The average price of a burger has increased 14 percent since 2023, while the cost of beef has surged 32 percent, according to new data.
Burger menu prices have risen in recent years, but not nearly as fast as the cost of beef. The gap highlights the pricing pressure restaurant operators are navigating and the strategic decisions required to balance traffic and profitability. Burgers are one of the most price-visible items in foodservice and often serve as a value benchmark for diners.
New data from Datassential's Burger Price Index shows burger menu prices have increased approximately 14 percent since January 2023, while beef production costs have surged roughly 32 percent during the same period. Restaurants often manage pricing strategically across the menu, limiting increases on high-visibility items while balancing costs across other categories.
Over that same timeframe, federal Food Away From Home inflation rose about 13 percent, meaning burger prices have tracked closely with overall restaurant inflation even as beef costs have risen much more sharply. The gap highlights one of the central pricing dynamics in foodservice: burgers remain one of the most traffic-driving menu items in the industry. For many restaurant brands, the price of a burger acts as a signal to consumers about overall value.
"Operators can't simply pass every cost increase directly to the consumer," said Jim Emling, CEO of Datassential.
"The data shows just how carefully restaurants are managing pricing on high-visibility items like burgers while balancing costs across the rest of the menu."
After pronounced price increases throughout 2024, burger price growth cooled dramatically in 2025. By December 2025, burger prices were just 0.4 percent higher year-over-year, a slowdown compared with earlier inflation cycles. Limited-service restaurants (LSRs) increased burger prices more aggressively overall, with prices rising roughly 16 percent since 2023, compared to 12 percent at full-service restaurants (FSRs).
By the end of 2025, however, year-over-year price growth across both segments had converged to roughly 2.5 percent. The data highlights how operators are navigating a difficult balance: protecting prices on high-visibility menu items while managing significant volatility in underlying food costs.
The inaugural 2026 Datassential Burger Price Index tracks burger pricing across major U.S. restaurant chains, offering operators and suppliers a new benchmark for understanding how pricing strategies are evolving across the industry. Powered by Datassential's proprietary Datassential One platform, the index analyses core burger categories, including hamburgers, cheeseburgers, plant-based burgers, and premium burgers.
"Understanding how pricing is moving at the item level is becoming essential for operators navigating volatile costs," said Keenan Marchesi, Ph.D. Economist at Datassential.
“The Burger Price Index gives the industry a clearer benchmark for how one of its most important menu categories is evolving."
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