A McDonald’s customer in Illinois has sued the fast-food giant, claiming its AI pricing tool helps restaurants keep menu prices in lockstep.
Michael Thomas of DeKalb filed the proposed class-action lawsuit Oct. 2 in federal court in Illinois. According to Food & Wine, the complaint targets a centralized system that draws on confidential sales data from McDonald’s restaurants.
Thomas contends the setup lets franchises that should compete with one another settle on matching prices instead. In his view, funneling sensitive business data through one shared tool could run afoul of federal antitrust law. He wants the case certified as a class action and seeks damages for customers he says paid more as a result.
McDonald’s rejects that account. “AI does not set the price of a Big Mac or any other menu item,” the company said in an official statement.
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According to the chain, its software studies conditions in each restaurant’s local market and suggests prices. Operators are free to use those suggestions or ignore them. McDonald’s also says the system doesn’t shift prices with demand, and it doesn’t set prices for individual shoppers.
That point doesn’t settle the case, however. Thomas is not accusing McDonald’s of surge pricing. His complaint centers on whether one tool steers separate restaurants toward the same numbers.
Recent reporting has added to the pressure. In a Sept. 29 investigation, Reuters spoke with five operators who said they felt pushed to adopt the company’s suggested prices. The news agency also reviewed internal records showing McDonald’s tracked restaurants that strayed from those suggestions.
Prices at the Golden Arches have drawn scrutiny before. EURweb previously reported that McDonald’s defended its menu in 2024. The company admitted prices had gone up but pushed back on claims that its food had become far more expensive.
The new complaint points to menu prices climbing about 40% from 2019 to 2024. Those numbers alone don’t prove that AI drove the increases.
For now, the claims are only allegations. No court has found that McDonald’s broke antitrust law.
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