Georgie Pie

Georgie Pie was a fast food chain owned by supermarket operator Progressive Enterprises that hoped to be "New Zealand’s own homegrown alternative to the global fast-food industry giants such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Burger King." The first Georgie Pie restaurant opened in 1977, and at its peak there were 32 restaurants across New Zealand. After running into financial difficulties, it was bought out by McDonald's in 1996, mainly for its restaurant locations. The last Georgie Pie store was closed in 1998.

In 2013, McDonald's started selling Georgie Pie again through its restaurants after frequent calls for the brand's return. However, there are no plans to open dedicated Georgie Pie stores.

Georgie Pie was the brainchild of Tom Ah Chee, who opened New Zealand's first supermarket (Foodtown Otahuhu, 1958). The first restaurant was opened in Kelston, Auckland in 1977. In 1994, plans were announced to open 25 new outlets per year, with a goal of 114 operating restaurants by the end of 1998. The chain came to prominence in the early 1990s with its $1, $2, $3, and $4 "Funtastic Value" menu, including the popular $1 "Small Pie." At its peak, the chain employed about 1,300 people. Georgie Pie was able to automate the food production process far more than chains which sold labour-intensive items such as burgers. Timing was a more difficult detail, for Georgie Pie, as it took 22 minutes to bake a pie versus a few minutes for typical fast food.

Large pies at Georgie Pie came in a range of traditional (mince n' cheese/steak n' kidney) and exotic (Chinese/Mexican/Italian) flavours. The pastry was distinctively solid and free of flakes to avoid spills and mess. These large pies were round, encased in paper sleeves and sold in small, unique boxes. The sleeve allowed the pie to be eaten without being directly touched with the hand. Small pies, which had a distinctive square shape, were sold in bags. Fruit pies had a smaller round shape. .