Publicado el 2026-10-12
Hong Kong fast food chains charge almost the same everywhere, unlike America
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared what four chains charge at each of their own restaurants in Hong Kong, on 12 October 2026. The gap between a chain's cheapest and most expensive restaurant is at most 5%; in the US, the price of a McDonald's Big Mac varies by 125%.
Datos del .
Datos clave
- Café de Coral Beef Brisket Curry with Rice: HK$60.00 to HK$61.00A 2% spread across 161 restaurants; 66% charge HK$61.00.
- Fairwood: HK$68.00 for the Curry Beef Brisket with Rice at all 149 restaurantsThe same basket of five items costs HK$228.00 at every one.
- Pizza Hut: HK$116.00 for the Italian Pepperoni (regular pan) at all 107 restaurantsThe same basket of four items costs HK$231.00 at every one.
- KFC Original Recipe Chicken (1 pc): HK$22.00 to HK$23.00A 5% spread across 77 restaurants; 43% charge HK$22.50.
- Big Mac in the US: 125% from the cheapest restaurant to the dearestAcross 13,657 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.
Across its 161 restaurants, Café de Coral's Beef Brisket Curry with Rice costs from HK$60.00 (55 restaurants) to HK$61.00 (106 restaurants): the most expensive charges 2% more than the cheapest, and 66% charge the typical HK$61.00. The same basket of three items costs from HK$111.00 to HK$113.00, a spread of 2%.
Every one of Fairwood's 149 restaurants charges HK$68.00 for the Curry Beef Brisket with Rice. The same basket of five items costs HK$228.00 at every one of them.
Every one of Pizza Hut's 107 restaurants charges HK$116.00 for the Italian Pepperoni (regular pan). The same basket of four items costs HK$231.00 at every one of them.
Across its 77 restaurants, KFC's Original Recipe Chicken (1 pc) costs from HK$22.00 (18 restaurants) to HK$23.00 (26 restaurants): the most expensive charges 5% more than the cheapest, and 43% charge the typical HK$22.50. The same basket of six items costs from HK$113.00 to HK$118.50, a spread of 5%.
In the US, by contrast, the most expensive ordinary McDonald's charges 125% more for a Big Mac than the cheapest, across 13,657 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 HK, 100% of Café de Coral locations, the biggest chain tracked there, charge within 10% of its typical Beef Brisket Curry with Rice 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.
Frases para citar
Café de Coral's Beef Brisket Curry with Rice costs 2% more at its most expensive restaurant in Hong Kong than at its cheapest.
Every Fairwood restaurant in Hong Kong charges HK$68.00 for the Curry Beef Brisket with Rice.
Every Pizza Hut restaurant in Hong Kong charges HK$116.00 for the Italian Pepperoni (regular pan).
KFC's Original Recipe Chicken (1 pc) costs 5% more at its most expensive restaurant in Hong Kong than at its cheapest.
Imágenes
Los datos de la nota
Cada cifra procede de nuestros precios del 2026-10-12, con la página de este sitio que la muestra.
| Cifra | Valor | Dónde verla |
|---|---|---|
| Café de Coral Beef Brisket Curry with Rice: HK$60.00 to HK$61.00 | A 2% spread across 161 restaurants; 66% charge HK$61.00. | Ver la página |
| Fairwood: HK$68.00 for the Curry Beef Brisket with Rice at all 149 restaurants | The same basket of five items costs HK$228.00 at every one. | Ver la página |
| Pizza Hut: HK$116.00 for the Italian Pepperoni (regular pan) at all 107 restaurants | The same basket of four items costs HK$231.00 at every one. | Ver la página |
| KFC Original Recipe Chicken (1 pc): HK$22.00 to HK$23.00 | A 5% spread across 77 restaurants; 43% charge HK$22.50. | Ver la página |
| Big Mac in the US: 125% from the cheapest restaurant to the dearest | Across 13,657 McDonald's restaurants; percentages only, prices are never converted. | Ver la página |
| Café de Coral Beef Brisket Curry with Rice más barato (restaurantes) | HK$60.00 (55) | Eastern, Eastern |
| Café de Coral Beef Brisket Curry with Rice más caro (restaurantes) | HK$61.00 (106) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Pedido más caro (restaurantes) | HK$113.00 (30) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Fairwood Curry Beef Brisket with Rice más barato (restaurantes) | HK$68.00 (149) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Fairwood Curry Beef Brisket with Rice más caro (restaurantes) | HK$68.00 (149) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Pedido más caro (restaurantes) | HK$228.00 (147) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Pizza Hut Italian Pepperoni (regular pan) más barato (restaurantes) | HK$116.00 (107) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Pizza Hut Italian Pepperoni (regular pan) más caro (restaurantes) | HK$116.00 (107) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Pedido más caro (restaurantes) | HK$231.00 (106) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| KFC Original Recipe Chicken (1 pc) más barato (restaurantes) | HK$22.00 (18) | Kowloon City, Kowloon City |
| KFC Original Recipe Chicken (1 pc) más caro (restaurantes) | HK$23.00 (26) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
| Pedido más caro (restaurantes) | HK$118.50 (23) | Central and Western, Central and Western |
Metodología, quiénes somos y contacto
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 12 October 2026, in Hong Kong dollars. 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
Fuentes de contexto
No forma parte de la nota: información que respalda su única frase de contexto, para preguntas de periodistas.
- 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.