Why do McDonald’s salads cost more than a burger? Former chef explains

A former McDonald’s corporate chef has revealed why healthier options on the menu such as salads are more expensive than a burger.

Former McDonald’s corporate chef Mike Haracz frequently shares insight into the fast food chain with his 300,000 followers on TikTok. His latest inside scoop? Why a salad will cost you more than a burger.

In the video, Mike responded to a viewer who asked, “Explain to me why a fresh salad [costs] $9 [and] a cooked beef burger [costs] $1.59.”

As it turns out, it all comes down to longevity and the freshness of the products, with Mike explaining; “The biggest reason is that salad doesn’t last long and by salad, we are talking about iceberg lettuce, romaine, leafy greens, and things of that nature.”

“You can freeze beef, you can refrigerate beef in gas-flushed containers for shelf-life extension,” he continued. Vegetables can also be gas-flushed, but do not last as long.

On top of this, lettuce requires a lot more care and uses up more space when being transported; “The same trucks that transport beef and you know, more dense items, also transport lettuce. You can’t compound it. You can’t crush it. You have to be incredibly gentle and delicate to it, or else it gets bruised and people will not buy it.”

“If it looks weird, even though is perfectly fine to eat, but that tomato? If it’s got a little dent in it, people just don’t want to buy it,” Mike said. “But the biggest thing is because lettuce does not last long and there is nothing we all can do about it.”

Viewers pitched in with their own theories in the comments, with one person writing, “It’s also just the ‘health tax”’ Companies know if you’re into health — you’ll pay. Same thing with ‘organics.'”

“There’s more waste with salads, what if you don’t sell [enough and] those salads have to be thrown away?” another person wrote. “That drives up the cost.”