In my area, the three piece combo - fries, drink, and a biscuit - is $16.79 before tax on UberEats for pickup, and I'm in a fairly low COL area. $68 for three sounds about right.
Why are you so determined to find a way to make an obvious exaggeration partially true?
Your local example failed, so you hand-waved at expensive areas. Someone points out that it's also false in an expensive area, and you say "no not that expensive area it doesn't count".
Why do you feel the need to defend the honor of the "Costs $68 to feed 3 at Popeye's" exaggeration?
Additionally, there are loads of comments of people all over the country price checking this $68 claim in their area. Bizarre to just keep hammering how it must be true under some yet-to-be-revealed circumstances.
Dining prices are up to an extraordinary amount compared to pre-COVID. Prices never went back down despite inflation being "reigned in". Being surprised at a $68 bill at Popeyes just expresses you don't have a family to provide for, which is probably the default position of most of the posters on this forum.
I eat a lot of fast food, including Popeye's. I buy for myself sometimes, other times I'm buying for groups of various sizes.
It has gotten more expensive. But if you're spending $68 for 3 people at Popeye's, someone in that group is eating at levels that will eventually win them a spot on "My 600lb Life".
> Being surprised at a $68 bill at Popeyes just expresses you don't have a family to provide for
I have a family to provide for. I'm surprised at a $68 bill at Popeyes. Taking my family there is normally a good bit less than that. Maybe if it was in some tourist trap area or something, but generally that would be quite high.