The Rise and Fall of the Dollar Menu

[@DPSFSU]

It's so crazy to me that, within my lifetime, the $5 bill has basically become the $1 bill. The greed in this world is astronomical.

[@JessieJellybeans]

The same thing happened to your grandparents.

[@LUCKO2022]

That is because these idiot liberals keep printing more and more money thus making the dollar worth less and less. Too much money going out not enough coming back in.

[@cameronwilson7476]

On top of that "penny candy" used to be a thing. My great grandfather ran a local market in NC and you could get a coke for 5 cents...

[@jonsmith7659]

The should all drop the word value from their menus since the prices are ridiculous and the food is hot garbage. McDonald’s is the worst.

[@DPSFSU]

@@JessieJellybeans true, yet at a much slower rate. Inflation has become the fastest growing POS out there. By the time I'm the age my grandparents were when they passed, the $10 bill will be the new dollar. I'm 38, they passed in their 90's, it's sadly possible. Also, wages haven't gone up that much in many many years yet stuff is still becoming more expensive.

[@jtp2007]

The Wendys 4 for 4 seems like it has been the most successful one of all of them. That is a pretty damn good meal for $4 and it Wendys does not lose money

[@beetheartist6446]

they got rid of the 4 for 4!! now it's the $5/$6 biggie bag

[@WilliamsWrestlin]

​@@beetheartist6446 They knew what they were doing.

[@beetheartist6446]

@@WilliamsWrestlin no I completely agree. it's still such a shame tho

[@jhoughjr1]

Wendy’s u can still get a small meal for five bucks. Steak m shake is good with its 4 for 4 if u just drink water

[@LoLErMan13]

​@Bee the Artist which is for a small.

[@mccallosone4903]

wendys dollar menu probably saved my life. jr bacon, a chili, and a drink would be my biggest meal of the day sometimes

[@UncleXerces]

I lived off the double stacks

[@Seinsmelled]

Penisenberg

[@dillxdough]

Same. Wendy’s saved my ass so many times

[@nikkimcdonald4562]

Same here plus having so many choices. Salad..baked potato..frostie..

[@RaisonLychi]

​@@nikkimcdonald4562 i loved that Wendy's had baked potatoes. I'd get chicken strip and a baked potato. AND THE POTATOES WERE HUGE.

[@Cowslike2moo]

being a high school senior was so nice at this time. 5 dollars footings, 5 little Caesars pizza, dollar menus everywhere.

[@ACoolKidsProduction]

Was just thinking about how prone to inflation the profit margins on the $5 Footlong was as well. 10 years on they were all "Uh... $5 Footlong, but it's really 2 for $10?" I'm pretty sure they also had issues with customers all the time who didn't understand that it wasn't an all the time deal.

[@oliverrando6463]

Facts even the little caesars pizzas went up even though I don't eat they're that much

[@chocov1233]

I remember that.

[@dannymartial7997]

It’s true. When McD launched their Dollar Menu, I NEVER ordered from anything that wasn’t from the Dollar Menu. My go-to was a McChicken and a McDouble, which famously made the McGangBang, the best value burger of all time, and tasted damn good too.

[@billyrussell8684]

Did start adding bacon when that became an option for extra dollar. Mchicken with bacon and McDouble with Mac sauce is the ultimate nc gang bang

[@Yargslog]

how did they even get the name "mcgangbang" some kids won't know what that means lmao

[@runechuckie]

Lmao this is great, we are prob from completely different parts of the country yet it was called the same thing where I grew up 😂😂😂 1.07$ for each with sales tax and slap those bitches together to make a delicious 2$ sandwich!!! Man it really makes me sad that even a McChicken now days by itself it well over 2$+

[@inthisdayandage6622]

I think we’ll be extremely lucky to ever see another dollar menu in our lifetime

[@oorto1393]

inflation isn't going to go backwards. just introduce a $2 menu

[@PM-qp5he]

This is Bidens America

[@Delmeus]

@@PM-qp5he President has nothing to do with the economy try the treasurer or maybe secretary of state.

[@PM-qp5he]

@@Delmeus you're not a very smart person.

[@benjaminwatt2436]

@@Delmeus Presidents can push for laws and veto laws. they definately have power to effect the economy. Consider Clinton who everyone agrees was good for the economy and lead to a boom in the 90s that lasted untill the early 2000s

[@MAVJ]

I worked at McDonald's back in high school (2012-13ish) and groups of people used to come in and get 30 McChickens and 30 McDoubles ATLEAST twice a shift. It was a damn good deal to feed a party 😅

[@dem0nchild610]

I worked for McDonald's back in 04 and we had this one guy come in and get 100 double cheeseburgers and two plain meat patties for his poodle he would do that every other week

[@darkninjafirefox]

Thank you for your service

[@Ottophil]

@@dem0nchild610 theres no way that guy or that poodle are still alive

[@lickwidgoat3480]

And they had 50 pc nuggets

[@constructionbootgazer]

Hell yeah! Bunch of us had a spare (no class) right after lunch in HS, and we would pile into buddy’s Civic to go buy 30 burgers before we’d have to get back to school. Those were the days…

[@grantmurdock7385]

I don't understand how or why, but the last time my wife got a combo meal it was eleven bucks. Somehow fast food is the same price or more expensive while still being crappier than other local offerings.

[@damedelamour]

If I want take out, I go for an actual restaurant now. It’s the same price as fast food but you get bigger portions. It’s insane

[@howarddyla9676]

number 1 meal at wendy's is 12.08 after tax.

[@ryanoconnor5176]

sometimes it's just as expensive to go out to a real sit down restaurant.

