Fast Food: Shrinking Portions and Higher Prices

Inflation has eased and leveled off, it’s just that prices aren’t going down. Prepare for a long period of zero to no growth on prices and the economy,

Shrinkflation is real. Companies can only raise prices so much. If that fails to fulfill their profit goals, then they begin shrinking serving, giving them more dollars per weight or volume. Having said that, I have the insider knowledge to guarantee you that the quarter-pounder is and always has been 4 ounces pre-cooked. McDonald's does not want that false advertising suit. They did recently change their beef mix (lean : fat ratio) to a new recipe, which could account for a perceived change in size/volume.

Globally, Americans have always received larger portion sizes than the rest of the world. Hence the "land of plenty" and our notorious waistlines. In the 50s and 60s, a can of Coca-Cola was standardized at 6 ounces. Then 8 ounces in the 70s, 12 oz in the 80s, 16 in the 90s, and now 20-21oz is the standard. Productions costs had lowered, demand had increased, and the pop companies were reacting as consumers wanted. Restaurant servings are no different. Doggie bags are not common outside of the US.

From a public health and nutrition standpoint, this could be a good thing. I can spend a whole day in the practice and not see a single, attractive, non-staff individual come through. Pharmaceutical reps and physician liaisons are usually pretty hot, though. I try to steer business towards the hottest to keep them coming back. It's good to be the boss.

I remember many years ago in college my buddies would pull up to a Taco Bell after a night of drinking and we'd order about 40 to 50 pounds of food for about $10. It was pretty remarkable even considering how long ago it was.

Those days are gone.

Ahh I remember chat. I remember going to Mickey d's and getting a small coke, small fries, a burger and change back from my.....dollar bill. I also recall when McDonallds final went to 1 million served on their sign.

I'm more concerned about stripclubflation where what bought you FS from most girls now gets you a halfhearted handy from a fraction of the girls.

Gammanu,

I don’t doubt your knowledge but it seems even the bun is smaller.

If the burger is shrinking because of the lean/fat ratio, did they downsize the bun to keep it in proportion?

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Taco Bell and White Castle are perfect stops after a long Saturday night at a strip club if you have a long drive home

I remember going to the grocery store and buying my usual staples and the bill was around $100. That was in the beginning of 2020. Now I buy just about the same stuff and I’m excited if the bill is under $175.

The one good thing about COVID is I spend less buying less “junk” - junk as in useless crap I’d buy for around the house, but now since everything else I buy in my life costs more the $$$ saved seems like a wash.

Welcome to 1973-1985 people.

Taco Bell portion sizes are ridiculous.

As I've gotten older (currently early-50s) the less my body/stomach can tolerate junk food (digestion-wise); and the less I like the taste; so I rarely have it.

I'm not a huge-burger-guy but will be in the mood once in a while - these days the only burger I enjoy eating is Five-Guys - everything else tastes like fake-meat (or real meat with some kinda filler).

I also used to eat Chik-Fil-A quite a bit but a couple of times the chicken tasted like rubber and now I have it much less often - these days when in the mood for a chicken sandwich I prefer to get it from a restaurant (e.g. Outback's grilled chicken-sandwiche; etc).

w.r.t. portion size:

a) I don't have a good mom&pop pizza place near me - Papa Johns is about the only pizza near me I find passable (usually order the Tuscan-six-cheese) - Papa Johns current "large" looks like a medium and they even redesigned the box so it wouldn't look so small inside the old large-size-box

b) I can't tolerate Taco Bell too-well but once in a while I get the munchies past 10pm and I'll go to the TB 5-minutes from the house since almost everything else is closed - I often order the chicken quesadilla - last time I got it 2 of the 4 slices had nothing in them except bread even though I always order extra-chicken (I almost always get it to go since the lobby is usually closed when I go)

What's funny is shrinking fast food portions are probably good for me.

These days all the big chains want you to use their apps. You can still get cheap fast food if you jump through hoops. At taco bell the best value is to build your own box. At McDonald's the deals vary.

w.r.t. my previous message of which fast-foods I can tolerate (e.g. Five-Guys; etc) - forgot to mention I order a lot of Chipotle

I haven’t eaten fast food in decades, but even with “shrinkflation”, restaurant portions in this country are still out of control (in response to US consumer demand). As I get older, I have to be more careful about what I eat. A few years ago I decided that I would only eat half my meal in a restaurant and take the other half home for dinner the next day - or just leave it. I was amazed to discover that half the meal gets me just as full. It’s much more of a psychological challenge getting over wasting good (or great) food, because we’ve all been conditioned from birth to eat everything in front of us.

Most of the Subways sell you footlongs that are only 10-11 inches. Is it supposed to be 12 inches before baking? $5 footlong is now $13 footlong.