No, Chick-fil-A doesn’t charge more for drive-thru orders than inside the restaurant

A viral X post with more than 9.2 million views claims Chick-fil-A charges customers more when they pay for food in the drive-thru as compared to when they go inside and order at the counter.

Many people who commented on the post said the claim was false, while others believed it to be true. 

THE QUESTION

Does Chick-fil-A charge customers more if they pay in the drive-thru versus if they pay inside?

THE SOURCES

• Chick-fil-A
• Independent VERIFY tests at Chick-fil-A locations in Georgia and Maryland

THE ANSWER

No, Chick-fil-A does not charge customers more if they pay in the drive-thru versus if they pay inside.

WHAT WE FOUND

Chick-fil-A does not charge customers more for paying for their food in the drive-thru instead of placing an order inside at the counter. A Chick-fil-A spokesperson told VERIFY the viral claim was “absolutely false.”

“Customers are not charged more for the drive-thru than at the counter inside,” the spokesperson said.

VERIFY found that prices at Chick-fil-A restaurant locations in Georgia and Maryland are the same for both ordering options in two independent tests.

On Jan. 12, VERIFY visited a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, Georgia, and ordered a chicken sandwich at the counter, and the total price rang up to $4.99 before tax. After grabbing food from inside, we hopped in the drive-thru line at the same location and ordered another chicken sandwich, and the price also came to $4.99 before tax.

We also took photos of the menu inside the restaurant and the drive-thru. You can see in the photos below that a single chicken sandwich inside the restaurant and in the drive-thru costs $4.99 before tax. The same price is listed on Chick-fil-A’s website and the Chick-fil-A One mobile app.

VERIFY conducted an additional test at Chick-fil-A in Capitol Heights, Maryland on Jan. 16. We also found that the cost of a chicken sandwich was the same inside the restaurant as it was in the drive-thru.