(NEXSTAR) – Inflation is causing prices to rise on just about everything in the U.S. right now. Homes, cars, gas – it’s all becoming more expensive. But what about the quickest, easiest meal to grab in America: a burger, fries, and a soda?
Unfortunately for the casual fast food fan, prices have risen by a tremendous amount over the last two years.
MoneyGeek, a personal finance site, took a deep dive into rising meal prices in their latest report. They looked at how much prices changed between 2022 and 2024 for a meal containing a burger, fries and soda, using prices from Allmenus and Grubhub for the highest revenue fast food burger restaurants.
Of the burger chains MoneyGeek reported on, Five Guys was ranked as the most expensive meal of all the high revenue burger chains. The average price of a Five Guys meal cost $20.84 in 2024, a 14% increase from 2022 when the same meal went for $18.33. The restaurant chain went viral this year after a receipt showing a $24 bill for a cheeseburger, fries and soda was posted to X.
While the priciest of those included in the report, Five Guys wasn’t the company with the biggest menu price hikes. The chain with the largest percentage increase since 2022 was actually Wendy’s, which saw an increase of 32% in the average price of a meal from $9.41 to $12.41 over two years.
A Wendy’s spokesperson responded to the study by saying it offers low-price options for cost-conscious customers. “While we were not contacted about this study and have not dug into the criteria, Wendy’s has always been about providing high quality food at a great value to our customers, that’s why we launched the $5 Biggie Bag in 2019 and continue to offer deals across our menu,” the spokesperson told Nexstar.
Here’s how the other chains ranked according to MoneyGeek.
| Chain Name | Average Price of a Meal in 2024 | Average Price of a Meal in 2022 | Percentage Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Five Guys | $20.84 | $18.33 | 13.7% |
| 2. Jack in the Box | $13.75 | $10.93 | 25.8% |
| 3. Wendy’s | $12.41 | $9.41 | 31.8% |
| 4. Burger King | $10.61 | $9.44 | 12.3% |
| 5. McDonald’s | $7.57 | $6.21 | 22.0% |
Five Guys, Jack in the Box, Burger King, and McDonald’s didn’t respond to Nexstar’s request for comment by publication time.
Why is Fast Food more expensive?
Not just burgers, but fast food in general continues to become more and more expensive by the year.
A study by FinanceBuzz found that from 2014 to 2024, average menu prices have risen between 39% and 100%. That is more than the 31% overall inflation rate during that same time period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The increasing cost of labor and the growing popularity of delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, which charge fast food chains fees that directly impact your bill, are two major contributors to rising prices, Greenlight reports.