Publicado el 2026-10-05
The same MiniBon costs $4.29 at one Detroit Cinnabon and $6.39 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 252 restaurants of five chains in the Detroit area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 49% from one restaurant to the next.
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Datos clave
- Cinnabon MiniBon: $4.29 to $6.39 (+49%)Cheapest restaurant in Canton, MI, most expensive in Novi, MI; median $4.89, 2% below Cinnabon's US median.
- Domino's Large Hand Tossed Pizza: $10.99 to $15.99 (+45%)Cheapest restaurant in Highland Park, MI, most expensive in Detroit, MI; median $14.99, 7% above Domino's US median.
- Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard: $5.49 to $7.49 (+36%)Cheapest restaurant in Lincoln Park, MI, most expensive in Sterling Heights, MI; median $6.24, 4% above Dairy Queen's US median.
- KFC Chicken Sandwich: $5.19 to $6.99 (+35%)Cheapest restaurant in Detroit, MI, most expensive in Clawson, MI; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median.
- Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend: $2.29 to $3.07 (+34%)Cheapest restaurant in Troy, MI, most expensive in Belleville, MI; median $2.59, 2% below Tim Hortons' 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.
Cinnabon: a MiniBon costs $4.29 at four Cinnabon restaurants in Canton, Fraser, Roseville and Taylor, MI and $6.39 at the Cinnabon in Novi, MI, $2.10 (49%) more. Across its 17 restaurants in the Detroit area, the median is $4.89, 2% below Cinnabon's US median of $4.99.
Domino's: a Large Hand Tossed Pizza costs $10.99 at the Domino's in Highland Park, MI and $15.99 at 14 Domino's restaurants in Detroit, Warren, Belleville, Clawson, Clinton Township, Eastpointe, Fraser, Grosse Pointe, Lathrup Village, Royal Oak, Saint Clair Shores and Sterling Heights, MI, $5.00 (45%) more. Across its 48 restaurants in the Detroit area, the median is $14.99, 7% above Domino's US median of $13.99.
Dairy Queen: a OREO Blizzard costs $5.49 at the Dairy Queen in Lincoln Park, MI and $7.49 at the Dairy Queen in Sterling Heights, MI, $2.00 (36%) more. Across its 28 restaurants in the Detroit area, the median is $6.24, 4% above Dairy Queen's US median of $5.99.
KFC: a Chicken Sandwich costs $5.19 at the KFC in Detroit, MI and $6.99 at two KFC restaurants in Clawson and Southfield, MI, $1.80 (35%) more. Across its 48 restaurants in the Detroit area, the median is $5.39, the same as KFC's US median of $5.39.
Tim Hortons: a Medium Original Blend costs $2.29 at five Tim Hortons restaurants in Troy, Clinton Township and Fraser, MI and $3.07 at three Tim Hortons restaurants in Belleville, Dearborn Heights and Woodhaven, MI, $0.78 (34%) more. Across its 111 restaurants in the Detroit area, the median is $2.59, 2% below Tim Hortons' US median of $2.65.
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.
Frases para citar
The same Cinnabon MiniBon costs $4.29 at one restaurant in Canton, MI but $6.39 at another in Novi, MI.
The same Domino's Large Hand Tossed Pizza costs $10.99 at one restaurant in Highland Park, MI but $15.99 at another in Detroit, MI.
The same Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard costs $5.49 at one restaurant in Lincoln Park, MI but $7.49 at another in Sterling Heights, MI.
The same KFC Chicken Sandwich costs $5.19 at one restaurant in Detroit, MI but $6.99 at another in Clawson, MI.
The same Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend costs $2.29 at one restaurant in Troy, MI but $3.07 at another in Belleville, MI.
Imágenes
Los datos de la nota
Cada cifra procede de nuestros precios del 2026-10-05, con la página de este sitio que la muestra.
| Cifra | Valor | Dónde verla |
|---|---|---|
| Cinnabon MiniBon: $4.29 to $6.39 (+49%) | Cheapest restaurant in Canton, MI, most expensive in Novi, MI; median $4.89, 2% below Cinnabon's US median. | Ver la página |
| Domino's Large Hand Tossed Pizza: $10.99 to $15.99 (+45%) | Cheapest restaurant in Highland Park, MI, most expensive in Detroit, MI; median $14.99, 7% above Domino's US median. | Ver la página |
| Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard: $5.49 to $7.49 (+36%) | Cheapest restaurant in Lincoln Park, MI, most expensive in Sterling Heights, MI; median $6.24, 4% above Dairy Queen's US median. | Ver la página |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich: $5.19 to $6.99 (+35%) | Cheapest restaurant in Detroit, MI, most expensive in Clawson, MI; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median. | Ver la página |
| Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend: $2.29 to $3.07 (+34%) | Cheapest restaurant in Troy, MI, most expensive in Belleville, MI; median $2.59, 2% below Tim Hortons' US median. | Ver la página |
| Cinnabon MiniBon más barato (restaurantes) | $4.29 (4) | Canton, MI, Fraser, MI, Roseville, MI, Taylor, MI |
| Cinnabon MiniBon más caro (restaurantes) | $6.39 (1) | Novi, MI |
| Domino's Large Hand Tossed Pizza más barato (restaurantes) | $10.99 (1) | Highland Park, MI |
| Domino's Large Hand Tossed Pizza más caro (restaurantes) | $15.99 (14) | Belleville, MI, Clawson, MI, Clinton Township, MI, Detroit, MI, Detroit, MI, Eastpointe, MI, Fraser, MI, Grosse Pointe, MI, Lathrup Village, MI, Royal Oak, MI, Saint Clair Shores, MI, Sterling Heights, MI, Warren, MI, Warren, MI |
| Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard más barato (restaurantes) | $5.49 (1) | Lincoln Park, MI |
| Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard más caro (restaurantes) | $7.49 (1) | Sterling Heights, MI |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich más barato (restaurantes) | $5.19 (1) | Detroit, MI |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich más caro (restaurantes) | $6.99 (2) | Clawson, MI, Southfield, MI |
| Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend más barato (restaurantes) | $2.29 (5) | Clinton Township, MI, Fraser, MI, Troy, MI, Troy, MI, Troy, MI |
| Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend más caro (restaurantes) | $3.07 (3) | Belleville, MI, Dearborn Heights, MI, Woodhaven, MI |
Metodología, quiénes somos y contacto
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 Detroit, 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
Fuentes de contexto
No forma parte de la nota: información que respalda su única frase de contexto, para preguntas de periodistas.
- 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.