McDonald's customer RAGES against the fast food chain's increasing prices - claiming its once-budget menu items are now so expensive they have 'become a LUXURY'

Most expensive restaurants don't offer a drive-thru option - but according to one TikTok user, fast food chain McDonald's should now be considered among America's more 'luxury' eateries thanks to its soaring prices.

TikTok user Freddie Smith shone a spotlight on the increasing cost of the fast food chain's popular items, highlighting one particular dish on the menu which has significantly risen in price - the hash brown.

'You know s**t's messed up when McDonald's is becoming a luxury in this country,' Freddie, from Orlando, raged in his TikTok, which has been viewed over three million times.

While featuring a screenshot of a CNN article which discussed McDonald’s customers pushing back against price increases, he continued his rant against the fast food giant.

A TikTok user has slammed McDonald's over its increasing prices, saying the fast food chain is now so expensive it is considered a 'luxury' for many households  

The humble hash brown is no longer a cheap treat - with one X user claiming their local McDonald's advertised the item for over $5

'[In the article] they said that a hash brown - one of those breakfast hash browns - are $3 now,' the realtor said in disbelief. 

'You used to be able to get two double cheeseburgers and a McChicken for $3,' Freddie pointed out.

Freddie, who often makes videos talking about inflation and the rising cost of everyday necessities said he will likely receive complaints from people who think all he does is 'complain and whine'  - but he argued they should be complaining too. 

'When are you gonna start complaining?' he questioned.  

He continued: 'That's a genuine question. What does the average home price have to be? What does the average rent price have to be? How much does a McDouble have to be before you kinda go, "this is a little bit ridiculous."'

'Life has always been challenging,' Freddie acknowledged. 'We wanna be optimistic, we wanna build skills, we wanna work on ourselves but a lot of people are drowning.'

He mentioned the  'astronomical' price of groceries, housing, rent, college debt, daycare and now McDonald's as examples of everyday necessities getting out of hand.

'Well there's gotta be some light at the end of the tunnel because if not, what are we truly living through,' he said passionately. 

Thousands commented on the video, many saying they have noticed the price hike, while reminiscing over the cheaper days of McDonald's

'Are we living through the takeover of the middle class diminishing?' he concluded the video. 'They're moving the goalpost so far that we're having just two classes of people: the "have yachts" and "have nots."'

Thousands commented on the video, with many saying they have also noticed the price hike.

'I hadn’t been to McDonald’s in forever and I took my son and husband through the drive/thru and it was like $50 for 2 adults and a happy meal!' TikTok personality Elyse Meyers wrote under the clip.

'I remember the hash browns being 2 for $1,' another user reminisced. 

'McDonald’s forgot their place in society,' another wrote furiously. 'People went to McDonald’s because it was cheap. Now they think they are a 5 star restaurant.'

In January, a McDonald's customer went viral after slamming the fast food chain for it's 'outrageous pricing,' posting a photo of a receipt from a store in Connecticut where he paid $7 for an Egg McMuffin, and showed a hash brown on the menu for $5.69.

'What has the world come to??' New York-based Bespoke Investment Group wrote on X, formally known as Twitter. 'These were 2 for $2 pretty recently.'

In February, McDonald reported they managed to boost profits by seven per cent as a result of charging customers more for McMuffins, Big Macs, McNuggests and fries

According to the Big Mac Index by the Economist, the price of the McDonald's staple has shot up by 125 percent since 1996.

In the last two years alone, it has soared by six per cent.

In February, McDonald reported they managed to boost profits by seven per cent as a result of charging customers more for McMuffins, Big Macs, McNuggests and fries. 

The profits are reportedly due to higher menu prices and lower costs for ingredients.

Photos of eye-watering prices at some franchises have gone viral; including a single Egg McMuffin for $7.29 and a Big Mac for $8.39. These higher prices tend to be in restaurants with higher rent, such as rest stops.

However, a price drop could be on the horizon with McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski telling CNN the fast food chain saw a decrease in customers who made $45,000 a year in the last quarter of 2023, indicating the franchise has an affordability problem. 

He pointed out that it was cheaper for many people to eat at home, with grocery prices rising 1.3 percent overall in 2023, while dining out surged 5.2 percent according to a February Consumer Price Index report. 

He admitted that this is because McDonald’s has raised its prices by 10 percent in 2023, which could gave led to the decrease in sales.