El Pollo Loco customer leaves drive-thru after seeing 'crazy' prices: 'I was not going to get ripped off'
Fast-food restaurants have increased prices to combat inflation and labor costs to the shock of many customers who say the options are no longer affordable
Trader Joe's shoppers go wild for mini cooler bags
Shoppers are highlighting the limited Trader Joe's mini cooler bags that sell for around four dollars. (Credit: @geetripsandeats /TMX)
A customer at an El Pollo Loco drive-thru was left shocked at the price increases during a trip to the fast-food chain, according to a video posted on social media.
TikTok user Josie (@josieherrera65) filmed the menu at an El Pollo Loco drive-thru, as well as her reaction.
"I remember when a 12-piece Family Meal was $12.99. Now, it’s $43.99," Herrera said in the video. "I was okay when it was $23.99, $28.99, but $43.99? "That is crazy."
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Giovanni Gomez prepares chicken on the grill at the El Pollo Loco restaurant in Agoura Hills, Los Angeles, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via / Getty Images)
The meal includes 12 pieces of chicken, three large sides, tortillas, and chips and salsa. Meal prices often vary at fast-food restaurants depending on the location. The video posted by Herrera was accompanied by the caption: "I did not buy. I went home and made dinner. I was not going to be ripped off."
Some users echoed Herrera's shock, saying fast-food prices have steadily increased everywhere.
"We were in the KFC drive thru and quickly moved on. One meal was over $50," one person said.
FOX Business has reached out to El Pollo Loco.
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Two people eat lunch at an El Pollo Loco restaurant in Los Angeles on Aug. 18, 2021. Many fast-food chains have increased prices to combat inflation and higher labor costs. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via / Getty Images)
Like many fast-food chains, El Pollo Loco has increased prices to combat inflation. In California, price increases also came in anticipation of the minimum wage hike that went into effect in April. Many fast-food workers across the state now start out at $20 per hour.
Despite the wage hike, the fast-food industry in California added 10,000 jobs from March through May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Restaurants such as McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Chipotle and Burger King have all raised menu prices to offset the labor costs. Grocery prices have also trended upward.
In a video that's been viewed over 17 million times, a father-of-six's camera panned across a Southern California Trader Joe's receipt that showed a $444 total.
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"Here's what it takes to feed six kids [for] about a week and a half," the man is heard saying in the video. Most of the items on the lengthy receipt cost between $2.99 and $3.99.
A recent survey conducted by LendingTree found 78% of consumers consider fast food to be a "luxury" due to how expensive the meals have become.