Published 2026-10-05
The same Original Hot Dog on a Stick costs $4.99 at one Los Angeles Hot Dog on a Stick and $7.99 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 439 restaurants of five chains in the Los Angeles area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 60% from one restaurant to the next.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Hot Dog on a Stick Original Hot Dog on a Stick: $4.99 to $7.99 (+60%)Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Santa Monica, CA; median $5.59, the same as Hot Dog on a Stick's US median.
- IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack): $9.99 to $15.49 (+55%)Cheapest restaurant in Fullerton, CA, most expensive in Los Angeles, CA; median $12.59, 15% above IHOP's US median.
- El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo: $5.99 to $8.80 (+47%)Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Bellflower, CA; median $6.49, 4% below El Pollo Loco's US median.
- KFC Chicken Sandwich: $5.49 to $7.99 (+46%)Cheapest restaurant in Norwalk, CA, most expensive in Duarte, CA; median $6.19, 15% above KFC's US median.
- Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $11.59 to $16.95 (+46%)Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Alhambra, CA; median $14.49, 7% above Wingstop'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.
Hot Dog on a Stick: a Original Hot Dog on a Stick costs $4.99 at the Hot Dog on a Stick in Los Angeles, CA and $7.99 at the Hot Dog on a Stick in Santa Monica, CA, $3.00 (60%) more. Across its 7 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $5.59, the same as Hot Dog on a Stick's US median of $5.59.
IHOP: a Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) costs $9.99 at the IHOP in Fullerton, CA and $15.49 at the IHOP in Los Angeles, CA, $5.50 (55%) more. Across its 57 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $12.59, 15% above IHOP's US median of $10.99.
El Pollo Loco: a Original Pollo Bowl Combo costs $5.99 at eight El Pollo Loco restaurants in Los Angeles, Brea, Fullerton, San Pedro, South Gate, Torrance and Whittier, CA and $8.80 at three El Pollo Loco restaurants in Bellflower, Hawthorne and Manhattan Beach, CA, $2.81 (47%) more. Across its 159 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $6.49, 4% below El Pollo Loco's US median of $6.79.
KFC: a Chicken Sandwich costs $5.49 at the KFC in Norwalk, CA and $7.99 at two KFC restaurants in Duarte and San Gabriel, CA, $2.50 (46%) more. Across its 87 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $6.19, 15% above KFC's US median of $5.39.
Wingstop: a 10 Classic Wings costs $11.59 at two Wingstop restaurants in Los Angeles, CA and $16.95 at 11 Wingstop restaurants in Alhambra, Baldwin Park, Carson, City Of Industry, El Monte, La Puente, Los Angeles, Rosemead, San Gabriel, South El Monte and Walnut, CA, $5.36 (46%) more. Across its 129 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $14.49, 7% above Wingstop's US median of $13.59.
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 Hot Dog on a Stick Original Hot Dog on a Stick costs $4.99 at one restaurant in Los Angeles, CA but $7.99 at another in Santa Monica, CA.
The same IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) costs $9.99 at one restaurant in Fullerton, CA but $15.49 at another in Los Angeles, CA.
The same El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo costs $5.99 at one restaurant in Los Angeles, CA but $8.80 at another in Bellflower, CA.
The same KFC Chicken Sandwich costs $5.49 at one restaurant in Norwalk, CA but $7.99 at another in Duarte, CA.
The same Wingstop 10 Classic Wings costs $11.59 at one restaurant in Los Angeles, CA but $16.95 at another in Alhambra, CA.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Dog on a Stick Original Hot Dog on a Stick: $4.99 to $7.99 (+60%) | Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Santa Monica, CA; median $5.59, the same as Hot Dog on a Stick's US median. | See the page |
| IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack): $9.99 to $15.49 (+55%) | Cheapest restaurant in Fullerton, CA, most expensive in Los Angeles, CA; median $12.59, 15% above IHOP's US median. | See the page |
| El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo: $5.99 to $8.80 (+47%) | Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Bellflower, CA; median $6.49, 4% below El Pollo Loco's US median. | See the page |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich: $5.49 to $7.99 (+46%) | Cheapest restaurant in Norwalk, CA, most expensive in Duarte, CA; median $6.19, 15% above KFC's US median. | See the page |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $11.59 to $16.95 (+46%) | Cheapest restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Alhambra, CA; median $14.49, 7% above Wingstop's US median. | See the page |
| Cheapest Hot Dog on a Stick Original Hot Dog on a Stick (restaurants) | $4.99 (1) | Los Angeles, CA |
| Most expensive Hot Dog on a Stick Original Hot Dog on a Stick (restaurants) | $7.99 (1) | Santa Monica, CA |
| Cheapest IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) (restaurants) | $9.99 (1) | Fullerton, CA |
| Most expensive IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) (restaurants) | $15.49 (1) | Los Angeles, CA |
| Cheapest El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo (restaurants) | $5.99 (8) | Brea, CA, Fullerton, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA, San Pedro, CA, South Gate, CA, Torrance, CA, Whittier, CA |
| Most expensive El Pollo Loco Original Pollo Bowl Combo (restaurants) | $8.80 (3) | Bellflower, CA, Hawthorne, CA, Manhattan Beach, CA |
| Cheapest KFC Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $5.49 (1) | Norwalk, CA |
| Most expensive KFC Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $7.99 (2) | Duarte, CA, San Gabriel, CA |
| Cheapest Wingstop 10 Classic Wings (restaurants) | $11.59 (2) | Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA |
| Most expensive Wingstop 10 Classic Wings (restaurants) | $16.95 (11) | Alhambra, CA, Baldwin Park, CA, Carson, CA, City Of Industry, CA, El Monte, CA, La Puente, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Rosemead, CA, San Gabriel, CA, South El Monte, CA, Walnut, CA |
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 Los Angeles, 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.