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5 Outrageously Expensive Fast Foods
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Fast food has been consistently popular all over the world for decades, for reasons that are pretty compelling--it's tasty, it's filling, and most of all it's cheap. Much has been made in recent years about the health impact of these foods, but it's done little to keep customers away. After all, a typical fast- food restaurant allows a family of four to eat for $20, and in this economy that's a likely source of repeat business, regardless of the health implications.
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Still, would people be willing to pay more for fast food if it were made with better ingredients? Would they be willing to pay more for a hamburger made of high-quality beef? What if it was made from fresh Kobe beef from the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan and smothered in foie gras and black truffles, while perched atop a brioche truffle bun dotted with edible, 24-karat gold leaves? Would the average fast-food consumer be willing to part with a few extra bucks for such an experience?
Over the past few years, several businesses have tried to find the answer to this question by creating their own variations on fast food and giving them unnervingly high prices. Some were one-of-a-kind items with proceeds earmarked for charity, and others remain regular items on the menus of upscale restaurants. But what they all have in common is a price many times higher than anything normally found inside a Happy Meal.
What are some of the most outrageously expensive fast foods ever made? Click ahead to see them, in order of least to the most expensive.
Philly Cheese Steak
 Barclay Prime | Barclayprime.com |
Created by: Barclay Prime
Location: Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Price: $100
Most major American cities have at least one trademark food item. New York City has the bagel, Chicago has deep-dish pizza, and Philadelphia has the Philly cheesesteak. The sandwich consists of thin slices of steak and melted Velveeta cheese on a roll, and you can get one anywhere in the city for just a few dollars.
Barclay Prime, a luxury steakhouse near Philadelphia's historical Rittenhouse Square, offers its own upscale take on the sandwich. Until very recently, it offered a $100 cheesesteak sandwich made with Kobe beef, Taleggio cheese and poached lobster. In 2011, the sandwich was redesigned, but the restaurant has yet to disclose its details.
Location: Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Price: $100
Most major American cities have at least one trademark food item. New York City has the bagel, Chicago has deep-dish pizza, and Philadelphia has the Philly cheesesteak. The sandwich consists of thin slices of steak and melted Velveeta cheese on a roll, and you can get one anywhere in the city for just a few dollars.
Barclay Prime, a luxury steakhouse near Philadelphia's historical Rittenhouse Square, offers its own upscale take on the sandwich. Until very recently, it offered a $100 cheesesteak sandwich made with Kobe beef, Taleggio cheese and poached lobster. In 2011, the sandwich was redesigned, but the restaurant has yet to disclose its details.
Bagel
 Westin New York at Times Square |
Created by: Frank Tujague
Location: The Westin New York at Times Square, New York City
Price: $1,000
Few foods are as heavily identified with New York City as the bagel. Other cities have their own variations on it, all profitably sold and happily consumed. However, no other U.S. city has ever come close to capturing that certain je ne sais quoi particular to the New York bagel.
Although the bagel is readily available at any time of day or night to anyone with a dollar to spend, Frank Tujague, executive chef at the Westin New York at Times Square, decided to deviate from its standard business model in 2007. He fashioned the world's most expensive bagel by topping it with white truffle cream cheese, goji berry jelly and gold leaves. The price for this creation was $1,000 and all proceeds from its sale were donated to the Les Amis d'Escoffier Scholarship, a charity benefiting impoverished culinary students.
Location: The Westin New York at Times Square, New York City
Price: $1,000
Few foods are as heavily identified with New York City as the bagel. Other cities have their own variations on it, all profitably sold and happily consumed. However, no other U.S. city has ever come close to capturing that certain je ne sais quoi particular to the New York bagel.
Although the bagel is readily available at any time of day or night to anyone with a dollar to spend, Frank Tujague, executive chef at the Westin New York at Times Square, decided to deviate from its standard business model in 2007. He fashioned the world's most expensive bagel by topping it with white truffle cream cheese, goji berry jelly and gold leaves. The price for this creation was $1,000 and all proceeds from its sale were donated to the Les Amis d'Escoffier Scholarship, a charity benefiting impoverished culinary students.
Pizza
 YouTube |
Created by: Domenico Crolla
Location: U.K.
Price: $4,200
Pizza is a popular fast food that can stretch a few dollars into a satisfying, if greasy, meal. Domenico Crolla, one of the U.K.'s foremost creators of Italian cuisine, operates a restaurant called Bella Napoli that specializes in gourmet pizzas going far beyond the average $2 slice.
In 2006, Crolla created the most expensive pizza on record. Dubbed the "Pizza Royale 007," its toppings included cognac-marinated lobster, champagne-soaked caviar, venison and edible flakes of 24-carat gold. Crolla estimated that the pie was worth approximately $3,700, but it fetched $4,200 on an eBay auction from lawyer Maurizio Morelli.
Location: U.K.
Price: $4,200
Pizza is a popular fast food that can stretch a few dollars into a satisfying, if greasy, meal. Domenico Crolla, one of the U.K.'s foremost creators of Italian cuisine, operates a restaurant called Bella Napoli that specializes in gourmet pizzas going far beyond the average $2 slice.
