Not all chain restaurants are created equally, especially when it comes to pricing. Fast-food joints on the Strip charge customers significantly more than their counterparts in the suburbs.
If the lines pouring out from casino-front McDonald’s, Denny’s and Starbucks are any indication, people looking for a bite to eat on Las Vegas Boulevard don’t seem to mind paying a premium. “They go to these restaurants mostly for convenience. It’s not a question of going somewhere just for price,” said Leon Gottlieb, a restaurant and franchise consultant based in Los Angeles.
But just how much more can a customer expect to spend for a snack on the Strip? The Sun compared prices to find out:
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Subway
The price of a footlong depends heavily on which Subway you choose. Pick a busy Strip location, and you’ll pay more. A 12-inch turkey breast sub at the Subway in O’Sheas, for example, costs $7.50. A Subway Club costs $8.50, and a medium soda goes for $2.49.
Less than a mile down the street, the same turkey breast sandwich costs $9.25 at Subway in Casino Royale. The Subway Club costs $9.75 there, and a medium soda sells for $3.19. In other words, each item costs an average of a dollar more.
Back in the suburbs, the same meals are much cheaper. A turkey sub at a Henderson strip mall will set you back $6.25, the Subway Club $7.25 and a medium drink $1.99.
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Starbucks
Don’t expect a bargain if you’re on the Strip and need a coffee fix. Drinks are much more expensive at the new Starbucks at Treasure Island than at other locations.
Take a grande (medium, in non-Starbucks speak) cup of brewed coffee as an example. At a Starbucks in Henderson, the cup of joe costs $1.95. At Starbucks at Imperial Palace on the Strip, it costs $3. At the Treasure Island branch, it costs $3.85.
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Ben and Jerry’s
An ice cream treat on the Strip can cost almost as much as a meal. The Ben and Jerry’s in Casino Royale charges $6.99 for a hot fudge sundae, $1.50 more than the same dessert costs at the District in Henderson. The Strip Ben and Jerry’s charges a similar premium for specialty sundaes topped with cookies or brownies: $7.99 versus $6.45.
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McDonald’s
Like Subway, McDonald’s prices are all over the map and depend heavily on location. Strip spots generally charge the most, but not by much and not for all items.
For example, an Egg McMuffin at McDonald’s in the plaza between Harrah’s and Casino Royale costs $2.89. The same breakfast sandwich costs $2.59 at the McDonald’s on Valle Verde in Henderson.
But a fruit and maple oatmeal cup costs the same at both locations: $1.99.
Small fries ($1.19), double cheeseburgers ($1.29) and cappuccinos ($2.29) also cost the same at the two franchises, but unlike the Henderson location, the McDonald’s on the Strip has no Dollar Menu. Instead, it features a Value Menu, which is more expensive.
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Chipotle
It’s a minimal difference, but Chipotle in the food court between Harrah’s and Casino Royale charges more for meals than its Henderson counterpart. On the Strip, customers pay $6.65 for a burrito bowl and $6.25 for a chicken taco plate. On Sunset Road, those prices drop to $6.25 and $5.95. An order of chips and salsa is 40 cents cheaper in Henderson, while a small soda costs 20 cents less.
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Burger King
Burger King customers pay only a slight premium for eating on the Strip. Compare the prices at Burger King in O’Sheas with those at a Burger King on Warm Springs in Henderson. A Whopper meal sells for $5.99 on the Strip and $5.49 off-Strip. Twenty-piece chicken nugget meals have the same 50-cent spread: $5.49 at O’Sheas and $4.99 in Henderson.
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Denny’s
Denny’s is one of the few chain restaurants where location has no bearing on price. Buy a country fried steak dinner on or off the Strip and you’ll pay the same $11.59. A Western burger, whether ordered in Henderson or in Casino Royale, costs $9.29. And a Moons Over My Hammy omelette is $8.99 regardless of where it’s served.
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Panda Express
Eat at Panda Express on the Strip, and you’ll pay $1 more for most items. Consider the price differences between meals at Panda Express in the food court between Harrah’s and Casino Royale and at the Henderson location on Sunset Road: $5.89 versus $4.99 for a one-entree bowl, $6.99 versus $5.99 for a two-entree plate and $8.24 versus $7.24 for a three-entree platter.
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Walgreens
The owners of Strip-front Walgreens have figured out that customers will pay more, so prices are higher for most goods. The upside is the stores offer a wider selection of items than off-Strip locations.
Customers can buy hard alcohol, for example, at the Walgreens in the Venetian. Not so at the Walgreens in Henderson. But Strip customers will also pay more for beer, snacks and water.
A 1-liter bottle of Aquafina at the Venetian’s Walgreens costs $2.29, 60 cents more than in Henderson. A package of Oreo cookies gets bumped up a buck, selling for $5.49 versus $4.49. And beer prices skyrocket on Las Vegas Boulevard: $15.99 for a 12-pack of Bud Light bottles versus $11.49 in Henderson.
