Has McDonald's in the UK become too expensive for many people?

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SorryNotSorryMatey@reddit

I use the drive though for breakfast when I’m up early and take the dogs to the Peak District. It’s not too expensive and very convenient.

It’s not something I’d eat every day, weekly at most.

I think it’s about £8 for a large latte, breakfast wrap and cheesy bacon flatbread.

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Broccoli--Enthusiast@reddit

That sounds expensive as fuck to me for breakfast

Even Gregg's can manage a coffee, a sandwich/ wrap and some crisps or a sausage roll for a fiver.

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sneekeruk@reddit

We had our first Mcdonalds in about a year today, and first Breakfast in maybe 5....

It’s not too expensive

I think it’s about £8

You can get a cup of tea and a porridge for less than £4, I was at McDonalds for breakfast every day when I stayed in London a few weems ago

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ThriceNightly_Whitey@reddit

Whereas the cafe I'm in now does a pot of tea for two from tea leaves for £3.50 and a cooked breakfast for £9.95 (haven't changed prices in 3 years, hence the slightly grubby menu), with very happy staff, always busy. Local produce and freshly cooked.

supply chain of?

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OptimusLinvoyPrimus@reddit

All their ingredients - meat especially went up hugely in price following Covid and Ukraine, as did energy (it was bad enough for residential energy, but businesses didn’t have the price cap). Inflation also impacts their rent costs when they need to renew leases. Then, not linked to either of the above factors, the minimum wage has gone up a lot (now also employer’s NI) so staffing costs are much higher.

I worked in the head office of a fast food company at around that time and the head of finance did a talk about how our costs had basically doubled in the space of about 18 months to two years, but we obviously couldn’t double our prices because people wouldn’t pay it. We managed it by increasing prices where we could, going hard on marketing to drive customers our way, being ruthless about closing underperforming stores if necessary, and investing in efficiency savings. The latter meant finding ways to reduce our energy costs with new equipment, but also automating processes as much as possible to reduce the number of people needed on shift (which is probably relevant to the unemployment figures today, as I doubt we were the only ones doing that).

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I have still never in my life been to Nandos but I am curious to see what all the fuss is about.

I only went to Five Guys for the first time in my life a couple of years ago and I don't understand the hype, why is it £15 for a burger and fries that are only slightly better quality than Burger King but takes 3x as long waiting on it being ready even when the shop is empty?

And don't get me started on Wagamamas. Someone insisted we go there and that I'd love it, told me it was better than the local Vietnamese place I was suggesting which I know is great, and god that was the most dissapointing thing ever...absolute bland slop.

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spik0rwill@reddit

Five guys was a let down. I was expecting a lot for the price and it was an average burger. I would prefer McDonald's or Burger King. For what it is Wagamama isn't bad, at least the one where I live.

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CraftBeerFomo@reddit

Yep, bang average and small cheese burger that doesn't match the price. Yeah, sure you get a fair amount of fries and they are decent but nothing amazing.

And the burger comes with nothing on it so you have to tell them everything you want on it but the second time I went I told them all the salad / veg options but didn't realize I also had to choose if I wanted sauce on it and they didn't confirm either so I ended up with a dry burger!

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CraftBeerFomo@reddit

I've only eaten it twice, both after being out drinking as I happened to be walking past one and thought I could grab something quick and "fresh" before the train home, and both times my kebab meat was stale, tough, and absolutely stone cold.

Warm waffle bread stuff but freezing cold meat inside.

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RBisoldandtired@reddit

A popeyes just opened near me and the basic family meal starts at £30. Like nah man. Just nah.

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madpiano@reddit

It's very nice though.

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CraftBeerFomo@reddit

I bet it actually isn't though. None of these big chain places are actually good even with all the hype people put on some of them.

Those were always very unpleasant from what I remember. I only ever found their more basic Subs to be reasonable enough, like a Turkey & Ham Melt or whatever it was.

Anything more "fancy" was always a bit nasty I thought.

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lost_send_berries@reddit

Sugar isn't taxed, although the price of it has gone up

Your original comment said £7 for a half sub, not a half sub meal deal.

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Melodic-Practice4824@reddit

It's a Morrison's Meal Deal for me then.

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thebesttheworst@reddit

Weren't these £1.99 on a select sandwich EVERY day not so long ago?

£7 is madness.

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Minglans@reddit

The last time I went (roughly a year +) and added three basic cheeses to my sub; that alone was $6 CAD..

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pastie_b@reddit

It's expensive but actually fills me up unlike Mcds, the spuds are nice too

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marquoth_@reddit

What are you talking about? My go-to is a foot long chicken tikka with cheese and that's £6.89.

Where are you getting all that for twenty quid??

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CrabAppleBapple@reddit

Any supermarket? I said decent-ish, don't be expecting wagyu or anything and no, it won't top shelf wine.

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Theratchetnclank@reddit

Ribeyes/fillets/sirlion are about £10 each at sainsburys. Unless you want one of those wafer thin things which are impossible to cook to any desired amount of doneness.

The reality is you aren't getting all that for £20. It's easily £30-35.

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CrabAppleBapple@reddit

Two taste the difference rump steaks are £12, other steaks are less or comparable (225g sirloins are £7 each) I did say that no, you're not getting wagyu or whatever for £20, but you also don't have to get the cheapest ones possible.

The reality is you aren't getting all that for £20. It's easily £30-35.

If you choose to get all the fancy stuff.

I'd rather have two steaks I've done myself, some sweet potato wedges and broccoli (insert other veg here) and a cheap-o bottle of wine than a takeaway, and you can absolutely get that Tesco/Aldi/Lidl/Sainsbury's.

Or don't, whatever, it's an entirely personal choice.

M

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omgmy1stthrowaway@reddit

To be fair £20 is not far off. Looking at Tesco's site right now:

* Tesco Sirloin Steak 227G - £6.50  (*2 = £13)
* Des Tourelles Claret Bordeaux 75Cl - £5.50
* Tesco Large Sweet Potatoes Loose Class 1 - £1.19/kg
* Tesco Broccoli 375G - £0.82
* Total: £20.51

Equal-Cauliflower-41@reddit

Yep. A burger meal (w. fries and a drink) are around £6-7, subway meal is over £10, and a curry near me ranges from £10 to £20+ for one. And, if you actually want to be lazy and get delivered, you're talking £15-£25 for one.

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PandasAreCuteeeee@reddit

All fast foods are expensive. Like kfc meal is 12 or more. I can get same thing (well different taste) from Tesco for like 3 pounds or less or can cook much better meal like that myself.

Restaurant meal with meat is like 15-20. That's too much for any takeaway. No wonder pizza is so popular. Like 10 pounds mc meal is crazy. It's literally just little bun and patty of beef and cheese.

Unfortunately you pay for convince and how quickly you get it

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sv21js@reddit

Yes but I think part of its enduring appeal is that it’s one of the only businesses with a 24h offering in some locations, and it’s the same anywhere you go.

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78Anonymous@reddit

exactly; McD requires zero effort, has no surprises, and is convenient .. price is very much a secondary afterthought when decisions are made on those requirements

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ThisIsMyRedditAcct20@reddit

No surprises because you expect it to be rubbish to be fair

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OkGreen3481@reddit

I was surprised by how small the patties were against the bun size...

The professional photography for food, particularly revolving arounf the big chains has always pissed me off. They stack the stuff camera side so it seems like you get more.

And this is before you get to the fact most maccies come out the wrapper looking like someone tried stomping it down the shower drain.

No, im not a fan, whyd you ask?

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Decimatedx@reddit

Doesn't matter when you're eating it in your Juke, which looks like it was crashed before even leaving the production line.

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FranzFerdinand51@reddit

And what are you basing your opinion on exactly? I'm a huge fan of burgers and had them in 20 different countries at this point, 100s of different stores/locations. I also make my own once or twice a month, got neighbours that beg me to let them know when I'm firing up the grill. Keep laughing if you want, I do not give a fuck, I know what I know.

Whooper when made fresh is one of the best burgers you can go out and order. Depends on the location of course but our local is incredible.

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CraftBeerFomo@reddit

I'm basing my opinion on eating burgers from places that aren't fast food chains but local indie places where the burgers (and fries) are literally 10x better than BK or Five Guys etc.

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FranzFerdinand51@reddit

The ones that are using brioche buns and 2 inch thick patties and charging 20 quid for a full meal? That seems to be 90% of the indie burger market.

There are some that are incredible of course, and I'm factoring in price/performance and convenience into it, which is why I said "ONE OF" the best.

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CraftBeerFomo@reddit

My local indie place is £12.45 for a Smash Burger (any of their options from a standard bacon cheese burger to a "mexican" style or "tenessee" burger to chicken burgers like korean chicken or sticky bbq and several more options) with cheese, lettuce, grilled onions, pickles, and sauce with skin on fries (extra 50p for seasoning like cajun or salt and pepper) + a can of soft drink.

That's decent value to me and its really good.

Checking on the BK website right now I'd be £10.99 for a Whopper meal with fries and a drink.

Yeah maybe but it definitely wasn't the 90s since I last had one and I don't recall them being so small even a few years ago but its such a rare thing for me to have one I can't be sure.

I'll leave that for all the McDonalds experts in here lol.

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Alternative_Many5793@reddit

Indeed. Should be a sign at UK airports.

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General-Elephant4970@reddit

The Ryan Air model. Predictable And Shite. Best.

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Ravnak@reddit

Did you know that Ryan Air was originally bad on purpose, because we needed a reason for it being cheaper so that we'd believe it was legit?

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ThisIsMyRedditAcct20@reddit

Alright peasant. Leave use alone and go to your burgervans

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Daveddozey@reddit

I used to expect it to be rubbish and fast. Now it’s just rubbish.

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Yeah, I just had a cheese steak burger meal from there today actually and it was delightful. But my expectations are inline with what I know I am getting. I know there are better quality burgers out there.

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ThisIsMyRedditAcct20@reddit

Fair enough. And for me the biggest issue was someone decided to dump all the Big Mac sauce on my particular burger. The rest was fine. But I had to stop

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Individual_Dig_36@reddit

Yes it's like a sad wank

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NibblyPig@reddit

Blows my mind how much people will pay for convenience, and how so many businesses seem oblivious. People WILL pay more for your streaming platform if it has everything with a button press. Keep it as convenient as possible and people will PAY. Do not make it an ad-riddled piece of crap to make more money, just put the price up instead. How many ads on Steam? None! How many viable competitors to Steam? None! How much of a cut does Steam take? Like, 30%! For doing nothing but being CONVENIENT. It prints money!

