Publicado el 2026-10-12
New Zealand 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 New Zealand, on 12 October 2026. The gap between a chain's cheapest and dearest restaurant is at most 10%; in the US, the price of a McDonald's Big Mac varies by 125%.
Datos del .
Datos clave
- KFC Zinger Burger: $9.99 to $10.99A 10% spread across 121 restaurants; 88% charge $9.99.
- Burger King: $9.80 for the Whopper at all 76 restaurantsThe same basket of four items costs $29.30 at every one.
- Popeyes: $11.90 for the Chicken Sandwich at all 11 restaurantsThe same basket of four items costs $32.60 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 121 restaurants, KFC's Zinger Burger costs from $9.99 (107 restaurants) to $10.99 (14 restaurants): the dearest charges 10% more than the cheapest, and 88% charge the typical $9.99. The same basket of four items costs from $29.26 to $31.86, a spread of 9%.
Every one of Burger King's 76 restaurants charges $9.80 for the Whopper. The same basket of four items costs $29.30 at every one of them.
Every one of Popeyes' 11 restaurants charges $11.90 for the Chicken Sandwich. The same basket of four items costs $32.60 at every one of them.
In the US, by contrast, the dearest 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 New Zealand, 88% of KFC locations, the biggest chain tracked there, charge within 10% of its typical Zinger Burger 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
KFC's Zinger Burger costs 10% more at its dearest restaurant in New Zealand than at its cheapest.
Every Burger King restaurant in New Zealand charges $9.80 for the Whopper.
Every Popeyes restaurant in New Zealand charges $11.90 for the Chicken Sandwich.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| KFC Zinger Burger: $9.99 to $10.99 | A 10% spread across 121 restaurants; 88% charge $9.99. | Ver la página |
| Burger King: $9.80 for the Whopper at all 76 restaurants | The same basket of four items costs $29.30 at every one. | Ver la página |
| Popeyes: $11.90 for the Chicken Sandwich at all 11 restaurants | The same basket of four items costs $32.60 at every one. | 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 |
| KFC Zinger Burger más barato (restaurantes) | $9.99 (107) | Alexandra, Otago |
| KFC Zinger Burger más caro (restaurantes) | $10.99 (14) | Auckland, Auckland |
| Pedido más caro (restaurantes) | $31.86 (14) | Auckland, Auckland |
| Burger King Whopper más barato (restaurantes) | $9.80 (76) | Addington, Canterbury |
| Burger King Whopper más caro (restaurantes) | $9.80 (76) | Addington, Canterbury |
| Pedido más caro (restaurantes) | $29.30 (76) | Addington, Canterbury |
| Popeyes Chicken Sandwich más barato (restaurantes) | $11.90 (11) | Auckland, Auckland |
| Popeyes Chicken Sandwich más caro (restaurantes) | $11.90 (11) | Auckland, Auckland |
| Pedido más caro (restaurantes) | $32.60 (11) | Auckland, Auckland |
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 New Zealand dollars. A chain's spread is how much more its dearest 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.