Take the $16 McDonald’s meal that struck a nerve on TikTok late last year. Of course, fast food prices have gone up along with everything else in the past few years, but not by as much as the TikTok video suggests. Because the vast majority of McDonald’s restaurants in the United States are independently owned, prices vary from region to region. The social media megaphoneIn an era before TikTok or YouTube, a $16 burger moment would have lasted a few seconds. The real beefPerhaps the more significant economic takeaway from the viral McDonald’s meal is not that the meal actually cost $16 but that the man paid for it.

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Persons: CNN Business ’, ”, …, there’d, Joe Biden’s, , —, Biden, Topher Olive, Olive, pollsters Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, New York Post, Democratic, Mac, CBS News, CNN, White, Office, Digital Strategy, Washington Post, Consumer Locations: New York, Idaho, America, United States, Darien , Connecticut