[@Hyperbolic_G]

And you have to pay a ridiculous 20% tip.

[@nomoretwitterhandles]

@@Hyperbolic_G Technically you don't have to pay a tip, because it's not part of the bill. Although, you would be very ignorant and hateful to not want to support waitstaff. They act nicely towards you, you pay them a tip as compensation. That's how it works. If you don't want to pay tips anymore, then you should be alongside waitstaff in the fight for reasonable pay. Waitstaff are one of the few jobs where you can legally be paid *under* the minimum wage. If you live and work in an area with less foot traffic, you're not going to get enough tips to compensate your lack of pay. That's why waitstaff rely on tips. After all, most other countries don't tip, and that's because their waitstaff gets paid reasonably. Now, personally, I love tipping. I like to make someone's day by helping them out. Once, a waitress gave me a free item for my birthday and insisted it was on the house... I tipped her 100% of my total bill. She went out of her way to help me celebrate my birthday even though she wasn't obligated to (this restaurant didn't offer birthday treats and I didn't get a dessert anyway). So, I went out of my way to return the kindness. You'd have to be awful to not want to tip someone for that. In general, you'd be awful to not want to tip servers for doing their jobs. What's the harm in tipping? Is it costing you money? Well, don't go out to eat then. Going out is a treat, not an expectation.

[@Dj.MODÆO]

This scenario is almost exactly what happened with the $5 foot long at subway. Subway forced all the franchisees to only buy ingredients and products from them to sell in the store and was charging more than $5 on average for the ingredients to make the footlongs. Because more than half of sales were $5 footlongs, The franchisees were losing between $50k-$75k a year at every franchise location so they sued subway and won.

[@captfcknut]

You are 1000% correct.

[@adamc6371]

It’s crazy that they won because it’s pretty normal business practice to have at least one loss seller product that sells at a slight loss of profit that incentivizes people to buy it because if they buy it, statistically , they are more likely to purchase other stuff in addition to going there more frequently. This is literally why fast food coupons exist.

[@GamerSaeM]

@@adamc6371 the thing is not just 1 sandwich was $5... it's all sandwiches are $5

[@MovieEggman]

The Dollar Menu is what kept me and my roommates fed through our college years. We always ordered Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers, Fries and Frosties from the Wendy’s that was near the campus, we usually spent less than 20 dollars for all three of us, good times.

[@dameneko]

I still miss the 59/79/99 cent value menu at Taco Bell. When I was a kid, my mom used to be able to get us both a big enough dinner for less than $3 total and she'd always grab a bunch of sauce, which I'd use on eggs and rice at home. But even Taco Bell was considered to be kind of a treat. Our target was to not spend more than $1 per person per meal (this was the 90s), so most of the time I'd make my own bean burritos at home. Things like McDonald's french fries were a "mom just got paid" kind of treat.

[@BreadFred3]

I miss those crunchy tacos for 2 for $1. Now, those things cost like $2.39 each.

[@JohnnyFontane528]

I’m so thankful I didn’t grow up poor

[@doctorm3518]

​@@JohnnyFontane528 would have taught you some humility

[@JohnnyFontane528]

@@doctorm3518 you have to be poor to have humility?

[@benjaminwatt2436]

@@JohnnyFontane528 no, but at least i talk to my family. When you don't have a nentindo theres not much else to do

[@lygophilia4127]

Pay attention with combo meals. In some cases (not specifically McDonald's) I've noticed it's not only not a decrease in price to get the combo but actually costs MORE than buying individually. They "get" you on your assumption it'll be cheaper and ease of ordering.

[@mrmoshpotato]

Yup. I've noticed this with Popeyes. It's sometimes a 70 cent difference, but still.

[@Stoned420Guru]

McDonald's has a few combos cheaper when you go large compared to medium. The double cheeseburger large combo is like $9 but a medium is $10.50

[@Stoned420Guru]

Looked up another weird one, a single fish fillet combo is $8.19, but the double fish fillet is $7.99 You're paying less for an extra fillet.

[@nitroxylictv]

Also the portions keep getting smaller every year. I ordered a quarter pounder not that long ago and it was literally smaller than a big mac but cost more. Its rediculous that they can get away with that. We need to boycott fast food. Its unhealthy and a scam.

[@trentp8035]

Absolutely insane that fast food is no longer convenient or cheap. I feel the last 50+ years was a psyop to try to trick us into believing it was cheap.

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

I remember the day when places like McDonald's & Burger King went from the Dollar Menu to the Value Menu...sad day indeed...

[@goeticfolklore]

McD and Burger King have dollar fries any size on the app, it’s just rewards vs menu

[@sntslilhlpr6601]

Congratulations, that's literally the topic of the video.

[@nesttea2239]

@@goeticfolklore fries are very cheap to make

[@MultiCool55]

@@goeticfolklore Those apps probably mine quite a bit of your personal data to offset the cheap prices, though I don't blame people for relying on them.

[@goeticfolklore]

@@MultiCool55 few apps don't nowadays

[@randysmith7094]

Around the mid 80's, a McDeez hamburger was around 50 cents. Minimum wage was around $5. Now a hamburger is around $2.50 and minimum wage is around $15. Burgers are up 5X while wages are only up 3X.

[@danc2014]

Ca mandated medical and time off for workers plus Sick leave add in utility cost delivery and rent for the rest. And 2024 we now have another min wage of $20

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

Quater pounders are like 12 dollars now

[@TurdFergurson]

It's absolutely crazy that McDonald's actually thought the dollar menu would get people to add to a meal instead of people ordering exclusively off the $1 menu. Were they really that naive?

