Connecticut McDonald’s branch slammed for charging $18 for a Big Mac meal

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Connecticut McDonald’s branch slammed for charging $18 for a Big Mac meal​

By
Shannon Thaler and

Ariel Zilber
July 19, 2023 5:01pm
Updated

A McDonald’s at a Connecticut rest stop is charging $18 for a Big Mac combo meal — and fast-food fans aren’t lovin’ it.
“This was at a rest stop, but these McDonald’s prices are nuts right???” wrote Sam Learner after posting a photo of the menu on Twitter on Tuesday.
The McDonald’s — located off Interstate 95 in Darien, one of the country’s wealthiest towns in upscale Fairfield County — also charges $19 for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon meal or a Quarter Pounder Deluxe, both of which include medium fries and a medium soft drink.
Other eye-popping prices on the menu include $18 for a McCrispy sandwich, $18.29 for a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets and $16.59 for a Filet-O-Fish sandwich.
A cheeseburger, usually found on the $1 menu, is going for $17 for two.






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On Grubhub, the items are even more expensive.
A Big Mac meal would set the customer back $21.59 while a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal costs $22.79.
A McDonald's location in Darien, Conn. charges $18 for a Big Mac meal, according to a Twitter user.
A McDonald’s location in Darien, Conn. charges $18 for a Big Mac meal, according to a Twitter user.Google Maps
Learner tweeted he “might have stumbled into the country’s most expensive McDonald’s.”
The Post has sought comment from the franchisee that owns and operates the Darien location as well as McDonald’s corporate office.

While inflation has shown signs of cooling, food prices nationwide remain stubbornly high.
The most up-to-date federal data shows that the price of bread soared 11.5% in June compared to the same month last year — which is almost four times the rate of inflation.
The cost of meat slightly declined last month, but still remains higher than usual.
June prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs were 8.8% higher compared to 12 months prior, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The McDonald's is located at a gas station rest stop in Fairfield County, Conn.
The McDonald’s is located at a gas station rest stop in Fairfield County, Conn.Google Maps
McDonald’s business model allows franchisees to set their own prices, according to the company web site.
Darien, which is located in Fairfield County, has a median income of $250,000, according to the latest census data.
The image above is a screenshot of menu items from the same location as offered on Grubhub.
The image above is a screenshot of menu items from the same location as offered on Grubhub.Grubhub Inc.
That hardly lessens the sticker shock for McDonald’s customers who have gotten accustomed to items being more affordable than other foods.
Earlier this week, a TikTok user went viral after he posted video of himself wiping away tears in reaction to the high price of a McChicken sandwich.

“POV: When a McChicken from McDonald’s now cost $5,” the caption on the video read.
The TikTok user did not specify which McDonald’s location charges $5 for a McChicken sandwich.
 
Darien, which is located in Fairfield County, has a median income of $250,000, according to the latest census data.

Nobody pulls over at a rest stop in their own neighborhood or county so I don't know how that's relevant.

The only way this makes sense is if this location is on a super busy road. In that case the high prices make the drive-thru more manageable for staff.
 
Nobody pulls over at a rest stop in their own neighborhood or county so I don't know how that's relevant.

The only way this makes sense is if this location is on a super busy road. In that case the high prices make the drive-thru more manageable for staff.

That rest stop is the first major one on I-95 N after you leave NYC (about 45 mins out). I always stop there for a break when I'm headed East..
 
I'd like to see a report based on their inventory-- People actually pay those prices?

It would have also been cool to report the distance to the next McDonald's and the prices there and at the nearby Subway for context.
 
That rest stop is the first major one on I-95 N after you leave NYC (about 45 mins out). I always stop there for a break when I'm headed East..

Okay that makes sense.

This McDonald's doesn't target the community, they're targeting out of town commuters, bus passengers, and truck drivers. It's comparable to a McDonald's in an airport or ferry boat.

A lot of these folks are willing to pay $18 because they don't have many options for a hot meal.

Also, rest stops aren't known for their great public transit connections so anybody who works at that McDonald's needs to make enough to commute by car. Especially since it's unlikely that many of them can afford to live in a community where the average wage is a quarter million dollars a year.
 
Yo no lie I was at that exact location last week and sent my homie a pic of the Egg McMuffin breakfast combo price: $14! I was shocked..

That's what they tried to charge me in downtown San Francisco at the McDonald's on Market@2nd. That was back in 2014 though.
 
I dont eat none of that shit but bruh,

I havent eaten that shit in over three decades....

but bruh

sixteen dollars for a fish fillet...

this gotta be mexico and that price gotta be mexican pesos...

I could get a REAL WHITING FISH SAMMICH for a lot less than that..

I mean I dont mind paying for good food, but a fuckn fish fillet is NOT real food...

unless they using chilean sea bass now.... and not fuckin haddock...
 
I dont eat none of that shit but bruh,

I havent eaten that shit in over three decades....

but bruh

sixteen dollars for a fish fillet...

this gotta be mexico and that price gotta be mexican pesos...

I could get a REAL WHITING FISH SAMMICH for a lot less than that..

I mean I dont mind paying for good food, but a fuckn fish fillet is NOT real food...

unless they using chilean sea bass now.... and not fuckin haddock...

That might be because you live in a city that has multiple dining options for people of different income levels.

A fish fillet may not be real food, but if you were 3 hours into a 6-hour bus ride and the driver pulled over for lunch it might taste real.
 
That might be because you live in a city that has multiple dining options for people of different income levels.

A fish fillet may not be real food, but if you were 3 hours into a 6-hour bus ride and the driver pulled over for lunch it might taste real.

oh THATS the situation, well of COURSE its going to be more, everybody has to get a cut,

and mcdeez is going to make sure they dont get less than they expect.. and yea in nyc

there is no shortage of places to eat... brub
 
On another note, I went to KFC for the first time in years, and first off .... the prices have fucking TRIPLED! Second of all, why the fuck were the thighs and legs so small. They fucking leg looked like a drumette.

I need to do a toxin bath immediately.
 
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