Look at how deliveroo and uber eats etc have taken off, I watch my lodger order it a couple of times a week, when I absolutely want a pizza I just drive to lidl and buy one, I can get there and back and cook it before I can get one delivered and it costs a fraction of the price.

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CraftBeerFomo@reddit

Blows my mind that everyone now seems willing to pay the same price in fees (delivery, service charge, small order fees etc) to JustEat and the other delivery apps as the total price of their food costs.

Anytime I get the idea of a takeaway and fire up JustEat I end up changing my mind as what may have started off as looking like a somewhat reasonably priced meal as a treat quickly becomes so expensive it's just not worth it anymore.

"Ah, £11 for a gourmet smash burger, skin on cajun fries, and a couple of chicken tenders from my local indie burger place is quite reasonable so I'll order that...oh wait but its also £5 for delivery, £2 service fee, and £2.80 small order fee and suddenly my order is over £20 and they can fuck right off".

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sugarrayrob@reddit

As to price? An Extra Value Meal (Big Mac, QTR, Chicken Sandwich, and fries and a drink) was £2.88 in 1995....30 years later its £6.99...compared to most things that's well in line...

Personally I've never got over the removal of cappuccino donuts from the menu...they were fantastic.

And the BK Whopper is still the best fast food burger...though their fries, milkshakes etc are sub-par...

lol, I gave up on McD's because I had such a large streak of getting barely warm food I just thought fucck it. no pointwasting my money.

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YouJackandDanny@reddit

Yeah, this. I don’t understand why there are so many people ordering via just eat. A cold McDonald’s has got to be the saddest thing to be paying a delivery charge for.

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Past_Grass_@reddit

Exactly that. I used to think bk was too expensive but the prices are nearly the same, just that mcds have increased theirs so much they cancel each other hot.

Also if your using the bk app, it works out cheaper

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epiDXB@reddit

It's quite surprising how the quality of McD's and Burger King can be startlingly different in other countries.

It's the opposite. McDonald's is shockingly consistent around the world. A Big Mac and fries in UK is literally identical to one you will buy anywhere else in the world. The horrible grey meat, the pappy bread, the soggy cardboard fries - always the same anywhere in the world.

I already addressed that dumdum:

They do have some local specialities in certain countries that you don't find elsewhere, but their core offerings are remarkably similar anywhere you buy them.

Is it really the best burger you've had? Says a lot about your diet.

People go back to many things that are bad for them. Doesn't make any sense.

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I_always_rated_them@reddit

Reading comprehension of a happy meal enjoyer here.

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Banes_Addiction@reddit

They didn't say it was the best burger they've ever had. They said it tasted good.

And they didn't say anything about being good or bad for them.

You're just being ridiculously snobby.

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GreyFox_1337@reddit

Authentic Italian food is also dogshit, as is a full English breakfast, oh and so it Sushi, fucking disgusting. Right? Fact or just some shit internet opinion?

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GottaUseEmAll@reddit

C'mon, they didn't say it was the best they'd had, they just said it tastes fucking good.

Salt and fat generally tastes fucking good, even to people who have very healthy diets.

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lizziexo@reddit

They didn’t say that… they said the reason people go back over and over, above all other reasons, is it tastes good. They didn’t say the BURGER is above all else. But that the good burger is the reason, above all other reasons, that people go.

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Notsousuallyawake@reddit

Exactly we all have our favourite thing on the menu that we know exactly how it will taste that we enjoy that taste. Above all we all seek out consistency in life and McDonald maintains that regardless of people who like and those who don't.

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WestCareer7545@reddit

There’s a reason people go back again and again

Yeah, salt and sugar are addictive. The food is dog shit

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jadedgoober7@reddit

No they aren't addictive

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RobertTheSpruce@reddit

Its popular and successful, so naturally some contrarians come out of the woodwork in every discussion. Its a big menu, so if theres nothing on it someone can at least tolerate, then they are just a walking red flag.

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CyberPunkDongTooLong@reddit

Saying McDonald's food is poor quality... is as far from contrarian as you can get.

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Fit_General7058@reddit

If we are talking UK and EU, you are talking rubbish!

As much as you wish we had US food standards so you could harp on about how shit MDs is. We don't.

Guaranteed cut of meat used to make the beef patties. They've had ingredient lists and allergen lists for a quarter of a century at least, and they were and probably still are the biggest east retailer in organic fruit, veg and probably milk.

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CyberPunkDongTooLong@reddit

No, I am not talking rubbish at all. The vast majority of people in the UK and EU are well aware McDonald's is poor quality.

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External-Bet-2375@reddit

Or maybe they just prefer better quality food?

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dwair@reddit

Mate. People eat stuff from Greggs and 'Spoons too. Just because people eat it doesn't mean it's any good. It's cheap and available. In the UK we have very low culinary expectations and people have been conditioned to put price over quality.

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SometimesaGirl-@reddit

Burger King is better quality, but more expensive.

And in Chelmsford where I used to live... the BK closed but the MDs is still open.

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Bazahazano@reddit

Other than soggy fries or Sauce I didn't like the flavour. I have always enjoyed. It's usually always consistent no matter where you are.

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Dharl61@reddit

And u think that’s the point, it does all right food consistently around the world! But yes, especially here in the UK, it’s getting expensive for what it is!

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Secret-Juice-2849@reddit

Must say here I did get a shit big Mac the other week and was genuinely surprised as they're usually very consistent

Burnt bun, weird beef, bad lettuce

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Oh yeah I have no argument against it being a lot better and nicer. It just always seems to come up in conversations about price as if it's even remotely comparable to maccies!

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RtHonJamesHacker@reddit

You literally cannot get a burger fries and a drink cheaper

You literally can at almost every local take away in most towns. What McDonald's offers is consistency, regardless of location.

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Long-Platform168@reddit

People's big issue seems to be quality tho and your local takeaway will be the cheapest of the cheap frozen burgers and chips. And my 2 local takeaways after a quick check - £6 burger and chips, £2 for the drink, £8! Yeah agree re consistency.

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Curious-Resort4743@reddit

McDonalds patties cost them around 10p-15p each to produce, and a few pennies for the chips and fizzy drinks. Do you think you'll be getting anything better than the cheapest of the cheap frozen burgers from McDonalds either? At least the local takeaways' food fills you up.

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Long-Platform168@reddit

McDonald's patties are 100% beef without additives or preservatives. The ones you'll likely get from your local takeaway for a similar price will most likely have a lower meat content and be full of additives. So yes, I do think I'll be getting better quality than cheap frozen burgers.

Gisschace@reddit

But my aim with eating is not feel hungry anymore, might only cost me £3 but I'd rather spend that on food which fills me up, I also don't mind making my own food. You can make meals in the same time it takes to get to a McDonalds.

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GottaUseEmAll@reddit

Sure, there are always better options than fast food, financial-wise and time-wise.

When I visited London alone, the eating options were roughly:

Pizza. Mostly takeout, it was cold, so I didn't want that.
Pubs. I feel like I need to bring someone with me to not feel awkward. Also, they seem to be more for people who see beer as the main dish.
Pret A Manger. It's OK, but it's uncomfortable because of too little sitting room, and mostly cold food.

So, I ended up mostly eating at McDonald's. As a tourist, it's a safe bet. I didn't find anything else that would've been just a "dining room" style establishment where you can get boring comfort food for reasonable price and sit down to eat it at a boring but comfortable table. Everything else was trying to be "special" in one way or another, it's like they've got to sell you "experience" on top of your food.

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MacaroonBeginning813@reddit

It's remarkably the same too. Apart from a few oddball countries that have special menus like India most burgers taste exactly the same even if they're in completely different countries.

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TheMissingThink@reddit

McDonald's used to be cheap fast food.

JayR_97@reddit

Yeah, its always a safe option if your in a new city and dont know where any of the food spots are

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DEADB33F@reddit

True, but it only takes seconds to do a Google search for "best burger place in " ...which will invariably have a Reddit thread full of locals talking about their favourite places as the top link.

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External-Bet-2375@reddit

Yeah, unless a person doesn't use a smartphone which is extremely rare these days it's no problem at all to find much better places in any unfamiliar town or city in a couple of minutes max.

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Scott19M@reddit

Maybe not by design, but in practice with a few extra steps it's where we end up, isn't it?

'How can we maximise shareholder value?'

'By cutting costs and reducing quality, and simultaneously raising prices citing events outside of our control like inflation and raw material costs'

'Won't the reduction in quality affect our reputation?'

'Maybe a bit but we'll still make more money this way'

'Excellent'

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---solace2k@reddit

I read "excellent" as if said by Mr Burns 🤣

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FluidGolf9091@reddit

A business is always trying to maximise shareholder value. That's the point of the business. Its not like they in recent years have discovered this.

Monetary inflation and higher input costs, as well as more expensive localised labour costs, business rates etc have led to the sort of increases you are seeing. McDonald's branches would love to be able to charge £3.50 for a Big Mac meal and make the same margin, that is unfortunately just not possible

The point of capitalism is that you're also free not to frequent that business if you feel you're not getting sufficient value for money.

Some sort of state run alternative would have no such alternative.

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StonLenslow@reddit

You’re telling me every big corporation doesn’t have a team that exists solely to find ways to chip more money out of the product? Look at cadburys for instance, since getting taken over by mondolez/kraft the chocolate gets both more expensive, smaller, and worse quality every year. I don’t know for sure but I imagine the cocoa content is currently just hanging above the legal requirement for it to be called chocolate, and no doubt next year they’ll find some other way of making it more palm oil than chocolate to save a few quid.

These companies don’t care about the product or the customer, they care about squeezing out every last penny they can. You can see the same ethos everywhere. Year by year things get more expensive, but also lower quality.

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OkTadpole2920@reddit

No more Cadbury chocolate for me, although boycotting the US companies is difficult. Mondelez and Nestlé (babykillers) have, seemi gly, bought up the whole Monopoly board!

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WatNaHellIsASauceBox@reddit

I'm not sure where you think the conspiracy is, but fundamentally, that's how capitalism works. Exploit is the perfect word for it.