[@Smarfton]

When I was dirt poor and working a retail job, I used to go to Wendy's, order dollar fries and two dollar orders of chicken nuggets, dump everything into the bag, shake it up and just blindly grab whatever my fingers touched. It was great.

[@666cemetaryslut]

Double stacks used to be $1 which was a crazy value. I think they're $4 now.

[@skinnybuddha8988]

My dude living the life

[@thefrog4990]

I love this

[@Video-Games-Are-Fun]

I used to be dirt poor. life was pure sh|t. nothing was great other than getting out of poverty. all of it sucked.

[@MarkSmith-lz5rk]

​@@666cemetaryslut1 dollar double stacks were awesome

[@mattnordsell9760]

I used to work at McDonald's when the dollar menu was still fairly new and the medium fry used to be on the dollar menu, then it changed to the small fry before there were no fries anymore on the menu, the McDouble was introduced because of the cost of the double cheeseburger not able to be profitable on the dollar menu. The McDouble was introduced because corporate realized that the restaurants could save 30 cents by removing one slice of cheese. Now, the double cheeseburger is around $4 and the McDouble is around $3.

[@presmasterflash7555]

Yeah. Not worth it. And also it’s McShittles, also not worth it. If you go a year or longer without eating McShittles, you will spit out the first bite it is so disgusting. I loathe their food. No thanks.

[@mattnordsell9760]

@@randallducote7139 Yeah, I have the app and if I am getting something there, I first see what is available in the deals before I start ordering.

[@mattnordsell9760]

@@presmasterflash7555 Yeah, I barely eat there, I only will get something there if I'm picking up an order for DoorDash or GrubHub and I haven't been able to eat something better and I don't have time to go somewhere else.

[@randallducote7139]

@@mattnordsell9760 I had buy one get one Big Mac, and did the 2 Large Fries for 5 somethin. Total ended up being 11 something altogether. Can't beat it.

[@mattnordsell9760]

@@randallducote7139 that's not a bad deal for that. One of the deals here in the twin cities area is the ability to get any size fry for $1 each day and then there is also a buy big Mac, quarter pounder or 10 piece nugget and get another for 29¢

[@Waxyjoessb]

“As filthy and dimly lit as possible to make costumers feel like they’re spending the bare minimum” this line is a perfect description of Dollar General. Immediately subscribed for that one.

[@ButterfatFarms]

Poor costumers can even adequately see their creations it's so dim.

[@emmanuelsantiago6641]

Ditto, that was hilarious

[@miguelantoniodancer]

I cracked up so hard lol

[@arieljones4595]

I remember, as a senior in high school in '95, our local Taco Bell had tacos for $.49 and Supremes were like $.59, same for bean burritos. Basic tacos are now $1.79. That's a price factor of 3.5 times plus. Has inflation gone up like that? No!

[@polcaltieri]

Has inflation gone up like that? Yes. Has that reflected on CPI? No. Let's face it CPI is CPLie

[@sburton015]

What's interesting is that you can still see a section of many fast food menus called "dollar menu", however you really can't find any item that actually only costs $1. Most of the cheapest items now still costs over $2.

[@javiruiz8365]

We don’t have a dollar menu in NYC anymore! It’s the 3 dollar menu

[@sburton015]

@@javiruiz8365 McDonald's needs to bring back the dollar menu or they will continue to lose customers. Well, I guess they want to lose customers because they don't care anymore

[@patsysolatzzo2962]

I’ll never forget rolling up to a McDonald’s with my friends but I only had $4 and some change. I was so embarrassed. I almost said I wasn’t hungry but my friend asked how much I had and I told him. The relief/ pure happiness I had when he told me i had more than enough because of the dollar menu.

[@xavierjones6852]

Yeah bro you were Gucci with that back then. Depending on the change you had you could have got a lil meal and a lil extra

[@patsysolatzzo2962]

@@xavierjones6852 facts, good good days.

[@Video-Games-Are-Fun]

that was not your friend to begin with if you were embarrassed...

[@patsysolatzzo2962]

@@Video-Games-Are-Fun no, they were my true friends. It was me feeling the insecurities because I come from foster homes with not much money. The money I did get I spent on my younger foster siblings. My friends, who are still my boys today, were the ones who made me feel comfortable by telling that it wasn’t a big deal if I had only $4. The post exchange was that we would always have each others back if we were a little bit short on change. But because the dollar menu was available, I was able to have a good experience as well.

[@Junior-rt6xr]

@@patsysolatzzo2962 you got the lucky part of foster care lucky you. you were not the part that was hurt nice job

[@xpatsteve]

I'd like to see a video about places like Dollar General and the food items they sell. They have practically replaced grocery stores in low income areas.

[@alexjones6190]

I noticed they have extra small portions though. It ends up being a huge rip off

[@markiangooley]

Dollar General is usually nasty. Some items at Dollar Tree, even at $1.25, are good buys, but some packages are getting smaller (used to get a pound of dry beans but now for most types of bean it’s 12 ounces). Pasta used to be 24-ounce packages but they’re now 20-ounce. The best deals are when Dollar Tree gets things about to expire or that didn’t sell, like oddball General Mills cereals, sometimes boxes well over a pound.

[@420funny6]

Shrinkflation

[@beebomcgroober9316]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4ibiamNg5KVg6c The Company Man has done a couple good videos on the three Dollar Stores and their strategies. Dollar General specifically targets low income areas without big box stores.

[@ianturnbow7011]

There’s a whole channel dedicated to trying frozen foods at discount stores, but many of the meals are subpar and loaded with sodium.

