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I so sick of hearing about the immoral behavior of fast food corporations.  We get it; Burgers make us fat.  But what really aggravates me are the voices accusing McDonald’s of overcharging its customers. CONSPIRACY! People have to pay more for a Big Mac then it costs to make?!  Uh, yeah, its called a profit margin.  When you buy a fast food meal, you’re not just paying for the meat bread and lettuce, you’re paying for the fact that you can get a white castle burger at 3 in the morning, and no questions will be asked about why you’re giggling so much.  You’re paying for atmosphere, and the process that gets your fries piping hot in less then a minute.  If that means doling over an extra 27 cents, then so be it.

I want a burger.
Option #1: I want a burger.  But HEY, I read Fast Food Nation, no way is my money going to an industry that capitalizes off marketing to impressionable children(as opposed to all the industries that don’t?)!  And so, I get in the car and drive to the nearest Acme. $1 gas money.  I purchase a pound of ground beef ($4), an inconvenient 8 pack of hamburger buns ($3), a head of lettuce ($1) and a tomato (85 cents).
I drive back home ($1) and throw it onto the grill.
Option #2: I want a burger.  I hop in the car and drive to the nearest McDonald’s ($2 gas money). Without exiting my car, I order a burger, fries, and a drink($2.14). Unlike other restaurants, tip isn’t expected.  I drive home($2) and bless my lucky stars that I missed the lines, inconvenient proportions, and sluggish cashiers that would have been endured had I gone to Acme.

Not only does a McDonald’s burger cost less, but it tastes a hell of a lot better then anything my shitty cooking skills could whip up.  Can you say “Secret Sauce”?

The logic that McDonald’s is cheating us with their prices is as ridiculous as saying that I’m cheating McDonald’s.  Lets say that I choose option #2.  After completing my scrumptious meal that includes carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins, I go to my job which pays $10 an hour. I work for 5 hours without having to stop for a lunch break.  Without McDonald’s food supply, I never would have had the energy to make it through my work day.  And so, while McDonald’s profit margin for my meal was about 67 cents, my profit margin is $43.86(including gas money).  Eat that, Eric Schlosser.

-Elise Mendelssohn