Trust and policy

Pricing Methodology

How official web-menu references, selected-store observations and Value Scores are handled.

Evidence hierarchy

Official restaurant ordering/menu pages and official selected-store pages are preferred. Third-party lists do not establish a verified numeric price.

Web-menu reference

A current official web-menu number is labeled as a reference, not a guaranteed nationwide price.

Selected-store evidence

Location observations identify city, address and store ID. A multi-store range is a sample and not described as a national average.

Value Score

50% category-relative affordability, 30% calories-per-dollar as a portion proxy, and 20% evidence confidence. It is not a taste, product-quality or health rating.

Why prices need labels

Restaurant prices are not always national. Franchise decisions, regional costs, licensed venues, order channel and promotions can produce different totals. The site therefore labels whether a number is an official web-menu reference, an official national-menu reference or a selected-store observation.

How ranged prices are handled

A range is preserved when the official menu lists multiple sizes or configurations. The lowest number may be used only for sorting and category calculations, while the visible page continues to display the complete range. It is not rewritten as a single universal price.

How category calculations work

Minimum, maximum, median and category rank calculations use only the records displayed in the identified restaurant dataset. They are described as research-set results, not nationwide averages. Averages are avoided when the available evidence would make that label misleading.

How the Value Score works

The Value Score emphasizes category-relative affordability and calories per dollar as a rough portion proxy, with source confidence included where applicable. It is not a restaurant rating, taste score, ingredient-quality judgment or health score. Users should treat it as one comparison aid among several.

What is excluded from the base price

Tax, delivery fees, service charges, tips, premium drink upgrades and optional additions are excluded unless a page explicitly states otherwise. The selected restaurant checkout is always the final authority for the amount charged.

Selected-store observations

A selected-store record identifies a real official restaurant menu or checkout snapshot. It can demonstrate local variation and strengthen the answer for that location, but it is not multiplied into a nationwide claim. Store observations are displayed separately from a national-menu or general web-menu reference, and the city, restaurant identifier or source URL is retained when available.

Calculation limits

Category ranks, medians, budget counts and calories-per-dollar calculations use only the records included in the named dataset. A range remains a range when sizes or meal configurations differ. Records with incomplete combo calories are not treated as calorie-free, and taxes, fees, optional additions and delivery markups are excluded unless the page expressly includes them. Users should rebuild the intended order at the selected restaurant before paying.