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The same Whopper costs $5.79 at one Charlotte Burger King and $7.89 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 202 restaurants of five chains in the Charlotte area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 36% from one restaurant to the next.
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De belangrijkste feiten
- Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $7.89 (+36%)Cheapest in Denver, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $6.04, 4% below Burger King's US median.
- Jersey Mike's Original Italian: $8.65 to $11.55 (+34%)Cheapest in Charlotte, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $10.85, 1% below Jersey Mike's US median.
- Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder: $8.99 to $11.69 (+30%)Cheapest in Concord, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $9.99, 1% above Firehouse Subs' US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $4.89 to $6.19 (+27%)Cheapest in Dallas, NC, most expensive in Rock Hill, SC; median $5.49, 8% below McDonald's US median.
- Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $5.49 to $6.99 (+27%)Cheapest in Charlotte, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' 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.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $5.79 at two Burger King restaurants in Denver and Huntersville, NC and $7.89 at the Burger King in Concord, NC, $2.10 (36%) more. Across its 26 restaurants in the Charlotte area, the median is $6.04, 4% below Burger King's US median of $6.29.
Jersey Mike's: a Original Italian costs $8.65 at the Jersey Mike's in Charlotte, NC and $11.55 at five Jersey Mike's restaurants in Concord, Charlotte, Denver and Kannapolis, NC, $2.90 (34%) more. Across its 49 restaurants in the Charlotte area, the median is $10.85, 1% below Jersey Mike's US median of $10.95.
Firehouse Subs: a Hook & Ladder costs $8.99 at two Firehouse Subs restaurants in Concord, NC and $11.69 at the Firehouse Subs in Concord, NC, $2.70 (30%) more. Across its 22 restaurants in the Charlotte area, the median is $9.99, 1% above Firehouse Subs' US median of $9.89.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $4.89 at two McDonald's restaurants in Dallas and Gastonia, NC and $6.19 at four McDonald's restaurants in Rock Hill and Fort Mill, SC, and Kannapolis, NC, $1.30 (27%) more. Across its 90 restaurants in the Charlotte area, the median is $5.49, 8% below McDonald's US median of $5.99.
Popeyes: a Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $5.49 at 13 Popeyes restaurants in Charlotte, Nc, Concord, Gastonia and Indian Trail, NC, and Rock Hill, SC and $6.99 at the Popeyes in Concord, NC, $1.50 (27%) more. Across its 15 restaurants in the Charlotte area, the median is $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median of $5.79.
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 Burger King Whopper costs $5.79 in Denver, NC but $7.89 in Concord, NC.
The same Jersey Mike's Original Italian costs $8.65 in Charlotte, NC but $11.55 in Concord, NC.
The same Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder costs $8.99 in Concord, NC but $11.69 in Concord, NC.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $4.89 in Dallas, NC but $6.19 in Rock Hill, SC.
The same Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $5.49 in Charlotte, NC but $6.99 in Concord, NC.
Afbeeldingen
De feiten achter het persbericht
Elk cijfer komt uit onze prijzen van 2026-10-02, met de pagina op deze site waar het staat.
| Cijfer | Waarde | Waar te zien |
|---|---|---|
| Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $7.89 (+36%) | Cheapest in Denver, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $6.04, 4% below Burger King's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Jersey Mike's Original Italian: $8.65 to $11.55 (+34%) | Cheapest in Charlotte, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $10.85, 1% below Jersey Mike's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder: $8.99 to $11.69 (+30%) | Cheapest in Concord, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $9.99, 1% above Firehouse Subs' US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $4.89 to $6.19 (+27%) | Cheapest in Dallas, NC, most expensive in Rock Hill, SC; median $5.49, 8% below McDonald's US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $5.49 to $6.99 (+27%) | Cheapest in Charlotte, NC, most expensive in Concord, NC; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Goedkoopste Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $5.79 (2) | Denver, NC, Huntersville, NC |
| Duurste Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $7.89 (1) | Concord, NC |
| Goedkoopste Jersey Mike's Original Italian (restaurants) | $8.65 (1) | Charlotte, NC |
| Duurste Jersey Mike's Original Italian (restaurants) | $11.55 (5) | Charlotte, NC, Concord, NC, Concord, NC, Denver, NC, Kannapolis, NC |
| Goedkoopste Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder (restaurants) | $8.99 (2) | Concord, NC, Concord, NC |
| Duurste Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder (restaurants) | $11.69 (1) | Concord, NC |
| Goedkoopste McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $4.89 (2) | Dallas, NC, Gastonia, NC |
| Duurste McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $6.19 (4) | Fort Mill, SC, Kannapolis, NC, Rock Hill, SC, Rock Hill, SC |
| Goedkoopste Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $5.49 (13) | Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, NC, Charlotte, Nc, NC, Concord, NC, Gastonia, NC, Indian Trail, NC, Rock Hill, SC, Rock Hill, SC |
| Duurste Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $6.99 (1) | Concord, NC |
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 2, 2026, in US dollars. The area covers restaurants within 25 miles (40 km) of downtown of Charlotte, 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
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Geen onderdeel van het persbericht: berichtgeving die de ene contextzin onderbouwt, voor vragen van journalisten.
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