McDonalds corporate has been lighting their franchisees on fire for decades to continue playing up how successful the business is on the stock market as opposed to actually supporting their restaurants long-term sustainability. Practically no innovation whatsoever, no response to ongoing criticisms of the product and business, no attempt to improve the product, nothing but coupons. Endless product discounting to try and keep the remaining customers they have.

And I speak partially from personal experience here, we do a McDonalds VERY occasionally, and ONLY by way of the fact that my wife gets coupons via the mobile app ordering thing. I have not (and would never, frankly) pay full menu price for their shit offerings. They're charging prices now that are getting close to the bottom end of places like Chipotle or Freddy's for hilariously inferior product, that's often slower to get.

Honestly more than anything lately, if I need something cheap and fast, I always find myself at Taco Bell. It's not great by any stretch but they have consistently good products, a nice churn of variety in their promoted items so there's always something new or different on offer, and the quality is not great, but solid and consistent. And, unlike seemingly every other fast food place, they aren't raising prices seemingly every damn time I order.