A viral social media video about a $25 McDonald’s “deal” recently sparked an online debate about California’s minimum-wage increase.
A TikTok user who posts videos under the username @shannon_montipaya shared the video on March 27. She was in the drive-thru of a Southern California McDonald’s location when she saw a sign for a 40-piece Chicken McNugget meal deal, which also included two large fries.
The price of the meal bundle was $25.39 – including sales tax, it would come to roughly $27. In the video, the social media user lamented that the meal didn’t even include a drink.
“OK, so it’s $25.39 for 40-piece nuggets and two large fries,” she said. “You couldn’t even throw in the Sprite?”
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“You couldn’t even throw in, like, a medium Sprite in there? Holy crap.”
While the meal is designed to serve four people, it demonstrates how prices at the fast-food chain have risen over the years. A recent study by FinanceBuzz found that McDonald’s prices have increased by 100% since 2014.
Ten years ago, the average price of a 10-piece McNugget meal was $5.99. Now, the meal usually goes for $10.99.
The video ended up amassing 2 million views, bringing thousands of TikTok users to its comments section – many of whom were nostalgic about past McDonald’s prices.
“Remember when 40 pieces nuggets was $5 and a large drink was $1,” one comment read.
“The managers special used to be 40 nuggets, a gallon of tea, and a LG fry for like 20 dollars SMH,” another said.
“I spent $48 there yesterday…my jaw on the floor,” a third commenter wrote.
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Inevitably, some social media users pointed to the recent legislation in California that increased the minimum wage for fast-food workers from $16 to $20.
“20 minimum wage…..welcome to your new normal,” one person said.
“Welcome to California,” another chimed in.
Other users shared their local McDonald’s prices – and very few came close to being as high as California’s.
“50 nuggets here is 15 [dollars],” one Florida resident said.
“It’s $6.19 in Dallas for a 20 piece and 2 large fries,” a Texan wrote.
Some viewers thought the video was an overreaction and were unfazed by the price of the meal deal.
“12.50/person isn’t that crazy,” a user wrote.
“You getting a good deal and you complaining,” another said.
While the wage increase went into effect on Apr. 1 – four days after the TikTok video was posted – fast-food businesses in the Golden State had been bracing for the wage increase for months.
MOD Pizza recently closed at least five California locations before the minimum-wage increase kicked in on April 1. Several California fast-food establishments, particularly pizza chains, have been laying off employees in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reported last month, including Pizza Hut and Round Table Pizza.
A former MOD Pizza employee in Clovis told FOX 26 Fresno that it “just kind of seemed like the right timing, two weeks before all of the fast-food locations in California got that increase that we closed.”
Fox Business reached out to McDonald’s for comment.
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