Fast food used to be the go-to option for a quick and affordable bite, but that’s not always the case anymore. As prices continue to climb, some popular menu items are now costing way more than they’re worth. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at fast food meals that may seem like a bargain but are priced much higher than you’d expect, especially when compared to what it would cost to make them yourself at home or buy from the supermarket.
Note: The content of this article does not reflect the Writer’s personal beliefs.
Starbucks Protein Box
This grab-and-go box features simple items, including hard-boiled eggs, cheese, fruit, and crackers. It is convenient, sure, but you're mostly paying for the packaging and branding, with not even that much protein, to be fair. A protein box at Starbucks will cost you about $7, while you can buy a dozen eggs at any grocery store for just a few dollars and have enough eggs to make multiple protein boxes.
Preparing your own protein snack box just like this takes just a few minutes and costs a fraction of the price. Boil a few eggs, slice some cheese, and assemble your own protein box in a food container. Bonus if you add some protein-rich meat! You can even make them as part of a Sunday meal prep routine and have your own pre-packaged boxes ready to go for the whole week!
Panera Bread Mac & Cheese
Panera's mac and cheese is creamy and comforting, but it is not exactly gourmet. You can buy nearly identical white cheddar mac from the grocery store, and you can even find the Panera-branded version in boxed form!
A Panera Mac and Cheese is currently $10,99 for a regular size, but you can go to your local Target and snag an entire box of organic white cheddar mac and cheese for less than $2. Add some butter and a little milk, and you have a super creamy mac and cheese in 10 minutes.
Chick-fil-A Fruit Cup
Having a fresh and colorful pre-cut fruit mix is always a great choice, but the fruit cup at Chick-fil-A is just a mix of pre-cut melon, apples, and berries for about $5.39. We understand that you pay for the convenience, but for this price, you can get a lot of fresh fruit at a grocery store.
For example, the average cost of a cantaloupe is about $2-4, so let's use $3 for our math. One cantaloupe will cut into about 4 ½ cups of melon. A good serving size for a fruit salad is ½ to 1 cup of fruit. That means one simple melon is enough to serve as the base for about eight fruit salads. It takes a bit of preparation time, but as you can see, it's much cheaper to make your own fruit salad at home.
Next time you do groceries, pick some seasonal fruit and divide it into airtight containers, and you will be packed for a few days with fresh fruit.
McDonald's Side Salad
This basic salad is made with iceberg lettuce, a few cherry tomatoes, and a packet of dressing and sold for about $2.39. It is neither particularly exciting nor filling, and it is something you could easily prepare at home in seconds. A head of lettuce can cost as little as $1.50 and is enough for about 3-5 servings. Add a bottle of dressing from the supermarket for a few dollars, and you can make a week's worth of side salads for less than $1 each.
Dunkin' Avocado Toast
Dunkin's version of this trendy toast is simple. It is made with mashed avocado spread on plain sourdough with some seasoning and sells for about $4. For this price, you would expect something more complex than just a slice of bread that is not toasted properly. Overall, it doesn't offer much value for the price, especially when you can buy a whole avocado for around $1 at the grocery store and an entire loaf of bread for a few dollars more.
Subway Footlong Tuna
The footlong tuna sandwich is often one of the priciest sandwiches on Subway's menu, for around $7.39 despite being made with very basic ingredients. Canned tuna, mayo, and sandwich bread are dirt cheap at the grocery store, especially when you consider that a 5-ounce can of tuna costs about $1, which is about the same amount of tuna on a Subway footlong. Unless you are in a rush and don't have time to open a tuna can, this one is not worth it.
Five Guys Grilled Cheese
Five Guys serves their grilled cheese using their burger buns flipped inside-out, loaded with melted cheese, and sells this simple meal for about $7.43. Yes, it's tasty, but it is also wildly overpriced for what is essentially two slices of bread and cheese. For this price, you can purchase a large block of Cheddar that will be sufficient for several sandwiches.
Shake Shack Fries
The crinkle-cut fries at Shake Shack are so crispy, and we love them for a reason, but you are paying a premium (at about $4.49 a pop) for a side that's nearly identical to the frozen fries you can find in the grocery store. When you order fries at Shake Shack, or really any fast food restaurant, you are really just paying for the name and the convenience. Yes, we think these fries are good, but not good enough to pay such an inflated price. I'll buy the bag of crinkle-cut fries for $4 a bag and get nine servings.
Wendy's Apple Bites
These are just pre-sliced apples in a plastic bag for $1.29. Seriously, that is it! Apples are so common and can be found in bulk at almost any grocery store. There is also no seasoning, dipping sauce, or added value to the Wendy's apple bites, just plain fruit. Why pay so much more at the drive-through window when you can go buy some real apples for less? Apples are so easy to transport and remain fresh for several days at room temperature - unlike these pre-cut apples.
Popeyes Coleslaw
This tiny cup of coleslaw is made with shredded cabbage, carrots, and a mayo-based dressing and sells for about $3. All of these ingredients cost just pennies at the store. The coleslaw does not have a particularly unique flavor, yet it is priced like a premium side. Making a big batch at home is often cheaper and likely to be tastier.
Burger King Mozzarella Sticks
Burger King's mozzarella sticks are small and pretty basic, and they will cost you about $3.49 for an order of 8 little sticks. Rather than ordering this, you can buy a whole bag of frozen mozzarella sticks at the grocery store or on Amazon for about $ 0.62 a serving. The homemade or frozen versions often taste better, too, and you can make as many as you want rather than only a few little ones served by Burger King.
Sonic Soft Pretzel Twist
This salty snack looks fun and comes with cheese sauce, which is hard to resist, but those soft pretzels are honestly just dough and salt, and one will cost you almost $2. You can buy frozen pretzels at the store for less than $1 each that taste nearly identical and cost half the price. Yes, we love a good soft pretzel twist, but the price tag is hard to justify.
This article was originally published at Spatula Desserts.
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