I got these burgers and buns for sale and they literally are about the same price as a $4 whopper. This is not even includes the toppings or condiments. How is this even possible?
People always say to cook on your own because it’s cheaper. I don’t think this is the case. Maybe if you’re dinning at a nicer restaurant and not getting the promotion deals but still.
How can I be more frugal with food? Should I just eat at BK every Wednesday?
Why is the $4 whopper on Wednesday cheaper than making my own?
byu/fuckloggin inFrugal
Posted by fuckloggin
18 Comments
They can do that because no one goes in and just buys a Whopper. They get fries, a drink, bring their friends/family with them who also spends money. So yeah, you can eat cheaper at home.
Besides, they get their supplies cheaper than you do by buying in bulk.
I’ve previously worked out that fast food, especially if get “the meal” (add a side and a drink for cheap) can be MUCH cheaper than making your own food.
It’s probably volume: they buy bread, meat, and condiments in bulk, where as you buy them in the store. If you’re really interested, look into the commodities markets (“futures”) and see how those prices compare to the prices you pay
Suggest you Google “economy of scale” and “loss leader”.
Because they give you one or two slices of tomato. You had to buy a whole tomato. Etc.
Still cheaper to cook where I’m at if you do the math by portion
Low quality food. TONS of salt, fat, and sugar. Then they also get “Economies of scale”, if you were buying in bulk and getting million of burgers a year, you’d get them all at a MUCH better deal too.
For same quality (health wise) it’s usually cheaper to make you’re own. But if you want to eat fast food, it’s very cheap.
The burger you make at home will taste better and be better for you.
They buy ingredients at wholesale. Sometimes fast food is less expensive when you factor in shopping time, and cooking time.
However, if you bought the bulk frozen patties instead of fresh, it would probably be cheaper.
It’s possible because of economies of scale.
I don’t think the answer is to eat BK every Wednesday, but you do you.
It’s a promotion so they may take a loss in order to get people in the door and hope that they buy other things. Also there is economy of scale… they buy the ingredients cheaper than you can because they’re making a big purchase.
You may as well get BK every Wed until the promotion ends if the place is in a convenient location to you.
How is it possible? Bulk discount and lean business operations. One whopper may only net them a few cents, but they’ll get you with add-ons. The strategy is nothing new.
As for every Wednesday? Come on. Please take care of yourself.
**How is this even possible?** Spitballing here, but maybe you don’t purchase 400 Million pounds of beef and contract with dozens of wholesale bakeries who buy tens of millions of pounds of flour quarterly and are responsible for a significant portion of the US GDP? Yes, sometimes it is cheaper to have someone make something for you
You only make one burger and then throw the rest of the ingredients away? 🙄
They’re potentially taking a loss on the burger expecting to make it up in fries and drinks.
If you want to be more frugal with your meal budget – maybe weekly bugers isn’t the way to go. There are lots of more frugal and more healthy options. That said, you do you, if ya wanna eat burgers – eat burgers.
So, $4 means $12/ pound for beef and $8 for a 4 pack of buns?
All that is much cheaper here.
If you buy the condiments then you have them for a ton of burgers. I also have a really hard time believing that buying a bag of premade patties and buns makes them $4 each.
An 8 pack of buns near me is about 4.50 and an 8 pack of pre made buns from the freezer aisle is $10. So 14.50 (ish) for 8 burgers. But if BK has one for $4, it costs $32 to get 8, and this difference covers A TON of condiments.
It really doesn’t make any sense that you would even think it costs less to eat out.
Are you comparing the same weight of burger? The patties I see at the grocery store typically weigh more than a whopper patty.
Fast food definitely can be cheaper than eating at home, especially if you use their app. I don’t like fries that much (also I eat super slow, and I especially don’t like cold fries lol) and a McChicken + a drink is cheaper than cooking a similar thing, it’s just up to you how often you’re willing to do that.