The dollar menu is officially no longer a thing…

13 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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In this monologue, Dan Novaes argues that fast‑food meals have become prohibitively expensive, citing a $15 Big Mac combo as an example of price inflation that now exceeds typical sit‑down restaurant costs. He claims that major chains such as McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Subway have roughly doubled their prices over the past five years, attributing the hikes to inflation and supply‑chain issues while simultaneously posting higher profits. Novaes contends that the real driver is price gouging: companies recognize that consumers will pay more and therefore keep raising prices. He links rising labor costs—particularly minimum‑wage increases—to further price hikes, positioning fast food as a luxury that many families can no longer afford. The disappearance of the dollar menu exemplifies this shift. Despite the cost, Novaes notes that working families continue to purchase fast food because of time constraints, food deserts, and a lack of affordable alternatives, effectively trapping them in a cycle of expensive, processed meals.

Chapters

A Big Mac meal at McDonald's costs $15. That's more than a sit down restaurant charged. Five years ago fast food was supposed to be cheap, quick, affordable. Now it's just expensive. McDonald's, Chipotle, Subway, all of them doubled their prices. They blamed inflation, they blamed supply chains but their profits went up, not down. So what's really happening? Price gouging. Companies realized people would pay more so they kept raising prices. Workers got minimum wage increases. Companies responded by raising prices even more and blaming labor costs. Now fast food is a luxury. Families can't afford it anymore. The dollar menu is value is gone. It's just overpriced processed food. But here's the twist. People are still buying it not because they want to, because they don't have time to cook because food deserts exist because there's no alternative. Fast food companies have you trapped. They know it and they're charging accordingly. The affordable food option for working families just became another expense they can't afford.