DRAFT — not yet published
The same Classic Roast Beef costs $3.29 at one Tennessee Arby's and $5.29 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 1,106 restaurants of five chains in Tennessee. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 61% from one restaurant to the next.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Arby's Classic Roast Beef: $3.29 to $5.29 (+61%)Cheapest in Oneida, TN, most expensive in Chattanooga, TN; median $4.89, 4% below Arby's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $5.39 to $7.89 (+46%)Cheapest in Knoxville, TN, most expensive in Nashville, TN; median $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $4.39 to $6.29 (+43%)Cheapest in Pikeville, TN, most expensive in Collierville, TN; median $5.59, 7% below McDonald's US median.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.19 to $6.99 (+35%)Cheapest in Oakland, TN, most expensive in Nashville, TN; median $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median.
- Sonic Cheeseburger: $4.79 to $6.39 (+33%)Cheapest in Brownsville, TN, most expensive in Selmer, TN; median $5.49, 4% below Sonic'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.
Arby's: a Classic Roast Beef costs $3.29 at the Arby's in Oneida, TN and $5.29 at 17 Arby's restaurants in Chattanooga, Cleveland, Athens, Clarksville, Dayton, East Ridge, Hixson, Hurricane Mills, Jellico, Kimball, Ooltewah and Winchester, TN, $2.00 (61%) more. Across its 115 restaurants in Tennessee, the median is $4.89, 4% below Arby's US median of $5.09.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $5.39 at ten Burger King restaurants in Knoxville, Clinton, Greeneville, Jefferson City, Maryville, Morristown, Newport and Oak Ridge, TN and $7.89 at the Burger King in Nashville, TN, $2.50 (46%) more. Across its 173 restaurants in Tennessee, the median is $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median of $6.29.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $4.39 at the McDonald's in Pikeville, TN and $6.29 at the McDonald's in Collierville, TN, $1.90 (43%) more. Across its 341 restaurants in Tennessee, the median is $5.59, 7% below McDonald's US median of $5.99.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.19 at the Taco Bell in Oakland, TN and $6.99 at 65 Taco Bell restaurants in Nashville, Murfreesboro, Cookeville, Franklin, Lebanon, Brentwood, Columbia, Hermitage, Maryville, Mount Juliet, Spring Hill, Ashland City, Baxter, Bellevue, Carthage, Clarksville, Dickson, Fairview, Hohenwald, Joelton, Lafayette, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg, Manchester, McMinnville, Old Hickory, Portland, Pulaski, Shelbyville, Sparta, Tullahoma, Westmoreland and Woodbury, TN, $1.80 (35%) more. Across its 258 restaurants in Tennessee, the median is $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Sonic: a Sonic Cheeseburger costs $4.79 at two Sonic restaurants in Brownsville and Ripley, TN and $6.39 at the Sonic in Selmer, TN, $1.60 (33%) more. Across its 219 restaurants in Tennessee, the median is $5.49, 4% below Sonic's US median of $5.69.
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.
Quote, please approve“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.
Quotable lines
The same Arby's Classic Roast Beef costs $3.29 in Oneida, TN but $5.29 in Chattanooga, TN.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $5.39 in Knoxville, TN but $7.89 in Nashville, TN.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $4.39 in Pikeville, TN but $6.29 in Collierville, TN.
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.19 in Oakland, TN but $6.99 in Nashville, TN.
The same Sonic Cheeseburger costs $4.79 in Brownsville, TN but $6.39 in Selmer, TN.
Images
The facts behind the release
Every figure is from our prices of 2026-10-01, with the page on this site that shows it.
| Figure | Value | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Arby's Classic Roast Beef: $3.29 to $5.29 (+61%) | Cheapest in Oneida, TN, most expensive in Chattanooga, TN; median $4.89, 4% below Arby's US median. | See the page |
| Burger King Whopper: $5.39 to $7.89 (+46%) | Cheapest in Knoxville, TN, most expensive in Nashville, TN; median $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median. | See the page |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $4.39 to $6.29 (+43%) | Cheapest in Pikeville, TN, most expensive in Collierville, TN; median $5.59, 7% below McDonald's US median. | See the page |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.19 to $6.99 (+35%) | Cheapest in Oakland, TN, most expensive in Nashville, TN; median $6.39, 4% below Taco Bell's US median. | See the page |
| Sonic Cheeseburger: $4.79 to $6.39 (+33%) | Cheapest in Brownsville, TN, most expensive in Selmer, TN; median $5.49, 4% below Sonic's US median. | See the page |
| Cheapest Arby's Classic Roast Beef (restaurants) | $3.29 (1) | Oneida, TN |
| Most expensive Arby's Classic Roast Beef (restaurants) | $5.29 (17) | Athens, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Clarksville, TN, Cleveland, TN, Cleveland, TN, Dayton, TN, East Ridge, TN, Hixson, TN, Hurricane Mills, TN, Jellico, TN, Kimball, TN, Ooltewah, TN, Winchester, TN |
| Cheapest Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $5.39 (10) | Clinton, TN, Greeneville, TN, Jefferson City, TN, Knoxville, TN, Knoxville, TN, Knoxville, TN, Maryville, TN, Morristown, TN, Newport, TN, Oak Ridge, TN |
| Most expensive Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $7.89 (1) | Nashville, TN |
| Cheapest McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $4.39 (1) | Pikeville, TN |
| Most expensive McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $6.29 (1) | Collierville, TN |
| Cheapest Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $5.19 (1) | Oakland, TN |
| Most expensive Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $6.99 (65) | Ashland City, TN, Baxter, TN, Bellevue, TN, Brentwood, TN, Brentwood, TN, Carthage, TN, Clarksville, TN, Columbia, TN, Columbia, TN, Cookeville, TN, Cookeville, TN, Cookeville, TN, Cookeville, TN, Dickson, TN, Fairview, TN, Franklin, TN, Franklin, TN, Franklin, TN, Hermitage, TN, Hermitage, TN, Hohenwald, TN, Joelton, TN, Lafayette, TN, Lawrenceburg, TN, Lebanon, TN, Lebanon, TN, Lebanon, TN, Lewisburg, TN, Manchester, TN, Maryville, TN, Maryville, TN, McMinnville, TN, Mount Juliet, TN, Mount Juliet, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Murfreesboro, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN, Old Hickory, TN, Portland, TN, Pulaski, TN, Shelbyville, TN, Sparta, TN, Spring Hill, TN, Spring Hill, TN, Tullahoma, TN, Westmoreland, TN, Woodbury, TN |
| Cheapest Sonic Sonic Cheeseburger (restaurants) | $4.79 (2) | Brownsville, TN, Ripley, TN |
| Most expensive Sonic Sonic Cheeseburger (restaurants) | $6.39 (1) | Selmer, TN |
Methodology, about and 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 1, 2026, in US dollars. The area covers every restaurant in Tennessee. 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: {{press_contact_email}}
Background sources
Not part of the release: reporting that backs up its one line of context, for questions from journalists.
- 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.