I can eat at Freddy's (or Culver's) and get a freshly made double smashburger, pretty darn good fries hot and fresh, and a soda for a little over $10. A QPC meal at McDonalds is basically the same price. Freddy's and Culvers are supposed to be a step up from fast food (and are IMO). And it's the same price. I feel like McDonald's has forgotten what it's supposed to be. Hot, greasy, salty food for cheap.
Never been to Freddys/Culver's but the last point hit me. I don't do fast food like I did in the 2000s, and appreciate the economy is not the same. But at 2am when I left the clubs, I wanted something easy, greasy, and cheap. The primary option was a couple $.99 chicken sandwiches from Jack in the Box. I didn't want a complex sandwich, sides, a drink, anything but a quick hit to the stomach for cheap. Jack did it best, so it was our go-to place.
Even today, for multiple reasons, McDs is at the bottom of my fast food options. I don't get the worship of their fries, or their coke.