Published 2026-10-05
The same Chili Dog costs $2.29 at one California Wienerschnitzel and $4.29 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 2,092 restaurants of five chains in California. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 87% from one restaurant to the next.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Wienerschnitzel Chili Dog: $2.29 to $4.29 (+87%)Cheapest restaurant in Riverside, CA, most expensive in Lancaster, CA; median $3.29, 10% above Wienerschnitzel's US median.
- Cold Stone Creamery Create Your Own (Like It): $5.75 to $9.99 (+74%)Cheapest restaurant in Fresno, CA, most expensive in Buena Park, CA; median $7.77, 16% above Cold Stone Creamery's US median.
- Cinnabon MiniBon: $4.14 to $6.99 (+69%)Cheapest restaurant in National City, CA, most expensive in West Covina, CA; median $5.99, 20% above Cinnabon's US median.
- El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo: $5.99 to $10.00 (+67%)Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in San Jose, CA; median $6.79, the same as El Pollo Loco's US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $5.39 to $8.99 (+67%)Cheapest restaurant in Twentynine Palms, CA, most expensive in Blythe, CA; median $6.89, 15% above McDonald's US median.
Fast food chains are collecting more and more data about their customers through mobile apps and loyalty programs: accounts with their details, and what they order and when. They are also experimenting with AI and data-driven pricing. Meanwhile the same item can cost very different amounts from one restaurant to the next, and customers cannot see why. Drive Thru Index publishes every restaurant's real price, every day, so anyone can check.
Wienerschnitzel: a Chili Dog costs $2.29 at the Wienerschnitzel in Riverside, CA and $4.29 at the Wienerschnitzel in Lancaster, CA, $2.00 (87%) more. Across its 208 restaurants in California, the median is $3.29, 10% above Wienerschnitzel's US median of $2.99.
Cold Stone Creamery: a Create Your Own (Like It) costs $5.75 at seven Cold Stone Creamery restaurants in Fresno, Clovis, Hanford and Visalia, CA and $9.99 at four Cold Stone Creamery restaurants in Buena Park, Cabazon, Pico Rivera and Walnut Park, CA, $4.24 (74%) more. Across its 206 restaurants in California, the median is $7.77, 16% above Cold Stone Creamery's US median of $6.69.
Cinnabon: a MiniBon costs $4.14 at the Cinnabon in National City, CA and $6.99 at the Cinnabon in West Covina, CA, $2.85 (69%) more. Across its 47 restaurants in California, the median is $5.99, 20% above Cinnabon's US median of $4.99.
El Pollo Loco: a Original Pollo Bowl Combo costs $5.99 at 11 El Pollo Loco restaurants in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Brea, Castaic, Fullerton, San Pedro, South Gate, Torrance and Whittier, CA and $10.00 at the El Pollo Loco in San Jose, CA, $4.01 (67%) more. Across its 393 restaurants in California, the median is $6.79, the same as El Pollo Loco's US median of $6.79.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $5.39 at the McDonald's in Twentynine Palms, CA and $8.99 at two McDonald's restaurants in Blythe and Needles, CA, $3.60 (67%) more. Across its 1,238 restaurants in California, the median is $6.89, 15% above McDonald's US median of $5.99.
Anthony Gherghetta, an Australian software developer who built Drive Thru Index, started it after reading some of the buzz about AI being used to set fast food prices: he wanted to see whether it was true, and how big the price differences between restaurants really were. Prices bear out the contrast he noticed. In Australia, 97% of McDonald's restaurants charge within 10% of the typical Big Mac price; in the US, 53% do. The gap between the cheapest and the dearest tenth of restaurants is 10% of the typical price in Australia and 33% in the US.
“I kept reading that fast food chains were starting to use AI and customer data to set prices, so I wanted to see if it was true and how big the differences really were. In Australia, where I’m from, a Big Mac costs much the same wherever you buy it. In the US the price changes from one restaurant to the next. Fast food apps now know what you order, when and where, but customers can’t see how prices are set. So I built Drive Thru Index to check every restaurant, every day,” said Gherghetta.
Quotable lines
The same Wienerschnitzel Chili Dog costs $2.29 at one restaurant in Riverside, CA but $4.29 at another in Lancaster, CA.
The same Cold Stone Creamery Create Your Own (Like It) costs $5.75 at one restaurant in Fresno, CA but $9.99 at another in Buena Park, CA.
The same Cinnabon MiniBon costs $4.14 at one restaurant in National City, CA but $6.99 at another in West Covina, CA.
