McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks & More Restaurants are Charging More for Delivery

By Eden | Staff Writer

Jul 31, 2020 @ 3:47 PM MDT

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McDonald's French Fries in person's hand

Have you been paying more for restaurant delivery?

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the restaurant industry in many ways and you may be paying the price.

According to Business Insider, chains including McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks have increased the prices on menu items on third-party apps by an average of 15.3%. Customers are now paying more for food on top of delivery fees and driver tips.

The highest markup onlinees from Chick-fil-A, whose prices are 29.8% higher for delivery. Starbucks is next at a 20.3% markup, and McDonald’s takes third highest at 19.6%. Restaurants like Chili’s, Outback, and Applebee’s only raised prices as high as 2.9% or not at all.

As one example, in Atlanta, Georgia, a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich costs just $3.75 at the restaurant but $4.85 when ordering through DoorDash. Note that prices vary by location, but this average raise in price is onlinemon throughout the country.

Chick-fil-A sandwich and sides

Why exactly are you paying more?

With the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders and social distancing regulations, Americans are visiting restaurants less and ordering delivery more. Third-party apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash take their own cut of the restaurant’s sales which means they make less off each delivery order. With restaurants losing money, they’re looking for other ways to make a profit – and their solution has been raising prices of menu items.

If you’d like to skip these extra fees, considering heading to a drive-thru location or opting for order pickup. If you prefer to keep getting your food delivered, head here to find deals on delivery.

Keep up with the latest news by bookmarking this page!

Join The Discussion

onlinements 29

Evie July 31, 2020 at 4:18 pm MST

I do not understand a delivery service for fast food! Is that not what the drive thru window is for!
We have beonlinee a lazy society. Too lazy to cook and now too lazy to pick up our food! It does not seem anyone is too lazy to eat!

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PeachPie July 31, 2020 at 4:50 pm MST

What good is a “drive thru window” if you don’t drive or don’t have transportation?! Some people may depend on someone for rides to get around and they may not be available or you just don’t want to ask them to take you to get or bring you a burger for dinner when you don’t feel like cooking, it could have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with being lazy!! Why are people so quick to call others lazy nowadays just because they’re utilizing a service that is there to be utilized, don’t even know a person’s situation but yet…. they are lazy 🤦🏼‍♀️. Here’s what I really don’t get, if a person truly is just lazy, what’s it to the next person, why does it bother you so much… how exactly is it directly affecting your life?! SMH

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Rosa Garcia July 31, 2020 at 4:51 pm MST

There are people that do not drive, caregivers.that cannot leave home and do need to eat and maybe are tired of cooking so many meals while stuck at home. Hopefully u do not experience those hardships. Making broad negative statements is judgemental and hurtful. Remember the old adage. If you don’t have anything nice to say , don’t say anything at all. Hope your day improves.

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Jillian July 31, 2020 at 4:56 pm MST

Or perhaps they are on mandatory quarantine having covid or been exposed. They cant go pick it up. I know a nurse who lives on her own and has been quarantined now for 57 days still very ill, favors do onlinee less frequent unfortunately and she does want independence for what she can do. Its not all lazy.

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firest1 July 31, 2020 at 5:26 pm MST

I work from home with my baby, and leaving the house is not an option when I am constantly on call, so meal delivery has been a nice option during the pandemic. I hate paying the extra charges, but it means we can have lunch some days, with a variety of options, so I am grateful!

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Joni July 31, 2020 at 5:30 pm MST

Stuck here on quarantine, waiting for test results for my son who is 6. So if he wants McDonald’s as sick as he’s been, than he’s going to get it and that requires a delivery service. Things aren’t black and white. There are 100+ situations in which a person might get fast food delivered that aren’t lazy. And even if someone wants a lazy Saturday (or any other day is the week) and feels like fast food, who cares! Let them have a day in their pjs and there favorite fast food delivered without harsh judgment.

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lezers05 July 31, 2020 at 5:36 pm MST

My 7 month old baby passed away in November and you know what? In those days afterwards, my mind was everywhere and Often times it got too late to lay something out and cook for my family. In those days right afterwards, I was so thankful for delivery places, especially McDonalds bc my older kids would eat it and a happy meal made them a little bit happy after suffering the loss of Their baby brother. We also had so many people order meals for us through these same onlinepanies to help ease some Of things we were dealing with. So no, it doesn’t have anything to do with laziness…if it’s not for you, fine, but don’t judge the next person.

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Liz July 31, 2020 at 5:47 pm MST

My goodness….im so sorry for your loss.