[@cgraham6]

My go-to cheap fast food meal these days has to be Wendy's biggie bag. It's $5, but that gets you a sandwich, small fries, four-pc chicken nuggets and a drink. The portions are tiny, but getting four different items makes it feel like a lot more than it is.

[@sly-fi6502]

Yikes :( what an era we live in

[@NineteenEightyFive]

Yup it’s one of the few good deals left out there. As points add up on the app you can add something free to it for a more filling meal. Their offers on the app are pretty good too.

[@BreadFred3]

5-4-4 was better.

[@99Pierogies]

Its $6 where I live now. Wendys has ok deals on the app tho at least

[@Chris_Alonzo_Vlogs]

$7 where I’m at

[@mrath]

You didn't mention the McDouble. It was essentially a double cheeseburger with one versus two slices of cheese, that McDonald's offered to keep the $1 price point for a while.

[@professorhal8098]

It is now 3 dollars.

[@supernothing77]

my go too

[@supernothing77]

you can get two for less than 3 dollars. or combine with a McChicken@@professorhal8098

[@drowntone4986]

We had it so good with the dollar menu in the late 2000's early 2010s, you don't even know. The people of the great recession needed to be fed and fast food delivered.

[@vulcanraven9701]

I remember the Beefy 5 Layer Burrito was on the dollar menu. Its price now: 😮

[@theboxingboy7422]

The fact you used to be able to go to McDonald's and you could get a Dbl cheeseburger a McChicken,fries,2 pies and a drink for $5 was crazy. Couldn't get anywhere near that amount of food there for that price nowadays

[@tristantheoofer2]

bruh for 5 bucks you cant even get a big mac and a drink. and you cant even get literally the cheapest sub at subway either lol. like today i went there and got a footlong meal with a meatball sub. costed 15 bucks... wtf???

[@teufelshunde730]

That's because the food ? Was made from the junk, aka lips and axx holes!!! Chew on that!!

[@kevinbond8966]

Ate almost this exact meal several times a week in highschool.

[@mariamayub212]

I loved the 99 cent menu at Wendy's! I was working downtown Seattle. And they had a two-floor Wendy's I would go for lunch everyday and I would bring a can of soda that I bought from the grocery store with me to work. I would pick two items from the 99 cent menu and ask for a cup with ice for free and I basically had lunch every day for about $2.16! Chilly and a salad, nuggets and fries, baked potato you name it that was the best ever!

[@alexjones6190]

The problem now is the items are like half the size so you couldn't even consider doing that now

[@Video-Games-Are-Fun]

would have been cheaper to actually prepare your own meals at home for the week (meal prep) and then eat throughout with better nutrition to boot

[@M123Xoxo]

Why drink soda every day? It should be a very occasional treat. Gross.

[@javiruiz8365]

@@M123XoxoI agree! I don’t drink sodas at all, but a couple weeks ago I had a sprite with lots of ice and it was so delicious. I have not had that in a very long time

[@warrenstroud7074]

As someone who has eaten McDonalds once (sometimes more) everyday for the last 5 years, the new prices lost me. It was literally my favourite thing to eat and I should be ashamed of how much I spent back then in their food. But once they made the McDouble $3.19 I said I’m sick of their typical crap. Haven’t been back since

[@PerspectivePossibilities]

Invest all that into a gym membership my friend

[@saulloll8547]

@@PerspectivePossibilities STFU. He most likely has a membership lmao. You can eat mcdonalds everyday and not be fat

[@tylerbuck9347]

​@PerspectivePossibilities not a nice thing to say

[@ghettomist1575]

Man it’s probably not good to eat that stuff everyday for that long. I get it though, it is super continent.

[@Kyeuss]

Yo. This is one of the best KZbin videos I’ve seen in a long time. Just excellent historical context, facts, commentary, editing, visual examples, pacing, length, topic choice, and it’s funny af. Good shit everyone 😂🙌

[@lilitharam44]

Love the truth/shade thrown at Dollar General @8:08! They DO keep every store dark and filthy, doesn't matter where you are. Hey, at least there's continuity! I think I speak for everyone when I say that Taco Bell needs to bring back the .59, .79, .99 menu from the 90's (it was really the best) or at least a real dollar menu for some of these places!

[@ocuyo6044]

Probably the same reason why Dollar Tree took out the green carpeting.

[@kuebby]

Every dollar store is disgusting and plague on the community.

[@sly-fi6502]

Our dollar isn't worth enough anymore for them to have a dollar menu unless that menu consists of condiments only 😔

[@sly-fi6502]

And yet min wage in many states is still $7.25 while costs in said states have been skyrocketing... What a freakin joke

[@oorto1393]

they should just admit inflation is a thing and make a $2 menu. it's better than no value items and prices being inflated beyond what inflation should justify (altho there is the issue that labor is more expensive and ff employees have wised up to how underpaid they are and aren't putting up with it anymore)

[@hollyking2580]

Oh, that dig at Dollar General was so well-deserved! LOL 😅😂

[@johnbenjamin98]

More like $1.25

[@tyneishalewis9917]

Another Weird History Food Sunday! I remember the Dollar/Value Menus at Taco Bell, BK, Wendy's, and McDonald's. Good times & good values, especially when you were on a budget. Whenever my Grandma would come and visit, she would treat my brother and me to food. She didn't have much, so the Dollar Menu at McDonald's really helped.

[@giraffesinc.2193]

Aw, what a sweet Grandma!

[@tyneishalewis9917]

@@giraffesinc.2193 Thank you, She's the best!

[@Snapdragon0112]

A few days ago, McDonald’s officially purged the 1,2,3 menu. Nothing on that thing was 1,2, or 3, but they kept it anyway for years. But now that means you can use the items on that list for coupons such as “buy one breakfast sandwich get one free.”

