Publicado el 2026-10-05
The same Medium Original Blend costs $1.90 at one New York Tim Hortons and $3.45 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 721 restaurants of five chains in New York. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 82% from one restaurant to the next.
Datos del .
Datos clave
- Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend: $1.90 to $3.45 (+82%)Cheapest restaurant in Amherst, NY, most expensive in White Plains, NY; median $2.65, the same as Tim Hortons' US median.
- IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack): $9.59 to $16.79 (+75%)Cheapest restaurant in Middletown, NY, most expensive in Bronx, NY; median $12.29, 12% above IHOP's US median.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.19 to $8.99 (+73%)Cheapest restaurant in Jackson Heights, NY, most expensive in New York, NY; median $6.73, 1% above Taco Bell's US median.
- Cinnabon MiniBon: $3.49 to $5.99 (+72%)Cheapest restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, most expensive in Garden City, NY; median $4.72, 5% below Cinnabon's US median.
- Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $11.99 to $20.03 (+67%)Cheapest restaurant in Middletown, NY, most expensive in Brooklyn, NY; median $15.79, 16% 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.
Tim Hortons: a Medium Original Blend costs $1.90 at four Tim Hortons restaurants in Amherst, Buffalo and Hamburg, NY and $3.45 at the Tim Hortons in White Plains, NY, $1.55 (82%) more. Across its 266 restaurants in New York, the median is $2.65, the same as Tim Hortons' US median of $2.65. At the station in Jamaica, NY, it costs $3.67.
IHOP: a Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) costs $9.59 at two IHOP restaurants in Middletown and Newburgh, NY and $16.79 at two IHOP restaurants in Bronx and Springfield Gardens, NY, $7.20 (75%) more. Across its 62 restaurants in New York, the median is $12.29, 12% above IHOP's US median of $10.99.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.19 at the Taco Bell in Jackson Heights, NY and $8.99 at the Taco Bell in New York, NY, $3.80 (73%) more. Across its 255 restaurants in New York, the median is $6.73, 1% above Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Cinnabon: a MiniBon costs $3.49 at the Cinnabon in Brooklyn, NY and $5.99 at two Cinnabon restaurants in Garden City and Riverhead, NY, $2.50 (72%) more. Across its 42 restaurants in New York, the median is $4.72, 5% below Cinnabon's US median of $4.99.
Wingstop: a 10 Classic Wings costs $11.99 at three Wingstop restaurants in Middletown, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, NY and $20.03 at six Wingstop restaurants in Brooklyn, Bronx and New York, NY, $8.04 (67%) more. Across its 96 restaurants in New York, the median is $15.79, 16% 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.
Frases para citar
The same Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend costs $1.90 at one restaurant in Amherst, NY but $3.45 at another in White Plains, NY.
The same IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) costs $9.59 at one restaurant in Middletown, NY but $16.79 at another in Bronx, NY.
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.19 at one restaurant in Jackson Heights, NY but $8.99 at another in New York, NY.
The same Cinnabon MiniBon costs $3.49 at one restaurant in Brooklyn, NY but $5.99 at another in Garden City, NY.
The same Wingstop 10 Classic Wings costs $11.99 at one restaurant in Middletown, NY but $20.03 at another in Brooklyn, NY.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend: $1.90 to $3.45 (+82%) | Cheapest restaurant in Amherst, NY, most expensive in White Plains, NY; median $2.65, the same as Tim Hortons' US median. | Ver la página |
| IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack): $9.59 to $16.79 (+75%) | Cheapest restaurant in Middletown, NY, most expensive in Bronx, NY; median $12.29, 12% above IHOP's US median. | Ver la página |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.19 to $8.99 (+73%) | Cheapest restaurant in Jackson Heights, NY, most expensive in New York, NY; median $6.73, 1% above Taco Bell's US median. | Ver la página |
| Cinnabon MiniBon: $3.49 to $5.99 (+72%) | Cheapest restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, most expensive in Garden City, NY; median $4.72, 5% below Cinnabon's US median. | Ver la página |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $11.99 to $20.03 (+67%) | Cheapest restaurant in Middletown, NY, most expensive in Brooklyn, NY; median $15.79, 16% above Wingstop's US median. | Ver la página |
| Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend más barato (restaurantes) | $1.90 (4) | Amherst, NY, Amherst, NY, Buffalo, NY, Hamburg, NY |
| Tim Hortons Medium Original Blend más caro (restaurantes) | $3.45 (1) | White Plains, NY |
| El más caro en total (station) | $3.67 (1) | Jamaica, NY |
| IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) más barato (restaurantes) | $9.59 (2) | Middletown, NY, Newburgh, NY |
| IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (Full Stack) más caro (restaurantes) | $16.79 (2) | Bronx, NY, Springfield Gardens, NY |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme más barato (restaurantes) | $5.19 (1) | Jackson Heights, NY |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme más caro (restaurantes) | $8.99 (1) | New York, NY |
| Cinnabon MiniBon más barato (restaurantes) | $3.49 (1) | Brooklyn, NY |
| Cinnabon MiniBon más caro (restaurantes) | $5.99 (2) | Garden City, NY, Riverhead, NY |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings más barato (restaurantes) | $11.99 (3) | Middletown, NY, Newburgh, NY, Poughkeepsie, NY |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings más caro (restaurantes) | $20.03 (6) | Bronx, NY, Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn, NY, New York, NY |
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 every restaurant in New York. 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.