In 2006, Crolla created the most expensive pizza on record. Dubbed the "Pizza Royale 007," its toppings included cognac-marinated lobster, champagne-soaked caviar, venison and edible flakes of 24-carat gold. Crolla estimated that the pie was worth approximately $3,700, but it fetched $4,200 on an eBay auction from lawyer Maurizio Morelli.
Hamburger
 FleurdeLyssf.com |
Created by: Hubert Keller
Location: Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas
Price: $5,000
The hamburger has been the fast-food gold standard for decades, and the first thing many people think of when they want a quick and inexpensive bite. There have been multiple attempts to recast it as a high-end item, such as the one created by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud with wine-braised short ribs, which cost $120. The Old Homestead Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Fla., created the Tri-Beef burger in 2005, whose mixture of Japanese Wagyu, American Prime and Argentine beef drove its price up to $125. Even Burger King got into the act, introducing a Japanese beef burger at its West London branch that sold for $186.
All of these hamburgers are bargains compared to the FleurBurger. Designed by chef Hubert Keller, the FleurBurger is available only at Fleur de Lys, a restaurant in Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Casino. The bruger is made of Kobe beef, topped with black truffles and foie gras, and served on a brioche truffle bun. It comes with a bottle of Chateau Pétrus 1990, which is imported from Italy and served in Ichendorf Brunello champagne flutes, which the customer gets to keep. Customers also receive a certificate that the restaurant mails home, proving the authenticity of the purchase. The final price tag for the experience is $5,000.
Location: Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas
Price: $5,000
The hamburger has been the fast-food gold standard for decades, and the first thing many people think of when they want a quick and inexpensive bite. There have been multiple attempts to recast it as a high-end item, such as the one created by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud with wine-braised short ribs, which cost $120. The Old Homestead Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Fla., created the Tri-Beef burger in 2005, whose mixture of Japanese Wagyu, American Prime and Argentine beef drove its price up to $125. Even Burger King got into the act, introducing a Japanese beef burger at its West London branch that sold for $186.
All of these hamburgers are bargains compared to the FleurBurger. Designed by chef Hubert Keller, the FleurBurger is available only at Fleur de Lys, a restaurant in Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Casino. The bruger is made of Kobe beef, topped with black truffles and foie gras, and served on a brioche truffle bun. It comes with a bottle of Chateau Pétrus 1990, which is imported from Italy and served in Ichendorf Brunello champagne flutes, which the customer gets to keep. Customers also receive a certificate that the restaurant mails home, proving the authenticity of the purchase. The final price tag for the experience is $5,000.
Sundae
 Serendipity 3 |
Created by: Serendipity 3
Location: New York City
Price: $25,000
The ice cream sundae brings many idyllic images to mind, such as the laughter of a child, with a dimpled, cherubic face dotted with glistening chocolate sauce and errant dabs of whipped cream. The New York City restaurant Serendipity 3 is world-famous for such concoctions, and it made headlines in 2004 when it created the "Golden Opulence" sundae in observance of the restaurant's 50th anniversary.
Priced at $1,000, the dessert easily set the Guinness World Record for most expensive ice cream sundae. It features Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, edible leaves of 23 karat gold, sauce by Amedei Porceleana and salt-free dessert caviar. Anyone thinking about ordering one is required to make a 48-hour advance reservation.
In 2007, Serendipity broke its own record with the intentionally misspelled "Frrozen Haute Chocolate," priced at $25,000. This sundae raised the stakes set by "Golden Opulence" by using 28 cocoas and an 18-karat gold bracelet with white diamonds at the dish's base. It also comes with a side of Knipschildt Chocolatier's $2,600-a-pound La Madeline au Truffle , and is eaten with a diamond-encrusted golden spoon that the customer can keep.
Location: New York City
Price: $25,000
The ice cream sundae brings many idyllic images to mind, such as the laughter of a child, with a dimpled, cherubic face dotted with glistening chocolate sauce and errant dabs of whipped cream. The New York City restaurant Serendipity 3 is world-famous for such concoctions, and it made headlines in 2004 when it created the "Golden Opulence" sundae in observance of the restaurant's 50th anniversary.
Priced at $1,000, the dessert easily set the Guinness World Record for most expensive ice cream sundae. It features Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, edible leaves of 23 karat gold, sauce by Amedei Porceleana and salt-free dessert caviar. Anyone thinking about ordering one is required to make a 48-hour advance reservation.
In 2007, Serendipity broke its own record with the intentionally misspelled "Frrozen Haute Chocolate," priced at $25,000. This sundae raised the stakes set by "Golden Opulence" by using 28 cocoas and an 18-karat gold bracelet with white diamonds at the dish's base. It also comes with a side of Knipschildt Chocolatier's $2,600-a-pound La Madeline au Truffle , and is eaten with a diamond-encrusted golden spoon that the customer can keep.
For more outrageously expensive fast foods, visit CNBC.com.
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