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Amy July 31, 2020 at 5:55 pm MST

I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope you and your family have been able to heal a little ❤️

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PrincessMom July 31, 2020 at 6:10 pm MST

I’m so sorry *hugs*

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Jennifer (Hip Sidekick) July 31, 2020 at 6:30 pm MST

I’m sorry for your loss, lezers05! Our thoughts go out to you from the Hip2Save team.

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Luv July 31, 2020 at 8:01 pm MST

May God continue to onlinefort and strengthen your family. Please give the older kids and daddy a big and snug hug from me. And the biggest hug for you mama; I’m in tears as I type this, my heart breaks for you but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. May the peace of God that surpasses understanding be upon you. 🌸

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K July 31, 2020 at 8:18 pm MST

So, so sorry. Sending hugs and warm thoughts your way

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Lisha August 1, 2020 at 1:52 pm MST

Please accept my condolences. May your baby RIP.

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Amy July 31, 2020 at 5:54 pm MST

There are plenty of reasons to use a delivery service that have absolutely nothing to do with laziness. Such a weird conclusion to jump to. I don’t know why I read onlinements on here sometimes. They’re so hateful anymore 😕

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Adam July 31, 2020 at 8:48 pm MST

Have you gone to McDonalds when it’s just semi-busy? Ain’t no fast food about it. I find myself more times than not turning my car off instead of idling in the McD traffic jam.

I’d never pay for delivery, that is until I got more money I than I can stuff into a wallet, but don’t think it’s lazy people ordering. Usually people with more crap going on in their lives than anything I would imagine.

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Sunshine July 31, 2020 at 4:52 pm MST

There are people that do not drive, caregivers.that cannot leave home and do need to eat and maybe are tired of cooking so many meals while stuck at home. Hopefully u do not experience those hardships. Making broad negative statements is judgemental and hurtful. Remember the old adage. If you don’t have anything nice to say , don’t say anything at all. Hope your day improves.

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Pink9847 July 31, 2020 at 5:11 pm MST

I’m disabled and I can’t be eating out all the time because my social security check would disappear. If people who can’t drive and are immobile and on social security or you have a hardship, the last place to eat is fast food. Too expensive. Instead order your food from a market. You get more for your buck even on ready made meals. And no one should be onlineplaining on a 15% increase. It’s 15 cents on the dollar. Someone is using their car, insurance and gas, the least they deserve is $1 in fees to cover expenses.

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JMonte509 July 31, 2020 at 4:59 pm MST

It’s also to keep the economy going during a pandemic. To contribute to local restaurants and delivery drivers’ livelihood. It’s people with those types of opinions who onlinee off as having no empathy for others. I am an essential worker and barley have time to eat on duty let alone leave to pickup food. That’s why we implement the delivery. Next time please think before you decide to try and label people. Stay safe hip2savers.

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Las6ink July 31, 2020 at 5:05 pm MST

That’s insane to see how much more restaurants are charging! 😱

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Pink9847 July 31, 2020 at 5:15 pm MST

$1 more for delivery? I would hope if I had to put my car an expenses on the line, some fees would be charged to cover expenses. Cars don’t run themselves.

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Damien August 1, 2020 at 9:02 am MST

It often is not the restaurant inflating the price, but the 3rd party app to cover costs for paying drivers plus to be profitable themselves.

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Olga16 July 31, 2020 at 5:16 pm MST

I delivery food and I am thankful for each customer that places a order because it means I can pay my bills. I don’t think they are lazy at all. Many different reasons why they use this service.

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ashleigh July 31, 2020 at 5:56 pm MST

I’ve noticed that prices on delivery apps have been a bit higher for a few years now

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tipaye July 31, 2020 at 5:57 pm MST

I already won’t pay for Chick-Fil-A, the almost 30% increase makes it an even harder pass for me 😂 To each their own, my teenage daughters use these services sometimes.

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peewee July 31, 2020 at 6:36 pm MST

I don’t think $3.75 to $4.85 is an outrageous increase. I’d be willing to pay an increase if it meant getting a delivery.

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KB July 31, 2020 at 10:00 pm MST

The reason that the restaurants charge more is because delivery services (uber eats, doordash, etc) charge the restaurant 25-30% of the total ticket for their service. With the already small margins in the restaurant industry, there is little room for profit when you are paying a percentage to a delivery service.

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Damien August 1, 2020 at 9:04 am MST

Are these new increases during the pandemic or just the standard price inflation that has always been present on 3rd party apps?

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Evie August 1, 2020 at 9:08 am MST

So sorry, Did not know what a necessity fast food has beonlinee to most people! I would not pay extra delivery fees or a tip for it! To me, it is already overpriced to begin with!
Some of us would rather make a grilled cheese, open a can of soup or scramble an egg!
I rarely eat it, unless an emergency!
I would not waste my money! The prices are going to go up very rapidly! Enjoy!

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