[@lastdayonearthmysteryman4849]

I remember as kid getting a dollar tea and drinking it all day! Missed these days!

[@jamestaylor-qb9wo]

I remember the "5 for $5" at Arby's, 5 roast beef sandwiches for $5+tax but lived off that for a few years. Was sad when they canceled it

[@electron2601]

That was the best!

[@mrkilo-g8794]

Now that's $11+

[@666cemetaryslut]

Now it'd be 5 different things for $5 each

[@Bristecom]

Yep, I remember when their classic roast beef was $1, but now it's over $5!! (At least where I live) Arby's is only reasonable if you have coupons or you stick to their promotional deals. And some locations are always stale and gross. You may as well just go to a nicer restaurant.

[@SoonerStrain]

i remember going there like once a week with the family and my dad would only spend the 5 and itll feed us all

[@normtrooper4392]

I think the bigger problem with society is not that we no longer have a $1 burger, but that wages haven't kept up with inflation for several decades now. In a country where food waste accounts for billions of kg of food going to waste, it seems a complete mess

[@PrezVeto]

Wages not keeping up with inflation is inevitable given decades of bad economic interventions in the U.S. The people have been propping up their standard of living by borrowing from future generations (federal borrowing). That can't continue at the same rate, and as it declines, so will the relative standard of living. The food waste situation is indeed a mess. Unfortunately people will find the changes necessary to reduce it "inconvenient".

[@BuildinWings]

@@PrezVeto Your idea of monetary policy hasn’t existed in about 100 years because deflation proved it wrong.

[@PrezVeto]

@@BuildinWings Not sure how it relates to this convo, but… I notice you don't say _how_ that's the case. Methinks it's because you can't.

[@nimbus3218]

There always has to be this guy. Inflation and wages have nothing to do with each other. Wages increase as skills increase. Minimum wage isn’t meant to be a living wage it’s a bit of spending cash for teens just entering the job market. If you’re over 21 and still not making a living wage the problem is you.

[@cmdrfunk]

Mass inflation is what you guys vote for because you demand endless government spending and you cower in your homes and beg the government to protect you from a relatively minor virus

[@jasonr.8907]

You should do a video on how the sizes of these burgers have significantly gotten smaller over the last 10 to 20 years. You need to eat 3 burgers nowadays just to feel full. Ridiculous!

[@PrezVeto]

Yep. Shrinkflation. The Whopper and Big Mac patties are now disgraces to their names!

[@atodaso1668]

Or people should still just eat one since they are now much fatter.

[@StarkMaximum]

"You need to eat three burgers just to feel full!" Have you considered that you may in fact be overeating

[@OhSoNasty]

No you're just fat

[@jasonr.8907]

@@atodaso1668 hahaha true!

[@kylespevak6781]

Hearing that the original Happy meal was about a dollar blows my mind. I had to stop getting Happy meals early on in my childhood because my parents could literally not afford it

[@BlackArroToons]

Good video, thanks. The Dollar Menu is what got me to go to some of these chains for a quick and cheap lunch once in awhile. I only got $1 this and $1 that.

[@laurync4342]

My senior year of high school (2017/2018) Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s started the $5 box promotion. A burger, chicken stars, fries, cookie, and drink for $5!! We were in that drive thru line twice a week. They soon removed the nuggets. Then raised it to $7 a box. Then got rid of it entirely. But for that one semester of school when i was making the money from my summer job stretch they changed the game!

[@ygbgforever]

The Popeyes Tuesday deal used to be a good value too. You could get a two piece and a biscuit for $1.99.

[@LivewireT]

For quite a few years, we could get a 2pc dark and biscuit for 99cents in Las Vegas.

[@VirginAfterSex420]

In Canada; kfc used to have twoonie Tuesday. 2 pieces of chicken and fries for 2 dollars

[@jlshel42]

Then people began shooting dice in against the order area

[@sanitary103]

Sounds familiar being that I worked there in high school (1998).

[@mbrewer523]

I grew up in Ohio and I’m not sure if this was only there, but all the McDonald’s had an 88¢ menu. It had to be early 2000s and it didn’t last very long.

[@andrewjohnson7645]

That sounds awesome but of course ohio

[@alexjones6190]

Could have been I know the Midwest has cheaper prices right now for fast food

[@lorenzoFCIM1908]

Average Ohio McDonalds experience

[@Tina-ts9wv]

The ice cream was for sure 88 in Illinois

[@2002dialupconnection_]

I remember traveling to Ohio when I was a kid in the late 90’s early 2000s and they had kids meal breakfasts, little silver dollar size pancakes that you dipped into the syrup cups.

[@larrybobik3872]

I remember the 99 cent junior bacon cheeseburger at Wendy's and the $1 cheeseburger day at McDonald's. It's crazy how the dollar menu has changed!! I'm flashing back to youth lol

[@TheDarkThunder]

5 for $5 Arby Sandwiches is legendary. Thank you for mentioning Mayor McCheese!

[@Troy-McClure81]

Class of 99 here ,Wendy's 99Cent menu sustained me all through High School ,we had open campus so everyday i took my 5$ and ate like a king..Now the double stacks are thrice the price and half the size...Thanks Dave!

[@somaika]

Class of ‘99 sounds so cool!!

[@javiruiz8365]

I was class of 2000, but we did not have open campus

[@torablack]

Watching this makes me miss the days of the dollar menu. I use to buy off of Taco Bells dollar menu whenever I wanted fast food but only had like $2-$3 bucks in my pocket.

