Well, this seems downright mean, depriving someone of a $1 McDouble. And that, dear readers, is just what the Haight and Stanyan McDonald's has done. See, according to the Chronicle, the store "eliminated its Dollar Menu about a month ago, making the items on it too expensive for the people who spend the better part of their day on the sidewalk in front." (Is that even legal? The Dollar Menu, as you all know, is as American as dissidence and apple pie.)
For homeless folks, the difference between $1 and $1.50 is a lot. Street food is not, oddly enough, for street people. Too expensive. And while, yes, it would be grand if the homeless could prattle on endlessly about crispy offal tacos with salted creme brulee caramelized chicken and waffles, or whatever it item is the hottest thing to have passing through your intestines at the moment, the dollar menu "can mean the difference between eating and going hungry." Alas, it now costs 50 cents (and some tax) more to get a poisonous yet delicious 390-calorie McDouble.
Did the owner jack up the price to coincide with the impending sit/lie law? Seems like this would be the case. However: "The speculation as to why I no longer offer menu items for $1 in this location is absolutely false," Natalie Gonzales, the franchise owner, told the Chronicle. "This was a business decision based on a number of contributing factors. And while these items are no longer available at $1, they are still available at what I believe to be a good, everyday value."