Eating out has always been a treat, but some chain restaurants are charging more while giving us less. The price tags on many beloved menu items have quietly crept up over the years, often without any improvement in quality or portion size.
Before you swipe your card for your next meal, consider these chain offerings that simply don't deliver good value for money anymore.
1. Subway Footlong Sub
The famous "£5 Footlong" promotion feels like ancient history now. What once cost around £4 has ballooned to £7+ for a basic sandwich, according to dailydish.co.uk reports.
Add cheese or premium fillings? That'll be £8-10, please. Many customers have noticed thinner meat portions and more charges for extras. The once-reliable budget lunch option now costs nearly the same as a proper café meal.
2. Domino's Large Pizza
Fancy a takeaway pizza? Without promotional deals, Domino's prices might shock you. A medium pizza alone can exceed £15, while large specialty options approach £20, dailydish.co.uk reveals.
Factor in delivery fees, and you're paying restaurant prices for takeaway. The truly baffling part? The toppings seem less generous than before. For the same money, local pizzerias often provide better value and tastier options.
3. Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme
Once the champion of late-night budget munching, Taco Bell has silently hiked prices while keeping portions static. A single Crunchwrap Supreme now costs nearly what an entire combo meal once did.
Even basic tacos have roughly doubled in price over five years, dailydish.co.uk notes. The Mexican-inspired chain that built its reputation on affordable bites now charges premium prices for what remains essentially fast food fare.
4. KFC Family Bucket
Family night used to mean affordable KFC for everyone. Now, a family bucket that once cost under £15 regularly exceeds £25, dailydish.co.uk reports.
Individual meals frequently top £10, while portions haven't increased – many customers swear the chicken pieces have actually shrunk! Colonel Sanders built his empire on value, but today's prices have many families heading to supermarkets or local chicken shops instead.
5. Wendy's Baconator Meal
Wendy's return to British shores brought American-style burgers – and American-sized prices to match. A Baconator combo approaches £10, placing it firmly in the "expensive lunch" category.
The quality might be decent, but portions aren't substantially larger than competitors' offerings. dailydish.co.uk investigations show that many customers question whether the premium is justified when more economical options abound nearby.
6. Shake Shack Burger Combo
The "premium fast-food" label at Shake Shack comes with truly premium pricing. A basic ShackBurger with fries and shake easily exceeds £18 – practically sit-down restaurant territory.
While nobody questions the quality of ingredients, the portions leave much to be desired. dailydish.co.uk found that for the same money, customers could enjoy a substantially larger meal elsewhere. The taste might be memorable, but so is the bill.
7. Five Guys Cheeseburger & Fries
Five Guys might offer mountains of fries, but they also demand mountains of cash. A standard cheeseburger alone approaches £11 nowadays, according to ladbible.com.
Add fries and a drink, and you're looking at £18+ for counter-service food, dailydish.co.uk confirms. The generous potato portion can't disguise that you're paying sit-down restaurant prices for self-service dining. Local gourmet burger joints often provide better value.
8. Chipotle Burrito with Extras
Chipotle's fresh ingredients remain appealing, but the final bill often surprises customers. What begins as a reasonable burrito quickly balloons to £10-12 once you add guacamole and a drink.
Those little surcharges for steak or guac add up quickly. dailydish.co.uk research shows that for similar money, you could enjoy a larger portion of Mexican food at a local restaurant. The assembly-line burrito no longer feels like the bargain it once was.
9. Starbucks Coffee & Snack
The green mermaid has steadily swum into luxury waters. A venti specialty drink now costs £4.50-5, with larger sizes approaching £6, according to dailydish.co.uk.
Add a sandwich or pastry, and your quick coffee break easily exceeds £10. Meanwhile, bakery items seem to shrink with each price increase. High-street competitors often charge less for comparable quality, making Starbucks' once-affordable indulgence increasingly difficult to justify.
10. Pizza Hut Large Pizza
Family pizza night gets pricey at Pizza Hut without special offers. Medium pizzas often hit £15-18, while large specialty options exceed £20, dailydish.co.uk reports.
Even the beloved all-you-can-eat buffet has seen steep price increases. The ingredients haven't changed dramatically, but the prices certainly have. With numerous cheaper takeaways offering similar quality, Pizza Hut's value proposition has weakened considerably.
11. Burger King Whopper Meal
The Whopper may be large, but so is its price tag nowadays. A medium Whopper with cheese meal costs around £7.99 in the UK, businessinsider.com reports.
Some customers have noticed the UK Whopper appears slightly smaller than its international counterpart. Without taking advantage of Burger King's app deals, paying nearly £8 for a single burger combo feels excessive when competitors offer cheaper alternatives.
12. Wagamama Chicken Katsu Curry
This popular Asian-fusion dish exemplifies menu inflation. Between late 2023 and mid-2024, Wagamama hiked prices by approximately 24%, according to theguardian.com.
A chicken katsu curry now costs roughly £13 (more in London), yet the portion size remains unchanged. Many independent Asian eateries offer larger portions or better-value lunch sets. The once-reasonable bowl of comfort food now carries a premium price tag that's increasingly hard to swallow.
13. Pizza Express 'American Hot' Pizza
Pizza Express prices have risen dramatically in recent years. An American Hot pizza averaged about £13.50 in 2022, but by summer 2024 it's around £16.75 nationally (and over £18 in London), theguardian.com reveals.
That's a substantial sum for an 11-inch thin-crust pizza. While quality remains consistent, smaller independent pizzerias and even supermarkets now offer compelling alternatives at lower prices, making Pizza Express increasingly difficult to justify.
14. TGI Fridays Sesame Chicken Strips
This American-themed chain has earned a reputation for "expensive mediocrity," according to theguardian.com. Jack Daniel's sesame chicken strips with fries now approach £20 in many locations.
Portions have noticeably shrunk too. One disappointed customer reported receiving just four tortilla chips as a paid side after prices increased, according to reddit.com. With such diminished portions and elevated prices, TGI Fridays struggles to justify its cost compared to numerous better-value alternatives.
15. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
Remember when the Big Mac was the ultimate budget burger? Those days are gone. The iconic sandwich's price has nearly doubled over the past decade, according to dailydish.co.uk.
With modestly sized patties and the £1 value menu now extinct, paying £6-7 for a medium combo leaves many feeling short-changed. The same familiar taste now comes with an unfamiliar price tag that makes many loyal customers think twice.
