Subway, El Pollo Loco, Little Caesers, Panda Express,Taco Bell, and Smart & Final grocery store. Photo taken in south Los Angeles Friday, March 29, 2024.

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The demise of Red Lobster is a perfect case study in how to kill a business

Tech Insider
The Wall Street bull about to eat a Red Lobster logo
Sure, Endless Shrimp turned out to be a horrible idea, but the problems at Red Lobster are much deeper than one bad promotion.

iStock; Adobe Stock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

An Ivy League sophomore says he found a $105,000 side hustle: selling coveted restaurant reservations

Tech Insider
Alex sitting at a restaurant table wearing a blue Nike shirt and backwards hat, smiling.
Alex Eisler

Courtesy of Alex Eisler

Chipotle had to rename its barbacoa burrito filling because its customers didn't know what it was

Tech Insider
A customer orders food in a Chipotle in Austin, Texas in April 2023
"Many of our guests did not know that barbacoa was braised beef," CEO Brian Niccol told analysts.

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People are really annoyed about the price of fast food

Tech Insider : Economy
McDonald's happy meal frowning
Fast food is pricey now.

McDonald's, Tyler Le/BI

Fast food has become a luxury in California, a franchisee says

Tech Insider : Economy
Photo of hands holding a hot dog and fries covered in ketchup. Some ketchup is on the table
A combination of wage and labor inflation pushed fast-food prices up during the pandemic.

Jonathan Knowles/Getty Images

Franchisees say it's them, not big corporations, who are the real losers of California's $20 fast-food wage

Tech Insider
Mims, Florida, McDonald's Fast food restaurant inside cashier and checkout counter, 2023
The $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers came into effect on April 1.

Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The rapid rise and fall of ghost kitchens

Tech Insider : Business
Restaurants are ditching 'ghost kitchens' as dinner rush demands cause quality to suffer.
Many virtual food brands relied on ghost kitchens to produce their delivery-only products. But it hasn't taken off like some expected.

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