The price ranges of McDonald’s meals are common knowledge to many people. So, when there is a change in the prices, people are bound to notice. 

A customer noticed an increase in some McDonald’s meals and immediately drew public attention to it. The new prices became a hot topic of discussion on the internet.

Sam Learner, a Twitter user and a resident of Connecticut, strolled into a McDonald’s on Interstate 95 in Darien Town. He wanted to grab a quick meal as usual. 

But he noticed something different about the price. A Big Mac Combo sold for $17.59, a McCrispy for $17.99, while a Quarter Pounder Combo went for $18.99. These prices were significantly higher than they are known to be.

Surprised by the notable changes, Learner swiftly took out his phone to take pictures of the prices. He shared the photos on Twitter to see what others would say. 

Learner added some information about the restaurant. His post disclosed that the restaurant was at a rest stop. He also included a link to the restaurant’s online menu for the doubters.

Sam Learner posted the prices on his personal Twitter page @sam_learner. He posted the photos with a caption that read, “This was at a rest stop, but these McDonald’s prices are nuts, right???” 

A day after he made the post, he returned with a follow-up post that included a price map of McDonald’s outlets across the country. He drew the viewer’s attention to something odd.

The map listed an outlet in Lee, MA, which sold a Big Mac for $8.09, the country’s most expensive outlet to buy a Big Mac. But the price for the Darien outlet, which sold for $8.29, came out blank on the map. 

Learner, however, added that the map was from a few months ago and probably didn’t reflect the present reality.

Soon after Learner’s post went up, comments started pouring in. Viewers were taken aback and inflamed by what they believed was an attempt by the restaurant to play smart.

The diner was at the receiving end of almost every critical comment on the post, which had garnered over 397,000 views. The post had also received over 350 “likes” and 280 comments.

It isn’t difficult to see why most comments were against the outlet. Following the inflation that has ravaged the country and taken prices of goods to all-time highs, sellers have made dishonest moves to maintain profit margins. 

Many sellers have introduced outrageous charges to their services to extort customers. In many cases, this manifests in an inconsiderate increase in the prices of goods and services.

Fortunately for the diner, not all comments were in the opposition. Some viewers sided with the restaurant and gave several reasons why their prices were as high as they were. 

Some comments explained that the prices of food at highway stops are typically higher than the usual ones. Some of these comments also received nods from people who agreed with the reasoning.

Other comments that came to the restaurant’s defense reasoned that the diner probably sold meals that high because of rent. The cost of rent isn’t the same for every outlet, so it made sense for each one to fix prices that matched its cost of operations. 

Still, many viewers weren’t impressed by this reasoning. Some remarked that they would never buy a McDonald’s meal for even half that price.

According to McDonald’s franchises have the freedom to set their own prices. For this reason, one shouldn’t be shocked to find significantly varying prices amongst the restaurant’s outlets. 

Reports show that 93% of McDonald’s outlets are franchises. According to U.S. Census Data, the town of Darien in Fairfield County is one of Connecticut’s wealthiest towns. This could be the reason why Darien’s McDonald’s sold at such high prices.

Just like Learner, other angry McDonald’s customers have taken their grievance with the restaurant chain to social media. A TikToker with the username @hellomatthewlong has taken his disapproval of McDonald’s prices to the public. 

In a video he posted on the site, he criticized the restaurant’s pricing, mentioning specific items. One of which is hash browns, which he bought for $2.29 at one of their outlets.

He also lamented over the price of a side of fries he ordered for $4. “Who can afford this,” he asked while urging viewers to share similar experiences. 

Many viewers responded with their encounters with unusually high prices at the restaurant brand’s outlets. One even said they had stopped patronizing the company. “I stopped going there when they start jacking the prices… I’m done with McDonald’s!” he said.