The franchisee is innocent to the crashing dollar value. Inflation of all things across the board raises prices of all things. Including the price of keeping laborers. These poor folks that have been doing the same job over the various decades at McD's have NOT gotten any better at their jobs thus acquiring a higher pay scale than before, no, base wages only go up relative to the cost of living standards... And that cost is up at an all time high. Every time the fed prints more money, things get more expensive, debts become larger, and the dollar has less buying power. McDonalds isn't pulling "a fast one". The mega corporate conglomerate is adjusting prices based on the cost of materials, time, man power, all over-head, and is up against the depreciating US dollar.
Here in Mt Juliet, Tennessee today at McD's I got: 2 Sausage McMuffins, 2 orders of Hotcakes, 1 Sausage Egg McMuffin, and a medium Vanilla Shake (with extra whip! YUM!) and the bill with a coupon out the door was $14.35... I did notice that the Big Mac here is $5.89. I miss the days of 2 Big Macs for $5!!!