Julkaistu 2026-10-03
The same Chicken Sandwich costs $3.99 at one Illinois KFC 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 1,997 restaurants of five chains in Illinois. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 83% from one restaurant to the next.
Tiedot päivältä .
Keskeiset faktat
- KFC Chicken Sandwich: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%)Cheapest in Belleville, IL, most expensive in Freeport, IL; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $9.19 (+59%)Cheapest in Flora, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.49 to $8.49 (+55%)Cheapest in Champaign, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median.
- Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $2.60 to $3.99 (+53%)Cheapest in Joliet, IL, most expensive in Effingham, IL; median $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $4.59 to $6.99 (+52%)Cheapest in Vienna, IL, most expensive in Rolling Meadows, IL; median $5.99, the same as 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.
KFC: a Chicken Sandwich costs $3.99 at six KFC restaurants in Belleville, Caseyville, Collinsville, Granite City and O'Fallon, IL and $7.29 at four KFC restaurants in Freeport, Morris, New Lenox and Sycamore, IL, $3.30 (83%) more. Across its 92 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $5.39, the same as KFC's US median of $5.39.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $5.79 at five Burger King restaurants in Flora, Galesburg, Mount Carmel, Olney and Paris, IL and $9.19 at the Burger King in Chicago, IL, $3.40 (59%) more. Across its 263 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median of $6.29.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.49 at 22 Taco Bell restaurants in Champaign, Danville, Des Plaines, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Charleston, Chicago, Effingham, Elk Grove Village, Mahomet, Mattoon, Palatine, Rantoul, Shelbyville, Urbana and Wood Dale, IL and $8.49 at 21 Taco Bell restaurants in Chicago and Cicero, IL, $3.00 (55%) more. Across its 285 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Dunkin': a Medium Original Blend costs $2.60 at the Dunkin' in Joliet, IL and $3.99 at two Dunkin' restaurants in Effingham and Troy, IL, $1.39 (53%) more. Across its 721 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median of $3.09.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $4.59 at the McDonald's in Vienna, IL and $6.99 at three McDonald's restaurants in Rolling Meadows, Rosemont and Schaumburg, IL, $2.40 (52%) more. Across its 636 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $5.99, the same as 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.
Lainattavia lauseita
The same KFC Chicken Sandwich costs $3.99 in Belleville, IL but $7.29 in Freeport, IL.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $5.79 in Flora, IL but $9.19 in Chicago, IL.
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.49 in Champaign, IL but $8.49 in Chicago, IL.
The same Dunkin' Medium Original Blend costs $2.60 in Joliet, IL but $3.99 in Effingham, IL.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $4.59 in Vienna, IL but $6.99 in Rolling Meadows, IL.
Kuvat
Tiedotteen taustalla olevat faktat
Jokainen luku perustuu hintoihimme päivältä 2026-10-02, ja mukana on sivu, jolla se näkyy.
| Luku | Arvo | Missä nähtävissä |
|---|---|---|
| KFC Chicken Sandwich: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%) | Cheapest in Belleville, IL, most expensive in Freeport, IL; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median. | Katso sivu |
| Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $9.19 (+59%) | Cheapest in Flora, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median. | Katso sivu |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.49 to $8.49 (+55%) | Cheapest in Champaign, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median. | Katso sivu |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $2.60 to $3.99 (+53%) | Cheapest in Joliet, IL, most expensive in Effingham, IL; median $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median. | Katso sivu |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $4.59 to $6.99 (+52%) | Cheapest in Vienna, IL, most expensive in Rolling Meadows, IL; median $5.99, the same as McDonald's US median. | Katso sivu |
| Halvin KFC Chicken Sandwich (ravintolat) | $3.99 (6) | Belleville, IL, Belleville, IL, Caseyville, IL, Collinsville, IL, Granite City, IL, O'Fallon, IL |
| Kallein KFC Chicken Sandwich (ravintolat) | $7.29 (4) | Freeport, IL, Morris, IL, New Lenox, IL, Sycamore, IL |
| Halvin Burger King Whopper (ravintolat) | $5.79 (5) | Flora, IL, Galesburg, IL, Mount Carmel, IL, Olney, IL, Paris, IL |
| Kallein Burger King Whopper (ravintolat) | $9.19 (1) | Chicago, IL |
| Halvin Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (ravintolat) | $5.49 (22) | Arlington Heights, IL, Champaign, IL, Champaign, IL, Champaign, IL, Champaign, IL, Charleston, IL, Chicago, IL, Danville, IL, Danville, IL, Des Plaines, IL, Des Plaines, IL, Effingham, IL, Elk Grove Village, IL, Mahomet, IL, Mattoon, IL, Palatine, IL, Rantoul, IL, Schaumburg, IL, Schaumburg, IL, Shelbyville, IL, Urbana, IL, Wood Dale, IL |
| Kallein Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (ravintolat) | $8.49 (21) | Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Cicero, IL, Cicero, IL |
| Halvin Dunkin' Medium Original Blend (ravintolat) | $2.60 (1) | Joliet, IL |
| Kallein Dunkin' Medium Original Blend (ravintolat) | $3.99 (2) | Effingham, IL, Troy, IL |
| Halvin McDonald's Big Mac (ravintolat) | $4.59 (1) | Vienna, IL |
| Kallein McDonald's Big Mac (ravintolat) | $6.99 (3) | Rolling Meadows, IL, Rosemont, IL, Schaumburg, IL |
Menetelmä, taustaa ja yhteystiedot
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 2, 2026, in US dollars. The area covers every restaurant in Illinois. 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
Taustalähteet
Ei osa tiedotetta: uutisointia, joka tukee sen yhtä taustalausetta, toimittajien kysymyksiä varten.
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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
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