6 Most Overpriced Fast Food Chains

Let's be honest, whatever you're in the market for, whether it's food or gas, the chances are it's not going to be as cheap as it used to be. In fact, in 2022, inflation reached its highest peak since the 1980s in the U.S., and many households are still struggling. And, just to make things even more frustrating, fast food has officially become an indulgence.

In 2024, LendingTree asked more than 2,000 Americans how they felt about fast food, and nearly 80% of them said they now see a quick burger or some nuggets from their local chain as a luxury. But the truth is, while prices are rising everywhere, some fast-food chains are certainly more expensive than others. Some have always been pricier, while others are guilty of hiking costs considerably in the last few years. 

Next time you choose to indulge in a burger, fries, or some fried chicken, it might be good to prepare yourself for the bill. To help you out, we've rounded up some of the most overpriced fast-food chains in the fast-food industry.

Right now, Shake Shack has more than 300 locations, with plans to grow to more than 1,500 in the coming years. But the chain has humble roots. It actually began as a hot dog stand in New York City's Madison Square Park in 2001. But if you want to eat at one now, don't expect street food prices. A sausage in a New York park will set you back around $5, but a hot dog at Shake Shack sits at around $6.29 (that's based on Grubhub prices in New York's Theater District, anyway). 

Of course, you can't compare a sausage from a cart with a meal from a fast-food chain, which is usually going to be the more expensive option. But data confirms that Shake Shack probably costs too much money. In 2024, Preply analyzed 57,245 reviews from over 10,000 restaurants and concluded that Shake Shack is one of the most expensive chains and has managed to rack up the most complaints about being overpriced among fast food outlets.

For reference, one of the most expensive items on the menu is a ShackStack, which features a beef burger, a Shroom burger, cheese, salad, a potato bun, and ShackSauce, and will set you back $17.59. Even a standard hamburger with fries and a small soda comes to more than $20. "Shake Shack's food is extremely overpriced for what it is," wrote one social media user in a recent Reddit post. "A simple burger, fries, and shake should not total over $20."

Another chain to be called out in Preply's research for being overpriced was Five Guys. The burger company started out as a small joint in Arlington, Virginia, in 1986, but over the decades, it has grown into a fast-food behemoth. Now, it has nearly 2,000 restaurants around the world, and more than 1,500 of those are in the U.S. 

Five Guys has never been the cheapest fast-food option on the market. When it was first founded, for example, a Five Guys hamburger cost $2.39. With adjustments for inflation, that's around $9.37 today. In comparison, a McDonald's Big Mac in the 1980s was less than $1 (just under $4 in today's money). But in the interest of fairness, Five Guys isn't trying to be McDonald's. While the latter relies on frozen fries and burgers, for example, Five Guys always offers fresh ingredients, including hand-cut fries.

Still, as is evident in Preply's study, many still believe fresh ingredients are not a good enough excuse for the high prices. At the end of the day, Five Guys is still just fast food. "In the beginning it was a novelty in that the fries were freshly cut and the burgers were supposed to be fresh," wrote one Reddit user. "Now the cost is double other burger places like Burger King. And to be honest it's not that much better than a Whopper."

Chick-fil-A has been a staple in the American fast-food scene since the 1940s, and over the many decades it has been open, it has survived multiple controversies. It faced major backlash from queer communities after it was revealed that the chain had donated millions of dollars to LGBTQ hate groups. And another thing that irks people about Chick-fil-A? The prices, of course.

At the end of 2023, a report from Newsweek noted that prices at the chain were "skyrocketing," increasing by 21% over the course of just two years. In 2024, another survey from LendingTree found that consumers see Chick-fil-A as the most high-end fast-food chain on the market. This has led to some backlash on social media. "I love [Chick-fil-A], but the price has become literally insulting," said one Reddit user.

If you want cheaper fast food, you're likely better off heading to Chick-fil-A's competitor, KFC, which some maintain is just as good (if not better) and has lower prices. Still, the cost (and the controversy) doesn't seem to deter people from eating at Chick-fil-A. The chicken chain, which has more than 3,000 locations in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, still consistently ranks highly in terms of overall customer satisfaction.

With its square patties, Frosty desserts, and iconic redheaded girl logo, Wendy's, founded back in 1969, is one of the most popular fast-food chains in the U.S. It's also among the biggest, with nearly 6,000 locations across the country (and hundreds more overseas). And, you guessed it, it's also considered to be one of the most overpriced, too. In 2022, Wendy's was even labeled as the most expensive fast-food chain by Pricelisto, compared to rivals like McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and Burger King (per Yahoo! Finance).

Two years later, the chain stirred up even more controversy over the cost of its fast food when it announced it was planning to introduce dynamic pricing. This method of pricing basically involves adjusting the costs of menu items based on demand and cost of ingredients. Wendy's maintained that dynamic pricing is different from surge pricing, which involves increasing prices during busy periods (like Uber does). However, people still weren't happy with the suggestion that prices could increase at Wendy's.

"I just don't see Wendy's having the clout to pull this off," said one social media user on Reddit. They added that if Wendy's charges them more, they'll simply head to the closest McDonald's for their fast-food fix instead.

Burger King has been serving customers its signature Whopper since 1957 (just three years after the chain was founded). Today, the burger is still one of the global juggernaut's most popular menu items, with around 1.3 billion sold every year at its 19,000 restaurants around the world. In North America alone, Burger King has more than 6,000 locations.

But if you want to buy a Whopper in the U.S. today, you'll need deeper pockets than you did back in the 1950s. One vintage menu from 1959 lists a Whopper for $0.40, which is about $4.44 in today's money. Now? That same menu item costs just shy of $9 (based on the pricing at the chain's Roosevelt Avenue location in Queens, New York). A meatless version, with the Impossible Burger, costs even more, at $9.99. An Original Chicken Sandwich also sits at just under $9.

In 2024, the chain was also accused of surge pricing, after a customer noticed the price of their food increased halfway through their order at one of the fast-food chain's kiosks. Burger King maintained that the price increase was a glitch, but people have still expressed their dismay at the chain's prices. "We will never eat at Burger King ever again," said one social media user in a recent Facebook post. They added that the prices were "outrageous" and that "their burgers aren't really that good to begin with."

Raising Cane's, known for its chicken fingers, was founded back in the 1990s in Louisiana, but it's becoming increasingly popular today. Currently, it has nearly 900 locations across the country, with plans to open dozens more this year. The fast-food chain is known for its simple menu, offering mainly just chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, soda, and Texas toast. But don't confuse simple for cheap.

We mentioned earlier that prices at Chick-fil-A are getting increasingly expensive, but Raising Cane's is even more costly. That said, it's important to note that the portions are a little bigger at Raising Cane's. Still, some customers have complained that the food isn't worth the price. "I find myself enjoying the toast and fries dipped in sauce, and the chicken kind of feels like I'm eating my vegetables," said one Reddit user, suggesting that the small portion of chicken fingers is more like a side and doesn't justify the price.

Even former workers have complained about the prices at Raising Cane's. "Seriously, why is it $16 to get a box combo now?" one former employee asked in a now-deactivated TikTok in 2024, per Daily Dot. "Are chickens going instinct? Is, like, ketchup on a shortage? What is going on?"