A POPULAR burger chain has introduced a $10 ‘recession burger’ – but it’s not necessarily quids in for Americans.
A slowing economy and concerns about tariffs have spurred many restaurants to offer cheaper meals to entice penny-pinching customers.
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Super Duper has jumped on the bandwagon with its latest combo meal, offering diners a burger, crispy fries and a soft drink all for just $10.
Called the Recession Combo, the deal saves customers $5 and has since gone viral in San Francisco.
One Reddit forum has amassed almost 1,500 upvotes and 200 comments, with users hailing the meal an incredible deal.
But according to Ed Onas, Super Duper’s vice president of operations, the burger was not inspired by the current economic slump.
Instead, he said, the moniker was drawn from the Depression when Oklahoma joints stretched out the ground beef to make it go further.
They would then top it up with lots of sliced onions.
Ed told CNBC: “That’s kind of where the name of the burger plays in … And we figured, we’re calling it the ‘Recession Combo,’ why don’t we just offer a deal that makes it a really good value for our guests?”
“Inflation has kind of been going on, and we figured it’s a nice offer for a short amount of time for our guests.”
The burger has achieved such overwhelming success that it is now a permanent fixture on the menu.
Elsewhere, Americans are saving their pennies in other ways.
Reports from just a few days ago revealed nearly half of American adults are now taking advantage of a little-known loophole with kids’ meals.
Praised as a smart move by experts, more and more adults in the US are ordering off the kiddie menu as inflation and financial stress weigh down on grown-ups.
While kids’ meals were originally intended for children, an increasing number of adults are ordering them off the menu, per a new survey by Lightspeed Commerce, a company that provides payment systems to the hospitality industry.
The survey uncovered that 44 per cent of American diners have ordered kiddie meals to indulge in themselves at restaurants, with participants mainly citing smaller portion sizes, more affordable prices, and simpler choices.
“Whether it’s a mini burger or mac and cheese, the kids’ menu is becoming a smart option,” Lightspeed Commerce said of the results.
The trend is also seen in a MarketWatch poll revealing that 33.8% of the 1,400 respondents admitted to ordering kids’ meals.
Data from market researcher Circana likewise shows that grown-ups are fond of kiddie meals, finding that orders for children’s meals by adults spiked 30 per cent from 2019 to 2025.
This trend can be considered somewhat of a loophole when eating out, saving diners a few dollars on reduced-portion meals.
