After reading this piece, you might be ready to rethink your McDonald’s orders. Recently, a viral video caused an online debate about California’s minimum wage increase. A TikTok user, @shannon_montipaya, shared a video on March 27, causing a stir online. She was in the drive-thru of a Southern California McDonald’s location when she saw this shocking $25.39 deal for a 40-piece Chicken McNugget meal with two large fries. Here is the main gist: That meal price, including sales tax, doesn’t even include a drink. Sadly, this is after the fee amounts to roughly $26.
“OK, so it’s $25.39 for 40-piece nuggets and two large fries,” the TikTok user said. “You couldn’t even throw in the Sprite?
McDonald’s $25 Meal Deal Criticized Online
While the meal would satisfy at most four people, it shows how fast-food chain prices have increased over the years. According to a recent study by Finance Buzz, McDonald’s prices have inflated by 100% since 2014. Ten years ago, you could get a 10-piece McNugget meal for just $5.99. But now? The meal sells for $10.99.
Notably, the TikToker’s video garnered 2 million views on the video-sharing platform. This brought thousands of the platform’s users to the video’s comment section. Many nostalgic customers could not help but mention the past McDonald’s prices. One user wrote, “Remember when 40 pieces of nuggets was $5 and a large drink was $1?” Another commented, “The manager’s special used to be 40 nuggets, a gallon of tea, and a LG fry for like 20 dollars SMH.” A third user chimed in, “I spent $48 there yesterday, my jaw on the floor.”
ALSO READ: McDonald’s $5 Meal Plan Sparks Outrage Among Franchisee
Online Debate About California’s Minimum Wage
Elsewhere, some social media users pointed to the current legislation in California that increased the minimum wage for fast-food workers from $16 to $20. One noted, “$20 minimum wage, welcome to your new normal.” Notably, other TikTok users shared their local McDonald’s prices; however, very few were close to being as high as California’s. A Florida resident said, “50 nuggets here is 15 dollars.” On the contrary, a Texan commented, “It’s $6.19 in Dallas for a 20 piece and 2 large fries.”
Initially, some viewers felt the video was an overreaction and didn’t even care about the meal deal price. One user wrote, “12.50/person isn’t that crazy.” Another said, “You getting a good deal, and you complaining.” I guess everyone isn’t headed in the same direction.
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Viral TikTok Video Blames California’s Minimum Wage Increase for Meal Deal
Notably, the wage increase became effective on Monday, April 1. Fast-food businesses in the Golden State had anticipated the wage increase for months. For instance, MOD Pizza, which recently closed at least five California locations before the minimum wage increase, resumed operation that same Monday. A former MOD Pizza employee in Clovis informed FOX 26 Fresno that it “just kind of seemed like the right timing.” Elsewhere, McDonald’s USA informed FOX Business that the FinanceBuzz report is “not an accurate representation of pricing at McDonald’s restaurants.”
WATCH: More Bad News for California Residents Amid New Minimum Wage Hike
The statement read, “As the FinanceBuzz report itself notes, pricing is set by individual franchisees and varies by restaurant. This is not an accurate representation of historical or current pricing at McDonald’s restaurants, and the 2024 average prices listed are significantly inflated.” McDonald’s further clarified that value is its priority, and it’s dedicated to offering customers great value via daily affordable pricing. Moreover, special deals are available to customers on the app and MyMcDonald’s Rewards program. According to the FinanceBuzz report, in 2023, the ten largest publicly traded fast-food companies spent $6.1bn on share repurchases. Like most industries, the fast-food industry has historically charged higher prices than its marginal costs. However, between 2014 and 2023, markups grew at an annual rate of 2.2%, faster than ever since 1978. According to the report’s author, “There’s really an opportunity here to revert profits into workers back into the source of productivity for these businesses. This should be in a way that is going to be beneficial, not just for the overall economy but certainly for these businesses in the long term.”
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