16 Overpriced Restaurants That Shouldn’t Have So Much Popularity
The days of gorging out at cheap, tasty fast food or chain restaurants receded with the cost of affordable housing. What used to garner a hefty-portioned meal at a staple drive-thru might grant us one or two sides of food. As restaurants continue increasing prices, they underdeliver their promise of appeasing the appetite. Here are our top 16 choices for chain restaurants that overprice and underserve.
*These prices are relative to St. Petersburg, Florida.
1. McDonald’s
Ages ago (2001), a greasy quarter-pounder cheeseburger and a side of salty fries cost around $5. Every other menu item followed suit. Those suspicious chicken nuggets rang up at $5 for a 20 count and almost $3 for a ten count. It’s not too harsh on the bank statement. Today, that same measly hamburger asks for $3.69 for the same quality of beef, fake cheese, and messy condiments splayed on the bun. A ten-piece nugget runs at $ 6.89, almost three dollars more than in 2001, while a 20-piece begs for an extra 35 cents per. A 20-count of rubbery chicken-esque nuggets cost $12 today.
2. Panera
Raise your hand if you’re a former Panera fan. Panera is used to serve the healthy option, an alternative to those rubber chicken nuggets or salt-laden foods poisoning our stomachs. Now, the quality seems to decrease as the price increases. Plus, the expansion of menu items seems to add to the problem. They wanted to attract more customers with items like a chicken sandwich, “enhanced Mac n cheese, salads, and soups.” But the original flavors at Panera attracted a wideaudience, so why expand and inflate? A plain grilled cheese costs $7.69 for two ingredients: American cheese and white bread. Why not make it at home?
3. Five Guys
You’ve seen the memes poking fun at Five Guys’ ever-growing menu prices, but have you been to the chain to witness the real prices? A quick visit to the website reveals the astonishing markups for two buns, a patty, and select condiments. According to the website, a single hamburger costs $10.29, a cheeseburger costs $11.39, and a bacon cheeseburger costs $12.79. Why not fry one up yourself and save your salary?
4. Red Lobster
The other day, my friend and I visited Red Lobster after hearing the news of the chain’s filing for bankruptcy. Naively, we thought maybe the menu would offer discounted deals or superb specials on seafood. We were wrong, and our combo of small scallop pasta, salmon bowl sub chicken, and crunchy calamari cost around $85.
5. Chili’s
My friend ordered a small fried mozzarella appetizer at a birthday party not too long ago. She gasped at the price of the cheese encapsulated by fried dough, complaining of Chili’s gradual descent. The overpriced appetizer asked for $10.79for three doughy bites and a spoonful of acidic marinara sauce. Double the size with a large, tack on four more dollars for three more pieces of crunchy dough. A salad with protein, cheese, tomatoes, and slices of quesadillas translates just shy of $20 from the popular former affordable restaurant.
6. Wendys
Long gone are the days of paying below $5 for a combo meal or even a single-serving hamburger. Today, a single patty hamburger from the chain branded with a red-headed pig-tailed girl asks customers to scrape together $5.79. That oily sandwich comes with plasticky cheese, one patty, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, and mayo. Souping up your meal with a medium drink and a medium portion of fries adds about four dollars to the mix. The total reaches $10 for the deep-fried combo.
7. Chick Fil A
Last week, I opted for a Chick-fil-A salad on the drive home from a lengthy trip. I ordered the Market Salad minus the white breaded meat. Though many places refuse to reduce the price of a menu item when a customer asks for a meatless option, sometimes Chick-fil-A comes through. This was not one of those days. The salad totaled $10 for a few blueberries and cut-up strawberries mixed with blue cheese, all sprinkled atop semi-wilted lettuce. For nostalgia’s sake, I added a medium fry that cost around $2.80 for a lukewarm serving of waffled potatoes.
8. Burger King
I adore Burger King’s Impossible Whopper’s Whopper, plus I think BK produces the highest quality fries in the fast-food game. However, I do not love their extravagant prices to attain quality food. A single Impossible Whopper equates to $6.59 regardless of toppings. That is a single sandwich with one patty. Burger King buns reside on the larger side, making the sandwich more worth the bite, but not quite. The price jumps from a single-digit number to double digits when you add a medium fry and drink to upgrade to a combo. Now, you’re looking at $11.09.
