UK fast-food’s cheapest items are getting more expensive faster

More than half of the leading brands recorded declining performance.

Entry-level items under £5 saw the sharpest increases, rising faster than any other price tier in February 2026, even as overall demand softened across the UK fast-food sector, according to a report by Meaningful Vision.

Prices in this segment climbed from 8.8% in January to 9.5% in February, highlighting growing pressure on value menus that have traditionally anchored traffic.

Mid-tier products between £10 and £15 also accelerated, climbing from 6.3% to 7.2%. In contrast, premium items above £15 remained stable at 3%, suggesting more limited pricing flexibility at the top end.

“Consumers are becoming more price-aware, and even small increases can influence visit frequency. The brands that will succeed are those that take a more targeted approach to pricing, rather than relying on broad-based increases,” Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision, said.

Traffic fell by 1.5% year-on-year, even as overall prices increased from 7.7% in January to 8.2% in February. 

More than half of the leading brands recorded declining performance, whilst only 37% achieved growth. Where growth did occur, it was largely driven by expansion rather than stronger underlying demand, particularly amongst chicken, coffee and American-led concepts.