Wage is not a determining factor for McDonald's pricing and has nothing to do with that. They successfully converted from a neighborhood fast food shop into a

Wage is not a determining factor for McDonald's pricing and has nothing to do with that. They successfully converted from a neighborhood fast food shop into a new chain of automats with almost no staff once touchscreens got cheap enough and the necessary software could be suitably amortized. They ditched the employees, minimized community features like playplaces and tables, dropped the low margin dollar menu that many poorer people relied on, and focused on getting higher-margin products with better photography to busy professionals with brand attachment. Trying to turn this into the tired debate about minimum wage just distracts from a discussion about what's actually happening to this brand.