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Nice Restaurant Chain You’ve Got Here
Powerline ^ | 22 Oct, 2024 | John Hinderaker

Posted on 10/24/2024 6:06:18 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Too bad if something were to happen to it.

You can tell how badly Trump’s McDonald’s coup worried Democrats by the fact that they immediately threatened the fast food chain. Senators Ron Wyden, Bob Case, and Elizabeth Warren sent this letter to McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski.

I won’t go through it line by line, but here are some observations. The left-wing senators write:

We write with concern regarding increases in fast food prices over the last several years and seeking information regarding McDonald’s pricing decisions.

Prices of every commodity and service have risen sharply over the last few years. It is called Bidenflation, and it was caused by the absurdly-named “Inflation Reduction Act” and other government deficit spending. Government’s greed for endless spending has devastated Americans’ budgets. McDonald’s management had nothing to do with it.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, fast food prices have consistently outpaced inflation, squeezing consumers who for decades were able to rely on restaurants like McDonald’s for a meal at a fair price. However, Americans are now leaving fast food establishments and are increasingly choosing to spend their food dollars on at-home consumption.

I will hazard a wild guess that McDonald’s management is aware of this trend and is doing everything possible to keep prices down.

Earlier this year, McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger tried to blame the company’s menu price increases on inflationary pressures and input costs, but the data tells another story. A recent analysis found that McDonald’s markup (i.e. the difference between the prices consumers pay and the cost of production) was 85% in 2023. McDonald’s operating profit margins were 52% in the same year, the highest of the ten largest publicly traded fast food companies.

These claims are footnoted to this paper by a couple of left-wing activists, the title of which is “Fast-Food Industry Profiteering: Why California Businesses Can Absorb a Higher Minimum Wage.” Author Alí R. Bustamante is described as the “deputy director of the Worker Power and Economic Security program at the Roosevelt Institute.” I can’t find any mainstream source that comes anywhere close to the numbers that these activists assert. In any event, the fast food market is extraordinarily competitive, and any net profit, let alone an above-average one, is a sign of efficient operation....SNIP money.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: bobcase; elizabethwarren; fascism; ronwyden
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To: jmcenanly

You forgot human labor, though Mickey D’s is finding ways to deal with soaring labor costs.


21 posted on 10/24/2024 7:51:35 AM PDT by mewzilla (Never give up; never surrender!)
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To: metmom

We stopped at a McDonald’s for dinner for the first time in months the day Trump did his shift in Feasterville.

If Mickey D’s holds fast, I’ll put my money, and my arteries, where my mouth is and eat there far more often.

Up to you, Mickey D’s...


22 posted on 10/24/2024 7:58:10 AM PDT by mewzilla (Never give up; never surrender!)
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To: jmcenanly

“Core” inflation also leaves out food and energy costs.


23 posted on 10/24/2024 8:00:08 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: MtnClimber

I think I’ll have McDonald’s for lunch.


24 posted on 10/24/2024 8:03:28 AM PDT by tiki (To)
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