Price Increases at Carl's Jr. from 2002 to 2013

The drive-thru photos below are from 2002 and 2013. They are literally a snap shot of the food prices at Carl's Jr., and illustrate the price increases in that time period. Please scroll down past the images to read my summary of the changes and an analysis.

Above: Entire Carl's Jr. Drive Thru Menu from 2002.

Above: Detail from Carl's Jr. Menu from 2002.

Above: Entire Carl's Jr. Drive Thru Menu from 2013.

Above: Detail from Carl's Jr. Menu from 2013.

I apologize for illegible photos from 2002. Digital cameras have come a long way since then.

The Western Bacon Cheeseburger went up $1.30. I used to eat these on a regular basis, but I couldn't continue to ignore the dearth of vegetable content.

The Carl's Catch went up $2.00. It doubled. I can't say I've ever had one of these, so I can't swear it always had a tomato slice.

The Criss Cut Fries went up 60¢.

The Fried Zucchini went up 70¢.

The sodas went up 30¢-40¢, not bad.

I think the soda prices are held down by a $2 ceiling on the large. If I'm paying more than $2 for a drink, it better show me a movie or have whiskey in it. Other observations, Chicken Stars have disappeared from the menu. I have a vivid memory of Sophia lamenting the four-minute cook time of Chicken stars, and her distress over dropping one before she could deliver them to the drive-thru window. Also the Great Stuft potatoes have disappeared from the menu.

These price increases are larger than I expected. I checked the Consumer Price index for this time frame, and according to their "ALL PRICES" index, I could expect an increase of 28% in prices from between 2002 and 2013 (CPI calculator at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). None of these items increased by a figure that low. Presumably the annual inflation figure for the Food Away from Home category is higher. These menus suggest it may be twice that high over the last 11 years.

More Drive Thru Menu Price Comparisons:
Introduction | McDonalds | Taco Bell | Carl's Jr. | In 'n Out | Burger King | El Pollo Loco | Wendys