Published 2026-10-05
South African fast food chains charge almost the same everywhere, unlike America
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared what six chains charge at each of their own restaurants in South Africa, on 5 October 2026. The gap between a chain's cheapest and most expensive restaurant is at most 0%; in the US, the price of a McDonald's Big Mac varies by 125%.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Debonairs Pizza: R49.90 for the Hawaiian pizza at all 718 restaurantsThe same basket of four items varies by 1%.
- Steers: R99.90 for the King Steer at all 618 restaurantsThe same basket of five items costs R282.50 at every one.
- Nando's: R60.00 for the 1/4 Chicken at all 283 restaurantsThe same basket of five items costs R298.00 at every one.
- Chicken Licken: R44.00 for the Hotwings at all 276 restaurantsThe same basket of four items costs R173.00 at every one.
- Big Mac in the US: 125% from the cheapest restaurant to the dearestAcross 13,649 McDonald's restaurants; percentages only, prices are never converted.
Fast food chains are collecting more and more data about their customers through mobile apps and loyalty programmes: accounts with their details, and what they order and when. They are also experimenting with AI and data-driven pricing. Meanwhile the same item can cost very different amounts from one restaurant to the next, and customers cannot see why. Drive Thru Index publishes every restaurant's real price, every day, so anyone can check.
Every one of Debonairs Pizza's 718 restaurants charges R49.90 for the Hawaiian pizza. The same basket of four items costs from R174.60 to R175.60, a spread of 1%.
Every one of Steers' 618 restaurants charges R99.90 for the King Steer. The same basket of five items costs R282.50 at every one of them.
Every one of Nando's 283 restaurants charges R60.00 for the 1/4 Chicken. The same basket of five items costs R298.00 at every one of them.
Every one of Chicken Licken's 276 restaurants charges R44.00 for the Hotwings. The same basket of four items costs R173.00 at every one of them.
Every one of Roman's Pizza's 266 restaurants charges R104.90 for the Hawaiian pizza (large). The same basket of five items costs R281.50 at every one of them.
Every one of Fishaways' 210 restaurants charges R59.90 for the Hake & Chips. The same basket of six items costs R256.40 at every one of them.
In the US, by contrast, the most expensive ordinary McDonald's charges 125% more for a Big Mac than the cheapest, across 13,649 restaurants. Only the percentages are compared: prices are never converted between currencies.
Anthony Gherghetta, an Australian software developer who built Drive Thru Index, started it after reading some of the buzz about AI being used to set fast food prices: he wanted to see whether it was true, and how big the price differences between restaurants really were. Prices bear out the contrast he noticed. In Australia, 97% of McDonald's restaurants charge within 10% of the typical Big Mac price; in the US, 53% do. The gap between the cheapest and the dearest tenth of restaurants is 10% of the typical price in Australia and 33% in the US. In South Africa, 100% of Debonairs Pizza locations, the biggest chain tracked there, charge within 10% of its typical Hawaiian pizza price.
“I kept reading that fast food chains were starting to use AI and customer data to set prices, so I wanted to see if it was true and how big the differences really were. In Australia, where I’m from, a Big Mac costs much the same wherever you buy it. In the US the price changes from one restaurant to the next. Fast food apps now know what you order, when and where, but customers can’t see how prices are set. So I built Drive Thru Index to check every restaurant, every day,” said Gherghetta.
Quotable lines
Every Debonairs Pizza restaurant in South Africa charges R49.90 for the Hawaiian pizza.
Every Steers restaurant in South Africa charges R99.90 for the King Steer.
Every Nando's restaurant in South Africa charges R60.00 for the 1/4 Chicken.
Every Chicken Licken restaurant in South Africa charges R44.00 for the Hotwings.
