Veröffentlicht am 2026-10-02
The same Whopper costs $6.59 at one Los Angeles Burger King and $9.99 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 779 restaurants of five chains in the Los Angeles area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 52% from one restaurant to the next.
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Die wichtigsten Fakten
- Burger King Whopper: $6.59 to $9.99 (+52%)Cheapest in Monrovia, CA, most expensive in Los Angeles, CA; median $7.99, 27% above Burger King's US median.
- KFC Chicken Sandwich: $5.49 to $7.99 (+46%)Cheapest in Norwalk, CA, most expensive in Duarte, CA; median $6.19, 15% above KFC's US median.
- Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $11.59 to $16.95 (+46%)Cheapest in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Alhambra, CA; median $14.49, 7% above Wingstop's US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $5.59 to $7.99 (+43%)Cheapest in San Fernando, CA, most expensive in Lakewood, CA; median $6.59, 10% above McDonald's US median.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.49 to $7.59 (+38%)Cheapest in Burbank, CA, most expensive in Anaheim, CA; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell'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.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $6.59 at the Burger King in Monrovia, CA and $9.99 at the Burger King in Los Angeles, CA, $3.40 (52%) more. Across its 86 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $7.99, 27% above Burger King's US median of $6.29.
KFC: a Chicken Sandwich costs $5.49 at the KFC in Norwalk, CA and $7.99 at two KFC restaurants in Duarte and San Gabriel, CA, $2.50 (46%) more. Across its 87 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $6.19, 15% above KFC's US median of $5.39. At the theme park in Universal City, CA, it costs $12.99.
Wingstop: a 10 Classic Wings costs $11.59 at two Wingstop restaurants in Los Angeles, CA and $16.95 at 11 Wingstop restaurants in Alhambra, Baldwin Park, Carson, City Of Industry, El Monte, La Puente, Los Angeles, Rosemead, San Gabriel, South El Monte and Walnut, CA, $5.36 (46%) more. Across its 129 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $14.49, 7% above Wingstop's US median of $13.59.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $5.59 at the McDonald's in San Fernando, CA and $7.99 at nine McDonald's restaurants in Lakewood, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Long Beach, Maywood and Seal Beach, CA, $2.40 (43%) more. Across its 314 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $6.59, 10% above McDonald's US median of $5.99.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.49 at the Taco Bell in Burbank, CA and $7.59 at 13 Taco Bell restaurants in Anaheim, La Habra, La Mirada, Buena Park, Downey, Fullerton, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs, South Gate and Whittier, CA, $2.10 (38%) more. Across its 163 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the median is $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median of $6.69. At the theme park in Universal City, CA, it costs $8.99.
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.
Zitierfähige Sätze
The same Burger King Whopper costs $6.59 in Monrovia, CA but $9.99 in Los Angeles, CA.
The same KFC Chicken Sandwich costs $5.49 in Norwalk, CA but $7.99 in Duarte, CA.
The same Wingstop 10 Classic Wings costs $11.59 in Los Angeles, CA but $16.95 in Alhambra, CA.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $5.59 in San Fernando, CA but $7.99 in Lakewood, CA.
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.49 in Burbank, CA but $7.59 in Anaheim, CA.
Bilder
Die Fakten hinter der Mitteilung
Jede Zahl stammt aus unseren Preisen vom 2026-10-02, jeweils mit der Seite dieser Website, auf der sie zu finden ist.
| Kennzahl | Wert | Zu finden auf |
|---|---|---|
| Burger King Whopper: $6.59 to $9.99 (+52%) | Cheapest in Monrovia, CA, most expensive in Los Angeles, CA; median $7.99, 27% above Burger King's US median. | Zur Seite |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich: $5.49 to $7.99 (+46%) | Cheapest in Norwalk, CA, most expensive in Duarte, CA; median $6.19, 15% above KFC's US median. | Zur Seite |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $11.59 to $16.95 (+46%) | Cheapest in Los Angeles, CA, most expensive in Alhambra, CA; median $14.49, 7% above Wingstop's US median. | Zur Seite |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $5.59 to $7.99 (+43%) | Cheapest in San Fernando, CA, most expensive in Lakewood, CA; median $6.59, 10% above McDonald's US median. | Zur Seite |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.49 to $7.59 (+38%) | Cheapest in Burbank, CA, most expensive in Anaheim, CA; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median. | Zur Seite |
| Burger King Whopper, am günstigsten (Restaurants) | $6.59 (1) | Monrovia, CA |
| Burger King Whopper, am teuersten (Restaurants) | $9.99 (1) | Los Angeles, CA |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich, am günstigsten (Restaurants) | $5.49 (1) | Norwalk, CA |
| KFC Chicken Sandwich, am teuersten (Restaurants) | $7.99 (2) | Duarte, CA, San Gabriel, CA |
| Am teuersten insgesamt (theme park) | $12.99 (1) | Universal City, CA |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings, am günstigsten (Restaurants) | $11.59 (2) | Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings, am teuersten (Restaurants) | $16.95 (11) | Alhambra, CA, Baldwin Park, CA, Carson, CA, City Of Industry, CA, El Monte, CA, La Puente, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Rosemead, CA, San Gabriel, CA, South El Monte, CA, Walnut, CA |
| McDonald's Big Mac, am günstigsten (Restaurants) | $5.59 (1) | San Fernando, CA |
| McDonald's Big Mac, am teuersten (Restaurants) | $7.99 (9) | Downey, CA, Hawaiian Gardens, CA, Lakewood, CA, Lakewood, CA, Lakewood, CA, Lakewood, CA, Long Beach, CA, Maywood, CA, Seal Beach, CA |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme, am günstigsten (Restaurants) | $5.49 (1) | Burbank, CA |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme, am teuersten (Restaurants) | $7.59 (13) | Anaheim, CA, Anaheim, CA, Buena Park, CA, Downey, CA, Fullerton, CA, La Habra, CA, La Habra, CA, La Mirada, CA, La Mirada, CA, Long Beach, CA, Santa Fe Springs, CA, South Gate, CA, Whittier, CA |
| Am teuersten insgesamt (theme park) | $8.99 (1) | Universal City, CA |
Methodik, über uns und Kontakt
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 Los Angeles, 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
Hintergrundquellen
Nicht Teil der Mitteilung: Berichte, die die eine Zeile Kontext darin belegen, für Rückfragen von Journalistinnen und Journalisten.
- 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.