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Burger chain Wendy’s looking to test "surge pricing" at restaurants as early as next year

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.

"Wendy’s is looking to test having the prices of its menu items fluctuate throughout the day based on demand, implementing a strategy that has already taken hold with ride-sharing companies and ticket sellers. During a conference call earlier this month, Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said that the Dublin, Ohio-based burger chain will start testing dynamic pricing, also known as surge pricing, as early as next year."

Charging more for fast food at busier times sounds like a terrible idea to me. What do you think GAF? Would you pay more for a meal during the lunch or dinner rush?
 
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Fbh

Member
I don't know if the version of Wendy's in my country sucks, but they aren't nearly good enough to attempt something like this.
Why would I go pay more for Wendy's during busy hours when there are other cheaper and better fast food options?
 

Puscifer

Member
I don't know if the version of Wendy's in my country sucks, but they aren't nearly good enough to attempt something like this.
Why would I go pay more for Wendy's during busy hours when there are other cheaper and better fast food options?
Current fast food prices (outside of Taco Bells new value menu) has turned me into a home chef faster than I thought.
 
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dave_d

Member
The only variable pricing I want them to do is charge you more the longer you take to figure out what you want. (How do you get to the front of the damn line and have no idea what you’re ordering? They all have the same menu)
 

Lunarorbit

Member
This is gonna flame out so bad. Combo prices are $10.29-$11.59 right now for small drink and sods.

Are they gonna add 1 or 2 dollars to that during surge pricing?
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
If it's based on shopper statistics, eventually people will be ordering such bizarre menu items that are generally hated that they'll have to start charging more for THOSE, thus cheapening the hearty mainstays once more. 4D
 

Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
It's the same price to go out and have a sit down meal as it is to have a fast food meal these days. It's cheaper for me to go to the Mexican restaurant in town and have good tacos than it is to go to Taco Bell.
I get what has to be about a 2lb burrito at my favorite taqueria for $12 add $4 for 32oz agua de Jamaica (hibiscus drink) + $5 tip and I won't be hungry for the rest of the day. Oh and that comes with chips and freshly made salsa while you wait for your food.
 

Doom85

Member
the naked gun facepalm GIF


What the fuck? That sounds like the worst idea ever. So you don’t even know how much your meal will cost until you get there? Also, are they planning on updating the website/app for ordering constantly? How will this not result in tons of people getting pissed off and/or confused?!

Fuck that. Doesn’t help my Wendy’s is slow as fuck these days. Sure, their burgers are better than Burger King or McDonald’s, but at least those two don’t take half an hour to get through like seven cars. And if I want a better quality burger, I’ll just go to Five Guys or Culver’s even if it’s a bit further out from my place.
 

BlackTron

Member
Wendy's caught my attention back when their 4 for $4 was actually $4 and they still had iced green tea. I would usually get it at Dunkin' for $3 so I'd get a similar tea at Wendy's that came with a bunch of food for $4 instead lol. One summer I was probably there every other day (iced tea deficiency) how far we've fallen Wendy's...now I have to lamely go to the grocery store and make tea at home like a boring and responsible adult, because you suck now
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I get what has to be about a 2lb burrito at my favorite taqueria for $12 add $4 for 32oz agua de Jamaica (hibiscus drink) + $5 tip and I won't be hungry for the rest of the day. Oh and that comes with chips and freshly made salsa while you wait for your food.
One soft taco at my local place is equal portion to two fast food tacos from Taco Bell. I can get two of those for 5 bucks, another $2 for a drink. Same amount of food at Taco Bell is $11. I can get an awesome taco salad for $9 that's enough for two meals. I can get a fried seafood lunch special with two sides and iced tea at a local seafood restaurant in town for less than a medium fish sandwich combo at McDonald's. It's crazy.
 
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Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
One soft taco at my local place is equal portion to two fast food tacos from Taco Bell. I can get two of those for 5 bucks, another $2 for a drink. Same amount of food at Taco Bell is $11. I can get an awesome taco salad for $9 that's enough for two meals. I can get a fried seafood lunch special with two sides and iced tea at a local seafood restaurant in town for less than a medium fish sandwich combo at McDonald's. It's crazy.
Hole in the wall restaurants and taquerias are the truth. I've got my own fried rice and seafood spot for about what I'd spend on combo at a fast food restaurant
 

Puscifer

Member
Wendy's can suck my toes.
Catch me on a good day


It's the same price to go out and have a sit down meal as it is to have a fast food meal these days. It's cheaper for me to go to the Mexican restaurant in town and have good tacos than it is to go to Taco Bell.
Pretty much, outside of the new stacker I'm basically in for 2 of those then I'm on the road. Crazy that's 6 bucks when a year ago I could still get the basic box meal for that price.
 

RickSanchez

Member
Do they really think people will pay more to eat unhealthy food ? Just because they're in a hurry ? Heck, what do i know about the ordinary American consumer. This would never work in my country, or anywhere in south-east Asia.

Local 'hole in the wall' restaurants and cooking at home when you can is the way of the future.
 
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clarky

Gold Member
Do they really think people will pay more to eat unhealthy food ? Just because they're in a hurry ? Heck, what do i know about the ordinary American consumer. This would never work in my country, or anywhere in south-east Asia.

Local 'hole in the wall' restaurants and cooking at home when you can is the way of the future.

