I think it's a way that inflation's expressed itself. The only way to keep prepared food affordable for ordinary people having an ordinary meal has been relentl

I think it's a way that inflation's expressed itself. The only way to keep prepared food affordable for ordinary people having an ordinary meal has been relentless application of economies of scale and making the food worse. That keeps the prices close to "the same" but if you find food that tastes like even mid-tier fast-food in 1995 it costs 3x what it did then, not 1.5-2x like the current fast food joints. That's because they squeezed more money out of economies of scale, and made the food worse. A place serving a decent home-style or local-diner-style meal that isn't just microwaved can't compete with the Pizza Hut express or a McDonalds for the money of people just popping off the highway for a bite and a fill-up. They're too slow and they (have to!) charge too much. Plus land and rent's getting more expensive all the time, in excess of broader consumer inflation, and has been for a while (many fast food chains are also plays for real-estate value, as I understand it, which is another way they can afford to undercut local competition)