Fast food restaurants have been an all-time favorite for cheap, tasty foods, but recently, that has not been the case. Inflation has had a heavy hand in this; increasing the cost of goods in comparison to what people are being paid. It does not help that the US economical system itself is making it harder for people in the working class and below to afford to buy things and feed money back into it. What makes things worse is the fact that food items were a struggle to come by around the year 2020, not starting from, but more obviously after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The quality of fast food has always been questioned by many, though due to the price, consumers never made too much of a fuss. But with competition pushing each food place to overprice their goods — some of which are way higher than they deserve — it is becoming an issue of whether fast food is still fast food.
The definition of fast food is exactly how it is written. Merriam Webster defines it as “of, relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly,” and Oxford Languages as, “food that can be prepared quickly and easily and is sold in restaurants and snack bars as a quick meal or to be taken out.”
The key words in both of these searches are the fact that both mention the preparation of the food to be quick and easy. Unlike established restaurants that require chefs to have licences to serve food, fast food workers do not need training other than how to operate at their restaurant. Foods prepared for consumers are pre-made; all the workers have to do is warm up the patty and buns, wrap it in a bag, and it is good to go.
In just 10 years, from 2014–2024, the prices of goods rose 31%, making $2 priced items in 2014 worth $2.64 in 2024. Though the difference might not seem significant, the bigger the number, the more significant this rift in price shows; $100 in 2014 would equate to $131 in 2024, 31 more dollars than what was needed before. However, it is not like fast food chains are suddenly going to up the prices. It is a gradual process that happens over time with inflation, and by the time consumers realize, they would be paying more than they thought they were. For example, 25 years ago, McDonald’s BigMac cost around $2.24, but today, this price increased to $5.79.
Without it being both convenient and cheap, “fast food” is just a convenient title without meaning for restaurants selling overpriced unhealthy junk food. They are fast, but the food would definitely not be worth the price.
