Gepubliceerd op 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%.
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De belangrijkste feiten
- 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.
Citeerbare zinnen
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.
Afbeeldingen
De feiten achter het persbericht
Elk cijfer komt uit onze prijzen van 2026-10-05, met de pagina op deze site waar het staat.
| Cijfer | Waarde | Waar te zien |
|---|---|---|
| Debonairs Pizza: R49.90 for the Hawaiian pizza at all 718 restaurants | The same basket of four items varies by 1%. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Steers: R99.90 for the King Steer at all 618 restaurants | The same basket of five items costs R282.50 at every one. | Bekijk de pagina |
| 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. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Chicken Licken: R44.00 for the Hotwings at all 276 restaurants | The same basket of four items costs R173.00 at every one. | Bekijk de pagina |
| 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. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Goedkoopste Debonairs Pizza Hawaiian pizza (restaurants) | R49.90 (718) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Duurste Debonairs Pizza Hawaiian pizza (restaurants) | R49.90 (718) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | R175.60 (543) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Goedkoopste Steers King Steer (restaurants) | R99.90 (618) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Duurste Steers King Steer (restaurants) | R99.90 (618) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | R282.50 (615) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Goedkoopste Nando's 1/4 Chicken (restaurants) | R60.00 (283) | Akasia, Gauteng |
| Duurste Nando's 1/4 Chicken (restaurants) | R60.00 (283) | Akasia, Gauteng |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | R298.00 (283) | Akasia, Gauteng |
| Goedkoopste Chicken Licken Hotwings (restaurants) | R44.00 (276) | Alberton, Gauteng |
| Duurste Chicken Licken Hotwings (restaurants) | R44.00 (276) | Alberton, Gauteng |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | R173.00 (276) | Alberton, Gauteng |
| Goedkoopste Roman's Pizza Hawaiian pizza (large) (restaurants) | R104.90 (266) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Duurste Roman's Pizza Hawaiian pizza (large) (restaurants) | R104.90 (266) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | R281.50 (266) | Acornhoek, Mpumalanga |
| Goedkoopste Fishaways Hake & Chips (restaurants) | R59.90 (210) | Abbotsford, Eastern Cape |
| Duurste Fishaways Hake & Chips (restaurants) | R59.90 (210) | Abbotsford, Eastern Cape |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | R256.40 (210) | Abbotsford, Eastern Cape |
Methode, over ons en 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
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Geen onderdeel van het persbericht: berichtgeving die de ene contextzin onderbouwt, voor vragen van journalisten.
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