This chart shows the actual cost of McDonald’s menu items

Michael Timmermann | July 18th, 2017

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It only costs about $5 to $10 to fill up on fast food, so how do places like McDonald’s make any money?

Someone uploaded a McDonald’s waste sheet to Imgur, which presumably shows the actual food product cost before other business expenses, including labor, are factored in.

The true cost of McDonald’s food

As you take a look at the chart below, you should know that it’s apparently from a McDonald’s restaurant in Canada, where one Canadian dollar equals about 74 cents in U.S. currency.

That also explains menu items that may be unfamiliar to Americans, like the Double Big Mac, Maple Bites and Cheese Curds.

Here are some of the highlights:

Big Mac: $1.14 CAD
Egg McMuffin: $0.59 CAD
Apple Pie: $0.25 CAD
Ranch Crispy Wrap: $0.77 CAD
Hot Cakes: $0.30 CAD

The chart has generated hundreds of comments on Reddit, with many people saying that it doesn’t appear that McDonald’s is making a lot of money off items like hamburgers and salads.

And what’s missing from the waste log is cost information about sodas, an item with a huge profit margin.

McDonald’s keeps food costs low because they buy in bulk, but could you do even better? We recently met a mother of 13 who feeds her family for $1 per serving, which is even cheaper than the drive-thru!

Is there anything from the McDonald’s chart that surprised you? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.