Prices at Fast-Casual Restaurants Are Up 42% — See Which Ones Raised Prices the Most

No, it’s not just your imagination. Everything really is getting more expensive. While the rising cost of living is seemingly slowing down a bit, the Social Security Administration has raised the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits by 2.5% in 2025 over 2024. Meaning, yes, life costs more. And that apparently even includes meals at some of your favorite “lower-cost” fast-casual restaurants.

In March, FinanceBuzz, a financial resources website, shared its findings on how much fast-casual restaurant prices have risen over the last five years, including which restaurants have marked up prices the most.  

To understand the rise in cost, the team compared current menu prices across 16 popular chains in the United States. It analyzed the same items and their cost over five years. It found that prices are skyrocketing across the board. “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%,” the findings noted.

There is one place where prices have nearly gone off the charts: Waffle House. According to the report, “prices have nearly doubled since 2020 at the southern staple that specializes in breakfast items, with costs rising by 96% on average.” The findings noted that prices could even continue to rise at the restaurant thanks to its new egg surcharge and the ongoing avian flu epidemic. 

But it’s not just eggs that are expensive here. In 2020, hashbrowns cost just $1.95. Now, that same serving will set you back $4.20, marking a 110% increase. Even a cup of coffee at Waffle House isn’t immune, with prices rising from $1.80 in 2020 to $3.15 in 2025. 

Next up on the list is another breakfast-centric spot, IHOP, where prices have increased by 82%, on average, over the last five years. According to the study, the largest price increase is with its 2x2x2 combo, which has gone up 129%. 

The good news is these two are major outliers. The third largest increases in pricing were found at Texas Roadhouse, where the cost of menu items has gone up 46% on average. Its largest price increase is with its Macaroni and Cheese kids meal, which now costs 63% more than in 2020. It’s followed by TGI Fridays, where prices have increased by 45%, Applebee’s at 41%, Cheesecake Factory and Hooters both at 40%, Chilis at 39%, Denny’s at 36%, and Cracker Barrel at 35% to round out the top 10. 

“I don’t think most Americans will be all that surprised to learn prices have been increasing at restaurants, but there may be some sticker shock when you look at where we were a few years ago vs. now,” Chris Lewis, the director of digital PR at FinanceBuzz, shared with Food & Wine. “Customers have been feeling higher prices for years, but it’s hard to notice or understand how incremental price changes when they’re just 50 cents at a time.”

While Lewis added they aren’t saying “don’t go out to eat,” they do hope this study helps consumers “cognizant of where their money is going and to use it in whatever way maximizes their enjoyment of it.”