Oak Brook-based McDonald's says it's considering raising prices on some menu items in 2011. CFO Pete Benson says rising costs for commodities such as beef will be a big factor in whether prices go up.
Ephraim Leibtag is deputy director of research at the USDA's Economic Research Service. He says McDonald's probably won't be hit as hard as other retailers.
“Restaurant prices have additional layers of value added that are not directly related to commodities,” he said. “And so the final price of a restaurant meal, although influenced by the food cost, is a smaller share than, say, the final product in a grocery store.”