A business is a machine designed to extract money as efficiently as possible. Product quality, customer satisfaction, worker rights, and human wellbeing are all secondary considerations, and they will all be dropped to the lowest technically legal and economically viable point that they possibly can be in pursuit of the number going up.

McDonald's NEVER used to deliver and it's since mcdelivery and Ubereats came in that they have started charging more

A large Big Mac meal in 2018 (pre-delivery) was about £4.59-4.99, depending on location, so we'll go with £4.79 for comparison.

That was 61.1% of the hourly minimum wage at the time.

A large Big Mac meal now, if I check the McDonalds app, is £7.59, which is 62.1% of the national minimum wage.

Good thing I didn't use flawed logic then. Business that pay their staff NMW are directly impacted by NMW rises, which directly impacts their costs, and is reflected in pricing.

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GeneralMuffins@reddit

to be fair i looked it up, apparently their burger was 59 cents in 1990, and 1 dollar in 2010.

That isn’t actually as bad as the figures you gave. Their 15 cent burger was $1.40 adjusted to 2010.

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parkchanwookiee@reddit

Growth is (obviously) not sustainable.

AnimeBritGuy@reddit

I've found it depends on the location. If you go to one which does all 3 of Drive Thru, Deliveroo and eat in orders it will be awful. If it does a mix of two it can be good. If you find the very rare location that mostly just does eat in orders (with no drive thru and the very rare deliveroo order) it will be great still. Price has definitely gone up.

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obligatorycataccount@reddit

What's the line? Good, fast, and cheap - pick two.

McDonalds nowadays is none of the three.

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Redinho83@reddit

I mean I'll still get a drive through when it's late and I need some food.

But I remember when I was young my parents would take me there, probably because it was a cheap meal. Now if I wanted to take my wife and two kids it's probably gonna be £30 plus I'd guess?

At that price is rather just spend a little more and go to a proper restaurant

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limpets_revenge@reddit

Fuck Ronnie Macs. Boycott the cooporate American fuckers. Shite food, shite company, evil practices. Fuck em',

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jayjones35@reddit

Yeah it’s cheaper to get a weatherspoons now

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ragged-bobyn-1972@reddit

i wouldnt say it's too expensive but it's cost is no longer comparative to it's value making it redundant.

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Admirable_Fudge7953@reddit

Go every now and again when I get a craving, just order a double cheeseburger and a mayo chicken.

Literally got that exact order today! Not been there for about 6 months before!

The price of the Philly Stack(£6.79) or the Big Arch(£8.89) is too high to justify.

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dendrocalamidicus@reddit

2 double cheeseburgers, a mayo chicken, and a large fries for me.

Cheap, filling, and enjoyable.

Yep.

Funny thing is, I have a McDonalds literally just across the road from me. I can literally see it when I look out of my front room window.

When I was a kid, I would have KILLED to live that close to a Maccy D's!

As an adult, I actually can't remember the last time I went there. It's been years. I could literally walk across the road and get McDonalds whenever I want, but I haven't been in there for years because it's just too bloody expensive!

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Overall_Ice3820@reddit

It's still very cheap, they just have more expensive options than they used to.

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Fearless-Yoghurt4077@reddit

Coming back from turkey at Dalaman airport and the price of a meal for five at Maccas in the airport was north of £100 a Big Mac meal so swerved it tbh. This was last summer but it does seem to creeping up here costs us nearly £50 if we have Mcflurries. We can get a decent Thai/chinese/indian for that.

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TerryGranules@reddit

I don't understand why anyone buys anything other than fries and a hamburger/cheeseburger. Two of those and some fries and it's still peanuts. Just don't buy the Big Gertha or whatever

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Icy-Artist2770@reddit

Fast food is expensive and shit right now

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Waspkiller86@reddit

It's too expensive now for what it is but what's worse is the wait time. It used to be fast food for a reason, it was ready for you getting to the counter but now you'll be waiting 10 minutes even when it's quiet.

With the prices McDonald's charge you're much better off just going to a nice pub

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The wait pisses me off more than everything, doesn't matter what I order, they'll ask me to park up and bring my order out.

The food tasted better when it had been sat under a headlamp.

I will die on this hill.

I microwave my burgers when I get them home just because it gets them closer to the older taste/texture lol

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For what it is yes.

It's simply not worth the price imo.

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Primary-Scheme2513@reddit

It’s a cheap junk food.

No, it’s not too expensive as you can have a meal for half an hour of a job, being paid minimum wage.

I’m not sure what you call a restaurant, but I don’t know many which would serve a meal for £9 including drink (taking your 30% into consideration)

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Rickietee10@reddit

Too expensive for how shit it is.

It’s always been shit, but it was like “yeah, this is a 99p burger”.

I used to work at maccies when I was 16 (granted that was 16 years ago) but I did do a 4 year stint while putting myself through college.

Anyway, a medium Big Mac meal was £3.29. Large was £3.59.

It’s now £7.09 for a medium meal. That’s a 115% increase.

The problem. When you pay £7 for a burger. And you get 4 meals for a family. So it’s minimum £29. You expect it to be at least hot and not thrown together. But you get handed a £3.29 mess.

Disclaimer: I’m an expat so generally unfamiliar with McDonalds in the UK and the below might be anecdotal.

Last time I came back, I stopped off at a McDonalds. Not only was it expensive, I also had to wait about 20 minutes for my order. It seems like everyone was ordering on Uber Eats because all the orders that came out were picked up by couriers.

bsnimunf@reddit

It's one of the big problems you go in expecting it to be fast as per the old days and you often end up frustrated with it because it takes 30mins to order and get your food and you weren't willing to pay that amount of time cost.

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HighlandsBen@reddit

We enthusiastically adopted the fast food model, then dropped the only good parts: the speed, low price and strict hygiene

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Pure-Kaleidoscope207@reddit

This.

They also have cameras in the car park that fine you if you stay over xx mins which means when you finally do get your food you have to shovel it in as quick as you can.

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OkTadpole2920@reddit

The delivery companies take precedence.

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SwordfishLess3247@reddit (OP)

This is very correct! 💯

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Western_Temporary170@reddit

Yes and No.
It depends on what you have. If you go for a named burger, like aBig Mac or a Quarter Ponder or the new Small tasty, you are paying stupid money, but if you Go for a Cheese Burger, single,double,or triple you are still paying low prices.

A big Mac is about £5,20 now, A Quater pounder £5,09 but a Double Cheese, £2,59

Burger king is worse. Buy a Bacon Double Cheese Burger, then buy a Plain Double Cheese Burger, with Bacon. There is about a £2.50 price difference. Eaxactly the same burger, EXACTLY the same, but you are paying £2.50 more for the name "Bacon double cheese"

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Safe-Professional556@reddit

It's too expensive for the quality. If the food were better I'd be more inclined to pay for it. Though burger king is worse.

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Swimbearuk@reddit

It has become too expensive for me. I still expect to get a meal for £3 though. Inflation sucks, and has just made me poorer over the 30 years I have been in work.

I would like to see a breakdown of their food prices. The meat is probably the most expensive part of the physical product, but with the amount they buy, I expect it doesn't cost them much. Buns and cheese and sauces etc. cost very little. A lot of the cost probably goes on rent, logistics, staff costs and other things that aren't seen by the consumer.

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Great_Mastodon2818@reddit

Absolutely too expensive and no more triple cheesburgers

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External_Turnover_36@reddit

Yes I can't convince myself to pay over £10 for McDonalds. Especially for that quality so i'd much rather not eat it at all

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Yeah, my partner occasionally gets the breakfast from McDonalds and we live a 3m drive away. Its almost never still hot by the time it gets home. I love a double sausage and egg mcmuffin that hot. By the time its lukewarm its not nice at all. Same for hash browns

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Curious-Resort4743@reddit

McDonalds food is pre-cooked anyway, they just heat it up at the restaurant. It's always cold despite that. I think partially this is down to how light and flimsy their food is, it simply can't retain the heat.

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Timmymagic1@reddit

It's not precooked at all.

The briefest look online could have told you that...

The thing they did wrong not put the prices up for 14 years, so when they got round to doing it it seemed a lot, but it was still less than if they had done a little every year.

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richardathome@reddit

Expensive and worse.

They prioritise outside orders first. I stopped going after my 3rd burger turned up cold again.

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Fluid-Economist-615@reddit

Its not expensive, we dont have alot of money ;D

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I've said to my mum a lot I'd rather spend like £3 to get buger fries and a drink from five guys than spending about £10 on a meal from McDonald's like it's a no brainer

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pogadog@reddit

eh its kinda expensive but the saver burger went from like 99p to £1.50. £1.50 for a burger out is still cheap as chips. [or cheaper given chippy prices nowadays]. Wrap of day went from couple quid to couple and a half quid.

It is annoying they canned stuff like the chicken legend to replace it with more expensive thing that was kinda cheeky.

I don't go cause they're on a boycott list rn, don't know if that movement affected sales much overall but if they aren't doing as well that could also be a factor.

30% more for a restaurant? Maybe for a meal deal at Tesco

£8 vs £20 (+service charge)

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AggravatingHour6457@reddit

After seeing the chief executive's video promoting the new Arches burger, we will never eat there again. Ever.

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SurfCucumber@reddit

I’ve cut back heavily on all eating out

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Stefgrep66@reddit

Last mcdonalds was about 6 years ago in Nottingham, the choice of my grandsons I might add I said to my wife after we left, I am never setting foot in a McDonald's to eat again

It was dreadful

They violated the trifecta of fast food - it has to be fast, cheap and good. If you lose more than one of these (which it has, because it's neither cheap, nor good, nor really that fast thanks to delivery tbh) then you're in for a bad time.

Paying £10 for a meal is ridiculous; at that point you might as well go to a local burger shop and get a burger & chips for £6-7 that'll have more to it than some soggy fries and thin meat.

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Traditional-Ruin2860@reddit

I only ever order off the saver menu, anything dearer than that and I’d rather go to a proper takeaway. The wait time pisses me off more. Parked us up for half an hour the other week for a couple of happy meals and cheese burgers.

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ComprehensiveRide946@reddit

Nando’s is at the bottom of the list, and it’s more expensive than others. It’s just trash.

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ImInYouSonOfaBitch@reddit

It's always been inexpensive shit that happens to still be available after the pubs close. It's just shit, so most people don't tend to eat it unless they're entirely plastered.

