An image of a McDonald’s bill showing that an Egg McMuffin cost a customer $7.29 in Fairfield, Connecticut, has gone viral on social media, with users calling the cost of the breakfast treat “outrageous.”
In a post published on X, formerly known as Twitter, the account Bespoke, representing the New York-based Bespoke Investment Group, shared a picture of a breakfast bill, writing: “$7.29 for one McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. What has the world come to?? These were 2 for $2 pretty recently.” Newsweek contacted McDonald’s for comment by email on Tuesday morning.
The bill records the purchase of two Egg McMuffins for $14.58 and one Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddle without two half-strips of bacon for $7.19. The total comes up to $23.37 including a $1.60 tax, which Bespoke described as “outrageous.”
While McDonald’s products may taste the same across the country, their prices change wildly from state to state, and they are known to be generally higher at rest stops. In an attempt to track prices across the country, British marketing executive Sacha Fournier created the website McCheapest.com, which reports the cost of a Big Mac throughout the U.S. The cheapest Big Mac is in Stigler, Oklahoma.
The bill that has gone viral on social media was paid on January 27, 2024 at 7:29 a.m. in a McDonald’s restaurant at 165 Round Hill Road in Fairfield. The venue is located in the North Service Plaza along Interstate 95, near exit 21-22.
Users commenting on the post, which has gained over 1.8 million views, accused Bespoke of making “several rookie mistakes,” including buying from a rest stop. “Travel plaza pricing is always high,” posted another. Others agreed with Bespoke that prices at the Fairfield restaurant “are indeed outrageous.”
“That McDonald’s is at a Service Rest Area on I-95, so it should be higher, but that’s way too high,” another wrote. A third posted on Monday that he paid “$19.00 for a Big Mac, fries, and a coke” a couple of days before at a rest stop in Connecticut.
Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Because McDonald’s restaurants are independently owned and operated by franchisees, they are able to set their own prices, which might be influenced by the different costs they incur in each state—including wages, rents, interest rates, car prices, gas prices and transportation costs.
It’s not the first time that a McDonald’s restaurant at a rest stop in Connecticut has come under fire for its high prices. In summer last year, another post became viral on X after a user shared he had paid $17.59 for a Big Mac combo meal, which includes fries and a soft drink.
On July 18, 2023, Sam Learner shared pictures of the restaurant’s menu on X, writing: “This was at a rest stop, but these McDonald’s prices are nuts right???” The restaurant was off of I-95 in Darien.
Connecticut is an expensive state to live in. The average annual household income in Darien is $424,355, while the median household income sits at $250,001 per year, according to Point2Homes. In Fairfield, the average annual household income is $209,851, while the median household income is $142,346 per year. Minimum wage in Connecticut is $15.65 an hour.
The website Mc-Menu says that the Egg McMuffin costs an average of $4.12 nationwide. In Connecticut, it costs $4.29 on average.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.