Fighting for your dollars: Where will you spend them?

It seems that we, the all-powerful consumers, have finally tired of the constant price increases everywhere. People are spending less money overall, and the places we are choosing to pinch our pennies most often are fast food restaurants. In May, Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said that the cost of medium french fries had increased by 44% since 2019, and a Big Mac Meal is up 27%. An average of all the items on the menu yields a 40% increase across the board, and consumers have noticed and responded by spending more money at slower, sit-down restaurants instead.

In an effort to recapture some of their customers, McDonald’s is offering a $5 value meal for a limited time. I decided to see exactly what I could get for a “bargain” at fast food. I didn’t modify any of the items that came with the meals, and just ordered everything as is. I compared two $5 meal offerings, and two $7 meals. I ate everything in the restaurant (with assistance, thanks for the company, you guys!) so all items were fresh and as tasty as possible. This is what my assistants and I thought of the four places we visited.

Our first stop was Wendy’s for the $5 Biggie Bag, which debuted in 2019. This is the meal that McDonald’s is trying to copycat now. At Wendy’s, you can pick from a list of sandwiches, so we ordered the one at the top, the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. You also get four chicken nuggets, a small fry and a small drink. And we didn’t do this, but if you order in the app, you can also get a free Frosty with your meal for a limited time. The burger was small but packed with flavor, and it had bacon. I had forgotten how good the fries at Wendy’s are, and the soda machine was a Coke Freestyle kiosk with a ton of choices. We wiped out that meal fast and moved on to the next place.

Of course, we had to contrast the Wendy’s meal with the McDonald’s new $5 value meal. We ordered the Double Cheeseburger with four nuggets, a small fry and a small drink, nearly a mirror image to Wendy’s. The burger here was bigger, and the chicken nuggets were larger. However, we went item by item and compared like to like. The Wendy’s burger was tastier. Bacon, lettuce and a dab of mayo put it over the top of the bigger double cheeseburger from McDonald’s, which was super salty and a little dry. The Wendy’s fries were also tastier, crispier and less salty. We all preferred the Wendy’s chicken nuggets to McDonald’s; the breading has a good blend of spices that McDonald’s lacks. McDonald’s may yield more calories, but Wendy’s won on flavor.

Next, we upped our spending game and visited Taco Bell, and between the three of us, we still had some room in our stomachs left. For $7, Taco Bell has the Luxe Cravings Box. You will receive a medium drink, a Chalupa Supreme, a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a Double Stacked Taco and chips with nacho cheese sauce. This is a lot of food. A chalupa from Taco Bell is always my favorite item as long as the shell is soft and fresh, and on this day, it was wonderful. My assistant eaters loved the Double Stacked Taco with its soft shell wrapped around a hard shell with cheese sealing them together. Without the calories from a drink, the food clocks in at 1400 calories, and we agreed that two people could split this meal easily. I was full, and they were mostly full, but we had one more stop to make.

To contrast the $7 Taco Bell meal, we visited Dairy Queen for the $7 Meal Deal. You can choose between a burger and chicken strips, but wanting to compare like to like, we opted for the burger. We also received fries, a drink and a small sundae. This was by far the biggest, beefiest burger of the day. Dairy Queen fries are my favorite fast food fry, so that was a win, and the sweet treat at the end (which is the only thing I could pick at, at this point in the journey), always hits the spot.

There is still value for the dollar to be found in convenience. If one is careful, an occasional visit won’t break the bank.

Rebecca LaClair travels to a new place every week to try food from a trendy restaurant or one she hasn’t been to yet.