What you describe is symptomatic of a larger issue. That being how literally everything is like, twice the price of pre-covid and wages still aren't even keeping up with inflation.

Front-Tear-7467@reddit

KFC any day

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cottontown@reddit

I guess you go to McDonalds and know it's going to be reassuringly Shit, the same everywhere and you can get it 24hrs. So price is a second thought

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foodygamer@reddit

Yes.

Large meal upwards of £9.

I love convenience, but as someone who grew up in a poor environment. Money just had a certain place in my heart which means that every transaction comes with a cost benefit analysis even if it's a really quick one.

Since Covid so many places have become 'NAH'. I get paid a decent amount. It's not that I can't physically afford these things, it just hurts me somewhere deep inside. £10 for a McDonalds meal? Sorry what planet are we on. Like what the actual fuck.

Another one, Doritos. I love me some Doritos, addicted some may say. But over time as they turned the share bag into this expensive monstrosity it has been so hard to justify it. They even did the new recipe which I had to get used to.

But going from a £1 big bag to £2.50... SORRY. I refuse.

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Simple_Dimple-01@reddit

Its too expensive for what it is.

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General-End4503@reddit

Definitely, id rather go to five guys instead, get a much better sourced and filling meal for a bit more money

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grafeisen203@reddit

I can get better food for the same price or less other places, so usually I don't get McDonald's unless it's the only thing around when on the go or something

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bluebullbruce@reddit

Tbf most fast food/take away offerings in the UK is terrible or overpriced or both.

The better ones are always small family businesses.

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zetamalemusic@reddit

fast food should be convenient and cheap. Nearly every order I make is incorrect and price has risen faster than inflation... so far that reason, I'm out! I went from going once per week, to once per year

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rawcane@reddit

Dunno it's one of the few places you can get a hot salty snack for less that 1.50

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_popr0w_@reddit

The only way to make it affordable is to get the food for thought vouchers. Get a big Mac and chips for £2.99 and bring some water. You can use multiple vouchers in the one order. When doing a survey just select "satisfied" all the way through. Jumps from 9% to 90% in a few clicks.

You can add the codes from the survey to the app for app orders.

They have recently increased the amount of rewards points in the app for say a double cheeseburger. Say it was 2500 points it's now 4000+. So not only have they increased the price of the full menu, they have decreased the rewards in the app. There are sites where they generate food for thoughts codes I am told.

And they make you do all the work by ordering on your app or the machine in the store. And we pay more for it. Crazy.

They removed the triple cheeseburger from the menu also at £2.99

Mcdonalds is over rated and expensive I can get a meal in a put for the price of a big arch burger meal

One way to elevate your pocket from being robbed by McDonalds…

Stop Eating that Shite!

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JadedCloud243@reddit

Not too expensive, tho I dont think the value is there anymore as the local one often messes up the order/takes over an hour for delivery and ieven in-store has the nerve to serve stone cold fries for example,. I stopped using them

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Pixie_Dust_19@reddit

Yes, fast food should be cheap, especially when it has that effect on your gutt...

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SillyPanda437@reddit

Yes, and they’ve shrunk the portions and made the meat thinner.

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NinjamaticNemesis@reddit

It is becoming more expensive but as some others have said: the bigger problem is how utterly shite the service is nowadays.

They're more interested in banging out delivery orders than actually serving people.

So now that the price vs quality trade-off has reduced, I reckon fewer people are going. And Maccies know which is why they've had a big push on offers recently and started that Friends Adult meal.

However, I agree with what's also been said: some people will go no matter how bad it gets.

Personally, it is last ditch for me.

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Kickkickkarl@reddit

It can now certainly add up to a small expense which makes.

A few years ago you could group together items and make a meal for two for say £10 where as now doing the same would work out at £15.

It's the psychological barrier whereas people don't mind spend in under a centre once it gets to near 15 quid people don't want to pay it.

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That’s a heavy burden to put on a burger!

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Yeah, general shareholders. The profit must go up every year, thus things must get cheaper and worse to save money.

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GeneralMuffins@reddit

I will give them this, while other fast food chains have cut costs and declined in quality, McDonalds has stayed impressively consistent in just how dreadful it has always been.

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EXtremeLTU@reddit

Honestly, I prefer to wait 5-10mins than eating sad soggy/spongy burgers/fries/cheesy snacks that been standing for however long. How's yours cold if they done to order ?

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Pure-Kaleidoscope207@reddit

The meat patty is still cooked in bulk and just held in trays.

As there's just 2 beef burger sizes then they assemble to order from these trays.

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GotAKit-Kat@reddit

I buy a cup of tea/hot chocolate twice a week or so and fill out the survey on the receipt - takes 5min and you get a £2.99 EVM (minus a drink). It means I can take the family and we get dinner for about £18.

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StillMostlyClueless@reddit

I have the breakfast wraps and that's it and even they're a bit pricy

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Electricbell20@reddit

I really think McDonald's has lost its way. Business people talk about unique selling points. The only one I can think of is that it's the only place open in some service stations.

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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

I really think McDonald's has lost its way.

What are you basing today on? Their revenue is steadily increasing, not spectacular but sufficiently. Same with profits and same with share price.

Seems to be working ok?

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DeapVally@reddit

It's only 'working', for now, because they are raising the prices often. Quarterly, to keep the line the on the graph rising. That's not an endless solution though. There's very much a limit to what they can charge. They've already lost me, and I used to go weekly. It's just not worth what they charge anymore. And as this thread shows, I'm not unique in this either.

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GeneralMuffins@reddit

This sounds convincing but then again im pretty sure no one would have believed or predicted that McDonalds valuation would continue to grow 70 years ago, they'd rightly have told you that it is unreasonable and that no company can just have constant growth.

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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

That's not an endless solution though.

Absolutely agree, but their results suggest they don't need to end just yet.

They've already lost me

(chain pubs absolutely do deliver, btw)

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And_Justice@reddit

Not to my house

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Electricbell20@reddit

Maybe your definition of consistency is wider. I just know products tasting different between restaurants isn't what they are looking for.

Plenty of big businesses do though.

You can though. And if you are getting delivery then I understand the consistency comment as by the time it's been delivered, all of it is shit. That doesn't really vary much.

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And_Justice@reddit

Mcdonalds is the one place stuff doesn't taste different

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OkTadpole2920@reddit

I have a place near me, American-diner style, they deliver. I haven't tried it yet.

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jake_burger@reddit

They haven’t lost their way. They calculated correctly that they could increase prices and while losing customers still make more money.

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BabaGanoushHabibi@reddit

It's why the tables at these places kfc burger king mcdonalds are allways filthy.

It use to be be cheap and easy, now it’s just easy

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DanLikesFood@reddit

McDonald's Big Mac: £5.59

My local burger restaurant: 2x 2.5oz dry aged smash burger: £8.49

When I can go to an award winning burger restaurant and buy a burger for just a tiny bit more than McDonald's, McDonald's is overpriced.

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EUskeptik@reddit

I’d love to know where I can find an actual restaurant that serves real food at only 30% more than McDonald’s prices.

-oo-

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Consistent-Candle873@reddit

I’ve never been a massive fan of it and it’s probably what sways my opinion but I think there’s better for the same(maybe a smidge more) I’ll only get it really if there’s nothing else about. Like if it’s late or an airport etc

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The “not nice places to be” part is probably by design. It’s better for business if eat-in customers finish up and leave quickly so more customers can order and eat in.

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Brilliant-Figure-149@reddit

Actually our two local branches have been VERY lacking in delivery drivers hanging around near the counter the last two times I have visited. Used to be a right pain.

I never want the dominoes for tomorrow. As a younger lad used to be able to smash though a large pie by myself.

Adam_1968_uk@reddit

I don't think it's too expensive as much that it is not value for money anymore.

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headchef11@reddit

Yes, I get a double cheeseburger now and then off the saver menu but that’s it. I’d rather pay the extra for a five guys or similar

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Blutherabbit@reddit

Youre doing it wrong.

OrangeTractorMan@reddit

I recently tried a new Taco Bell, was pretty impressed with how fast it was and it was cheap for how much food compared to McDonalds. I make Taco's at home and it doeasn't compare, but neither does a McDonalds to a homemade burger.

McDonalds just isn't really worth it anymore, though I appreciate they're one of the few chains that recognise that staying open 24/7 means people don't even think whether or not you're available/open. I think a lot of other businesses underestimate how much that is where McDonalds succeeds at staying as the "default" to so many people.

Yes, i haven’t had one in almost a year now that I think about it - the prices are nuts, I see them online and advertised.

Yeah, it's gotten expensive. But my wife and I decided we're just boycotting American fast food. America can go swivel after all their shit recently, and British businesses could do with our hard earned coin way more.

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Logical-Local9868@reddit

3) fries - will go to the counter and tell the workers. Do not pre make my bag and put the chips in and wait 5 mins for the other items . Specifically ask for a fresh cooked batch , or a salt less batch.

4) your food is cold. Send it back . McDonald’s workers don’t give a shit, easier to give a new meal than deal with a customer

5) avoid the premium new burger meals . They are often over priced and not as good value as compared to the core items.

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Curious-Art-6242@reddit

Whenever I go past them at meal times they're always busy, which I always find surprising! Personally, its too expensive for what it is, unless I have no other option. Plus, a lot of the locations aren't even that fast any more, the worst was a 30 minute wait!

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ChickenKnd@reddit

Certainly isn’t something I go to because it’s cheap and quick anymore… as it’s neither of those things

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St3lla_0nR3dd1t@reddit

MaccyD’s is the UK has not worked out how to get of all the staff it needs to get rid of. When your product is cheap then an increase in labour costs is going to affect your product more and that seems to be what is happening.

Yeah for me I basically don't visit unless they have that £5 meal deal promo, anything else just isn't worth the spend.

The thing that amazes me if the amount of delivery app orders that are always there... Like have you seen the price of them in store already... Never mind the third party pricing on top... People have more money than sense.

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Penderyn@reddit

I went there about 6 months ago and was shocked at how much it cost. Never again now.

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nifft_the_lean@reddit

Every. Single. Time. I order from there they get the order wrong. Last time I got about a quarter of what I ordered and it was cold. I took it in after getting it delivered and they actually tried to argue with me. Eventually they dumped what I ordered down in the counter. I'd driven in after getting it delivered. No apologies, nothing.

