A four-location Turkish fast-casual chain prices the same lamb döner plate at 205 TL in Beyoğlu Galata, 145 TL in Kadıköy Moda, 115 TL in Bahçelievler, and 99 TL in Sancaktepe. Identical ingredients, identical portion, a 107% ceiling-to-floor spread.
Rent and Labor Set Each Branch's Floor
The 80 m² Galata store pays 180,000 TL/month rent; Sancaktepe's equivalent rents at 38,000 TL. Galata burns 22% of revenue on lease, Sancaktepe just 9%. Reverse-engineering from a 30% target food cost and 18% target margin gives each branch a different minimum price.
Labor follows: an experienced server in Galata costs 195 TL/hour; in Sancaktepe 110 TL. Plating the same dish embeds 38 TL of labor in Beyoğlu but only 21 TL on the periphery. These two line items alone shift the floor by 60 TL.
Matching Demographic Median Income
Using Turkstat and private consumption surveys, the chain maps each branch's 2 km catchment median household income. Galata: 142,000 TL/month (tourists plus upper-middle). Moda: 98,000. Bahçelievler: 56,000. Sancaktepe: 41,000.
- Galata 205 TL = 0.14% of household income
- Moda 145 TL = 0.15%
- Sancaktepe 99 TL = 0.24%
One Menu or Four?
The QR menu stack lets each branch bind a separate price list; a guest seated at a Beyoğlu table sees the Beyoğlu version, a guest in Sancaktepe sees their own. For brand consistency every non-price field — photo, description, allergen tag — inherits from a single master. Annual lift across the chain: +18% GMV, because money left on the table in Galata couldn't be captured from a periphery diner anyway.
Risk: social-media price comparison triggers a "rip-off" perception. The brand responded with transparency: a per-location cost breakdown page and a "Galata rent is 4.7× higher" infographic. Complaints stayed below 3% over a 9-month window.
FAQ
Is geo-pricing legal? A Turkish chain can charge different prices at different branches; competition law does not prohibit it. Posted-price transparency is mandatory.
Where does the data come from? Turkstat income distribution, Endeksa rent index, and their own POS average-basket data. Monthly refresh.
How does the QR menu support this? Price tables are keyed to branch ID; four instances spawn from one master. No manual editing — bulk price moves happen from the dashboard.
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