Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@sam_learner/Epics / Contributor
Topics: McDonalds, Food and Drink, US News
Emily Brown
Topics: McDonalds, Food and Drink, US News
A Mcdonald's restaurant in Connecticut has come under fire after customers spotted how much it was charging for some of its popular menu items.
With its enticing menu and iconic yellow arches, most people usually find comfort in knowing that they can get their hands on a meal at Mcdonald's without breaking the bank.
It's a popular choice for families and is usually a great option when you're on the road, but one hungry customer was left stunned when he came across a McDonald's at a rest stop on the southbound side of I-95 in Darien, Connecticut.
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The customer, Sam Learner, took to Twitter to share pictures of the menu, which showed a number of classic options including the Big Mac, the Quarter Pounder with cheese, McNuggets and the Filet-O-Fish.
Where you usually might expect to pay less than $10 for a meal, Leaner's post showed a Big Mac meal - which includes fries and a drink - up for $17.59 (£13.69).
A Quarter Pounder with cheese meal was even more expensive at $17.99 (£14), while adding bacon took it to $18.99 (£14.78).
Things weren't much better for fans of McDonald's chicken options, as a 10 piece McNugget meal was priced at $18.29 (£14.23), while a McCrispy was listed for $17.99.
After seeing the prices, Learner wrote: "This was at a rest stop, but these McDonald's prices are nuts right???"
Many other Twitter users were just as shocked at the prices, with one responding: "That cannot be right."
Another described the cost as 'outrageous', while a third wrote: "This has to be a mistake. Maybe the $1 was added by accident. At least I hope."
"Fast food! not a restaurant!? and to be honest with you I don't even know if I pay that much for a restaurant meal!," one stunned person added, indicating the food was unaffordable as they continued: "Inflation is going to kill us that live right around the poverty line. i'm sad & disgusted to be an American."
A takeout site for the McDonald's location proved the prices there were generally high all around, with a Sausage Egg Cheese Bagel Meal listed for $19.39 (£15.09).
Though it's definitely costly, McDonald's website explains that prices at its restaurants vary by location as 90 percent are 'independently owned and operated by franchisees, who have the ability to set their own prices'.
In a comment to UNILAD, McDonald's confirmed that although outside consultants help to provide price benchmarking and insights, menu prices are ultimately at the discretion of franchisees and may vary by location.
The company also said that prices at the store in Learner's pictures take into account certain costs associated with operating restaurants on the Connecticut Turnpike.
Many Twitter users have pointed out that the town of Darien, Connecticut is a wealthy town, meaning its prices are likely to be higher in general.
"This is a rest stop in Darien CT, arguably the richest town in the country. Yes McD’s is expensive there, so is everything else," one person commented.
Learner later added a follow up to his post to say he'd done 'a little digging' and found that the Darien location might have been 'the country's most expensive McDonald's', according to the website Pantry and Larder.
Prices may have also been impacted recently by the general rising cost of living, which has affected food prices as well as the cost of bills.