Full Transparency
Our Methodology
How we collect, verify, and maintain price data — and where we still have gaps.
Current Status (Updated 2026-04-22)
- • All prices on RealPrice NYC are currently AI-estimated starting points. We have not yet measured real-world accuracy.
- • Our verification system (estimated → community-verified → verified) is built but has essentially no data in it yet — fewer than 20 of ~14,000 prices have any community signal, and 0 are community-verified.
- • Delivery markup percentages are estimated within platform-specific ranges. Our dataset caps at 30%, but real-world markups on many items exceed this.
- • Community reports are the path forward. Every report moves us from estimates to measured data.
📊Where Our Prices Come From
Every price you see on RealPrice NYC today is an AI-estimated starting point. We generated the initial dataset using publicly available menu information, typical NYC pricing patterns, and platform-specific markup ranges. These are educated guesses, not measured observations.
We do not currently have a measured accuracy figure. Previously this page cited a ±8% range; that number was aspirational and we've removed it rather than publish a figure we can't verify.
What we're working toward:
- • Community verification via the “Report a Price” feature (live, but early)
- • Direct platform data collection where permitted
- • Receipt-based verification (planned)
Until one of those lands at scale, please read every price as an estimate.
🔍How We Verify Prices
Our verification model has four tiers, but as of today almost all prices sit in the first one. We're being explicit about this because our badge system can otherwise imply more signal than exists.
AI-generated starting price. Rendered as a range.
3+ independent reports match. Rendered as a single value with a community badge.
Direct receipt or merchant confirmation.
Previously verified, now stale.
We could hide the tier system until it has meaningful data, but we'd rather show you what we're building and where we are on the journey.
🎯Accuracy & Limitations
We don't have measured accuracy numbers yet, so we're not going to publish any. Here's what we can tell you about the data's shape:
In-store estimates (prices table)
1,710 distinct values across 14,000 rows. The price distribution doesn't show obvious round-number artifacts, which suggests the underlying estimates were informed by real menu data. But estimated still means estimated.
Delivery markup estimates
Our dataset is bounded: DoorDash markups max out at 25%, UberEats and GrubHub at 30%. Real-world markups on high-margin items on these platforms can exceed 50%. This is the weakest part of our current data and the area we most want community reports to correct.
Confidence scores
We store a confidence_scorefield on every price row. In our current seed, 99.86% of rows share the same confidence score (0.85). It is not currently a meaningful signal; we don't surface it in the UI and you shouldn't read anything into it until we populate it from real verification signals.
What we don't track
Prices shown reflect the menu item only — no sales tax, tip, or delivery fees unless noted elsewhere. Promotions, happy hours, loyalty discounts, and limited-time offers aren't captured. Even within the same neighborhood, prices can vary block to block; our data represents a typical value for the area, not a specific storefront.
🤝Help Us Get It Right
1. Inline "Wrong price?" feature
On every brand page, hover over any price pill to see a "Wrong price?" link. Click it to confirm the price is correct (👍) or submit a correction (👎). Takes 5 seconds.
2. Report a Price form
Use our full Report a Price form to submit any price you've seen — in-store or on a delivery app. Select the brand, item, neighborhood, and enter the price. We verify all reports against other submissions.
Every report makes NYC price data more accurate for everyone. 🙏
When 3+ users report similar prices, the item is automatically upgraded to "Community Verified" status.
⚖️Disclaimer
- • Prices displayed on RealPrice NYC are for informational purposes only.
- • We do not guarantee accuracy. Prices may differ from what you find in-store or on delivery apps.
- • Always confirm prices directly with the restaurant or delivery platform before making purchasing decisions.
- • Data is sourced from public information (official menus, websites, delivery-app listings) and community reports.
- • RealPrice NYC is not affiliated with any restaurant brand, chain, or delivery platform mentioned on this site.
Because all prices are currently AI-estimated, treat every figure on this site as an approximation until our community verification system has meaningful data.
Questions about our data or methodology?