Hungry Jack's Coke

A Coke at Hungry Jack's is $4.80 and 612 kJ. It is the default drink in most orders and the reference point every other cold item on the menu gets measured against.

The number worth knowing is the comparison with a Frozen Coke at $2.00. Same cola, frozen instead of poured, for less than half the price. There are very few decisions on this menu where the cheaper option is also the more interesting one, and this is the clearest of them.

At 36.1g of sugar this carries roughly nine teaspoons, which is a shade over the 25g the World Health Organization suggests as a daily limit for added sugar. In a meal that already includes a burger and chips, the drink is often the single largest sugar contribution.

Fountain cola tastes different from bottled and canned, and that is not imagination. The syrup to water ratio is mixed on site, the carbonation level is set by the machine, and the drink is chilled at the point of pour rather than sitting cold. Better is a personal call; different is not.

Who it suits: anyone ordering out of habit. The genuinely useful thing to know is that Coke No Sugar is the same $4.80 and carries 5 kJ rather than 612 kJ, so the swap costs nothing.

Compare against Frozen Coke at $2.00 for the cheapest cold thing on the menu. The full drinks menu is here.