For what seemed like years, fast food burger chains and the like wouldn’t dare cross the $5 price tag for a sandwich a la carte. It seems like only yesterday we were at a point where $4 was the same type of ceiling that seemed rather “expensive” for drive thru fare. As we push forward into the year 2016, the dreaded $6 price tag comes into focus but it’s actually already been crossed once this year.
BurgerBusiness.comrecently posted an article detailing the ever increasing price for a promotional item sandwich at fast food locations. Earlier this week we posted about the newest Hardee’s burger creation, the Steakhouse Thickburger, which comes in three sizes, but is being advertised at the mid tier 1/3 pound variety at $5.59. The half pound variety, pushes the boundaries to a staggering $6.79. It’s apparent that this year the previous $5 window went by the wayside for good.
Hardee’s has been focusing on the price of fast food vs. QSR counterparts all the way back in the early 2000’s when they had a burger called the “Six Dollar Burger” which retailed for under $4 to show that they were offering sit down quality at lower prices. With fast food wages climbing through recent minimum wage mandates and the price of ingredients continuing to rise, the new $6 ceiling has arrived and we’ve even seen QSR burgers push to a standard of at least $9.
During 2015, Burger King released the only LTO for over $6, with the A1 Hearty Mozzarella Cheeseburger. The burger contained a half pound of beef, A1 Thick & Hearty Sauce, and mozzarella cheese and retailed for $6.49. This price seems somewhat reasonable considering the Hardee’s 1/2 pounders cost more currently. Almost all of our recent reviews of sandwiches were at or over the $5 point but all seemed to feature premium ingredients or meats that made them stand out. The Wendy’s Bacon Gouda Cheeseburger, Arby’s Spicy Brisket, Arby’s A1 ReserveSteak, Taco Bell Steak Boss Wraps and Steak Boss Nachos all come to mind. Surprisingly almost, Wendy’s Pulled Pork Sandwich came under the $5 mark at $4.49. As the new year is coming upon us, it’ll be interesting to see just how many featured sandwiches cross the now precious $6 mark.
