That’s the unfortunate side effect of rampant inflation where wages stay stagnant as markets decline. Look at how many restaurants and fast food places closed last year. I’m lower middle class and I have stopped getting fast food entirely. Every time I pass by on the way to and from work I just see the total for the meal in my head and drive past them now because it’s just not worth the overall financial damage. I honestly don’t know how everyone else is affording even Taco Bell meals regularly every week. I used to work there years ago and the food was significantly better back then, and way cheaper than other food sources. Where the hell did they all go so wrong this past year? Greed? There’s gotta be a price gouging greed mechanism in there somewhere.