FAST food restaurant workers can no longer afford to eat the food they’re making, a shocking new study has revealed.
A recent survey found that employees who work at restaurants like McDonald’s and Taco Bell have to work twice as long as the average US worker to afford a typical fast food meal.
Using labor statistics, financial platform Lending Tree compared the wages of fast food and counter workers to the average money people make in every other career field.
The study found that the recent skyrocketing prices of fast food are coinciding with a growing gap between the wages of an average US worker and restaurant staff.
The average fast food employee has to work for 46 minutes to purchase a typical combo meal nationwide, which averages out to $11.56, according to Lending Tree.
Meanwhile, the average American worker only needs to work for 21.2 minutes to be able to afford the same meal.
However, it depends on where you live, as the study also revealed the cities with the most expensive fast food meals.
FAST FOOD WORKERS SQUEEZED
San Francisco, California, was revealed to be the city with the highest average cost for fast food meals at $12.73.
In San Francisco, the average fast food worker makes $20.67 per hour since California has the highest minimum wage in the country.
This means they have to work 36.9 minutes to afford the typical fast food meals in their city, whether it be In-N-Out or Jack in the Box.
Other non-fast food workers in the city make about $48.15 on average, meaning they only need to work 15.9 minutes to be able to afford the average meal.
After San Francisco, the most expensive place to buy a typical fast food meal combo is in New York City.
Then, Los Angeles is ranked with the average fast food meal costing $12.24, just a cent less than New York’s meal.
However, there’s only a difference of 19.2 minutes between the time that counter workers have to be on the clock versus how long other Americans have to work to afford the same meal.
In fourth place is Seattle, Washington, where the average fast food meal combo costs $12.22.
The lowest fast food prices were recorded in Indianapolis, Indiana, at just $9.19.
That means the average fast food worker has to work 39.4 minutes to afford a meal at a fast food joint.
Meanwhile, workers earning the average city wage of $30.25 would only have to work 18.2 minutes to get a burger and French fry combo.
Plus, fast food meal prices might get even higher now after President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs kicked in last month.
From beef to palm oil and coffee, fast food giants are dealing with rising costs, and many could pass those costs on to customers.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/money/14290986/fast-food-workers-meal-price-wage-cost-expensive/
