Publié le 2026-10-03
The same Dave's Single costs $3.99 at one Georgia Wendy's and $7.29 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 924 restaurants of five chains in Georgia. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 83% from one restaurant to the next.
Données au .
Chiffres clés
- Wendy's Dave's Single: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%)Cheapest in Augusta, GA, most expensive in Atlanta, GA; median $5.79, 3% below Wendy's US median.
- Krystal Original Krystal: $1.15 to $1.98 (+72%)Cheapest in Dublin, GA, most expensive in Brunswick, GA; median $1.39, 7% below Krystal's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $5.09 to $7.89 (+55%)Cheapest in Douglas, GA, most expensive in Atlanta, GA; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $4.99 to $7.49 (+50%)Cheapest in Pooler, GA, most expensive in Athens, GA; median $6.29, 6% below Taco Bell's US median.
- Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich: $5.00 to $7.25 (+45%)Cheapest in Athens, GA, most expensive in Cornelia, GA; median $5.99, the same as Bojangles' 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.
Wendy's: a Dave's Single costs $3.99 at seven Wendy's restaurants in Augusta, Evans, Martinez and Waynesboro, GA and $7.29 at four Wendy's restaurants in Atlanta, Augusta, Calhoun and Jackson, GA, $3.30 (83%) more. Across its 282 restaurants in Georgia, the median is $5.79, 3% below Wendy's US median of $5.99.
Krystal: a Original Krystal costs $1.15 at the Krystal in Dublin, GA and $1.98 at the Krystal in Brunswick, GA, $0.83 (72%) more. Across its 88 restaurants in Georgia, the median is $1.39, 7% below Krystal's US median of $1.49.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $5.09 at three Burger King restaurants in Douglas and Hazlehurst, GA and $7.89 at two Burger King restaurants in Atlanta and Lawrenceville, GA, $2.80 (55%) more. Across its 219 restaurants in Georgia, the median is $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median of $6.29.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $4.99 at seven Taco Bell restaurants in Pooler, Port Wentworth, Richmond Hill, Rincon, Savannah, Springfield and Swainsboro, GA and $7.49 at 40 Taco Bell restaurants in Athens, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, Suwanee, Acworth, Buford, Cumming, Marietta, Atlanta, Austell, Bethlehem, Canton, Cleveland, Dacula, Dahlonega, Douglasville, Grayson, Loganville, Oakwood, Peachtree Corners, Powder Springs, Roswell, Smyrna, Winder and Woodstock, GA, $2.50 (50%) more. Across its 259 restaurants in Georgia, the median is $6.29, 6% below Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Bojangles: a Bo's Chicken Sandwich costs $5.00 at the Bojangles in Athens, GA and $7.25 at the Bojangles in Cornelia, GA, $2.25 (45%) more. Across its 76 restaurants in Georgia, the median is $5.99, the same as Bojangles' 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.
Citations
The same Wendy's Dave's Single costs $3.99 in Augusta, GA but $7.29 in Atlanta, GA.
The same Krystal Original Krystal costs $1.15 in Dublin, GA but $1.98 in Brunswick, GA.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $5.09 in Douglas, GA but $7.89 in Atlanta, GA.
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $4.99 in Pooler, GA but $7.49 in Athens, GA.
The same Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich costs $5.00 in Athens, GA but $7.25 in Cornelia, GA.
Images
Les chiffres derrière le communiqué
Chaque chiffre provient de nos relevés du 2026-10-03, avec la page de ce site qui le présente.
| Chiffre | Valeur | Où le voir |
|---|---|---|
| Wendy's Dave's Single: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%) | Cheapest in Augusta, GA, most expensive in Atlanta, GA; median $5.79, 3% below Wendy's US median. | Voir la page |
| Krystal Original Krystal: $1.15 to $1.98 (+72%) | Cheapest in Dublin, GA, most expensive in Brunswick, GA; median $1.39, 7% below Krystal's US median. | Voir la page |
| Burger King Whopper: $5.09 to $7.89 (+55%) | Cheapest in Douglas, GA, most expensive in Atlanta, GA; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median. | Voir la page |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $4.99 to $7.49 (+50%) | Cheapest in Pooler, GA, most expensive in Athens, GA; median $6.29, 6% below Taco Bell's US median. | Voir la page |
| Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich: $5.00 to $7.25 (+45%) | Cheapest in Athens, GA, most expensive in Cornelia, GA; median $5.99, the same as Bojangles' US median. | Voir la page |
| Wendy's Dave's Single le moins cher (restaurants) | $3.99 (7) | Augusta, GA, Augusta, GA, Augusta, GA, Augusta, GA, Evans, GA, Martinez, GA, Waynesboro, GA |
| Wendy's Dave's Single le plus cher (restaurants) | $7.29 (4) | Atlanta, GA, Augusta, GA, Calhoun, GA, Jackson, GA |
| Krystal Original Krystal le moins cher (restaurants) | $1.15 (1) | Dublin, GA |
| Krystal Original Krystal le plus cher (restaurants) | $1.98 (1) | Brunswick, GA |
| Burger King Whopper le moins cher (restaurants) | $5.09 (3) | Douglas, GA, Douglas, GA, Hazlehurst, GA |
| Burger King Whopper le plus cher (restaurants) | $7.89 (2) | Atlanta, GA, Lawrenceville, GA |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme le moins cher (restaurants) | $4.99 (7) | Pooler, GA, Port Wentworth, GA, Richmond Hill, GA, Rincon, GA, Savannah, GA, Springfield, GA, Swainsboro, GA |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme le plus cher (restaurants) | $7.49 (40) | Acworth, GA, Acworth, GA, Alpharetta, GA, Alpharetta, GA, Alpharetta, GA, Alpharetta, GA, Athens, GA, Athens, GA, Athens, GA, Athens, GA, Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Austell, GA, Bethlehem, GA, Buford, GA, Buford, GA, Canton, GA, Cleveland, GA, Cumming, GA, Cumming, GA, Dacula, GA, Dahlonega, GA, Douglasville, GA, Grayson, GA, Lawrenceville, GA, Lawrenceville, GA, Lawrenceville, GA, Loganville, GA, Marietta, GA, Marietta, GA, Oakwood, GA, Peachtree Corners, GA, Powder Springs, GA, Roswell, GA, Smyrna, GA, Suwanee, GA, Suwanee, GA, Suwanee, GA, Winder, GA, Woodstock, GA |
| Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich le moins cher (restaurants) | $5.00 (1) | Athens, GA |
| Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich le plus cher (restaurants) | $7.25 (1) | Cornelia, GA |
Méthodologie, à propos et 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 3, 2026, in US dollars. The area covers every restaurant in Georgia. 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
Sources de contexte
Ne fait pas partie du communiqué : les articles qui étayent sa seule phrase de contexte, pour répondre aux questions des journalistes.
- 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.