SPOKANE, Wash — Food Prices have been increasing in Spokane due to inflation, the changing landscape of the region and state minimum wage increases, but Dick's Hamburgers has worked to keep their prices as low as possible.
Jamie McBride has worked at Dick's Hamburgers for 30 years and in the last two years took over as General Manager. Over the years, she's noticed the restaurant's prices stand out in Spokane.
Their best-seller, the Whammy, is sold for under five dollars. But McBride says keeping their promise of low prices has been more difficult recently.
"Right now, the cost of every product we get in here is going up," she said.
Inflation is an issue restaurants across the country are dealing with, and its affecting the customers. Rob Robson used to go out to eat with his family twice a week, but now they can only eat out twice a month.
"It has gotten crazy expensive. Can't do it anymore, hardly," Robson said.
KREM 2 compiled a list of the top 15 sit-down burger restaurants in the City of Spokane, according to Yelp. The most expensive place to get a burger on the list is Durkin's at $19, and the least expensive is Mary Lou's Milk Bottle with an average burger price of $11.66.
Of course, burger prices can vary greatly depending on factors such as the quality of meat and toppings.
After comparing more than 100 burger prices from the list, the average price of a burger in Spokane is $16.26. Spokane resident Sherri Battles says it's more than just inflation causing the high prices.
"With Kendall Yards and [those] sort of things coming, the places have just gotten more yuppy," Battles said.
She said upscale restaurants are replacing places like Rocky Rococo's and Azar's.
"That's why I'm at Dick's," Robson said.