The same El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo costs $5.99 at one restaurant in Los Angeles, CA but $10.00 at another in San Jose, CA.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $5.39 at one restaurant in Twentynine Palms, CA but $8.99 at another in Blythe, CA.
Images
The facts behind the release
Every figure is from our prices of 2026-10-05, with the page on this site that shows it.
| Figure | Value | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Wienerschnitzel Chili Dog: $2.29 to $4.29 (+87%) | Cheapest restaurant in Riverside, CA, most expensive in Lancaster, CA; median $3.29, 10% above Wienerschnitzel's US median. | See the page |
| Cold Stone Creamery Create Your Own (Like It): $5.75 to $9.99 (+74%) | Cheapest restaurant in Fresno, CA, most expensive in Buena Park, CA; median $7.77, 16% above Cold Stone Creamery's US median. | See the page |
| Cinnabon MiniBon: $4.14 to $6.99 (+69%) | Cheapest restaurant in National City, CA, most expensive in West Covina, CA; median $5.99, 20% above Cinnabon's US median. | See the page |
| El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo: $5.99 to $10.00 (+67%) | Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in San Jose, CA; median $6.79, the same as El Pollo Loco's US median. | See the page |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $5.39 to $8.99 (+67%) | Cheapest restaurant in Twentynine Palms, CA, most expensive in Blythe, CA; median $6.89, 15% above McDonald's US median. | See the page |
| Cheapest Wienerschnitzel Chili Dog (restaurants) | $2.29 (1) | Riverside, CA |
| Most expensive Wienerschnitzel Chili Dog (restaurants) | $4.29 (1) | Lancaster, CA |
| Cheapest Cold Stone Creamery Create Your Own (Like It) (restaurants) | $5.75 (7) | Clovis, CA, Fresno, CA, Fresno, CA, Fresno, CA, Fresno, CA, Hanford, CA, Visalia, CA |
| Most expensive Cold Stone Creamery Create Your Own (Like It) (restaurants) | $9.99 (4) | Buena Park, CA, Cabazon, CA, Pico Rivera, CA, Walnut Park, CA |
| Cheapest Cinnabon MiniBon (restaurants) | $4.14 (1) | National City, CA |
| Most expensive Cinnabon MiniBon (restaurants) | $6.99 (1) | West Covina, CA |
| Cheapest El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo (restaurants) | $5.99 (11) | Brea, CA, Castaic, CA, Fullerton, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Sacramento, CA, Sacramento, CA, San Pedro, CA, South Gate, CA, Torrance, CA, Whittier, CA |
| Most expensive El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo (restaurants) | $10.00 (1) | San Jose, CA |
| Cheapest McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $5.39 (1) | Twentynine Palms, CA |
| Most expensive McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $8.99 (2) | Blythe, CA, Needles, CA |
Methodology, about and contact
Drive Thru Index reads every restaurant's menu from each chain's own ordering app every day; these are the latest pickup prices collected on or before October 5, 2026, in US dollars. The area covers every restaurant in California. Each chain is compared only with itself, on its own signature item, and only where it has at least 5 restaurants in the area; prices are never compared between chains or converted between currencies. The cheapest and most expensive restaurants leave out airports and similar special sites, which are reported separately.
About Drive Thru Index: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com) publishes the menu price of every item at every restaurant of the biggest fast food brands, collected each day from the chains' own ordering apps. As pricing becomes more data-driven, it exists so that customers can see what each restaurant really charges and how it compares with others nearby. It covers the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands. Brands are only compared with themselves, and prices are never converted between currencies. Its figures are free to quote with attribution: "Source: Drive Thru Index".
The images with this release are free to use with the credit "Image: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com)".
Media contact: anthony@drivethruindex.com
Background sources
Not part of the release: reporting that backs up its one line of context, for questions from journalists.
- How restaurant loyalty programs can drive more traffic and improve experiences Restaurant Dive, 2024-08-15
Restaurant loyalty apps pull in customers' ordering history and preferences, to personalise offers and recommendations (the intro's apps and loyalty programmes). - Wendy's backtracks on dynamic pricing Restaurant Dive, 2024-02-28
Wendy's told investors it would test dynamic and AI-enabled pricing on digital menu boards from 2025, then said after a backlash that it would not raise prices at the busiest times (the intro's experiments with data-driven pricing). - Inside McDonald's push to have AI price your Big Mac CNBC, 2026-09-29
Reports a Reuters investigation into an AI tool that recommends menu prices to McDonald's restaurants; McDonald's says franchisees remain free to set their own prices. Not quoted in the release text; the page could not be fetched to check its wording, only its search listing.