Gepubliceerd op 2026-10-05
The same Crunchwrap Supreme costs $3.99 at one Texas Taco Bell and $8.39 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 2,961 restaurants of five chains in Texas. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 110% from one restaurant to the next.
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De belangrijkste feiten
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $3.99 to $8.39 (+110%)Cheapest restaurant in Lubbock, TX, most expensive in Gonzales, TX; median $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median.
- Wendy's Dave's Single: $3.99 to $7.89 (+98%)Cheapest restaurant in El Paso, TX, most expensive in Van Horn, TX; median $5.89, 2% below Wendy's US median.
- Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare: $9.89 to $16.99 (+72%)Cheapest restaurant in Conroe, TX, most expensive in Austin, TX; median $12.99, 4% below Golden Corral's US median.
- Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $10.49 to $17.99 (+71%)Cheapest restaurant in Brownwood, TX, most expensive in Pecos, TX; median $13.09, 4% below Wingstop's US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $3.99 to $6.79 (+70%)Cheapest restaurant in Houston, TX, most expensive in El Paso, TX; median $4.99, 17% below 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.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $3.99 at eight Taco Bell restaurants in Lubbock, TX and $8.39 at the Taco Bell in Gonzales, TX, $4.40 (110%) more. Across its 707 restaurants in Texas, the median is $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Wendy's: a Dave's Single costs $3.99 at 17 Wendy's restaurants in El Paso, Horizon City, Pecos and Socorro, TX and $7.89 at two Wendy's restaurants in Van Horn and Weatherford, TX, $3.90 (98%) more. Across its 429 restaurants in Texas, the median is $5.89, 2% below Wendy's US median of $5.99.
Golden Corral: a 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare costs $9.89 at four Golden Corral restaurants in Conroe, Fort Worth, Longview and Marshall, TX and $16.99 at the Golden Corral in Austin, TX, $7.10 (72%) more. Across its 46 restaurants in Texas, the median is $12.99, 4% below Golden Corral's US median of $13.49.
Wingstop: a 10 Classic Wings costs $10.49 at six Wingstop restaurants in Brownwood, Edinburg, McAllen, Mcallen, Mission and Uvalde, TX and $17.99 at the Wingstop in Pecos, TX, $7.50 (71%) more. Across its 491 restaurants in Texas, the median is $13.09, 4% below Wingstop's US median of $13.59.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $3.99 at five McDonald's restaurants in Houston and Cypress, TX and $6.79 at eight McDonald's restaurants in El Paso and Anthony, TX, $2.80 (70%) more. Across its 1,288 restaurants in Texas, the median is $4.99, 17% below 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.
Citeerbare zinnen
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $3.99 at one restaurant in Lubbock, TX but $8.39 at another in Gonzales, TX.
The same Wendy's Dave's Single costs $3.99 at one restaurant in El Paso, TX but $7.89 at another in Van Horn, TX.
The same Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare costs $9.89 at one restaurant in Conroe, TX but $16.99 at another in Austin, TX.
The same Wingstop 10 Classic Wings costs $10.49 at one restaurant in Brownwood, TX but $17.99 at another in Pecos, TX.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $3.99 at one restaurant in Houston, TX but $6.79 at another in El Paso, TX.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $3.99 to $8.39 (+110%) | Cheapest restaurant in Lubbock, TX, most expensive in Gonzales, TX; median $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Wendy's Dave's Single: $3.99 to $7.89 (+98%) | Cheapest restaurant in El Paso, TX, most expensive in Van Horn, TX; median $5.89, 2% below Wendy's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare: $9.89 to $16.99 (+72%) | Cheapest restaurant in Conroe, TX, most expensive in Austin, TX; median $12.99, 4% below Golden Corral's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $10.49 to $17.99 (+71%) | Cheapest restaurant in Brownwood, TX, most expensive in Pecos, TX; median $13.09, 4% below Wingstop's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $3.99 to $6.79 (+70%) | Cheapest restaurant in Houston, TX, most expensive in El Paso, TX; median $4.99, 17% below McDonald's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Goedkoopste Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $3.99 (8) | Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX |
| Duurste Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $8.39 (1) | Gonzales, TX |
| Goedkoopste Wendy's Dave's Single (restaurants) | $3.99 (17) | El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, Horizon City, TX, Pecos, TX, Socorro, TX |
| Duurste Wendy's Dave's Single (restaurants) | $7.89 (2) | Van Horn, TX, Weatherford, TX |
| Goedkoopste Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare (restaurants) | $9.89 (4) | Conroe, TX, Fort Worth, TX, Longview, TX, Marshall, TX |
| Duurste Golden Corral 5 oz. Sirloin Steak Rare (restaurants) | $16.99 (1) | Austin, TX |
| Goedkoopste Wingstop 10 Classic Wings (restaurants) | $10.49 (6) | Brownwood, TX, Edinburg, TX, McAllen, TX, Mcallen, TX, Mission, TX, Uvalde, TX |
| Duurste Wingstop 10 Classic Wings (restaurants) | $17.99 (1) | Pecos, TX |
| Goedkoopste McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $3.99 (5) | Cypress, TX, Cypress, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX |
| Duurste McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $6.79 (8) | Anthony, TX, Anthony, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX, El Paso, TX |
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 Texas. 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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Geen onderdeel van het persbericht: berichtgeving die de ene contextzin onderbouwt, voor vragen van journalisten.
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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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