Eating out? Here's what costs less -- and more -- than last year

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BOSTON - Toast has released its latest menu price monitor, offering insight into how eating out is either costing more or less due to inflation.

The technology platform said the initiative is a tool that delivers monthly insights into menu pricing trends across the U.S. restaurant industry.

Where eating out costs more

By the numbers:

According to Toast:

• In June 2025, regular coffee held steady at a median price of $3.50, up 3.6% year-over-year, while premium cups (75th percentile) rose to $4.50, a 1.1% monthly and 9.5% annual increase.
• Cold brew climbed to a $5.42 median, up 0.4% from May, with year-over-year gains holding near 4%.
• Beer prices edged up to $6.46, a 0.3% monthly increase, while year-over-year growth has stayed below 3% since February 2024.
• Burrito prices dipped slightly to $13.37, down 0.1% from May, with annual increases remaining under 4% since February 2024.
• Wings dropped to $13.75, also down 0.1% from May, with year-over-year growth still under 3% since February 2024.
• Burgers saw a small rise to $14.39, up 0.1% from May, and annual growth continues to hover around 3%.

How does the menu price monitor work? 

Dig deeper:

Toast’s Menu Price Monitor tracks changes in the prices of popular food and drink items like beer, burgers, burritos, chicken wings, cold brew, and regular coffee. 

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It presents data using median, 25th percentile, and 75th percentile prices, along with year-over-year percentage changes, giving a clear picture of menu pricing trends at U.S. restaurants.

(Photo by Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

What they're saying:

"The extensive network of restaurants on Toast's platform makes us uniquely positioned to provide a wide range of insights and to create tools that leverage data to help customers improve their business, such as Toast Benchmarking," said Steve Fredette, Co-founder and President of Toast, said on its website. "From menu price trends to shifting consumer trends, the new Menu Price Monitor and our Restaurant Trends Reports offer unique views into the restaurant community in an ever-changing landscape."

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What's next:

Toast said its menu price monitor will be updated monthly. 

Where does inflation stand?

Big picture view:

Inflation rose last month to its highest level since February as President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs push up the cost of a range of goods, including furniture, clothing, and large appliances.

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Consumer prices rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up from an annual increase of 2.4% in May. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3% from May to June, after rising just 0.1% the previous month.

The uptick in inflation was driven by a range of higher prices. The cost of gasoline rose 1% just from May to June, while grocery prices increased 0.3%. Appliance prices jumped for the third straight month. Toys, clothes, audio equipment, shoes, and sporting goods all got more expensive, and are all heavily imported.

Trump has imposed sweeping duties of 10% on all imports plus 30% on goods from China. Just last week the president threatened to hit the European Union with a new 30% tariff starting Aug. 1.