I remember when I was a kid, my friends and I would pool our pocket change and the three of us could eat our fill at Taco Bell for like $4-5. Not anymore.
It's literally cheaper to cook for yourself now. Hell, a tub of Greek yogurt and some apples is like $4 and gives you protein and fiber for like 3 meals. Literally no effort food. People are just lazy.
When I was still a Jehovah Witness, we used to hit up taco bell after door knocking for the same reason. 3-5 of us could eat for less than 10 dollars.