Pubblicato il 2026-10-02
The same Medium Original Blend costs $1.99 at one Dallas–Fort Worth Dunkin' and $3.79 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 529 restaurants of five chains in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 90% from one restaurant to the next.
Dati al .
Dati chiave
- Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $1.99 to $3.79 (+90%)Cheapest in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Forest Hill, TX; median $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $4.19 to $6.49 (+55%)Cheapest in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Lewisville, TX; median $5.19, 13% below McDonald's US median.
- Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%)Cheapest in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median.
- Sonic Cheeseburger: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%)Cheapest in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Glenn Heights, TX; median $5.59, 2% below Sonic's US median.
- Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack: $3.99 to $5.19 (+30%)Cheapest in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Arlington, TX; median $4.79, 14% below Jack in the Box'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.
Dunkin': a Medium Original Blend costs $1.99 at three Dunkin' restaurants in Fort Worth, Hickory Creek and Plano, TX and $3.79 at the Dunkin' in Forest Hill, TX, $1.80 (90%) more. Across its 46 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median of $3.09.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $4.19 at the McDonald's in Fort Worth, TX and $6.49 at two McDonald's restaurants in Lewisville and Plano, TX, $2.30 (55%) more. Across its 223 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $5.19, 13% below McDonald's US median of $5.99. At the airport in Dallas, TX, it costs $6.59.
Popeyes: a Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $4.99 at the Popeyes in Dallas, TX and $6.99 at the Popeyes in Dallas, TX, $2.00 (40%) more. Across its 84 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median of $5.79.
Sonic: a Sonic Cheeseburger costs $4.99 at five Sonic restaurants in Dallas, Cedar Hill, Grand Prairie and Haltom City, TX and $6.99 at the Sonic in Glenn Heights, TX, $2.00 (40%) more. Across its 137 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $5.59, 2% below Sonic's US median of $5.69.
Jack in the Box: a Jumbo Jack costs $3.99 at two Jack in the Box restaurants in Dallas, TX and $5.19 at eight Jack in the Box restaurants in Arlington, Dallas, Cedar Hill, Glenn Heights, Grand Prairie and Mansfield, TX, $1.20 (30%) more. Across its 39 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the median is $4.79, 14% below Jack in the Box's US median of $5.59.
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.
“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.
Frasi da citare
The same Dunkin' Medium Original Blend costs $1.99 in Fort Worth, TX but $3.79 in Forest Hill, TX.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $4.19 in Fort Worth, TX but $6.49 in Lewisville, TX.
The same Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $4.99 in Dallas, TX but $6.99 in Dallas, TX.
The same Sonic Cheeseburger costs $4.99 in Dallas, TX but $6.99 in Glenn Heights, TX.
The same Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack costs $3.99 in Dallas, TX but $5.19 in Arlington, TX.
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| Dato | Valore | Dove vederlo |
|---|---|---|
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $1.99 to $3.79 (+90%) | Cheapest in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Forest Hill, TX; median $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $4.19 to $6.49 (+55%) | Cheapest in Fort Worth, TX, most expensive in Lewisville, TX; median $5.19, 13% below McDonald's US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%) | Cheapest in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Dallas, TX; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| Sonic Cheeseburger: $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%) | Cheapest in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Glenn Heights, TX; median $5.59, 2% below Sonic's US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack: $3.99 to $5.19 (+30%) | Cheapest in Dallas, TX, most expensive in Arlington, TX; median $4.79, 14% below Jack in the Box's US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend più economico (ristoranti) | $1.99 (3) | Fort Worth, TX, Hickory Creek, TX, Plano, TX |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend più caro (ristoranti) | $3.79 (1) | Forest Hill, TX |
| McDonald's Big Mac più economico (ristoranti) | $4.19 (1) | Fort Worth, TX |
| McDonald's Big Mac più caro (ristoranti) | $6.49 (2) | Lewisville, TX, Plano, TX |
| Il più caro in assoluto (airport) | $6.59 (2) | Dallas, TX, Dallas, TX |
| Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich più economico (ristoranti) | $4.99 (1) | Dallas, TX |
| Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich più caro (ristoranti) | $6.99 (1) | Dallas, TX |
| Sonic Sonic Cheeseburger più economico (ristoranti) | $4.99 (5) | Cedar Hill, TX, Dallas, TX, Dallas, TX, Grand Prairie, TX, Haltom City, TX |
| Sonic Sonic Cheeseburger più caro (ristoranti) | $6.99 (1) | Glenn Heights, TX |
| Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack più economico (ristoranti) | $3.99 (2) | Dallas, TX, Dallas, TX |
| Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack più caro (ristoranti) | $5.19 (8) | Arlington, TX, Arlington, TX, Cedar Hill, TX, Dallas, TX, Dallas, TX, Glenn Heights, TX, Grand Prairie, TX, Mansfield, TX |
Metodologia, chi siamo e contatti
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 Dallas–Fort Worth, 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
Fonti di contesto
Non fanno parte del comunicato: articoli che sostengono la sua unica frase di contesto, per rispondere alle domande dei giornalisti.
- 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.