Why is fast food so much more expensive in Canada?

[BigToque]

Since the Canadian and US dollar are so close now, quite a few products have dropped in price here in Canada. Fast food hasn't and I'm curious to know why.

I always see food commercials for $.99 value items and here they're always at least $1.39-1.79. I paid over $7.50 for a bloody Big Mac meal!

What the hell is with the prices here when they are so low in the US? I took a trip to Fargo a few months ago for a friends bachelor party and probably spent about half what we might normally pay on every meal up here.

WTF?

 

[Rifter]

food has always been cheaper in the US, and the portions are usually bigger. I wish i knew why as well but fast food is still pretty cheap.

 

[Kenazo]

Food prices in general are higher here, not just fast food. I'm expecting a lot of the price differences are due to economies of scale in the US vs. Canada.

 

[Firebot]

Higher food quality standards in Canada for beef, which makes food much more expensive to distribute within Canada. Also smaller market and the fact that fast food companies within Canada aren't competing with American prices since you can't simply buy a fast food meal across the border when you are hungry now.

 

[NinjaTech]

It's pretty obvious why. It's because all Canadians are lazy. They sit around all day drinking beer and watching hockey so everything costs more. When they aren't drinking beer and watching hockey, Canadians eat mostly Mac & Cheese and drink maple syrup straight from the bottle so those are the only foods that don't cost a lot in Canada. Of course, poutine is also readily available but that tastes like the bottom of a mounties boots.

If I was forced to guess I would think the real answer would be because Canada is one of the largest agricultural producers and exporters in the world. Therefore, if people are willing to pay more to buy exports it is going to inflate the price for everyone else. The reason is if you are a producer you are going to want to sell your product for the highest possible price.

~NT

 

[Rifter]

you can still rip across the boarder pretty fast, if you live near it. I could be in the US in under 30 min from my house. 1 hour round trip for fast food seems a little extream though.

 

[CanOWorms]

Because the Queen wanted it so.

 

[sandorski]

you can still rip across the boarder pretty fast, if you live near it. I could be in the US in under 30 min from my house. 1 hour round trip for fast food seems a little extream though.

If you live in a small town maybe. Vancouver to Washington State is easily a 1 hour wait at the Border. I've been in a 3 hour wait before, not fun and not convenient for some Food.

 

[adlep]

Since the Canadian and US dollar are so close now, quite a few products have dropped in price here in Canada. Fast food hasn't and I'm curious to know why.

I always see food commercials for $.99 value items and here they're always at least $1.39-1.79. I paid over $7.50 for a bloody Big Mac meal!

What the hell is with the prices here when they are so low in the US? I took a trip to Fargo a few months ago for a friends bachelor party and probably spent about half what we might normally pay on every meal up here.

WTF?

FastFood's quality equals to the quality of animal feed. Canada's government should tax it more to make difficult for people to kill themselves.

 

[Mike Gayner]

Friends that have been to the States talk about how food is ridiculously cheap over there, and LOL at the massive portion sizes at restaurants. Wendy's here bought in the big size cups you have over there - when the person handed it to me I was like "umm, lol are you kidding? that's like a litre of coke".

 

[Riceninja]

i support a fast food tax in canada so we don't turn into a nation of fat fucks. every time i cross the border i have to suppress the urge to barf, and ive been told that washington is actually one of the slimmer states.

 

[QueBert]

i support a fast food tax in canada so we don't turn into a nation of fat fucks. every time i cross the border i have to suppress the urge to barf, and ive been told that washington is actually one of the slimmer states.

If you don't like it here then stay the fuck out. Then you won't have the urge to barf. If people can lead to you having the urge to barf you got bigger problems than fast food and fat people.

 

[Newbian]

Because you bastards keep all your poutine to yourself and since you won't share we jack your prices up for our food.

 

[Mike Gayner]

if you don't like it here then stay the fuck out. Then you won't have the urge to barf. If people can lead to you having the urge to barf you got bigger problems than fast food and fat people.

lol

 

[dennilfloss]

Maybe the staff salary (minimum wage) is higher here and that contributes in part to the higher prices?

Wiki:

The lowest general minimum wages in force currently is that of British Columbia ($8.00/hour) and the highest is that of Ontario ($10.25/hour).

 

[Riceninja]

If you don't like it here then stay the fuck out. Then you won't have the urge to barf. If people can lead to you having the urge to barf you got bigger problems than fast food and fat people.

i come to buy cheap shit, and i figured your economy could use the money

 

[Rifter]

If you live in a small town maybe. Vancouver to Washington State is easily a 1 hour wait at the Border. I've been in a 3 hour wait before, not fun and not convenient for some Food.

depends really on the time of day i would be going in the middle of the night, as i work nights, but yeah in the day it would suck. Ive never waited more than 2 min when going between midnight and 3am, and traffic is sweet too lol.

 

[Firsttime]

Maybe the staff salary (minimum wage) is higher here and that contributes in part to the higher prices?

Wiki:

I'm guessing this. It's $9.25 here in NS on it's way to $10 in the fall.

 

[StageLeft]

Virtually everything in Canada is more expensive even after accounting for dollar adjustment. Food, books, electronics, cars, alcohol, clothes. I think some of it is the ubiquity of taxes, but Canadians have much less of an issue with taxes than Americans.

I'm guessing this. It's $9.25 here in NS on it's way to $10 in the fall.

Are enough people in Canada on minimum wage to really matter? I can't imagine they really are. In the US minimum wage is a politically divisive debate with limited actual meaning; so few are actually on minimum wage that it doesn't impact prices terribly one way or the other.

 

[dfuze]

It could be as simple as that is what people are willing to pay so why charge less

 

[techs]

The answer is that the U.S. subsizes grain production. A fast food burger in the U.S. is made from artificially cheap wheat for the bun and cheap corn for the beef. The fries are cooked in oil which is made from subsidized grain.

All of which is why a burger costs .99 cents in the U.S. while a piece of usubsidized fruit can be twice that.

/thread

 

[SandEagle]

Canada McDonald's > USA McDonald's

srsly the food always tastes fresher and less greasy

 

[JimmiG]

http://www.economist.com/node/16646178?story_id=16646178

US: $3.73
Canada: $4.00
Sweden: $6.56
Norway: $7.20

 

[dennilfloss]

No Big Macs for me. Too expensive. Once a week I go to McDonald's for my 'luxury meal'. I order two double cheeseburgers and a glass of water. Total is $3.58, below the $4 limit at which restaurant meals start getting taxed.

 

[MiniDoom]

*> McDonalds. shit is just nasty...anywhere.