They've gotten the order wrong so much that my delivery app won't refund incomplete orders from them anymore, and you can't get anything out of their complaints line, it's designed to get you nowhere.

Fool me twice, etc. etc. but yea it's got to be the worst place to get food delivered from, worst quality and run by a bunch of twats in my local one, I don't care how bad the pay is.

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AncoraPirlo@reddit

It's more expensive, worse quality and smaller. Seriously, look at the McDonald's ads from ten years ago... Look at the size od the burgers in the hands of the actors. Compare that to today, it's actually comical. In the latest McDonald's ad... The burgers are tiny.

Anyway, McDonald's is a microcosm of life in 2026,yiu pay more and get less / worse.

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PaulieStreams@reddit

Iv got a wendys near me now, i much prefer paying an extra £2 for a much better burger.

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cryptoinsane76@reddit

Quality??? Wtf..what do you mean quality??

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MetalRocksMe_@reddit

It is rubbish and I realised that more after going to McDonald’s in France, which soooo much better. I can’t eat uk McDonald’s anymore.

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RedPillMaker@reddit

£11-12 for a large meal at McDonald's which won't even fill you up...

£12.50 for a steak dinner at a pub....

I can feed our family of 4 for about £30 at KFC (big bucket of chicken and chips, some tenders, some sauces). No drinks or other sides, but enough food that it's a big treat and no one is peckish after.

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libdemparamilitarywi@reddit

Yes, the cheeseburger meal and mayo chicken meal are both £4.89.

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hdix@reddit

Can you still get a meal for under £5

ha!

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Arbycutter@reddit

No, even just the individual items are priced at over £5

You can combine a wrap of the day and a mayo chicken or something to get under £5

But on the whole McDonald’s is no longer cheap and it’s certainly not fast

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Broad-Ordinary7408@reddit

You pay extra for the customer service, little kids just screaming numbers, "1042" then you go collect it and not even a smile.

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Master-Tank6719@reddit

Breakfast is still cheap and cheerful in my opinion. Haven't had "dinner" from a McDonald's in a while, it's only slightly more expensive to go to the local curry house, which is just crazy.

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joehonestjoe@reddit

I went to India recently.

MrsValentine@reddit

No, McDonald’s has plenty of very cheap options still. If you’re on a budget you cut your cloth to suit so you order from the saver menu, a wrap of the day, a happy meal, the £5.59 menu etc rather than going for the latest promo burger large meal with a side of cheese bites, extra nuggets and a dessert.

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Subject_Yogurt1666@reddit

You get 1.19 Cheeseburger and 1.19 Chicken mayo , 1.20 Medium Fries

total: £3.58

Same price as my local cheapest town takeaway: £3.50 for burger, fries and drink

If you just select expensive menu items, you'll struggle. Bic Mac meal is like what? 12 pound?

There's plenty of people that wouldn't get either and just make 3 days worth of food with £10 worth of shopping... But I wouldn't call that a major economic problem, but rather reality for most countries...

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herbdogu@reddit

My low-stakes conspiracy is that they are in a several year process of intentionally trashing the dine-in and will eventually just pivot to dark kitchen style with a pickup counter for drivers. Maybe they keep the drive-through sites.

Be much more profitable for them without the tables, large sites, car parks and other costs like public liability etc.

ResolveEmergency863@reddit

When they done the signature burgers for a while they were genuinely great.

Most of the food im not a fan of, and the fries are often terrible. Cold and floppy.

I do have them semi regular, maybe a couple times a month as my other half and kids like it.

3.49 for happy meal for my daughter is alright. 12 for a premium meal (big tasty or something) is grtting too much for what it is.

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Logical-Track1405@reddit

We Took the grandsons for a Macdonalds lunch today... It was underwhelming in the extreme. Place was packed, people on next table sent food back as it was cold inside, queues out to the door, food quality wasn't great lukewarm at best. Order system on screens took forever, 2 screens broken, tables not cleaned.

I can get burger chips and drink in wetherspoons for less.

Chips are better, no question.

Plate and glass

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Massive_Sky4589@reddit

The only appeal to me now is on a Monday when there’s a new offer and that’s it’s 24/7 when there are no other options. They have a monopoly after the kebab shops shut. We are not a 24/7 city or even country. In the US cities you can find all sorts of options. In Asia like Singapore you can get 24/7 dim sum and hawker stalls open all night. Ramen in Tokyo is 24/7.

London or the UK will never be as great until it becomes a truly 24/7. Back to McDonalds until then.

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Frosty-Improvement-8@reddit

When one meal (burger fries and drink) costs damn near a weeks shopping for a single person, yeah it's too much. We collectively just need to stop using them in the hopes they either just fuck off or drop prices.

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el_doherz@reddit

Too expensive? No.

Stage_Party@reddit

Yeah that's exactly it, mcdonald's was good because it was cheap and easy. It's no longer cheap and they cut so much meat you're just eating soggy buns. Honestly burger king introducing the melts killed mcdonald's for me. Those melts taste amazing and good value. Plenty of meat in them too. Cheap and easy.

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Deepmidwinter2025@reddit

I enjoy a McDonald’s - but I enjoy a small portion versus the calories overload some people go for.

For a morning coffee - quick order on the app and it’s ready for me walking in.

Ditto for a hamburger and soft drink.

Points from the app are also pretty good.

Most people just order too much - too regularly - and having it delivered (usually in dirty deliveroo bags) is day light robbery.

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turnip_the_volume@reddit

Most of the menu is overpriced and the portions are small. Only good thing might be the occasional deals and that it’s sometimes convenient.

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Sushiki@reddit

Not just price, yet also quality control. Their fries are sometimes not cooked right.

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SIBMUR@reddit

Yes it is.

I get it proabably around 5 times a year now.

For example, the other day I got 20 nuggets fries and a medium coke and that was 11.99 yet I remember pre covid a box of 20 was 3.99. That felt like very good value.

I can't justify paying 20-30 quid for me, my wife and kid on a McDonald's. Not when the mortgage on a 3 bedroom house is 1600 a month and energy bills keep rising.

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Pikachu_OnAcid@reddit

Certainly more expensive. But you can still get a decent amount of food for the price. Especially with the deals/offers. We're looking at £35 to feed us and the two kids. Not as bad as Burger King though, the price for the food is terrible.

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software_eng_mil4d@reddit

Yes way too expensive considering the living costs

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cybersonic233@reddit

It's not that it's too expensive per say, it's just that, for me at least, for only 1-2 pound more, I can get Wendys or Popeyes which is vastly better quality.

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baddude1337@reddit

I am surprised how popular it remains despite the massive price jump vs quality. I know food in general has skyrockets the last few years but a meal at Mcdonalds isn't far off a sit down meal.

It's also now both very slow and regularly getting orders wrong or mixed up.

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ArthursRest@reddit

For what it is? Absolutely. There’s a local ‘chain’ near me that make everything to order, fresh ingredients, really tasty. They used to be double what McDonalds cost and now they’re about level.

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lambdaburst@reddit

I went to check out the friends promo and it's pushing £10(!) for a meal of burger, fries, drink, cheap plastic toy (nearly £2.50 per item).

And they forgot my fries, and gave me a diet coke instead of coke zero.

I don't expect premium quality from McDonalds and could forgive all that if they weren't charging premium prices.

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Nice-Goose-7599@reddit

Not too expensive I think just more expensive than it's worth

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TenaBunny@reddit

I used to love their sausage and egg muffins for breakfast and would buy 8 or 10 most mornings and treat my colleagues as I was dancing out of the door on my way home after a night shift. I could barely afford to feed myself now. Silly prices and its a bit crap

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LoopStricken@reddit

I don't think I've eaten anything from there that wasn't their cheapy-fucko cheeseburger in like 20 years.

I think they forgot the only reason people went was because it was so much cheaper than everywhere else.

● Empty calories. ● Empty of protein. ● Excess in saturated fats (not the healthy fats, dont get the two mixed up). ● No flavour. Even if they added flavour, what are you actually gaining? Nothing.

● Every fast meal is one step faster to poorer health and your body does feel it whether you choose to notice or not.

If only cheeseburgers were still 59p.....

Also the quality now is much better.

Sensitive-Wind-7888@reddit

…. and they’re not even fast anymore!

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IanAmp@reddit

Is it me or did I imagine that their bread rolls are smaller? They are smaller in diameter than their burgers.

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cupidstunt01@reddit

I'm not a fan of McDonalds. I'm not overly concerned about the pricing - just the fact that the food is always tepid.

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chaostrulyreigns@reddit

£2 for a hashbrown :(

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Reallyboringname2@reddit

Yes!! Best part of £40 for three of us! Can get a delicious takeaway for that! They must’ve made Hamburglar the CFO!!

I think everyone knew it was shit food - but you paid it because it was cheap and saved spending over 30/40 quid on a restaurant or pub lunch.

Now for a family of 4, one meal for the wife medium, two happy meals, and a large meal for daddy plus a wee nugget extra - for nearly £30 - and left feeling rotten, bloated yet hungry and a wee dose of the MccyD shites the next morning - no quite simply, we avoid it completely. Even for a breakfast or coffee!

I think some of these companies need to stop chasing that profit margin, and bare the brunt a little more for consumers - over time, things will balance out.

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glennok@reddit

It's the same reason people flock to Costa when it opens up in a high street full of nice independent places.

People on this sad little island value comfort and familiarity over all else. No surprises please.

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ploopitus@reddit

I had a serious need for a burger last week, but where i work is a burger desert other than a McD's in walking distance, so I went and indulged in one of those Big Arch burgers as, I mean, it's the best part of a tenner - it can't be bad, right?

Dear reader, it was not good. The only indulgence was on my wallet and I was seriously questioning wtf I'd just done.

It isn't expensive enough because people keep paying it which means they won't lower the price.

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memcwho@reddit

Good, Fast, Cheap.

You can typically pick 2 of the 3. There was a time when some of Maccies menu could have been argued as all 3.

SightSmash@reddit

As much as the prices have gone up, it's still comforting to eat... Although, fart and you're hungry again!

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Greatgrowler@reddit

It’s too expensive for what it is and also the restaurants are a horrible experience.