9. Olive Garden
My friend and I refer to Olive Garden as Olivia Rodrigo’s Garden for no reason other than the similarities between names. Yet, when putting Olivia Rodrigo’s concert tickets and Olive Garden’s food prices side by side, you’ll notice a common denominator. They are both pricey. Fettuccine noodles slathered in Alfredo sauce and topped with garlic and parmesan fuse together into one of Olive Garden’s beloved dishes: Fettuccine Alfredo. Strips of white meat chicken lay atop the bed of noodles, inviting any takers to rejoice in the dish for the small price of $20.
Olive Garden remains a tad higher than other locations on this list because each entree has unlimited soup or salad and unlimited breadsticks. Still, $20 for pasta isn’t the prettiest price in the market.
10. Jimmy John’s
I’ve never understood why Jimmy John’s scoops their bread, trash the insides, and still asks for an exorbitant price for their sandwiches. But who am I to judge their process? Those looking to consume all the bread should tell the worker to “LBI.” Leave the bread in. Jimmy John’s supplies customers with two sandwich size options: regular (8″) or giant (16″). A regular Italian sub stacked with salami, ham, mayo, onions, lettuce, oregano, basil, and choice of toppings costs $9. The giant option costs almost $18. The giant combo with a bag of chips, a cookie, and a medium drink totals $20.
11. Taco Bell
My parents used to joke that a $10 Taco Bell gift card could feed the whole family twice over. That joke gains hilarity today because it can barely feed one person. I ordered a medium drink and three bean burritos the other day. The post-tax cost wiped $11 from my wallet. A few years ago, I could add on two burritos and a dessert for under $10.
12. Chipotle
Chipotle amuses me when the workers at various locations decide what random ingredients to upcharge. Jake, a friend of mine, orders the same bowl each time. A whopping four ingredients of extra white rice, black beans, steak, and cheese. A different worker tries to overcharge him each time for a different ingredient. One time, extra rice cost him $2; another time, he paid $3 extra for asking the worker to spare him another sprinkling of cheese. The best time occurredwhen a worker put three pieces of steak in his bowl. Jake asked for a “normal” scoop, and the worker scoffed and charged him for double meat.
13. Applebee’s
Applebees’ two-for-$26 deal almost spares them a place on this list. For $26, a customer can order an appetizer and two entrees to share or to indulge themselves. As usual, when a chain restaurant advertises a deal, the cost of food causes someone to complain. So the answer is one fair-priced special with limited options. To prove my point, Applebee’s Chicken Tenders Platter, a seven-pieced meal with a side of fries and coleslaw, costs $15.49. I can’t help thinking a store-bought, air-fried sampling of chicken tenders saves cash and a tummy ache.
14. Pizza Hut
The old college group used to order Pizza Hut after a long night out for its cheap, adequate food. Would we still, if we were in college today? A plain, large cheese pizza equals around $15. When sharing with a group of people, whoever only orders one pizza? Whoever just wants cheese? Stuffed crust begs for $2 extra per pie, and meat and veggies cost $2.10 per topping, which is all before tax.
15. Cracker Barrel
The Old Country Store used to double as my family’s favorite road trip pit stop. We’d admire the nostalgia-ridden candy peppering the shelves, marveling at the prices. On occasion, we’d stop by for a quick, affordable bite to fuel our adventure. Let’s dive into Cracker Barrel’s current prices. The specialty Cheesecake Pancakes come with a few cheesecake stuffed pancakes dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a few pieces of fruit for $12.29. The Homestyle Chicken ‘N’ French Toast is $13.49 with a slab of fried chicken and three pieces of French toast. Breakfast is much cheaper at home, folks!
16. KFC
A family meal consisting of 16 chicken tenders and only four sides costs almost $50 in Florida. The sides at KFC resemble the size of children’s fruit cups, and this family meal only contains 4! For a whole family! That’s outrageous. Families ordering chicken only face a $30 price for 12 pieces or a $40 price for 16 pieces of chicken.
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