Publicado em 2026-10-03
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 2,421 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.
Dados de .
Números-chave
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $3.99 to $8.39 (+110%)Cheapest in Lubbock, TX, most expensive in Gonzales, TX; median $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median.
- Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $1.99 to $4.09 (+106%)Cheapest in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Pharr, TX; median $3.02, 2% below Dunkin' US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $3.99 to $7.99 (+100%)Cheapest in Uvalde, TX, most expensive in Clyde, TX; median $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median.
- Wendy's Dave's Single: $3.99 to $7.89 (+98%)Cheapest in El Paso, TX, most expensive in Van Horn, TX; median $5.89, 2% below Wendy's US median.
- Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $10.49 to $17.99 (+71%)Cheapest in Brownwood, TX, most expensive in Pecos, TX; median $13.09, 4% below 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.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $3.99 at 12 Taco Bell restaurants in Lubbock, Brownfield, Lamesa, Levelland and Seminole, TX and $8.39 at the Taco Bell in Gonzales, TX, $4.40 (110%) more. Across its 709 restaurants in Texas, the median is $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Dunkin': a Medium Original Blend costs $1.99 at five Dunkin' restaurants in Fort Worth, Hickory Creek, Katy, Plano and San Antonio, TX and $4.09 at the Dunkin' in Pharr, TX, $2.10 (106%) more. Across its 258 restaurants in Texas, the median is $3.02, 2% below Dunkin' US median of $3.09.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $3.99 at the Burger King in Uvalde, TX and $7.99 at four Burger King restaurants in Clyde, Houston, Pasadena and Texas City, TX, $4.00 (100%) more. Across its 534 restaurants in Texas, the median is $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median of $6.29.
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.
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.
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 Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $3.99 in Lubbock, TX but $8.39 in Gonzales, TX.
The same Dunkin' Medium Original Blend costs $1.99 in Fort Worth, TX but $4.09 in Pharr, TX.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $3.99 in Uvalde, TX but $7.99 in Clyde, TX.
The same Wendy's Dave's Single costs $3.99 in El Paso, TX but $7.89 in Van Horn, TX.
The same Wingstop 10 Classic Wings costs $10.49 in Brownwood, TX but $17.99 in Pecos, TX.
Imagens
Os números por trás do comunicado
Cada número vem dos nossos preços de 2026-10-02, com a página deste site que o mostra.
| Número | Valor | Onde ver |
|---|---|---|
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $3.99 to $8.39 (+110%) | Cheapest in Lubbock, TX, most expensive in Gonzales, TX; median $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median. | Ver a página |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $1.99 to $4.09 (+106%) | Cheapest in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Pharr, TX; median $3.02, 2% below Dunkin' US median. | Ver a página |
| Burger King Whopper: $3.99 to $7.99 (+100%) | Cheapest in Uvalde, TX, most expensive in Clyde, TX; median $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median. | Ver a página |
| Wendy's Dave's Single: $3.99 to $7.89 (+98%) | Cheapest in El Paso, TX, most expensive in Van Horn, TX; median $5.89, 2% below Wendy's US median. | Ver a página |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $10.49 to $17.99 (+71%) | Cheapest in Brownwood, TX, most expensive in Pecos, TX; median $13.09, 4% below Wingstop's US median. | Ver a página |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme mais barato (restaurantes) | $3.99 (12) | Brownfield, TX, Lamesa, TX, Levelland, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Lubbock, TX, Seminole, TX |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme mais caro (restaurantes) | $8.39 (1) | Gonzales, TX |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend mais barato (restaurantes) | $1.99 (5) | Fort Worth, TX, Hickory Creek, TX, Katy, TX, Plano, TX, San Antonio, TX |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend mais caro (restaurantes) | $4.09 (1) | Pharr, TX |
| Burger King Whopper mais barato (restaurantes) | $3.99 (1) | Uvalde, TX |
| Burger King Whopper mais caro (restaurantes) | $7.99 (4) | Clyde, TX, Houston, TX, Pasadena, TX, Texas City, TX |
| Wendy's Dave's Single mais barato (restaurantes) | $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 |
| Wendy's Dave's Single mais caro (restaurantes) | $7.89 (2) | Van Horn, TX, Weatherford, TX |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings mais barato (restaurantes) | $10.49 (6) | Brownwood, TX, Edinburg, TX, McAllen, TX, Mcallen, TX, Mission, TX, Uvalde, TX |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings mais caro (restaurantes) | $17.99 (1) | Pecos, TX |
Metodologia, sobre nós e contato
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 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
Fontes de contexto
Não faz parte do comunicado: reportagens que embasam sua única frase de contexto, para perguntas de jornalistas.
- 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.