Pubblicato il 2026-10-02
The same Chicken Sandwich costs $3.99 at one Illinois KFC and $7.29 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 1,997 restaurants of five chains in Illinois. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 83% from one restaurant to the next.
Dati al .
Dati chiave
- KFC Chicken Sandwich: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%)Cheapest in Belleville, IL, most expensive in Freeport, IL; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $9.19 (+59%)Cheapest in Flora, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.49 to $8.49 (+55%)Cheapest in Champaign, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median.
- Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $2.60 to $3.99 (+53%)Cheapest in Joliet, IL, most expensive in Effingham, IL; median $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $4.59 to $6.99 (+52%)Cheapest in Vienna, IL, most expensive in Rolling Meadows, IL; median $5.99, the same as 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.
KFC: a Chicken Sandwich costs $3.99 at six KFC restaurants in Belleville, Caseyville, Collinsville, Granite City and O'Fallon, IL and $7.29 at four KFC restaurants in Freeport, Morris, New Lenox and Sycamore, IL, $3.30 (83%) more. Across its 92 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $5.39, the same as KFC's US median of $5.39.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $5.79 at five Burger King restaurants in Flora, Galesburg, Mount Carmel, Olney and Paris, IL and $9.19 at the Burger King in Chicago, IL, $3.40 (59%) more. Across its 263 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median of $6.29.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.49 at 22 Taco Bell restaurants in Champaign, Danville, Des Plaines, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Charleston, Chicago, Effingham, Elk Grove Village, Mahomet, Mattoon, Palatine, Rantoul, Shelbyville, Urbana and Wood Dale, IL and $8.49 at 21 Taco Bell restaurants in Chicago and Cicero, IL, $3.00 (55%) more. Across its 285 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Dunkin': a Medium Original Blend costs $2.60 at the Dunkin' in Joliet, IL and $3.99 at two Dunkin' restaurants in Effingham and Troy, IL, $1.39 (53%) more. Across its 721 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median of $3.09.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $4.59 at the McDonald's in Vienna, IL and $6.99 at three McDonald's restaurants in Rolling Meadows, Rosemont and Schaumburg, IL, $2.40 (52%) more. Across its 636 restaurants in Illinois, the median is $5.99, the same as 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.
“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 KFC Chicken Sandwich costs $3.99 in Belleville, IL but $7.29 in Freeport, IL.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $5.79 in Flora, IL but $9.19 in Chicago, IL.
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.49 in Champaign, IL but $8.49 in Chicago, IL.
The same Dunkin' Medium Original Blend costs $2.60 in Joliet, IL but $3.99 in Effingham, IL.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $4.59 in Vienna, IL but $6.99 in Rolling Meadows, IL.
Immagini
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Ogni dato viene dai nostri prezzi del 2026-10-02, con la pagina di questo sito che lo mostra.
| Dato | Valore | Dove vederlo |
|---|---|---|
| KFC Chicken Sandwich: $3.99 to $7.29 (+83%) | Cheapest in Belleville, IL, most expensive in Freeport, IL; median $5.39, the same as KFC's US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $9.19 (+59%) | Cheapest in Flora, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.19, 2% below Burger King's US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.49 to $8.49 (+55%) | Cheapest in Champaign, IL, most expensive in Chicago, IL; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend: $2.60 to $3.99 (+53%) | Cheapest in Joliet, IL, most expensive in Effingham, IL; median $3.19, 3% above Dunkin' US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $4.59 to $6.99 (+52%) | Cheapest in Vienna, IL, most expensive in Rolling Meadows, IL; median $5.99, the same as McDonald's US median. | Vedi la pagina |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich più economico (ristoranti) | $3.99 (6) | Belleville, IL, Belleville, IL, Caseyville, IL, Collinsville, IL, Granite City, IL, O'Fallon, IL |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich più caro (ristoranti) | $7.29 (4) | Freeport, IL, Morris, IL, New Lenox, IL, Sycamore, IL |
| Burger King Whopper più economico (ristoranti) | $5.79 (5) | Flora, IL, Galesburg, IL, Mount Carmel, IL, Olney, IL, Paris, IL |
| Burger King Whopper più caro (ristoranti) | $9.19 (1) | Chicago, IL |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme più economico (ristoranti) | $5.49 (22) | Arlington Heights, IL, Champaign, IL, Champaign, IL, Champaign, IL, Champaign, IL, Charleston, IL, Chicago, IL, Danville, IL, Danville, IL, Des Plaines, IL, Des Plaines, IL, Effingham, IL, Elk Grove Village, IL, Mahomet, IL, Mattoon, IL, Palatine, IL, Rantoul, IL, Schaumburg, IL, Schaumburg, IL, Shelbyville, IL, Urbana, IL, Wood Dale, IL |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme più caro (ristoranti) | $8.49 (21) | Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Chicago, IL, Cicero, IL, Cicero, IL |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend più economico (ristoranti) | $2.60 (1) | Joliet, IL |
| Dunkin' Medium Original Blend più caro (ristoranti) | $3.99 (2) | Effingham, IL, Troy, IL |
| McDonald's Big Mac più economico (ristoranti) | $4.59 (1) | Vienna, IL |
| McDonald's Big Mac più caro (ristoranti) | $6.99 (3) | Rolling Meadows, IL, Rosemont, IL, Schaumburg, IL |
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 every restaurant in Illinois. 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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