[@huggablecat9456]

Right I remember getting a bean burrito and triple layer nachos for like $2.25 that fed broke me in highschool

[@giraffesinc.2193]

Yaaay, inflation. Even the dollar store is like, $1.25.

[@dereksalas8195]

Word

[@onizuka]

it's crazy a soft taco, no lettuce is nearly 3$. not even the cost, but the size of it is insanely small compared to the 90s ver

[@mrkilo-g8794]

Same here but hyper inflation ruined it

[@chunkymurps]

Here in Australia McDonald's calls it the Loose Change Menu. As we have $1 and $2 coins the theory behind it is that the loose change in your pocket is enough to buy something although the prices of items does increase regularly so you need more of that 'loose change' to be able to buy something other than just a drink. Plus, with more and more transactions being paid for by credit card, the concept of people having 'loose change' no longer really applies.

[@samuelharris2533]

All fast food restaurants are making such huge profits, and that's what it's all about. They cry because they are loosing money, but they aren't loosing profit, they're just not making as much money as they want to. Every time gas goes up, they go up; but when gas comes down, they stay up, until gas goes back up again, and they go back up again and stay up.

[@AxelOwnz]

Back in the late 2000's and early 2010's Buger King had the Buck Doubles. $1 double cheeseburgers but with only 1 slice of cheese instead of 2 like a normal more expensive double cheeseburger. My friends and I would always go to Burger king and get those. Sadly the quality at my location went down and prices went up and we stopped going. It wasn't a dollar menu but during 2006/2007 Arby's had a 5 for $5.95. There were like 8 items and you could get 5 of whatever you wanted. I always got 2 arby melts, a medium curly fry, mozzarella sticks and a medium drink. It was such an insane value I am sure it lost money. They later brought it back temporarily as the 5 for $6.95 which was still a good deal, but went away quickly again.

[@btetschner]

A+ video! Awesome topic, visuals, and discussion of a topic rarely even mentioned. For about 20 years, I only ordered off the value or dollar menus simply because I did not have enough money for the other menu items.

[@sheep4521]

It felt good getting a McDouble and drink for $2 + Tax back in the day. *Now I feel like I’m getting ripped off when I eat at McDonald’s*

[@RS7RV]

$2.35

[@real-cr3qo]

Where I live I now have to pay around 20 dollars at McDonald's to even feel full. But these places have always been a special occasion thing here. But I miss when I could get a cheeseburger for 1 dollar.

[@brylcreemy]

I gained a ridiculous amount of weight eating Taco Bell’s value menu. Fortunately I eventually realized what I was doing to myself and stopped the madness.

[@Video-Games-Are-Fun]

says guy Fawkes...

[@BrianAwesome]

They used to have those big Beefy cheese crunchy burritos From Taco bell. But then they took them off the dollar menu 😔

[@Vednier]

Some years ago out local Mcd started to promote hamburgers for just like a 0.50$ (it was small and had only bun, patty, slice of pickle and drip of ketchup). The expected people to buy something else but some (like me once) was just ordering 10 hamburgers and go with them. Deal didnt lasted for long, but they honored offer until last day of promo, which is quite impressive.

[@timli2272]

mcdonald used to have these signature burgers on their app a few years ago like artisan chicken burger, grilled chicken bbq burgers, etc. and it was only a $1 each day. It was so good!

[@bluegizmo1983]

I remember going to McDonald's all the time back in the 1990's for a bunch of 35 cent cheeseburgers! Also back in the late 2000's I used to always get the "cheap bigmac" by order a $1 double cheeseburger with only lettuce, onion, pickles, and bigmac sauce.

[@melissacooper8724]

What I like about McDonald's is that they have a 3 dollar bundle where you get a double cheeseburger or chicken nuggets and a small fry. Food prices these days are astronomical!

[@cdl93]

It's so small tho, I'd rather spend a couple more bucks for a bigger burger elsewhere

[@chickennugget6233]

Not worth it, especially since they've cheapened their meat to boot

[@giraffesinc.2193]

RIGHT???? I took myself out to breakfast (omelet and a coffee) and the bill was over $20!!!!

[@SgtJoeSmith]

got to pay that stoner 9th grade drop out enough so he can buy the same house as a fortune 500 ceo for income equality.

[@valushartless5130]

@@SgtJoeSmith Bro what

[@justinharvie8126]

There was a time when we were severely broke and only had a few bucks left for the last week of the month. Dollar menu definitely came in clutch and helped stop us from going hungry. Sad times that it's gone.

[@williamromine5715]

The biggest disappointment I had with MacDonalds was the 15cent burger. I was used to 30cent burgers(I'm 81), and hadn't lived in a town with a MacDonald's. Finally, I was visiting some friends in a town that had one. Instead of a real burger, I got this thing with a tiny bun and a smaller piece of gray meat! Since then, I only go for the Whopper. I have no idea why anyone would prefer a Big Mac to any other fast food burger. Of course, I am in the minority about this, but I can't figure out why. I guess if you grow up thinking a Happy Meal is the best thing since sliced bread, your taste buds never have a chance to develop.

[@jonathantavarez5369]

Ok boomer

[@serene1765]

​@@jonathantavarez5369 rude. Show some respect. You prob wont be able yo even make it to his age. Jerk.

[@ldavila3]

Typical MacBoomer senile ramblings. The biggest disappointment this country will ever have is your failure of a generation. Take your fifteen cent burger and mc shove it already.

[@madgear1174]

It's mcdonalds, not macdonalds, and they don't sell whoppers

[@williamromine5715]

@@madgear1174 You are right. I am a terrible speller, and since text assistance program doesn't work when I am texting a Comment, I mess up spelling a lot. When I am replying the program works , same when I am messaging, but not when I am commenting. I do know they don't sell whoppers, that's why I go to the King. Say, do you know why my text assitance program doesn't work when I comment but does when I reply? It just started this a couple weeks agon.

