Which Fast-Casual Prices Have Risen The Least in the Past Five Years [Data Study]

Eating out has gotten expensive. Whether you're grabbing breakfast on the go, trying to get your kids a quick meal, or craving a favorite drive-thru item, menu prices at fast-food restaurants have rocketed up in recent years, frequently rising at rates faster than inflation.

These price hikes aren't limited to drive-thru dining, however, as cost increases have also hit menus at casual-dining restaurants across the country. As a result, chains that used to be affordable can now come with some serious sticker shock when the bill arrives.

To better understand the full scope of these price increases and identify the most affordable chains, FinanceBuzz compared current menu prices for 10 items at various popular restaurant chains to what those same items cost five years ago.

Key findings

• In the last 5 years, prices at chain restaurants went up an average of 42%. This is nearly double the rate of national inflation during the time period (22%).

• Longhorn Steakhouse and BJ's Brewhouse have had the smallest increases of any chain we reviewed (26%).

How much have chain restaurants raised prices?

From 2020 to 2025, the inflation rate in the United States rose by 22%. In that same time frame, the average price increase at 16 popular chain restaurants was nearly twice as high at 42%.

Menu prices at every single chain we evaluated rose faster than inflation in the last five years, with the smallest increases coming at Longhorn Steakhouse and BJ's Brewhouse, which saw prices increase by 26% on average on menu items we looked at. Buffalo Wild Wings, Outback Steakhouse, and Olive Garden also saw increases at 30% or less.

Chains with the lowest price increases

LongHorn Steakhouse

Costs for eight different menu items we evaluated at LongHorn — including signature items like the Flo's Filet and Texas Tonion — rose by less than 30% between 2020-2025.

• Average price increase: 26%
• Largest single-item increase: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Kids Meal: 40%

BJ's Brewhouse

BJ's is tied with Longhorn Steakhouse for the lowest average price increase among all chain restaurants — just 26% in the last half decade. Six different BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse menu items we looked at increased in price by 25% or less.

• Average price increase: 26%
• Largest single-item increase: BJ's Original Wings: 36%

Buffalo Wild Wings

Similar to Outback, prices for a number of popular menu items at Buffalo Wild Wings actually rose slower than inflation in the last five years, including its popular boneless wings (19%).

• Average price increase: 29%
• Largest single-item increase: Medium Traditional Wings: 41%

Outback Steakhouse

Menu prices for 40% of the menu items our team evaluated from Outback rose at a rate equal to or lower than the overall inflation rate from 2020-2025, including its signature Bloomin' Onion appetizer, which exactly matched the inflation rate with a 22% increase.

• Average price increase: 29%
• Largest single-item increase: Wood-Fire Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie: 43%

Olive Garden

Olive Garden is the first of five chains we looked at where price increases were within 10 percentage points of the overall national inflation rate of 22% from 2020-2025, with Olive Garden prices going up by 30% on average.

• Average price increase: 30%
• Largest single-item increase: Chicken Alfredo: 40%

Red Lobster

Despite a tumultuous year where the company filed for bankruptcy and closed dozens of stores, Red Lobster has come out the other side with new ownership and a new CEO at the helm. It plans to continue operating more than 500 locations across the country, which is good news for fans of the iconic seafood brand.

What fans may not like, however, is the knowledge that prices at Red Lobster have increased by 34% in the last five years, 12 percentage points higher than inflation in that same time.

• Average price increase: 34%
• Largest single-item increase: Tie between the Chocolate Wave and Bar Harbor Lobster Bake: 46%

Cracker Barrel

Between 2020-2025, Cracker Barrel prices rose by 35% on average, though costs for menu items like combo or sampler meals tended to increase a good deal more than the costs for popular side items and kids meals.

• Average price increase: 35%
• Largest single-item increase: Cracker Barrel Sampler: 52%

Denny's

While Denny's is another breakfast-forward chain, costs have gone up at a rate of just 36% since 2020.

• Average price increase: 36%
• Largest single-item increase: Build Your Own Grand Slam: 63%

Chili's

Chili's is another chain that has kept its price increases relatively consistent, with costs rising between 30% and 47% for every single menu item we collected data on.

• Average price increase: 39%
• Largest single-item increase: Crispy Honey-Chipotle Crispers: 47%

Full Results

In the table below, you'll find the full breakdown of the menu items we tracked at each restaurant, along with 2020 vs. 2025 costs.
Restaurants are arranged from highest to lowest average cost increase, and specific chains can be found via the search box in the upper left.

Tips for saving money for the whole family when dining out

• Maximize your rewards when eating out. Get the best bang for your buck by using a credit card for dining out to help rack up rewards and offset food prices.
• Set a budget. Cut back on unnecessary purchases and plan your fast-food expenses to keep more money in your pocket.
• Look into a food delivery side hustle. Read up on our Deliver with DoorDash guide to see how you can create your own hours and earn some extra cash on the side.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz collected prices from each restaurant. Prices were collected for 2025 and 2020. Only menu items available to customers in both years were included for each restaurant.

2025 prices were pulled from each restaurant's mobile app or website directly. We collected these prices from locations in the Tampa, FL area, though menu prices at some restaurant chains may vary by region. Previous menu prices were pulled from FastFoodMenuPrices.com with the use of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. A sample of at least 10 menu items was reviewed from each chain. A full list of items is found in the table above.

Inflation rates are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' CPI Inflation Calculator. Inflation rates were collected in February of 2025.

Author Details

Josh Koebert

Josh Koebert is a Senior Data Journalist at FinanceBuzz who writes about personal finance trends. As an experienced researcher, Josh’s data-driven stories focus on the intersection between economics and consumer behavior: where personal finance meets everyday life.