While we keep letting the government tell us that inflation is at 3%, back out in the real world price hikes are staggeringly higher.
Just take one look at Chick-fil-A, for example: the popular fast food chain has hiked its prices a whopping 21% over the last two years, according to a new report from the NY Post.
In 2022, the chain first raised prices by 15%, the report says. In January 2023, the company then implemented a menu-wide 6% hike in prices, resulting in the average price of its chicken sandwich - which was under $5 in 2021 - to now cost $5.79.
The report notes that in high cost of living areas, like New York City, the same sandwich is going to run customers $6.99. An 8 piece nuggets, which would cost $5.99 elsewhere and which were also under $5 in 2021, now cost $7.09.
The Post noted the discrepancy between the real world and the CPI, which showed a 3.1% increase in November. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted a 0.2% monthly rise in the food index for November, a slight decrease from the 0.3% rise in the previous month.
Labor costs are playing a role in driving costs higher, the report says.
New York saw its minimum wage increase from $15 to $16 in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County as the new year began. This increment is part of a plan, agreed upon last April by Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders, to gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 in these areas and $16 in other parts of the state by 2026.
Twenty-two other states, including California and Connecticut, have also recently raised their minimum wages. California increased its rate to $16, and Connecticut to $15.69. Now, approximately 30 states have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.
These wage increases have been linked to rising prices, such as the anticipated $15 cost for a McDonald's Big Mac in states with the wage hikes. Brandon Arnold of the National Taxpayers Union highlighted California's mandate for a $20 minimum wage in fast food restaurants.
Establishments are “either gonna have to raise prices, start to reduce those labor costs or a combination of both," Arnold said on Fox. “And that’s not fair to those employees that are getting laid off, nor is it fair to the customers that are all of the sudden paying $12, $15 for a Big Mac.”
