Is It Just Me, or are consumers getting hosed once again as the over-supply of restaurants scurry to fill up the seats and stay in business?
A day or so ago, for instance, I read that McDonald's is introducing a new sandwich called the "McDouble." Reportedly, it will replace the popular double cheeseburger; the only difference, it seems, is that the new version will have one slice of cheese instead of two. Actually, there are two differences -- one of them of concern to me: The new one is expected to sell for about $1.19, while the old one remains on the "Dollar Menu" at most locations (also reportedly, it's being pulled from that menu in some places so they can hike the price up over a buck).
The new version, in fact, supposedly will cost McDonald's 6 cents less to make than the existing double cheeseburger. Why, then, will it be sold for more than the one that had two slices of cheese? Hmmm; your guess is as good as mine.
And my guess is it's part of a growing trend among restaurants toward cutting down on portion size while keeping prices right where they used to be. Over the past several months, my husband and I have been shocked to see how small some of the things we enjoy have become. At one restaurant, the basket of onion rings that was guaranteed to provide us with leftovers in the past now is barely sufficient to satisfy a single diner. At another, the pasta bowls have been downsized, most likely in the hope that customers won't notice that the pasta in it has been downsized as well.
Now don't get me wrong: I'm all for making portions of reasonable size, meaning enough for a meal but not so much that customers either make huge pigs of themselves trying to finish (a very unhealthy custom, to be sure) or even to provide enough for a second meal back at home. And, I know that now isn't a great time to increase prices, and restaurants surely are feeling the pinch as their own costs escalate out of sight.
But that doesn't mean I'll continue to pay $12 for an entree that's half the size it once was. If you charge me that much, by golly, there'd better be plenty to fill the "people" bags.
Some restaurants are trying an end run; they've introduced smaller-portion "value" meals that are priced low enough that customers who are struggling to make ends meet still can [hopefully] afford to eat out once in a while. It's still a sleight-of-hand maneuver, though; the meals cost more than the same amount would have cost a year ago, but because the overall price sounds reasonable (say $5.99 for a bowl of soup and a sandwich), consumers may think they're getting a good deal.
In my opinion, there's nothing good about it (except perhaps that eating out will remain affordable for more people in the short term). But if the economy does start picking up again, I'll bet my first-born son that there won't be a rush toward giant-sized meals again -- or for that matter, to changing prices to reflect the economic upswing. It's just another type of bait-and-switch, with unsuspecting customers paying the real price.
Or Is It Just Me?