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YellowBelliedCoward@reddit

It's no longer worth what they're asking for. For a little bit more, I can get a main course at a decent restaurant. It's a no brainer. They're still cheap enough, but it's borderline for them not.

KFC, however, have totally gone beyond the realms of acceptability. They've outpaced themselves so much that I don't even think about them anymore. They're heading the way of Burger King.

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Carterland68@reddit

The USP was cheap and fast, its not expensive and slow. I know a fair few people who don’t go anymore, when you can go get a locally sourced takeaway burger and chips for less than a medium meal and in a lot of cases quicker, you know there’s a problem.

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largepoggage@reddit

Depends entirely on what you order. I usually get the wrap of the day. 90% of the menu is expensive for what it is though.

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Amonette2012@reddit

Yeah it's crazy. My local kebab place does a better quarter pounder for the same price with real salad. Their chips are maybe 50p more than large mcd's fries and you get a ton of them, AND you can order them cheesy. I do like the large fountain drinks though as a large soft drink is about the same price as or cheaper than a can from the kebab shop.

The kebab shop food also travels better if I order in and they come directly to me even if I order through uber eats because it is delivered by store staff (same as my favourite pizza place).

If I'm going to get a takeaway I might as well get an actual takeaway - it's often the same price or even cheaper if I skip the drink.

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Soukchai2012@reddit

We’re from SE Asia but visit the UK every year or two. In SEA the orders are cooked fresh to order, and a sausage & egg muffin is £2. A big mac meal is £6, all cooked fresh & hot. In the Uk its 2-3 times that and most of the time they have been in the steamer and are limp and less than appetizing. Its not about volume as McD’s is very popular in Thailand too. I realize costs in the Uk are higher so prices will be too, but theres no reason for the quality to be so much worse - its the same in New Zealand - luke warm limp food. Its the same for KFC etc, on the rare occasion I go there. Better off with fish n chips!

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sandboxmatt@reddit

No, but for what it is, yes.

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Sam88FPS@reddit

People still eat McDonalds?

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Carinwe_Lysa@reddit

McD for me serves its purpose as being relatively consistent and can be found everywhere (like Greggs). Only difference is there's a few which are open 24-hours compared to Greggs usual business hours.

If I'm out in the early hours and need breakfast, I know there's always going to be a McD open within a couple of miles etc.

I only like their fries.

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EpochRaine@reddit

No more expensive than anywhere else.

My cheapest local kebab van charges £7 for a burger now, so it's more expensive than McDs.

Local restaurants are about £10-18 for a burger.

I had some mac and cheese the other day, that was £12 and the portion size was about a handful of pasta.

No where is cheap any more.

Local pizza place was £68.70 for 3 of us.

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Sweet-Geologist9168@reddit

Remember after the pandemic when they reopened people would queue for over an hour. That told them they can increase prices.

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wildcharmander1992@reddit

McDonald's in the 90s

Whimsical building with fun stuff and characters for kids
Cheap
Fast
Somewhat tasty

McDonald's now

More expensive than an actual takeaway would be
The buildings look more like chemists than the McDonald's of old they're drab and corporate
The toys are all but gone and been replaced with cardboard shit, the characters replaced with broken tablets
Slow because of Uber and the likes
Cut corners/ banned from the stuff that made it tasty

It's not so much they're too expensive, but if the option is now McDonald's or the local kebab and the kebab shop is nearly as quick and much higher quality it's a no brainer, it's not like the kids are getting the sense of joy and fun as that was stripped away

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TurboBoxMuncher@reddit

ExcitingCriticism524@reddit

Mcds ain’t £18 and I wasn’t trying to defend mcds with my comment just that you can’t get a meal at a pub for the price of a meal at mcds. Mcds is still shit and overpriced though.

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msully89@reddit

2 large big arch meals, for example, is £21.58. Look it up. Pub meals are much cheaper.

Spottyjamie@reddit

Eh?!!!

Maccys is still cheap!! How much are you ordering?! A large double quarter pounder meal is £6.49 in the branch by me

Theres always deals and coupons too

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Unhappy_Clue701@reddit

“The quality has reduced….” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Very good, that’s a cracker!!

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Glad-Box-7867@reddit

Yes, its not fast either now, go to a drive through and park up for up to 15mins

Nope. Not. Any. More.

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AlgaeFew8512@reddit

It's too expensive for what you get, and I can get much nicer, more filling food from a pub or some restaurants for the same cost. If I'm going to spend around £10 for a meal, I'd rather have "proper" food than McDonald's.

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Own_Willow525@reddit

The food has really taken a noticeable dip in quality all whilst prices have soared, not worth paying £12 for dinner just to have a dodgy belly the next day

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snowavess@reddit

20 nuggets used to be £4

I think it's nearly 8 quid now

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Careless_Count7224@reddit

I used to pop in on my way to work to grab some hash browns, but now 3 hashbrowns costs me a fiver I've stopped as that's extortionate.

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Jamz3k@reddit

Haven’t been in over 6months. I do miss the double sausage and egg McMuffin meal but otherwise it’s expensive and pure shite.

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IntentionTight4089@reddit

I personally think McDonald's forgot they were the cheap, quick and easy option and are slowly merging with the conventional options in price.. slowly closing in on pricing of businesses that provide better quality food

Might get me downvoted a bunch but I can eat at pubs or some cafes or restaurants for not much more now and the level of service, quality, etc are far higher than a good ol' maccy d's

1/4 lb with fries that go hard as they go cold and a drink (mostly ice). £8.00

Local carvery with two local sites to choose from; Full plate of meat and veg with a refillable drink. £15.

What's to choose?

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St2Crank@reddit

McDonalds isn’t expensive. I currently can’t go anywhere without seeing their billboards advertising a meal of 2 burgers, fries and a drink for £5.59.

The issue is our wages aren't going up fast enough to cover the increasing costs of a burger.

I'm pretty sure the CEO had the nads to winge about the drastic loss in profits or some shit after hiking the prices up. Don't count me on that though.

Sharktistic@reddit

It's not that it's too expensive for me, it's simply too expensive for what it is.

Slow, cold, stale food that somehow ends up costing nearly a tenner per person isn't my idea of a good deal at McDonald's.

I went yesterday, because I was just too tired to deal with anything else.

I don't think it's "too expensive". Have you seen the amount people spend on frivolous things?

I got lunch and drinks for myself and my two kids for £15 today. That's pretty cheap. Considerably cheaper than any sit-in restaurant.

Obviously I wouldn't spend that every day on lunch, but it's definitely not an expensive meal.

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SikhMovie2022@reddit

It used to be a cheap place to eat. It's not really cheap anymore. The last time I used it was to get a cup of coffee on way back from London as no where else was open locally at that time of the day. Plus also the delivery apps have ruined it and made it feel like u are waiting at an argos. For similar level of money ud be better off going to a restaurant given the choice.

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ModulusFlea@reddit

I used to pop in once a fortnight or so, after shopping or in town, now, I haven't been in over a year. This is due to ;

It's not quick at all anymore. I remember the days of a 30 second wait for hot food. Now it's freezing cold and you usually have to wait 5-10 minutes for it (due to the next point)
Deliveroo/Uber eats drivers. They get prioritised (which I do kind of understand). Not only that, but they clog up the queuing area - I know some places have separate areas for them, but it should be a franchise rule that they have their own designated place across the board.
The pricing is, imo, about 30% higher than it should be. It's been slowly creeping up over time, but I think like many businesses, they're guilty of a bit of price gouging, post-covid.

*The restaurants are full of badly behaved teens/scum. Everytime I ever went into my local one, you'd always wonder what sort of mad shit you'd see, and rarely be disappointed.

Food is slapped together by blind seals - with the effort put into getting the orders right, pretty low.

It's just not worth it anymore. I'd rather spent the £20 on some nice bits from M&S.

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Ordinary-Watch-8184@reddit

Used to go into them once a week or so until the big tasty came back last year - the insult of a burger no longer being 1/3 lb and the price increase made us look at the prices and the lack of any sort of value. Both of us deleted the app and have never darkened their stores again. Can’t say I miss it at all. We now go to Wetherspoons once a week and sit down chat over a beer with much better quality food for not much more money and a nice atmosphere

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EasyRider363@reddit

I feel this is about the attitude of the employees and management as much as about the food and prices. The McDonald’s food in say, Vietnam is the same, and yet much better, because the employees care, and are proud to work there, it makes a huge difference to the standard of what they serve…. The price is also about half that of the UK, but relatively, that makes it much more expensive for the Vietnamese, and yet the restaurants are always busy.

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Joutja@reddit

The last time I got a McDonald's I decided that I was done. I tended to order from there about once a month but this last time the price is now huge, the patties are so small you barely notice them and the bread was just flavourless. So for what you pay for you don't get a good enough return.

When i was a kid it was cheap enough to get 5 hash browns on the way to school and leave so change to play pitch and toss to hopefully win some money to have a dinner at school.

Depends on the many people.

Surely poorer people should be using their money more beneficial.

Its only increased in price along side everything else, so in comparison McDonalds is still relatively good value.

I remember when I passed my driving test in 2004 and started going to McDonalds, a large Big Mac meal was £3.39. That's now over £8, but where else are you going to get a burger, fries and a drink for £8? Some things like the Big Arch are overpriced though, £12 simply wasn't worth the premium. But there was a point where £35 would have got you a decent meal out for two at an ok restaurant, you can pretty much double that cost now, and I've paid £15 for burgers in restaurants that have been no where near something like a Big Mac.

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TeHNeutral@reddit

Yes, for what it is it's a poor value proposition now. Sometimes I grab it at work as its convenient or whatever due to me working all over the place but it feels more like burger king prices these days

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denisthesaint@reddit

Couple of quid for a snack sized burger on the way to the train station, or after a late shift at work was fine.

Not just in the UK.

In the USA too it seems.

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chartupdate@reddit

The recent Big Tasty debacle was the end of the line for me.

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local pub to me on a mon-wed does a 8oz steak for 8.99, cooked on a skillet on a bed of onions with peas and chips. Ok a drink will set you back a few more quid if its a soft drink, but far rather go for something like this for similar money than a McD. They have priced themselves like this but there will always be people who go for it

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Nazir_North@reddit

The price rises are certainly a deterrent.

Waiting times also seem to have increased significantly since they added these touch screen machines.

