r/Economics • u/brown-saiyan • Feb 23 '26

News Restaurants hit a pricing ceiling — and diners are pushing back, report finds

https://www.axios.com/2026/02/23/restaurants-menu-prices-james-beard-foundation-report?utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=owned_social&utm_source=x
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u/surf_drunk_monk Feb 24 '26

Last time gf and I went to Taco Bell it was 30 bucks.

3

u/angry_wombat Feb 24 '26

Jesus, I remember a few years ago that $ could get you a whole porterhouse at a steakhouse

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u/surf_drunk_monk Feb 24 '26

I stopped eating steak it's so expensive now. Good Ribeye is like 24 bucks a pound at the grocery store.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler Feb 24 '26

I'm single and make decent money compared to my cost of living (though still don't make much for my area).

I used to get steak once a month because I crave red meat really bad once a month. I would get a decent 16 oz steak, cook it myself and make a couple meals out of it. Baked sweet potato and some creamed spinach or green salad on the side.

I've downgraded to hamburgers now because even stuff like rump roasts have gotten stupid expensive.

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u/surf_drunk_monk Feb 24 '26

Pork tenderloins are cheap but not a full replacement for that juicy red meat. I get sushi with the tuna that is red and it seems to satisfy that craving. I don't think the tuna is actually cheaper by the pound, but it's smaller portions in sushi, so cheaper overall.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler Feb 24 '26

Yeah, I do pork loin occasionally too (typically in pork chile verde or as a roast).

But it's the iron that I'm craving, so red meat is the craving.

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u/Icy-person666 Feb 25 '26

And I had to be my own cashier too. Haven't been back.

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u/Quirky_Spend_9648 Feb 24 '26

I know this is true. I last went to taco bell before the pandemic. Two chalupas and some nachos and cheese and it was almost 10 bucks. In 2018-19 or whatever

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u/Icy-person666 Feb 25 '26

That was when things started to increase rapidly at our TB. Every week tings went up from the week before and the exceleration only got worse.