[@WWE2KUNIVERSEELITE]

Man. This just took me back to my childhood. when we were young we would not really mind about these kinds of stuff but now when inflation is really felt you'd miss the old days.

[@user-kc1sy1km9y]

" Fast forward, and yo wallet is still empty " DAMN! Why you shoot me like that 😅

[@dchildress8696]

missed talking about the creation of the McDouble, which was started to replace the Double Cheeseburger on the dollar menu. The Mcdouble's only difference from a double cheeseburger is that is has 1 slice of cheese where the Double Cheeseburger has 2. If you ever added cheese at McDonald's it is $0.30(or it used to be, now it is $0.60) so by making a double cheeseburger with 1 slice less cheese it allowed them to keep the a double burger on the dollar menu instead of making it a single cheeseburger like Wendys Jr burgers on their value menu.

[@KrunkCobain]

Calling the parfait a pie in a cup is the weirdest thing about this food history video

[@MrZhdarkstar]

weird but true considering the calorie and sugar count of the parfait

[@KrunkCobain]

@@MrZhdarkstar calories and sugar don't equal pie

[@666cemetaryslut]

Dude, everyone knows yogurt, fruit and oatmeal equals a pie...

[@nicklh186]

@@KrunkCobain π ≠ kilocalorie + sucrose (I just like the way you worded that.)

[@KrunkCobain]

@@nicklh186 I like this equation

[@LoveHandle4890]

The Dollar Menu still and will always remain the best option available at Fast Food restaurants.

[@emilybeauvais4164]

The dollar menu was the hero we didn't know we needed at the time.

[@CeliniaGava]

I love this channel! You can't go wrong with a Robocop reference! "I'd buy THAT for a dollar!"

[@truesimplicity]

Wendy's still offers its 4 for $4 meal, cheeseburger/chicken burger, fries nuggets and drink. 👍🏼

[@douglee4268]

Not in NY

[@PrezVeto]

Whaaaaat?

[@Venom3254]

​@@douglee4268 wym? I usually get those when I go to Wendy's

[@jewel65]

And Wendy's tastes better

[@travelwithhanfi866]

Not in Cali anymore. It's even funnier since it say 4 for 4 in the app but actually charges $5 when you order it. I wonder what the legality of that is...

[@nickvoelker7180]

There was a time when McDonald's brought back the $.29 hamburgers and $.39 cheeseburgers. At the same time my local McDonald's also had a promotion where they were selling BUCKETS of fries and soda for $2. This all coincided with me being in my mid-teens when I had a virtual bottomless pit for a stomach. It was a great time to be alive. Oh, the 20pc McNuggets for $5 also showed up during this period.

[@TheL1arL1ar]

Oh yeah…I remember that growing up in the 90’s in the Silicon Valley, and lemme tell you…hella blacks on that day…😂. I’m just stating how I saw it on the regular.

[@sly-fi6502]

What decade?

[@nickvoelker7180]

@@sly-fi6502 90s

[@electron2601]

I hate when boomers are like oh shut up i rembember the days when it was like .45 cents like .50 cents.

[@nickvoelker7180]

@@electron2601 That's neat. Thanks for sharing.

[@solanaceae2069]

$1 menus saved me from starving more than once. Especially when a lot places sold 2 to 4 tacos or hamburgers for a buck. The good ol' days. lol

[@TrinTheGoddess]

That super value meal from Wendy's was EVERYTHING! So many good choices! Good times! I miss that Ceasar salad with the blue cheese dressings! 😋

[@Squarebulb]

I miss the Caesar side salad so much 😢

[@wrecktumplug]

Super psyched to see another channel from this guy, love weird history channel

[@joemagnus5085]

They still call it a dollar menu at McDonald's. Everything is $2.50. At least last time i bothered to check. Got tired of inedible cartilage in my mcnuggets

[@alexjones6190]

Lol I love McDonald's but the nuggets and cheap McChicken are disgusting

[@sterlingnilssen5812]

Life needs this to come back.

[@joeswanson733]

it's gone. and it's never coming back.

[@markplunk3695]

Good luck finding a franchise that actually honors the new dollar menu.

[@jacks_swan783]

Yeah none of the Mcdonald's near me has a value menu.

[@MrRKWRIGHT]

You got that right.

[@morgandecker3983]

Facts and the 4-for-4 from Wendy’s is gone and replaced by the $5 biggie bag and now at a location near me it’s the $6 biggie bag… for the same stuff.

[@williamhaynes7089]

Because of the $14 min wage here in Arizona, a Large Fry is now $5

[@germmanator]

@@williamhaynes7089 The Fry basket I've seen to be 3$ before and 4$ now. It's basically 2 mediums dumped into a basket

[@odysseum4618]

In my country, McD's issued out a promo across all their restaurants called the "Mix n' Match" costing about 1.5$ for a main and side from 5 selections each. It was such a massive hit that other local restaurants followed suit with their own Mix n' Match promos.

[@whattheheck8979]

As long as Mcdonalds doesn't keep raising the McMuffin + Hashbrown combo in the mornings, they still have my heart.

[@Scyber_Official]

Burger King always mails out a sheet of coupons every month and I enjoy the 2 whopper jrs & 2 small fries but they raised the price from $4 to $6! Inflation in the US has gone up over 30%

[@JobberJim]

Dollar menus fed me in high school

[@hughjass1044]

Not surprised it went away. I used to order everything from the value menus. Most of the time, getting two small items was more food for less cost than a regular item.