I remember walking up to the counter, ordering a burger and chips and it being placed in my hands in less than a minute. Now I'm standing around with a ticket for 10 minutes minimum waiting for my order.

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WJC198119@reddit

Hardly ever eat McDonalds neither does daughter but we went the other day and I couldn't believe how much it had gone up, luckly I dont have to worry to much about money but did think it used to be an affordable meal for everyone

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It's the lack of value. I don't mind spending, but needs to not be crap.

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ConflictDesigner4293@reddit

Honestly!! Why would I buy McDonald’s when GDK offer 2 for 1 mains? Literally 2 kebabs for £11

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tylerthe-theatre@reddit

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Tski247@reddit

The food has always been shite and they don't pay UK corporation tax using loopholes. Why anyone would eat it is beyond me! I would love to see them and all the companies who avoid tax here because put out of business. I'm 100% positive local tax paying businesses will fill the void.

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MattyLePew@reddit

Oh for sure! I used to go with my kids for a cheap and easy way to get them all fed for relatively cheap prices. Nowadays I might as well just go and eat at a ‘proper’ restaurant and I’d end up spending the same money. 😂

~

Whenever I do a McDonald's, I'm absolutely aware that I'm in a state of desperation.

Like, it's between that, or beans on toast.

It beats beans on toast (in the experience leagues).

EscapeArtist92@reddit

Yeah but it's still pretty affordable. I love cheeky maccy dees but my stomach doesn't

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BenedickCabbagepatch@reddit

I just eat from the savers menu.

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Heavy-Locksmith-3767@reddit

I think food delivery apps have to share some of the blame here - lots of people just paying for the convenience of having food delivered. Sometimes it's people at work so it's hard to be too harsh on them, but once these companies get a taste of what people will pay they aren't going to go back.

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AdThat328@reddit

They took one of only three menu items I could eat as a Coeliac off the menu...and even then they weren't that fantastic. Before diagnosis I'd get a McPlant ocassionally but it wasn't really worth the price.

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cactusdan94@reddit

Mcdonalds is a f**king joke now. For 4 of us (2 kids 2 adults) it came to nearly 30 odd quid last time.

4 of us going for a sit down meal in spoons with beer only came to £33. Might aswell do that.

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ConsequenceApart4391@reddit

cant face eating in , its always full of badly behaved riff raff

It seems fairly affordable to be honest. If you use the app you accumulate points like a clubcard. In addition they frequently offer various deals (15, 20% off, certain burgers and fries for £x).

I usually save up my points and use them towards a big order, or if it's the wrong side of payday for example.

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ImissTBBT@reddit

I remember talking to a manager during lockdown. I pitched up at my local McD's at about 22:30, surprised to see the drive thru empty, so took a chance. Waited for a bit, then the manager came out, bucket in hand and told me they closed at 22:00. With nothing else to do, I asked him how they're doing. He said amazingly well, on a normal day pre lock down they'd average £16k to 18K a day in sales (sit-ins and the drive thru). But during lockdown, with just the drive-thru, they were averaging £14K.
The MAAAAAAAASSSSIVE queue all day long for the place did not make that number surprising to me. The queue filled the 20K spot car park of the adjacent multiplex cinema (not in use due to lockdown) and would still sometimes spill out onto the access roads. This went on all day, everyday.

You can get Premier Inn breakfast for £10.99 which is unlimited and up to two kids eat free. It is ideal when travelling or if you want to fill up for the day. It is decent quality, too.

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Pure-Kaleidoscope207@reddit

This.

Our local table table does breakfast for us (2 adults, 3 kids) for £22 all in.

Our kids get toast, crumpets, croissants, cooked breakfast, yogurts, juice and we also have the same and coffees made with freshly ground beans.

For the same money at McD, we'd be sharing 3 X double sausage and egg meals between all of us.

The difference in price, quantity and quality is outstanding and makes me wonder how McD plan to survive?

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Successful_Buy3825@reddit

No. It might not be great value, but very few people are in a position where they can't afford it.

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paradoxbound@reddit

It’s overpriced, they got greedy and now they’re struggling to make targets. Their traditional target demographic of low income families have been forced out and shrinkflation of their basics range means that it’s not a satisfying meal anymore. Still they can claim that they have reduced saturated fat by 30%. Even their new target demographic of middle low earners are also turning away. It’s about the same price as a good quality Cantonese or Indian curry. It’s also not as attractive to children with its relentless drive towards bland coffee shop chains chic. Little kids want bright primary colour and a big statue of Ronald McDonald.

I just came back from McDonald’s as it happens. My usual is now up to almost £10… it was also a 10 minute wait.

RedDemio-@reddit

I used to love McDonald’s fries. Now they are inedible cardboard most of the time. It really is trash food

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go0rty@reddit

Too expensive, tastes worse, and takes longer to get food.

I know getting it delivered is an absolute scam.

They give incentive to use their app for delivery, with reward points, but if something is wrong; you can hardly put in a complaint. App is designed to be as fucking frustrating as possible. It's just UberEats with more blocking for complaints.

But the prices have shot up in the last 10 years. I remember the POUND SAVER MENU and now its more like the Five Pound Saver Menu.

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Murky-Host6434@reddit

Unless I'm forced into it by location or opening hour restraints I very rarely think about McDonald's anymore. The food is mediocre at best. And pricing wise there isn't a significant saving to be made.

If I do fancy a burger I'd rather spend the money on a nicer product nowadays.

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cheekiestNandos@reddit

Pre-2020 I used to quite often get the wrap of the day with something else off the saver menu on my way home for dinner. Would be less than £5 for a decent amount of food. Covid hit, they started doing delivery apps and now the prices are a joke. I get standard inflation and cost of living and all that but their prices just seem bonkers for what you get. £40 for soggy chips and room temp burger if you get it delivered too.

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R-Mutt1@reddit

Imagine paying another few quid to get it delivered. There should be another 20% tax on that, and on the food itself.

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And you wait an absolute age if you want to eat in now. There was a time you could order a staple menu item like a big Mac and almost not stop walking as you pick it up and go to your seat. Last time I went in, I was waiting 15 minutes. Let's be honest, the food there is not worth that wait on top of the increased cost.

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Frusko@reddit

It's not just that either, it's just bad now. Chips are regularly cold and the burgers are dry. I was so disappointed with my last maccies that I don't think I'll be going back

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Final-Unit8862@reddit

Totally. And the food is boring.

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Kirmit23@reddit

The waiting times have become ridiculous now, it’s no longer fast food.

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KK-Chocobo@reddit

Yeah id rather spend 2 or 3 pounds more and get burger king.

The only advantage mcdonalds has now is convenience. They open early and close late. And they are quicker. Sometimes, you really dont want to wait 15 to 20 minutes for a burger meal.

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Nebulousdbc@reddit

I wouldn't say quicker, especially during peak time when they prioritise app orders, deliveroo and drive thru over in restaurant customers

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Advanced-Pilot-3698@reddit

I worked there in my youth - kids happy meal was £1.99 and the adult meal was £3.99, an apple pie was 79p and sauces were free.The prices now are crazy that might as well just go to a proper sit down restaurant with good quality food

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OkCap2870@reddit

McDonalds used to be cheap, fast and despite what people like to claim, it did actually taste pretty good (people won't eat what they don't enjoy generally).

In the last few years it's lost the 'fast' part, as they seem to have switched from having most things sitting under heat lamps, so you could order and get your food in maybe a couple of minutes at most, to everything being assembled to order and a wait time often of 5-10 minutes. I would not say that this has in any way led to an increase in food quality.

You combine that with the price increases, and McDonalds has lost two of the things that made me want to go their, it is no longer cheap and it's no longer fast. To be fair it does still taste quite good, but when I could go to a pub and have a pint and a burger for not that much more then it rather looses much of the appeal.

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jeanettem67@reddit

Their Big Mac should be renamed "Mac". Shrinkflation has hit that as well.

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soviet_bias_good@reddit

Fast food in general. Eating out is getting more and more difficult especially if you’re already on a tight budget.

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Heathy94@reddit

Yes it has. McDonalds is has just become pointless now, it's not cheap and not fast, the two values that made it good to begin with a milkshake has doubled in price in the last 5 years, two meals will set you back £20. I'd sooner just pay an extra tenner and go somewhere better like Five Guys.

I find I eat McDonalds a lot less now, I used to pop in for a cheap burger on the go now and then but I'm not paying like £3 for a double cheeseburger. I'd sooner just get a sausage roll from Greggs or like I said spend a bit more and go elsewhere. The price point doesn't match the food and the food is slow to come out and arrives cold.

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Clothes_Chair_Ghost@reddit

In my younger years I would get a KFC if I had to get the bus home cause there was one close to my bus stop to get home. I went the other day and holy hell was under a fiver for a regular chicken sandwich now it’s close to a tenner.

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GangVocals@reddit

When you say the quality has reduced, do you mean the food or the service?

I worked at a McDonald's about 20 years ago and as far as I can tell the food is exactly the same - everything still tastes the same as it did back then, and the size of fries portions and drinks also are the same as they were.

Things are more expensive now, and the increase in food delivery companies means that it can often be busier and you have to wait a bit longer, but the actual product is still the same as it has been for decades.

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vextedkitten@reddit

I spend £19.93 per week geting it for the kids on a Friday. it has gone up from about £18.90 over the past year. I order on the app and collect in the restaurant or through the drive through. I use the app which gives you points off food, helps as i can reduce the cost every couple of weeks. It is a treat and expensive for what it is. My partner and i dont eat it though, she has food intolerances so cant eat most of what they offer and i dont enjoy it so its a waste for me. We do get chips from out local chippy and cook steak or a burger at home instead. A large portion of Gluten Free chips is about £6 and will feed 3 of us.

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DoomPigs@reddit

I don't think it's too bad, I find it very easy to build up points on the app as well and I've had plenty of 20% off vouchers and stuff like that, I find I can spend £30-£40 for two people and get quite a lot of food

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Nandaiyo90@reddit

Is it probably too expensive? Yes

Is it cheaper than the alternatives? Yes

I went to popeyes last weekend and my meal was £15. McDs would be £7 plus £3 for dippers. Thats 2/3rd of Popeyes.

Burger king is £8 for a burger meal so McDs is less again.

Im not arguing that things arent more expensive than they should be but I think McDs is still the cheaper of fast food options.

