New Study Reveals the 3 Most Overpriced Fast-Food Chains in America
Fast food used to be a cheap—if not exactly healthy—option for meals or the occasional treat, but with prices soaring for just a small amount of food, it's not hard to understand why people feel ripped off. While the McDonald's dollar menu and Subway's $5 footlong subs have gone the way of the Dodo, there were still some good options for a tasty bite that didn't break the bank. But even those are dwindling fast, as fast food chains struggle to retain customers while making a profit.
Preply, an online marketplace that connects language learners with tutors, did a deep dive into the chains people think are the best and worst value for money, using language analysis of 57,245 Google reviews of over 10,000 restaurants. The results? Three fast food chains in particular are considered overpriced for what they offer.
Shake Shack
Oh, Shake Shack. I'm not even slightly surprised people think this chain is offering mid food at a too-high price. When the first Los Angeles Shake Shack opened in West Hollywood in 2016, there were lines literally around the block with people chomping at the bit to get their hands on one of those burgers, and even then I thought, how can there be this much hype about a burger? Some people were waiting for over an hour! When I finally got to experience the food for myself, months later, I thought, this is… fine. It tastes fine. The problem is a basic burger, fries, and shake will set you back easily over $24 before tax, which is not cheap. One glance at the Shake Shack subreddit shows just how shocked customers are at the prices, which may explain why the chain closed down five locations in Southern California in 2024, and nine across the country.
Five Guys
Like Shake Shack, Five Guys also has something of a cult following amongst burger aficionados, and is also considered far too pricey for what it is. Five Guys has always been on the more expensive side for fast food, but prices going up even higher over the past couple of years doesn't help. In an interview with Inc., CEO Jerry Murrell explains why the food costs so much—they don't compromise on quality. "Our food prices fluctuate. We do not base our price on anything but margins. We raise our prices to reflect whatever our food costs are. So, if the mayonnaise guy triples his price, we pay triple for the mayonnaise! And then we'll increase the price of our product." At $24 for a burger, fries, and soda, that's some pricey mayo.
Sugar Factory
Sugar Factory is the third chain considered overpriced and not good value for money, according to Preply's analysis. In fact, the customer complaints about price are pretty scathing (one person called their drink "diabetes in a cup for $30", and this was in 2018). To be fair, Sugar Factory seems much more like a gimmick when compared to Shake Shack and Five Guys, which are at least attempting to serve reasonable food, whereas Sugar Factory offers $99 sundaes. It's certainly not somewhere you go expecting a basic meal. It's celebrity-endorsed, but not bank account-friendly. Buyer beware.
