Calories in fast food: how to choose your order at Russian chains

The calorie content of a fast food order is determined less by the chosen dish and more by portion size, drink, and sauces: the same dish may have two values in the chain’s nutritional table that differ by nearly twofold. Below is how this appears using data from one chain and what you can use when placing an order.

What makes up an order

A fast food order almost always consists of four parts: a main dish, a side, a drink, and a sauce. Each part is listed as a separate line in the nutrition facts table, and each offers a choice of portion size. Therefore, comparing “burger to burger” isn’t enough—the difference between two orders usually accumulates in the drink and side portion.

Restaurant and delivery orders follow the same rules; they are covered in the materials on calories in restaurants and macronutrients in food delivery.

Data sources

The figures below are taken from the document titled “Caloric Content and Composition,” linked via the “Caloric Content and Composition” link in the footer of the Dodo Pizza website. The access date is October 1, 2026. No other chains are included in this article: figures are provided only where an official chain document could be accessed.

The table contains three groups of columns: energy value per slice or serving, weight per slice and per dish, and values per 100 grams. Below the table, the chain notes that average values are provided. The actual caloric content of a specific order may vary: kitchen portion weights are never identical down to the gram.

Size and dough: pizza example

The “Pepperoni” pizza in the document has eight variants: four sizes, with thin crust and cheese crust options for two of them. Caloric content per slice according to the chain’s data as of October 1, 2026:

Eating an entire medium pizza yields 1,520 kcal with traditional dough, 1,248 kcal with thin dough, and 1,952 kcal with cheese crust (author’s calculation: slice value multiplied by number of slices). The same topping and diameter, yet the difference between rows is 704 kcal.

The reason is visible in the weight column: values per 100 grams are close (277 kcal for both traditional and thin dough), but a thin-crust slice weighs 56 grams while a cheese-crust slice weighs 84 grams. Calories follow slice mass. The same logic applied to USDA pizza data is discussed in the article on pizza calories.

Side, drink, sauce

The same table shows how strongly portion choice affects results for smaller items. Dodo Pizza data as of October 1, 2026:

The large oven-baked potato portion contains twice as many calories as the standard one because it weighs twice as much. According to the chain’s data, a 0.6-liter soda contains 164 kcal (“Homemade-style”), 248 kcal (“Tarhun”), or 325 kcal (“Strawberry Mojito”) depending on flavor. For carbonated drinks, the document lists values per 100 grams: “Dobry Cola” has 42 kcal, meaning approximately 210 kcal per 0.5 liter (author’s calculation, assuming drink density equals 1).

Sauces are small, but differences between them are noticeable: for a 25-gram serving, the chain lists 28 kcal for Barbecue sauce, 85 kcal for garlic sauce, and 98 kcal for cheese sauce. Caesar dressing comes in a 30-gram serving with 63 kcal. Sauce servings per dish are often more than one; this is covered in detail in the article on sauce calories.

How to build a lower-calorie order

1. Start with size. Choosing between “standard” and “large” portions, 0.3 L vs. 0.6 L, or medium vs. large size impacts the total more than switching dishes.
2. Check weight, not just calories. If caloric density per 100 grams is similar across options, the difference is determined by portion mass.
3. Decide if you need a caloric drink. A 0.3 L sweet soda adds 97–145 kcal to your order; a 0.3 L Classic milkshake adds 297–363 kcal. “Dobry Cola Zero Sugar” has 0.3 kcal per 100 g.
4. Account for sauces. Each sauce packet is a separate line in the table.
5. Share instead of skipping. A large portion of fries or pizza can be split between two people—then find the “per serving” value in the chain’s table and divide it by the number of people.

A fast food order doesn’t require justification. It’s simply another meal that’s convenient to calculate in advance. Business lunches are counted similarly (business lunch and calories), and in other venues with fixed portions—like movie theaters—choices follow the same four-part structure, as explained in the article on popcorn and movie theater food.

Regional differences in data

The Dodo Pizza document includes a note below the table: “pork-free” items apply to Kazakhstan, Grozny, and Makhachkala. Values for these variants differ from standard ones. For example, the 20 cm “Burger Pizza” lists 183 kcal per slice, while the pork-free version lists 141 kcal. For the 30 cm “Arriva!”, the difference is 1 kcal (192 vs. 193). This means you should select the row matching your local menu when calculating.

Chain websites also set prices and menus by region. If an item isn’t available in your city or has a different name, don’t use figures from another region’s table.

If the chain isn’t covered here

For other chains, follow the same steps: open the nutrition facts table on their website, find the line matching your desired size, note the weight, and compare “per serving” with “per 100 g.” Subway sandwiches have a dedicated analysis: Subway calories. If no table is available, you can estimate menu item calories from photos.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does the same pizza have different calories in the chain’s table?

The table is divided by size and crust type, and slices of different variants weigh differently. For Dodo Pizza’s 30 cm 'Pepperoni' pizza, the chain lists 156 kcal per slice for thin crust, 190 for traditional crust, and 244 with a cheese-filled crust, according to data from October 1, 2026.

What should I count when eating fast food: just the main dish?

The main dish, side, drink, and sauce. In chain nutrition tables, each of these components appears as a separate line, and the difference between orders often comes from the drink and side portion size rather than the main dish itself.

How accurate are the numbers in the chain’s nutrition table?

The chain provides average values. Actual portion weights in the kitchen vary, so the figure is approximate. This level of accuracy is sufficient for estimating an order.

Do calorie counts differ by region?

Yes, they can. In Dodo Pizza’s documentation, 'pork-free' options relevant to Kazakhstan, Grozny, and Makhachkala show different values: the 20 cm 'Burger Pizza' has 183 kcal per slice compared to 141 kcal for the pork-free version. Menu items and prices on chain websites also vary by region.

How do I calculate the calories of sauces with my order?

Find the sauce in the chain’s table and multiply the per-portion value by the number of portions. At Dodo Pizza, a 25-gram portion contains 28 kcal for Barbecue sauce, 85 for garlic sauce, and 98 for cheese sauce (as of October 1, 2026).

Read next

• How to count calories in a restaurant and with food delivery when there is no recipe — A home-cooked meal can be calculated by its ingredients, and packaged food can be checked on the label.
• Nutritional values in delivery apps: where the numbers in the dish card come from — In the dish card, below the photo, there are four numbers, and they look like a measurement.
• Sauce calories: mayo, ketchup, cheese, garlic, and teriyaki by the spoonful — A tablespoon of sauce can add 20 kcal or 90 kcal to a meal.
• Calories at the cinema: how to count popcorn, nachos, and drinks — It is easy to log a cinema snack as “popcorn,” but that says almost nothing about the serving.

Topics: Eating out · Portion size · Drinks and alcohol

This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.

Figures from regulations, guidelines and studies are given as they stood when this article was prepared and may since have changed; check them against the primary sources. This article is not advertising, an offer, or individual advice, and neither the author nor the site owner is responsible for decisions taken on the basis of it.