Gepubliceerd op 2026-10-12
South Korean fast food chains charge almost the same everywhere, unlike America
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared what three chains charge at each of their own restaurants in South Korea, on 12 October 2026. The gap between a chain's cheapest and most expensive restaurant is at most 4%; in the US, the price of a McDonald's Big Mac varies by 125%.
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De belangrijkste feiten
- BBQ Chicken Golden Olive Chicken: ₩23,000 to ₩24,000A 4% spread across 1,886 restaurants; 98% charge ₩23,000.
- Lotteria: ₩5,100 for the Bulgogi burger at all 1,242 restaurantsThe same basket of six items costs ₩36,400 at every one.
- KFC: ₩6,800 for the Zinger burger at all 257 restaurantsThe same basket of six items costs ₩45,100 at every one.
- 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 1,886 restaurants, BBQ Chicken's Golden Olive Chicken costs from ₩23,000 (1850 restaurants) to ₩24,000 (36 restaurants): the most expensive charges 4% more than the cheapest, and 98% charge the typical ₩23,000. The same basket of four items costs from ₩31,500 to ₩32,500, a spread of 3%.
Every one of Lotteria's 1,242 restaurants charges ₩5,100 for the Bulgogi burger. The same basket of six items costs ₩36,400 at every one of them.
Every one of KFC's 257 restaurants charges ₩6,800 for the Zinger burger. The same basket of six items costs ₩45,100 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 13,657 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 KR, 100% of BBQ Chicken locations, the biggest chain tracked there, charge within 10% of its typical Golden Olive Chicken 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
BBQ Chicken's Golden Olive Chicken costs 4% more at its most expensive restaurant in South Korea than at its cheapest.
Every Lotteria restaurant in South Korea charges ₩5,100 for the Bulgogi burger.
Every KFC restaurant in South Korea charges ₩6,800 for the Zinger burger.
Afbeeldingen
De feiten achter het persbericht
Elk cijfer komt uit onze prijzen van 2026-10-12, met de pagina op deze site waar het staat.
| Cijfer | Waarde | Waar te zien |
|---|---|---|
| BBQ Chicken Golden Olive Chicken: ₩23,000 to ₩24,000 | A 4% spread across 1,886 restaurants; 98% charge ₩23,000. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Lotteria: ₩5,100 for the Bulgogi burger at all 1,242 restaurants | The same basket of six items costs ₩36,400 at every one. | Bekijk de pagina |
| KFC: ₩6,800 for the Zinger burger at all 257 restaurants | The same basket of six items costs ₩45,100 at every one. | Bekijk de pagina |
| 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. | Bekijk de pagina |
| Goedkoopste BBQ Chicken Golden Olive Chicken (restaurants) | ₩23,000 (1.850) | 가평군, Gyeonggi |
| Duurste BBQ Chicken Golden Olive Chicken (restaurants) | ₩24,000 (36) | 서귀포시, Jeju |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | ₩32,500 (32) | 서귀포시, Jeju |
| Goedkoopste Lotteria Bulgogi burger (restaurants) | ₩5,100 (1.242) | 가평군, Gyeonggi |
| Duurste Lotteria Bulgogi burger (restaurants) | ₩5,100 (1.242) | 가평군, Gyeonggi |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | ₩36,400 (1.127) | 가평군, Gyeonggi |
| Goedkoopste KFC Zinger burger (restaurants) | ₩6,800 (257) | 강남구, Seoul |
| Duurste KFC Zinger burger (restaurants) | ₩6,800 (257) | 강남구, Seoul |
| Duurste bestelling (restaurants) | ₩45,100 (254) | 강남구, Seoul |
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 12 October 2026, in South Korean won. 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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