KFC and McDonald’s, the two most widely used fast food chains in the Czech Republic, have increased the prices of their meals this year. According to the price list on the company’s website, McDonald’s has adjusted its prices twice this year, and the recommended price of a cheeseburger has risen by a fifth to CZK 42, more than double what it cost a decade ago. At KFC, a cheeseburger currently costs CZK 43. Both chains have more than 100 branches in the Czech Republic.
Ivana Dlouhá Makalová, director of KFC in the Czech Republic, said that the restaurants’ energy prices, raw materials, and wage costs had risen mainly due to a shortage of people in the labor market, and the company had to take all these factors into account in its product prices.
“This year, we have increased the prices of selected chicken dishes, and at the moment, it is tough to estimate which direction the situation will continue to develop,” she added. KFC restaurants in the Czech Republic are operated by AmRest, which also owns the Burger King restaurant chain.
McDonald’s restaurants in the Czech Republic made CZK 6.9 billion last year, up 19 percent year-on-year, and their best-selling products have traditionally been beef burgers. Among other things, the cheeseburger price has risen from CZK 33 to CZK 42 this year, an increase of 20 percent. Until 2012, it cost CZK 20, so the current price is more than double.
In the Czech Republic, the price of one of the company’s most popular products, the Big Mac burger, has also risen by CZK 10 to CZK 99, which is 11.2 percent more than at the beginning of the year. The globally sold sandwich has also become an international economic indicator that compares countries’ price levels.