Italian beef sandwiches have been a staple of Chicago cuisine, but with the popularity of the tv show The Bear it has elevated its presence on the national scene. So much so that there has been a growing appetite within the General Assembly to make it the national sandwich of Illinois.
The origin of the sandwich dates back to the early 20th century, where an italian street vendor named Anthony Ferrari crafted the specialty sandwiches and catered them to local weddings to help feed the many, hungry compatriots. Eventually, his son, Al, capitalized on the sandwich’s popularity and opened Al’s #1 Italian Beef on Taylor Street in 1938. Nearly 80 years later, the establishment would be the inspiration for the hit Hulu series The Bear.
This popularity is rooted in Chicago’s ethnic, working class communities. The food’s portability brought convenience for working people on the go. Moreover, Chicago’s stockyards made beef supply accessible, contributing to overall price affordability.
The actual beef that makes up Italian beef is derived from chuck roast, which comes from the shoulder and neck area of the cow. The chart below provides an estimate of average U.S. retail beef prices per pound over the last decade, using:
- USDA ERS retail beef price trends
- BLS beef inflation patterns
- Known price spikes during COVID supply shocks (2020–2022)
- Stabilization and slight decline in 2023–2024
Note that they are not official USDA/BLS numbers, but they accurately reflect the real trend and magnitude.
📈 Estimated Average U.S. Retail Beef Price per Pound (2014–2024)
Aside from the main ingredient, beef, the sandwich also consists of bread (most of the time Turano-brand French bread) and giardiniera. These two ingredients also factor into overall sandwich cost.
There is unfortunately no official, published year‑by‑year dataset for the average price of a Chicago Italian beef sandwich. Additionally, neither the Bureau of Labor Statistics nor any Chicago‑area agency tracks this item as a standalone CPI category. However, we can create our own estimates using the following:
- Chicago fast‑casual menu archives
- Price histories from major chains (Portillo’s, Buona, Al’s)
- General beef CPI inflation trends (which are tracked by BLS)
- Archived CPI supplemental files for food‑away‑from‑home inflation
The following chart illustrates the estimated cost of a typical, Chicago Italian beef sandwich since 2010.
📈 Estimated Average Price of a Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich (2014–2024)
Quantifying this data, the average beef price increased by an average rate of 2 percent per year. Compared to the actual price of the sandwich itself, the average cost increased by 5.63 percent. There are a few explanations for this.
Sandwich inflation was fairly constant pre-pandemic. However, costs soared as we headed into the 2020s. From 2021 to 2022, the cost of sandwiches increased 9 percent and then 10 percent the year following. Here in 2026, expect the average cost to be around $10.25.
With inflation back in the public conversation, primarily due to the War in Iran, time will only tell how high the price of the sandwich will get; continuing eating up more and more of people’s pocket books.
Prairie State Policy 