Do Fast Food places intentionally sell their spicy food cheap?

Nearly every fast food restaurant has a value/dollar/discount menu where they offer some small items or treats for cheap. For only being as cheap as $0.99, the profit margin is very small, if not negative. How are the restaurants supposed to make money?

Enter the drink menu. Drinks have the largest profit margin of any item on a menu. Buying a drink is essentially buying diluted drink syrup. You're paying for water with added flavor and carbonation. Now how do the restaurants encourage drink sales? One way they do it is combo meals, which is pretty standard throughout the industry. But what would encourage a cheapskate buying from the dollar menu to buy a drink?

Some of these items are loaded with spicy sauce or breading, examples like the Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Carl's Jr. and 2 Tacos from Jack In The Box. Now unless you're used to eating these kinds of food, you're likely going to need a drink to washout the burning feeling in your mouth. Most Americans have no tolerance for spicy food, so intentionally making these menu items spicy almost guarantees a drink sale.

How can you avoid being caught in this trap? If you live in a state which mandates handing out free water cups, exercise your right to free refreshments. That way both your mouth will thank you for washing out the spiciness and your wallet will thank you for not wasting $1.69 on beverage syrup.

Image Source: jackinthebox.com