Images
The facts behind the release
Every figure is from our prices of 2026-10-05, with the page on this site that shows it.
| Figure | Value | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Debonairs Pizza: R49.90 for the Hawaiian pizza at all 718 restaurants | The same basket of four items varies by 1%. | See the page |
| Steers: R99.90 for the King Steer at all 618 restaurants | The same basket of five items costs R282.50 at every one. | See the page |
| Nando's: R60.00 for the 1/4 Chicken at all 283 restaurants | The same basket of five items costs R298.00 at every one. | See the page |
| Chicken Licken: R44.00 for the Hotwings at all 276 restaurants | The same basket of four items costs R173.00 at every one. | See the page |
| Big Mac in the US: 125% from the cheapest restaurant to the dearest | Across 13,649 McDonald's restaurants; percentages only, prices are never converted. | See the page |
| Cheapest Debonairs Pizza Hawaiian pizza (restaurants) | R49.90 (718) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Most expensive Debonairs Pizza Hawaiian pizza (restaurants) | R49.90 (718) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | R175.60 (543) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Cheapest Steers King Steer (restaurants) | R99.90 (618) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Most expensive Steers King Steer (restaurants) | R99.90 (618) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | R282.50 (615) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Cheapest Nando's 1/4 Chicken (restaurants) | R60.00 (283) | Akasia, Gauteng |
| Most expensive Nando's 1/4 Chicken (restaurants) | R60.00 (283) | Akasia, Gauteng |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | R298.00 (283) | Akasia, Gauteng |
| Cheapest Chicken Licken Hotwings (restaurants) | R44.00 (276) | Alberton, Gauteng |
| Most expensive Chicken Licken Hotwings (restaurants) | R44.00 (276) | Alberton, Gauteng |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | R173.00 (276) | Alberton, Gauteng |
| Cheapest Roman's Pizza Hawaiian pizza (large) (restaurants) | R104.90 (266) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Most expensive Roman's Pizza Hawaiian pizza (large) (restaurants) | R104.90 (266) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | R281.50 (266) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Cheapest Fishaways Hake & Chips (restaurants) | R59.90 (210) | Abbotsford, Eastern Cape |
| Most expensive Fishaways Hake & Chips (restaurants) | R59.90 (210) | Abbotsford, Eastern Cape |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | R256.40 (210) | Abbotsford, Eastern Cape |
Methodology, about and contact
Drive Thru Index reads every restaurant's menu from each chain's own ordering app every day; these are the latest pickup prices collected on or before 5 October 2026, in South African rand. A chain's spread is how much more its most expensive restaurant charges than its cheapest, as a share of the cheapest price, for its signature item and for the same basket of items; chains with fewer than 5 restaurants priced are left out. Airports, stadiums and similar sites are left out, and so are prices below 40% or above 250% of a chain's typical price, which are almost always menu errors. Each chain is compared only with itself, and another country is compared by percentages alone: prices are never converted between currencies.
About Drive Thru Index: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com) publishes the menu price of every item at every restaurant of the biggest fast food brands, collected each day from the chains' own ordering apps. As pricing becomes more data-driven, it exists so that customers can see what each restaurant really charges and how it compares with others nearby. It covers the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands. Brands are only compared with themselves, and prices are never converted between currencies. Its figures are free to quote with attribution: "Source: Drive Thru Index".
The images with this release are free to use with the credit "Image: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com)".
Media contact: anthony@drivethruindex.com
Background sources
Not part of the release: reporting that backs up its one line of context, for questions from journalists.
- How restaurant loyalty programs can drive more traffic and improve experiences Restaurant Dive, 2024-08-15
Restaurant loyalty apps pull in customers' ordering history and preferences, to personalise offers and recommendations (the intro's apps and loyalty programmes). - Wendy's backtracks on dynamic pricing Restaurant Dive, 2024-02-28
Wendy's told investors it would test dynamic and AI-enabled pricing on digital menu boards from 2025, then said after a backlash that it would not raise prices at the busiest times (the intro's experiments with data-driven pricing). - Inside McDonald's push to have AI price your Big Mac CNBC, 2026-09-29
Reports a Reuters investigation into an AI tool that recommends menu prices to McDonald's restaurants; McDonald's says franchisees remain free to set their own prices. Not quoted in the release text; the page could not be fetched to check its wording, only its search listing.