From Burgers To Beer To Coffee: America’s Comfort Food Got Pricier This Year — And The Data’s Finally Showing

The hikes have been driven by higher raw-material costs and rising overheads such as packaging and transportation.

• Prices of a cup of coffee, burger, burrito, and beer have risen steadily this year, according to Toast, which tracked menu prices.
• U.S. inflation rose by 3% in September, the highest monthly rate this year. 
• Food and beverage companies weathered the year, with Chipotle Mexican Grill and Constellation Brands faring poorly.

For all the hue and cry around the wallet-pressed American consumer, the data is finally starting to back it up.

As inflation crept higher — hitting 3% in September, the fastest pace of the year before the government shutdown sidelined October data — the cost of everyday indulgences quietly marched up across the country. Cold-brew coffees, beers, burgers, and burritos all got more expensive, according to the latest Toast Menu Price Monitor.

The increases, which have squeezed diners, reflect a combination of higher raw-material costs and rising overheads such as packaging and transportation, and have not really boosted their producers' bottom lines.

Here's a look at how each category and its companies performed over the past year. The trends are based on menu prices tracked by Toast, a restaurant-focused payments company, across 156,000 locations.

Burger And Burrito (Fast Food)

Toast data shows that a Burger had a median price of $14.53 as of October 2025, up 3.2% from the same month a year ago. The cost of a burrito rose modestly, rising by just 43 cents to $13.43. 

Although burger prices have been climbing, they have lagged the sharp run-up in beef costs in recent months. The latest uptick, however, suggests restaurants are beginning to pass at least some of those higher beef prices on to customers.

Major fast-food companies McDonald’s, Yum Brands, and Restaurant Brands International have seen revenue growth shrink and profits decline, though their stocks have remained resilient. The burrito chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill, has emerged at the bottom end, with a nearly flat profit growth in the first nine months of 2025, and a 41% year-to-date stock drop. 

Coffee 

Toast data shows that the cost of a regular cup of coffee surged 3.2% to $3.57, while that of cold brew coffee increased 4.7% to $5.53.

The U.S. imports nearly all its coffee from major producing countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Switzerland. Extreme weather has strained coffee production over the past few years, but demand has continued to soar, with prices spiking since July.

Starbucks, which is in the midst of a broad turnaround, returned to top-line growth in recent quarters, even as profits have been declining and the stock is on track to end the year in the red.

In this category, Keurig Dr Pepper announced a massive deal in August. The U.S. drinks giant is buying JDE Peet's, Europe’s largest seller of branded coffee and tea products, for $18.4 billion, pending regulatory approvals.

Beer

Beer producers and restaurants that serve it were in for a double-whammy. Not only are people ditching alcohol for a healthier lifestyle, but the rise could have partly deterred consumers.

Toast data shows the price of beer on restaurant menus increased 2.5% to $6.50, thanks to a mix of higher production, packaging, and labour costs. 

Facing declining sales, stocks of major U.S. beer and spirit companies – Constellation Brands, Molson Coors Beverage Co., and The Boston Beer Co.- are in the red for the year and heading for their worst finish in several years.

For restaurant chains that also sell beer and spirits, the year hasn’t been one to remember either. The AdvisorShares Restaurant ETF (EATZ), which tracks major dining stocks, including Darden Restaurants and BJ’s Restaurants, has declined 15.5% year-to-date, compared to the 15.6% in the benchmark S&P 500 Index.

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