Diners are getting annoyed at how expensive fast food has become — and the likes of McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Shake Shack seem to be listening

• Fast-food and fast-casual chains say diners should expect smaller price increases this year.
• Shake Shack, for example, plans to put restaurant prices up by about 2.5% in 2024.
• Customers are looking for ways to get cheaper meals by searching their apps and choosing value menus.

Chains like McDonald's, Shake Shack, and Taco Bell say they're only planning small price increases in 2024 as inflation cools.

Chains across the US put prices up drastically during the pandemic because of factors including higher wages, more expensive food and packaging costs, and supply-chain disruptions.

From January 2021 to January 2022, prices at limited-service restaurants went up 8.0%, according to unadjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The next year, they increased 6.7%.