Gepubliceerd op 2026-10-05
The same 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare costs $9.89 at one Illinois Golden Corral and $19.99 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 589 restaurants of five chains in Illinois. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 102% from one restaurant to the next.
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De belangrijkste feiten
- Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare: $9.89 to $19.99 (+102%)Cheapest restaurant in Bloomingdale, IL, most expensive in Cicero, IL; median $13.99, 4% above Golden Corral's US median.
- KFC Chicken Sandwich: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%)Cheapest restaurant in Belleville, IL, most expensive in Freeport, IL; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median.
- Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard: $4.59 to $7.99 (+74%)Cheapest restaurant in Roscoe, IL, most expensive in Peoria, IL; median $6.19, 3% above Dairy Queen's US median.
- Cinnabon MiniBon: $3.75 to $5.99 (+60%)Cheapest restaurant in Chicago Ridge, IL, most expensive in Schaumburg, IL; median $4.99, the same as Cinnabon's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $9.19 (+59%)Cheapest restaurant in Flora, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King'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 Bloomingdale, IL and $19.99 at the Golden Corral in Cicero, IL, $10.10 (102%) more. Across its 11 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $13.99, 4% above Golden Corral's US median of $13.49.
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 93 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $5.39, the same as KFC's US median of $5.39.
Dairy Queen: a OREO Blizzard costs $4.59 at the Dairy Queen in Roscoe, IL and $7.99 at six Dairy Queen restaurants in Peoria, Bartonville, Creve Coeur, East Peoria and Morton, IL, $3.40 (74%) more. Across its 207 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $6.19, 3% above Dairy Queen's US median of $5.99.
Cinnabon: a MiniBon costs $3.75 at the Cinnabon in Chicago Ridge, IL and $5.99 at the Cinnabon in Schaumburg, IL, $2.24 (60%) more. Across its 15 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $4.99, the same as Cinnabon's US median of $4.99.
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.
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.
Citeerbare zinnen
The same Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare costs $9.89 at one restaurant in Bloomingdale, IL but $19.99 at another in Cicero, IL.
The same KFC Chicken Sandwich costs $3.99 at one restaurant in Belleville, IL but $7.29 at another in Freeport, IL.
The same Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard costs $4.59 at one restaurant in Roscoe, IL but $7.99 at another in Peoria, IL.
The same Cinnabon MiniBon costs $3.75 at one restaurant in Chicago Ridge, IL but $5.99 at another in Schaumburg, IL.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $5.79 at one restaurant in Flora, IL but $9.19 at another in Chicago, IL.
Afbeeldingen
De feiten achter het persbericht
Elk cijfer komt uit onze prijzen van 2026-10-05, met de pagina op deze site waar het staat.
| Cijfer | Waarde | Waar te zien |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare: $9.89 to $19.99 (+102%) | Cheapest restaurant in Bloomingdale, IL, most expensive in Cicero, IL; median $13.99, 4% above Golden Corral's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%) | Cheapest restaurant in Belleville, IL, most expensive in Freeport, IL; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard: $4.59 to $7.99 (+74%) | Cheapest restaurant in Roscoe, IL, most expensive in Peoria, IL; median $6.19, 3% above Dairy Queen's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Cinnabon MiniBon: $3.75 to $5.99 (+60%) | Cheapest restaurant in Chicago Ridge, IL, most expensive in Schaumburg, IL; median $4.99, the same as Cinnabon's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $9.19 (+59%) | Cheapest restaurant in Flora, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Goedkoopste Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare (restaurants) | $9.89 (1) | Bloomingdale, IL |
| Duurste Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare (restaurants) | $19.99 (1) | Cicero, IL |
| Goedkoopste KFC Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $3.99 (6) | Belleville, IL, Belleville, IL, Caseyville, IL, Collinsville, IL, Granite City, IL, O'Fallon, IL |
| Duurste KFC Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $7.29 (4) | Freeport, IL, Morris, IL, New Lenox, IL, Sycamore, IL |
| Goedkoopste Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard (restaurants) | $4.59 (1) | Roscoe, IL |
| Duurste Dairy Queen OREO Blizzard (restaurants) | $7.99 (6) | Bartonville, IL, Creve Coeur, IL, East Peoria, IL, Morton, IL, Peoria, IL, Peoria, IL |
| Goedkoopste Cinnabon MiniBon (restaurants) | $3.75 (1) | Chicago Ridge, IL |
| Duurste Cinnabon MiniBon (restaurants) | $5.99 (1) | Schaumburg, IL |
| Goedkoopste Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $5.79 (5) | Flora, IL, Galesburg, IL, Mount Carmel, IL, Olney, IL, Paris, IL |
| Duurste Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $9.19 (1) | Chicago, IL |
Methode, over ons en 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 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
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