Realised a long time ago, its not hard to cook anything at home thats 10 times better, cheaper and healthier than most food outlets in my town.
 
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clarky

Gold Member
Waiting for the US Healthcare system to adopt surge pricing as well. Of course I am kidding.

Or am I..
Lots of industries do this to be fair, but for junkfood? Nah, its a tough sell at the best of times unless you're steaming drunk, then they can (and probably do) charge me double.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Realised a long time ago, its not hard to cook anything at home thats 10 times better, cheaper and healthier than most food outlets in my town.
Yup.

COVID was the greatest thing to improve my cooking skills. When you can’t go out and most places were shut down it was all the time in world to load up on grocery ingredients and make random shit in the oven and air fryer. I’m no expert cook but my skills improved 10 fold and I like browsing for new stuff in the aisles.

Prices have gone up in practically everything but I’d rather pay more for grocery store stuff than get ripped off with insane restaurant price hikes up the asshole. And sit down pubs and nicer places to eat jacked up their menus way more than I wanna pay. Fuck off. I’ll buy my own shit and make it just as good.

If I wasnt single. I’d cut my own hair in front of a mirror. Price of a haircut is almost $30 excluding tip and tax.
 
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SJRB

Gold Member
Good luck to the people behind the counter having to explain to the people waiting in line that the burger that was 5 bucks an hour ago is now 5.99 because "it's busy".
 

eddie4

Genuinely Generous
The only variable pricing I want them to do is charge you more the longer you take to figure out what you want. (How do you get to the front of the damn line and have no idea what you’re ordering? They all have the same menu)
Yes please. I can't tell you how many times I have waited in line for food, then they get up to the line, and start asking 50 questions, still confused. Then they start demanding shit like "if the bacon isn't well done, don't even bother putting it on there." i mean, just go home and make it yourself if you're gonna be this picky about fast food. it's all gonna be shit, just order it and go. damn.
 

sankt-Antonio

:^)--?-<
If it weren’t for the cheaper prices on the app, I would probably not go through a drive through again.
TTFBlFD.jpg


Between the higher pricing and the FoMO crap that they do with their limited time offers, I’m out.
I would never put a 2$ Burger in my mouth. What the fuck is in there for it to cost this little. Gross. The concept of pricing is peak capitalism.
 

kunonabi

Member
And to think Wendy's used to be the cheap, but still decent, option when it had that killer 1$ menu. I'm not eating anywhere that does surge pricing when everything is already too expensive.
 

Dr.Morris79

Member
You've got to love the sheer balls on shitty fast food dung holes relying on the general retards inability to just make themselves a lunch the night before

'HeLp Me WeNdyS, I cAnT bUtEr BrEaD oR pUt StUpH In A bOx'

lVOkCVE.jpg
 

Lunarorbit

Member
Wendys ceo walking back their statement.

Oh we didn't mean surge pricing. We meant dynamic pricing. Yeah ok.

They just reported that wendys is spending $200 million on replacing their menus to fully digital.

Yeah you do that to offer deals./s
 

GeekyDad

Member
...Charging more for fast food at busier times sounds like a terrible idea to me. What do you think GAF? Would you pay more for a meal during the lunch or dinner rush?
Was jonesing for Wendy's burgers a couple of weeks back. Went through the drive-thru, ordered two double-stacks, nothing else. Got to the window, she said it was $8 and change (basically just under $9 here in north Georgia). I freaked the fark out. Hadn't been to fast food in a while, and the last time I ordered a double-stack, I think they were about a $1.25.

Fast-forward about a week. It's my wife's birthday, we take the family to Texas Roadhouse, I order my usual half-pound burger with fries. Total cost for my dish was $10 and change. Thing was cooked perfectly -- I mean perfectly -- medium.

Why would I pay almost the same price for that shite from Wendy's when I can eat real food that taste a 1000-times better. And the servers at the roadhouse are actually friendly.

FUCK THAT!
 
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Billbofet

Member
So at your most crucial business hours, give customers a massive incentive not to visit you. Brilliant. What's funny is they would likely do better lowering prices during surge hours.
 

Quasicat

Member
I would never put a 2$ Burger in my mouth. What the fuck is in there for it to cost this little. Gross. The concept of pricing is peak capitalism.
At my local Wendy’s, Dave’s Double Cheeseburger is $7 and the employee making the sandwich doesn’t know/care that you paid $2 for it. I guess Wendy’s doesn’t bother me too much since I worked at one throughout high school and partially through college, and the quality of the food is really high. I’m just not too wild about not knowing what I’m paying before I get there and see the drive thru menu.
 

belmarduk

Member
Do they really think people will pay more to eat unhealthy food ? Just because they're in a hurry ? Heck, what do i know about the ordinary American consumer. This would never work in my country, or anywhere in south-east Asia.

Local 'hole in the wall' restaurants and cooking at home when you can is the way of the future.

Yes. Most Americans are overweight. There's no stigma against it.
 

Trogdor1123

Member
We grab Wendy’s on Saturday nights and watch a family movie together. This will simply send us elsewhere. It’s not like there isn’t a million other places.
 
You can pay the premium prices which allows you to eat at standard breakfast lunch and dinner hours

or

pay what you’re accustomed to during hours that no sane person eats.

Oh also, theres commercials between every 3 bites.
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said....

Kirk Tanner can gargle my nuts.

That's a fucking ridiculous idea.
 
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