Fast-food prices remain a flashpoint for U.S. diners as restaurant chains balance inflation, labor costs, and customer demand for value. In that debate, Shake Shack has emerged as the burger brand Americans most often describe as overpriced. The finding comes from a national review analysis released in December 2024, and it continues to resonate as burger chains navigate elevated food costs in 2026.
Shake Shack led the chain rankings for “overpriced” complaints in a national review study
Shake Shack was ranked the most overpriced restaurant chain in a study published December 19, 2024, by Eat This, Not That, citing data from language-learning marketplace Preply. According to that report, Preply analyzed nearly 60,000 Google reviews tied to more than 10,000 restaurants across the 50 largest U.S. cities and searched for terms including “overpriced,” “pricey,” “expensive,” and “rip-off.” Among chain restaurants, Shake Shack drew the highest share of those complaints.
The same reporting said Five Guys ranked second and Sugar Factory ranked third among chains flagged as overpriced. Fox Business, which also summarized the study, reported the review set at 57,245 reviews and said the analysis covered more than 10,000 restaurants in 50 cities. That gives the finding national scale, even though it reflects review language rather than menu-price benchmarking or a formal consumer poll.
The timing also mattered. Eat This, Not That reported that Shake Shack had already made two price moves in 2024 before the study was highlighted publicly. The outlet said CFO Katie Fogerty announced a 3% menu price increase in mid-March to address food and wage inflation, and that the chain later implemented another 1.5% increase in October.
The impact is national, but chain-by-chain pricing still varies by market
For customers, the practical takeaway is national rather than local: the “overpriced” label reflects how diners across major metro areas described the chain, not a confirmed list of the most expensive Shake Shack locations. The study cited by Eat This, Not That did not publish a city-by-city breakdown for every Shake Shack restaurant, and the company has not released a market-specific response identifying which regions generated the most pricing complaints.
What is confirmed is that the analysis covered reviews from the top 50 U.S. cities, giving it a broad geographic footprint. Fox Business reported that Oakland and San Jose, California, and Virginia Beach, Virginia, were among the cities with the highest concentration of overpriced-restaurant complaints overall, though that did not mean Shake Shack was the top complaint target in each of those markets.
That distinction matters because burger prices can vary sharply by region, rent, wage levels, and local operating costs. Delish reported in April 2026 that Five Guys’ classic cheeseburger was selling for about $12.99 in its cited comparison, underscoring that premium burger pricing is not limited to one chain. Still, the Preply-based analysis singled out Shake Shack as the brand most associated with “overpriced” complaints in consumer reviews.
Higher beef costs and value pressure help explain why price complaints are sticking
The broader backdrop is a restaurant sector under sustained pricing pressure. The American Customer Satisfaction Index said in its Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2026 that quick-service satisfaction held at 79, but operators were dealing with slowing traffic, rising costs, and increasingly price-conscious diners. In a related June 2026 analysis, ACSI said sustained increases in commodities, labor, and supply-chain costs were reshaping how customers judge restaurant value.
Burger chains face an especially direct version of that pressure because beef costs rose sharply. FinanceBuzz, citing ACSI and USDA data, reported that beef and veal prices in April 2026 were 14.8% higher than a year earlier, while ground beef prices were up 18.9%. ACSI also said lower pricing was the top improvement theme mentioned by quick-service customers, ahead of speed and order accuracy.
For customers, that means the pricing debate is unlikely to disappear even when a chain remains popular. Delish reported in April 2026 that Five Guys still topped YouGov’s burger-quality rankings with 15.5% of respondents choosing it, showing that consumers can rate a chain highly while still bristling at the check. In Shake Shack’s case, the December 2024 study fixed the brand at the center of that value conversation, and the industry’s cost pressures have kept that issue current.