Published 2026-10-05
The same 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare costs $9.89 at one Dallas–Fort Worth Golden Corral and $15.99 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 477 restaurants of five chains in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 62% from one restaurant to the next.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare: $9.89 to $15.99 (+62%)Cheapest restaurant in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $13.99, 4% above Golden Corral's US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $4.19 to $6.49 (+55%)Cheapest restaurant in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Lewisville, TX; median $5.19, 13% below McDonald's US median.
- Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%)Cheapest restaurant in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median.
- Sonic Cheeseburger: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%)Cheapest restaurant in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Glenn Heights, TX; median $5.59, 2% below Sonic's US median.
- Denny's Grand Slamwich Combo: $13.99 to $18.99 (+36%)Cheapest restaurant in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $18.49, 3% above Denny'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.
Golden Corral: a 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare costs $9.89 at the Golden Corral in Fort Worth, TX and $15.99 at two Golden Corral restaurants in Dallas and Mesquite, TX, $6.10 (62%) more. Across its 7 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $13.99, 4% above Golden Corral's US median of $13.49.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $4.19 at the McDonald's in Fort Worth, TX and $6.49 at two McDonald's restaurants in Lewisville and Plano, TX, $2.30 (55%) more. Across its 223 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $5.19, 13% below McDonald's US median of $5.99. At the airport in Dallas, TX, it costs $6.59.
Popeyes: a Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $4.99 at the Popeyes in Dallas, TX and $6.99 at the Popeyes in Dallas, TX, $2.00 (40%) more. Across its 84 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median of $5.79.
Sonic: a Sonic Cheeseburger costs $4.99 at five Sonic restaurants in Dallas, Cedar Hill, Grand Prairie and Haltom City, TX and $6.99 at the Sonic in Glenn Heights, TX, $2.00 (40%) more. Across its 137 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $5.59, 2% below Sonic's US median of $5.69.
Denny's: a Grand Slamwich Combo costs $13.99 at the Denny's in Dallas, TX and $18.99 at two Denny's restaurants in Dallas and Ft Worth, TX, $5.00 (36%) more. Across its 26 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $18.49, 3% above Denny's US median of $17.99.
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 Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare costs $9.89 at one restaurant in Fort Worth, TX but $15.99 at another in Dallas, TX.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $4.19 at one restaurant in Fort Worth, TX but $6.49 at another in Lewisville, TX.
The same Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $4.99 at one restaurant in Dallas, TX but $6.99 at another in Dallas, TX.
The same Sonic Cheeseburger costs $4.99 at one restaurant in Dallas, TX but $6.99 at another in Glenn Heights, TX.
The same Denny's Grand Slamwich Combo costs $13.99 at one restaurant in Dallas, TX but $18.99 at another in Dallas, TX.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare: $9.89 to $15.99 (+62%) | Cheapest restaurant in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $13.99, 4% above Golden Corral's US median. | See the page |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $4.19 to $6.49 (+55%) | Cheapest restaurant in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Lewisville, TX; median $5.19, 13% below McDonald's US median. | See the page |
| Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%) | Cheapest restaurant in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median. | See the page |
| Sonic Cheeseburger: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%) | Cheapest restaurant in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Glenn Heights, TX; median $5.59, 2% below Sonic's US median. | See the page |
| Denny's Grand Slamwich Combo: $13.99 to $18.99 (+36%) | Cheapest restaurant in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $18.49, 3% above Denny's US median. | See the page |
| Cheapest Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare (restaurants) | $9.89 (1) | Fort Worth, TX |
| Most expensive Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare (restaurants) | $15.99 (2) | Dallas, TX, Mesquite, TX |
| Cheapest McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $4.19 (1) | Fort Worth, TX |
| Most expensive McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $6.49 (2) | Lewisville, TX, Plano, TX |
| Most expensive overall (airport) | $6.59 (2) | Dallas, TX, Dallas, TX |
| Cheapest Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $4.99 (1) | Dallas, TX |
| Most expensive Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $6.99 (1) | Dallas, TX |
| Cheapest Sonic Sonic Cheeseburger (restaurants) | $4.99 (5) | Cedar Hill, TX, Dallas, TX, Dallas, TX, Grand Prairie, TX, Haltom City, TX |
| Most expensive Sonic Sonic Cheeseburger (restaurants) | $6.99 (1) | Glenn Heights, TX |
| Cheapest Denny's Grand Slamwich Combo (restaurants) | $13.99 (1) | Dallas, TX |
| Most expensive Denny's Grand Slamwich Combo (restaurants) | $18.99 (2) | Dallas, TX, Ft Worth, TX |
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 restaurants within 25 miles (40 km) of downtown of Dallas–Fort Worth, each restaurant counted in its nearest city. 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.