• Even though fast food is more popular than ever, the prices of fast food continue to rise.
• The cost of staple ingredients such as chicken breasts, eggs, pork, and other meats has risen dramatically.
• As some businesses claim they are unable to find workers, labor has become more expensive.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a dramatic shift in the fast food industry, including changes in prices.

Fast food has become more accessible and convenient than ever in the past two years, but its prices have increased significantly.

Certain chains have warned customers about rising prices and voiced concern. Chipotle has made it clear that prices have risen over the past few years, in part because of higher wages. The fast-casual chain stated that prices had increased by 4% in June, which made the average meal 30% to 40% more expensive.

CFO Jack Hartung stated that "we think everyone in the restaurant sector is going to have to pay those costs along with the customer" in April's earnings call. He also warned of future price increases.

Rising ingredient costs are likely to be responsible for many price increases. According to BLS data, meat, poultry, fish and eggs prices increased year over year. The highest price of pork was 14.1%. Beef prices rose 20.1%. Tortilla prices also increased.

Due to the growing demand for chicken wings and sandwiches, chicken is still a popular choice in quick-service restaurants. According to The Wall Street Journal, chicken breast prices increased by two-thirds last year. Popeyes, Chick-fil-A and McDonald's sell chicken sandwiches made from white meat filets of chicken breasts. These chains had to deal with rising prices.

Insider reported that some chains raised prices as high as 10% in July. According to Gordon Haskett's analysis, the greatest price rises were at Taco Bell's 10%, McDonald's 8%, and Dunkin'' 8%. Chipotle followed closely by The Cheesecake Factory and Chipotle. According to data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices continued to rise throughout the year. In October, prices at limited-service restaurants (fast food and casual) reached 7.1% above the previous year.

These rising prices are partly due to rising labor costs. While business owners claim they are unable to find employees and sometimes even mention a lack of interest in working, workers assert that they can get better wages and benefits in a tight labor market. Chipotle and Starbucks announced wage increases in an effort to retain and attract workers.

The rate of inflation seems to be higher than the wage growth experienced by many Americans during the pandemic. This means that those affected will have less purchasing power after the event. Experts believe that inflation reached its peak in the fall of this year and will decline in 2022. This means there is hope that prices for fast food won't continue to rise.

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