McDonald’s is no longer cheap fast food

McDonald’s built its global fast food empire on an unmistakable taste and perennial value. But the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has erased its hold on the value conversation. At one point, it was reported that a Big Mac meal was fetching nearly $20 at certain locations.

Prices have settled since then—but they’re still resoundingly higher than they were in 2019.

I tried the most expensive burger at McDonald’s

And it also happens to be their best burger by a mile.

At a location in Austin, Texas, I ordered the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. The half-pound double cheeseburger came out to $8.32 with tax, though prices will vary by location.

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Another cooked to order fast food burger

My recent run of expensive fast food burger tests all share one thing in common: they’re cooked to order.

That was true at Five Guys. It was even true at Jack in the Box with their $9 Smashed Jack. At Five Guys, that’s expected. At Jack in the Box, it didn’t help much. At McDonald’s, though, it actually makes a difference—and helps make the case that this burger is almost worth the price.

The Vitals:
the spot: McDonald’s locations worldwide
the eats: Double Quarter Pounder with cheese
the bucks: $8.32 (w/ tax)
the full nelson: the most expensive burger at McDonald’s

Is the McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese worth it?

Sadly, no.

It is a good—maybe even great—fast food burger, and it’s easily the best burger on McDonald’s menu. But the price puts it too close to genuinely better burgers from higher-quality chains and local spots.

McDonald’s, in a way, dug its own grave by over-delivering on value for decades. It’s simply too hard to believe that McDonald’s now costs as much as it does.

But give credit where it is due

McDonald’s introduced the Quarter Pounder in the 1970s as a competitor to Burger King’s Whopper. The beefier burger held its own as a heavyweight for more than four decades.

Then, in 2015, McDonald’s decided to upgrade quality by switching to fresh, never-frozen beef cooked to order. By 2018, the improved Quarter Pounder hit the market and received fairly positive reviews.

Today, the Quarter Pounder—especially the double—is the best burger at McDonald’s.