Fish sandwiches, like everything else, will cost you more this year

You probably have seen how expensive fast food has become this past year, with social media showing high-priced combo meals, even high-priced french fries and hash browns.

Viral TikTok videos are showing pricey items, like like an $18 dollar Big Mac combo meal at a highway rest stop in Connecticut.

So when it comes to fish sandwiches, how much more will you have to pay this Lenten season? A bit more, just like everything else.

We checked to see what you will pay for a fish sandwich, based on restaurant app prices for the Cincinnati area. Prices often vary by region.

• McDonalds Filet O’ Fish is among the cheapest right now, with 2 for $6 dollars at many locations.
• White Castle’s Fish Slider is technically cheaper (though it is much smaller) at $2.29.
• Arby’s Crispy Fish is a good deal at $5.
• Wendy’s Crispy Panki Fish is $6.
• Popeye’s Flounder Sandwich is also $6.
• Long John Silvers has a $6 fish basket.
• Frisch’s fish sandwich is $7.79.

Higher Prices All Around

But it is not just sandwiches seeing price hikes in 2024. You’ll also find prices higher this year on soft drinks.

“Soda prices jumped a lot, so all in all, prices for food are growing more slowly than they have been, but they’re still, you know, things that we all enjoy, where prices are still jumping,” Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, tells Scripps News.

So it’s not just the sandwich where you’ll pay more, but also the fries and drink as well.

Economists blame rising food costs as well as higher labor prices, with many fast food restaurants now paying $15 or more per hour, instead of $10 or $12 as they did a few years ago.

Your best bet, in most cases, is a combo meal.

That way you don’t waste your money.

By John Matarese, WCPO