By Amanda Mactas
Remember the days when you could pull up to your favorite fast food chain and order an entire meal for less than $5? The good ol’ days, am I right?
Even the revered dollar menu seems to be a thing of the past.
Shrinkflation is also affecting fast food joints, meaning chains are serving smaller portion sizes of beloved menu items.
This year, some chains are even adding surcharges for ordering eggs (thanks a lot, bird flu)!
So what’s a person to do when they’re on a road trip (or stuck in traffic) and need a quick, easy, and cheap meal?
Well, we certainly don’t recommend pulling up to the most expensive fast food chain in America if budgeting is a priority.
Instead, it pays to know where you’re going to spend the most for your favorite dish.
Because prices can vary from region to region, to compile this list, we stuck with the city of Las Vegas and looked up the cheapest chicken sandwich options available at 20 popular chains.
(While Hattie B’s is the priciest across the board at $10.79 per sandwich, since it’s mostly only available in the South and not throughout the country, we nixed it from our list.)
Without further ado, here are the chains where the least expensive chicken sandwiches are the priciest:
6th Most Expensive: Arby’s
They have the meats and in this case, it’s in the form of three different chicken sandwiches. The cheapest and most basic of the options is the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which clocks in at $6.19. Then you have the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich for $6.69 and Chicken Bacon Swiss Sandwich for $7.19. The bright side here is that they all taste great, even if they are pricey.
5th: Bojangles
Both of the chain’s chicken sandwich offerings, Bo’s Chicken Sandwich and the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, cost $6.79. We recommend opting for the combo instead, which comes with a sandwich, choice of side, and a drink for $9.89. More bang for your buck.
4th: Nashville Hot Chicken
This Southern chain dishes out two equally appetizing chicken sandwiches, but they aren’t exactly a steal. The customizable Chicken Sando sets you back $6.85, while the Chicken Waffle Sando is marginally more at $6.95.
3rd: Culver’s
Culver’s offers three different chicken sandwich options: the Crispy Chicken, Spicy Crispy Chicken, and Grilled Chicken. The crispy options cost $7.59, while the grilled sandwich is 10 cents more. All of them come with lettuce, tomato, and pickles on a toasted Kaiser bun.
2nd: Raising Cane’s
A solo Raising Cane’s chicken sandwich will set you back $7.99. It comes with three chicken fingers, Cane’s sauce, and lettuce on a toasted bun. If you opt for the combo, which costs $10.29, you’ll also get crinkle-cut fries and a 22 oz. fountain drink or tea, too.
#1 Most Expensive: Shake Shack
Shake Shack, which was crowned the most overpriced fast food chain late last year, sits pretty in the number one spot here and it doesn’t really surprise us. Its cheapest chicken sandwich, the Chicken Shack, is $8.99, while its most expensive, the Avocado Bacon Chicken, is $10.99. The former comes with white-meat chicken breast, lettuce, pickles, and buttermilk herb mayo on a toasted potato bun. The latter features crispy chicken breast, avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, shredded lettuce, pickles, and the same buttermilk herb mayo.
Next time I’m craving a chicken sandwich, I guess I’ll have to stop at the bank first.
YahooLife