[@mph5896]

I was so poor in high school we had to go to Hot n now. This was mid 90's where you could get an entire bag of food for 2-3 people for like $5.

[@chrism3784]

I remember 29c hamburger and 39c cheesburger days. My mom would call ahead and order 50 hamburgers and they said, ready in 30 minutes. She get them and feed us and freeze the rest. It was hamburgers for days and we never got tired of it. Luckily wasn't that often because bad for our health, especially as teenagers.

[@missboozehound]

I remember McDonald’s used to have the $1 chicken snack wraps. They were so good! Ah! Now I want a double cheese burger 🍔 lol

[@ktv9247]

they need to bring that back

[@EmeraldEyesBibleSecrets]

I ate a lot of those cheeseburgers and hamburgers as a kid growing up in the 80s, but these days only the Quarter Pounder is any good. Also Nuggets and fries, but mainly just the double quarter pounder. I never cared all that much for the Big Mac, it's really just more bread.

[@PinkSlime0990]

The deals on the McD app are great. They used to have $1 large fries and sometimes $2 triple cheeseburgers. The bogo McDoubles they currently have are my favorite pick.

[@HaruhiSuzumiya93]

They also have bogo for the mcchicken & spicy mcchicken. And they still have the $1 large fries. They used to have 2x Large fries for $3 in the shareables menu on the app.

[@PinkSlime0990]

@@HaruhiSuzumiya93 I don't have those deals. $1 large fries went away a few months ago and my bogo deal is for mcdoubles or 6 nuggets. I guess it's different depending on region..

[@AliceObscura]

The Checker's 4 for $3 got me through some rough times. That was two meals for $1.50 each, $3.21 cents after adding in sales tax. RIP 😭😭😔

[@cassandraw9799]

I hadn’t been to McDonald’s since early 2021. I went a few days ago for breakfast. What used to cost 3 dollars now cost 8. It’s very obvious they don’t want citizens to be able to afford anything. Crazy.

[@Bayofthe91st]

budget Menus never fall on overseas outlets, it always had a heart among broke students :)

[@joekenny6160]

Pro-tip: the most cost-effective fast food option is the 13-pack of McDonald’s cookies (in terms of calories). The true pro-tip: the value-sized option for peanuts at your local supermarket is probably three times more cost-effective than those cookies. Trail mix is the supreme fast food (kicks butt as a work lunch staple, too). Edit: not sure why this video failed to note in the outro that the cheapest option on the “$1-$2-$3” menu is now $1.89

[@PasleyAviationPhotography]

Don't confuse the McChicken with the "new" McCrispy, its only a $5 difference.

[@sneauxday7002]

@@SimuLord brioche bun is the only good part tho

[@-SP.]

@@SimuLord McDonald's doesn't use a brioche bun, it's a potato bun

[@kevinmillerelizondo439]

You had me in the beginning. I got hooked lol

[@eligreg99]

Crazy how I’m only 24 and have literally witnessed the cost of living triple within my lifetime. No exaggeration I remember when you could get a 2bd 1 bath apartment for $700-900 in 2008 and people were complaining about that being expensive. It feels like as soon as I became an adult everything has been kicked into overdrive and my generation gets called lazy because of the mistakes of previous generations not accounting for the future. It’s really nuts to think about

[@ConfidentialTrust]

My first apartment in 1998 in a city suburb was $950 for 3 bedrooms. That same apartment today is renting for almost 3k$...

[@norliasmith]

The dollar menu was my childhood, but like all good things from my childhood, they disappeared.

[@tremorsfan]

I went to McDonalds a couple of weeks ago because I was short on cash thinking I would getting something from the $ menu. The best I could get was a six piece Mcnuggets for $2.

[@xavierjones6852]

Idk why but this story made me laugh and slightly sad at the same time

[@ChadH2023]

6 piece nugget in Kentucky is 3.99

[@gjd424]

Burger King had the rodeo cheeseburger on $1 menu and that was epic in highschool you could get 2 rodeo cheeseburgers and a ice water for $2! Wendy’s was also amazing with 2 jr bacon cheeseburgers ketchup only and an ice water for $2!

[@ruisen2000]

Went to mcdonalds recently, and a double cheeseburger meal was $9. Man I remember when you could get a mcdouble for $1.39

[@kmstins]

Well I can remember when I had no dollar. I lived on Cup o' Noodles. Don't laugh everybody! They tasted good and helped me work two full time jobs. In those days, I would've loved it if I could budget for those "dollar menu" meals. ☺️😉😋😁

[@HFC786]

We need the $€£ menu even more now

[@williamcosbyIII]

Huge props to BK.. I feel like it must be said.. it's 2023 & a 10 piece chicken nuggets only sets you back $2.49 at the BK where I live! 🙏

[@SumRndmPenguin]

This is something I noticed when I was working at Wendy's. We went from four selections of 4 for 4s and the $5 biggie bag only being a decently bigger sandwich, to one 4 for 4 and the other 3 being turned into the $5 biggie bags, to $6 biggie bags being a thing months after I quit.

[@BoeBoes-jn4dx]

Idk if yall realize but the dollar menu items are still available but you have to use the app now, more than often prices get reduced to $1-$2 and some food items you get free just for downloading apps.

[@LoveHandle4890]

Fast food itself has been taking quite a toll in the last several years and how it needs to change for the better or else.

[@XXXXX8]

Or else what? You'll have to actually cook food at home? Damn, we can't have that now, can we?

[@gopet400]

At this point it’s better to eat at a slightly higher end restaurant since you’re gonna pay the same