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invisibleredditor2@reddit

I think there are tastier places for the prices they charge now. The offers are good, but of course you have to download the app so they can track everyone's habits, and use that information in the longterm to turn more profit...

I do agree that a lot of the menu is stupidly pried though, like £5.60 for the bigger burgers or something

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BabaGanoushHabibi@reddit

something hot on the go

Something barely warm on the go

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Alasdair91@reddit

£10 for a large meal. And you’re not full after it. Absolutely too expensive.

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Itchy-Book402@reddit

Not the wrap of the day. I get it sometimes, and buy a drink outside

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It's not that it's become too expensive, it's the fact that McDonald's has always been and should just be cheap shit fast food. But the problem is, they are no longer cheap, you can get better quality for a similar price elsewhere, it's no longer fast either, gone have the days where you'd walk in and it would be ready to go, now most of the time you're waiting for it to be made, but the quality has gone down. So why waste the money...

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TomatoChomper7@reddit

It’s not too expensive for me, but I think that’s because my wages have gone up roughly proportionally to the price increases over the last seven or eight years. Also, the horrible mark-up prices on the delivery apps have had a psychological effect on me to the point where the in-store prices now strike me as a bargain.

Judging by the number of delivery drivers picking up food I see I don’t think people mind the price as those using delivery services are paying even more!

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Infamous-Echidna4141@reddit

Didn't have a takeaway all last year. I now make my own at a fraction of the cost.

nickytheginger@reddit

Yes. There are only 4 items on their menu I will eat now, the fries, has browns, quarter pounder or the Big tasty (when its available) because everything else is over priced.

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Zestyclose_Ease2745@reddit

It’s too expensive and the quality has gone completely crap. My 2 year old didn’t even touch his happy meal yesterday but he ate all my kfc chips

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BadMachine@reddit

good, people will be better off not eating fast food

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Beneficial-Pitch-430@reddit

Yeah it’s very expensive for what it is. Used to be able to go and get 4 meals for £25 or so. We went recently and it was pushing £40, that’s 2 adults and 2 kids.

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Graphi_cal@reddit

I don’t especially like McDonald’s. But the kids liked it and it was fast and fairly reasonable compared to other hot take away options when stuck at services.

It’s now slow (convoluted screen/app booking + take away drivers) and expensive compared to say a round of Greg’s sandwiches. Especially now the kids aren’t filled up with a happy meal anymore.

What’s the point of it? What’s the USP?

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APFOS@reddit

The toy

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kaanbha@reddit

I enjoy the taste of McDonalds.

I would still be going there if it were cheap.

But it's no longer cheap, and for a few quid more, I can get a considerably better burger & fries and either an indie or another chain, so I have no desire to go to McDonalds anymore.

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Velz1993@reddit

All fast food has to be honest. The chain restaurants are outpricing themselves vs local shops, which ironically is a great thing.

Yep it’s no longer fast food or cheap food. It’s priced in a range where I expect something decent and they can’t deliver.

I’ll still get a craving for one once in a while but usually I’ll end up disappointed.

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Not_a_real_ghost@reddit

I had a McD burger when I visited California back in 2023.

Compared to the beef burger patties we get in the UK, the ones I got in the US are significantly juicier and saltier than the drier, bland ones we get here.

For our dry, bland beef patty, there are still 40g of fat per serving, so I'm not even sure why our ones suck so much.

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flyingredwolves@reddit

Yep, a family trip to Macdonald's can easily start hitting £40.

yes it's stupid money for what it is. I refuse to pay their prices for what is junk food.

It's Wimpy for me from now on

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james2900@reddit

i mean compared to other fast food places / restaurants, i’d say mcdonald’s price is alright. the quality is terrible now tho, basically have to go at peak hours to ensure it’s not a cold meal and pray that it’s being assembled together correctly. half the time my order is wrong/missing something - ordered a bag of cheese bites last time and ended up getting a cheeseburger.

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pharmer25@reddit

In terms of value for money yes

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I can get maccies for me and my family for about £50, I don't remember the last restaurant bill I had under £100. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Maccies is more of a solo thing these days, getting food shoved through my car window, just for me when I'm on my own for ~£15. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Very much so, it just doesn't scratch the itch anymore for what it costs. If I'm out and about and hungry, I'll grab some spicy chicken bites and wedges from the hot rack in in Greggs, tastes decent, fills me up plenty, only costs me a few quid, and I usually get a free coffee from my Monzo.

Mispict@reddit

MacDs is my go to hangover fix.

I just can't justify almost £25 for a semi decent burger meal deal for 2 when I can get all of the ingredients from Lidl across the road for significantly less and make a banging DQP and fries.

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I can get a pizza for the price of a big mac meal. The pizza would feed two, I'm often quite disappointed after a McDonald's feeding one.

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cthulhuatemysoul@reddit

Yep. When my wife and I first started dating we would spend £20-30 on McDonalds for a feast including stuff to keep for the next day (wraps lasted surprisingly well in the fridge for example) but now every time we look at it we add a meal each and a box of nuggets or whatever and it's already run up to our former feast bill and we're getting cold and soggy fries, burgers that look like they were literally thrown together, and over or undercooked nuggets.

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Sin-Silver@reddit

The base price of everything has gone up on everything so much that whilst McDonalds is still cheaper than other places, it doesn't feel significantly cheaper.

If your going to spend fast food now, you might as well go to KFC which is only a few quid difference.

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smushs88@reddit

It’s gotten more pricy but still cheaper than most other fast food places.

At least based on my orders they typically come in a few pound less than the likes of KFC, Burger King, Popeyes, Tortilla etc.

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tapasmonkey@reddit

McDonalds got at least 50% more expensive here in Spain too, so possibly not just a UK thing.

Trouble is for McDonalds here is that you can get a lunchtime menu (menu del dia) at a cafe here for 15 euros, so only a couple of euros more than a McDonalds meal.

Still, they do serve beer in McDonalds here, and I'll never stop being amazed by that!

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Uhtredr@reddit

Am I the only person who finds it disgusting? You would have to pay me to eat that shit

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marktuk@reddit

It's become too slow. The one thing it was good for was being able to have a hot meal almost instantly, now you end up waiting in a long queue while they prioritise deliveries and drive though.

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LastDragonStanding@reddit

I've heard it's too expensive for what it is these days. I haven't been in I think 8 years now. The last time I went the quality was shockingly bad and the place was disgustingly dirty with miserable staff and questionable clientele so I vowed to never go back and haven't.

The missus still goes occasionally and says it's still wildly hit and miss.

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jmdg007@reddit

It's pricing is about on par with other fast food places. But the problem I think is the quality has taken a nose dive.

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yorkspirate@reddit

Well sometimes have maccies when I'm at the girlfriends day as her eldest tends to ask for one but at £40 for the 4 of us we don't push the suggestion

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DiDiPLF@reddit

It's definitely expensive now. But I know someone who owns one and the pricing is set by HQ, they were running at a loss at the beginning of the cost of living crisis, everything is expensive now, including staffing and energy for the restaurant. The app points are a bit of a swizz too, by the time you add fries and a drink to your free burger there's not much of a saving.

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wasted_tictac@reddit

I tend to get the wraps now, one of the few things that aren't that expensive when getting a meal.

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Specialist-Piccolo41@reddit

overpriced, grubby and full of noisy kids

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ancapailldorcha@reddit

Haven't had one in years, excluding one I got in Northern Ireland as my folks were paying and picking me up from the airport.

I used to be a "sometimes you just want a big Mac" guy, and I'd stop in for a sausage and egg mcmuffin a few times a year too. I enjoyed it.

I haven't been back in a couple of years now. I won't be back again.

The food was never great, but now it's not even good, and it's expensive. Not just not-cheap.

Add to that the fact that I don't want to have to wrangle with a sticky touchscreen with an eternally broken ticket printer, and then mill around in a crowd of awkward hungry people while stressed employees desperately avoid eye contact for 12 minutes.

It was never a super cheerful experience but it's downright dystopian now and I could just get a decent burger from the pub round the corner for another couple of quid.

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Interesting-Cash6009@reddit

I’ve not ate anything from there since 2010, or any other fast food chain.

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Non-wholesomechungus@reddit

It's around the same price as buying a gourmet burger from a local burger place. So you are getting a worse quality burger for the same price. Unfortunately inflation and infinite money printing has consequences.

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Yeah practically stopped using it now, £5.60 a meal, great. £8.90 or whatever it’s gone to now, no thanks. Would rather spend a little more and get some proper food! I’ve gone from spending a bit in there a month, to buying maybe one or two small double cheeseburgers a month. Tbh it’s done me good😆 less processed crap..

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PoinkPoinkPoink@reddit

It’s not so much the price for me but the quality for the price is shocking. I don’t eat it often but the past 6-7 times I’ve been (probably over the past 5 years) have been cold chips, crunchy burgers, stale bread, stuff missing, cola watered down to basically brown tonic water. Just not worth it.

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macxjs@reddit

It costs more but that doesn't necessarily make it too expensive. But it really doesn't feel like value for money anymore ... quality is terrible, waits are longer, food is colder etc.

That what makes it to expensive for me so I no longer bother.

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Emergency_Tree_2891@reddit

McD definitely not worth the money anymore. The size of burgers have gone smaller. Taste not much improvement. I'd rather spend a few more quids for a restaurant meal

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irish_horse_thief@reddit

They don't even sell tasty burgers and they are served with a huge portion of apathy. Two beigeburgers ? Do you want those as meals ?... Nah, not at All.

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Broad-Raspberry1805@reddit

Never understood the attraction of McDonalds, the food is tasteless crap. But I suppose it was always cheap, fast and convenient. If it’s no longer cheap or fast (the one time per year I go i always end up waiting 20 mins) then all that’s left is the convenience. So there’ll always be a market for it I guess.

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burnafterreading90@reddit

I’d pay a little more for a gluten free maccies burger - I sometimes just want to eat shite and that would hit the spot.

4tunabrix@reddit

Stick to the savers menu and you’ll spend less than £8 on a meal.

No but it doesn't feel like "good value" - you can have a meal at a chain owned pub for less and it'll be more satisfying and healthier.

I have McDonald's maybe 4 or 5 times a year. The queues are horrendous, it's no longer "fast food" and it leaves you hungry for more. I'd rather sit down in a Greene King and eat something cheap but filling if I'm wanting quick reliable food when out and about.

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