Wendy's to add surge pricing to menu items.

[GenXguy]

I've never understood the attraction to Big Macs.

Our city has dozens of very good individual burger places, so there's no need to go to a chain unless you want to.

I used to like them many years ago. But the last couple times or so, I didn't really care for them. It's probably been a few years now.

I've had a couple Whoppers at BK lately that I liked fairly well, not the Impossible Whopper with the fake meat, which isn't as good but costs more. I haven't risked Wendy's burgers in years. And we no longer have a Hardee's, which used to be decent until the prices shot up back when inflation was supposedly low - too many minimum wage increases apparently.

 

[audreyh1]

People do fast food because it's cheaper and faster, not because they're good...

But apparently the food prices have risen a great deal already so it’s not so cheap anymore.

Time savings and immediate gratification definitely play a big role. But I think people also get addicted to fast food, craving certain foods. And there might be some nostalgia/comfort food craving associated with it.

 

[Fermion]

People do fast food because it's cheaper and faster, not because they're good...

Not all the time. Sometimes it is a craving, perhaps some memory from younger days where you really want some XYZ brand of fast food, even if you could easily afford the premium cut of steak.

You will see Buffett eating fast food when the guy could easily afford to have 3 chefs make him anything in the world 24/7 and have them do nothing else but that.

 

[Andre1969]

In his final few months alive, my Dad was pretty much locked up in the house and wouldn't let anyone in other than me. I'd check in on him a few times per week, and bring him groceries and cigarettes. Sometimes he'd have me stop off at McDonalds to get him something to eat. I remember one time, he wanted a Big Mac and I figured what the hell, I'll get myself one too.

I bit into it and thought man, this is actually GOOD! I think it tasted good though, because it had been freshly made. And, it had been ages since I've had one, so it was a nice change of pace. But, I also remember those suckers were $5-something apiece back then, and thinking McDonald's wasn't exactly cheap anymore.

When it comes to fast food, my preference does tend to run towards Wendy's, above Burger King and McDonald's. Sometimes I like Arby's, too. But, that stuff does get expensive.

When I go to my car shows in Carlisle PA, in the evenings my friends and I will usually hit up a local sit-down diner or restaurant. Usually for around $20, including the tip, I can get a meal that leaves me stuffed. Often I'll just get water instead of a soda, to keep the tab down, but then add that amount, more or less, to the tip. That might not be the best comparison though, because Carlisle is a lower-cost area, so restaurant prices are a bit lower than what I'm used to.

 

[GenXguy]

But apparently the food prices have risen a great deal already so it’s not so cheap anymore.

Time savings and immediate gratification definitely play a big role. But I think people also get addicted to fast food, craving certain foods. And there might be some nostalgia/comfort food craving associated with it.

There are sometimes some good app deals. I just now bought:

Offer - Free Whopper or Impossible™ Whopper
$0.00
HERSHEY'S® Sundae Pie
$2.39
2 Chocolate Chip Cookies
$1.00

Subtotal $3.39
Tax $0.31
Total $3.70

It's a rare thing that I do, but it was a spend $3 deal to get a free Whopper.

 

[Badger]

People do fast food because it's cheaper and faster, not because they're good...

When I was studying toward a degree in Biology back in the mid 60's I would be working on dissections at night and one of the other guys would make a burger run on the Tue BOGO at Big Boys (kind of like a Big Mac). It was the one time I could afford fast food. I remember eating while elbow deep into cats, sharks, etc. and munching on my burger. I don't recall it affecting the taste of the burgers.
A few years ago I made a quick stop in McD while on a road trip. I didn't taste much of a difference.

 

[Closet_Gamer]

We lived on Taco Bell and Wendy’s in college. Going to Taco Bell is a rare thing but it does make me smile when I do it.

 

[Midpack]

We lived on Taco Bell and Wendy’s in college. Going to Taco Bell is a rare thing but it does make me smile when I do it.

We lived on pizza, strombolis, Burger Chef (extinct 1981) and Hamburger Helper. And beer. The good old days…

 

[jollystomper]

The only fast food burger I have looked for in recent memory was Arby's Wagyu burger. I was curious, and it was pretty good. I will tend to go a little more "upscale", like Five Guys or Shake Shack or a local food truck, if I choose to go to a burger place (a once every month or so treat).

On the road is when I al most likely to hit a fast food burger place, if I cannot find anything more "upscale". I did eat at a Wendy's the end of January. I was out of town and heading into a late 9PM check-in at a hotel after being on the road for 4 hours. I wanted to pick up something to bring to the hotel to eat and saw a Wendy's about a mile before the hotel, so picked up a single. It was fine.

There is a McDonalds, Burger King, and Sonic not that far from us, but the last time we entered the McDonalds or Burger King for a burger was when our kids were working there and/or some community organization was having a fundraiser and would get part of the sales proceeds that day. I have never gone to the Sonic.

I save money by not buying a drink - I do not drink sugared soda, and few places carry Coke or Sprite Zero. It helps to keep a couple of bottled waters or a water bottle in the car .

 

[GenXguy]

I always liked Steak-n-Shake, but it's a 2 hour round trip for me to the closest one. They used to be waited-on service, but in the last couple years or so, they converted to kiosk. They do have a happy hour for drinks/shakes 2-4 PM weekdays, unfortunately, their prices about doubled on them the last few years.

 

[TheWizard]

We don't have a state requirement but some cities do and they're published in the local paper. But after decades of observation I can safely say that if they have General Tso's chicken you can be reasonably sure they have the lowest score possible.

I don't see any objectively valid reason to denigrate oriental restaurants...

 

[Car-Guy]

We eat at fast food joints at least twice a week all within ~20 mins of the house.

Let's see in order of preference: (No Wendy's around here)

McDonalds
Whatburger
Burger King
Dairy Queen
Subway
Taco Bell
Pizza Hut

For fine dinning We have several good Mexican Food and BBQ restaurants. I figure all together they have taken ~10 years off my life expectancy.

 

[MC Rider]

We eat at fast food joints at least twice a week all within ~20 mins of the house.

Let's see in order of preference: (No Wendy's around here)

McDonalds
Whatburger
Burger King
Dairy Queen
Subway
Taco Bell
Pizza Hut

For fine dinning We have several good Mexican Food and BBQ restaurants. I figure all together they have taken ~10 years off my life expectancy.

I have not been to Mickey Ds in over a year and the others much longer. Used to eat McMuffins all the time. Now we have a breakfast sandwich machine that lets me make 2 sandwiches in about 10 minutes. Every bit as good as Mickey Ds and cost is 1 muffin, 1 cheese slice, 1 egg, 1 slice of ham times 2. Hash browns for the air fryer run 10 for $4 here.



We can make our own burgers that are better than any of the above easily. We have no Pizza Slut here. We do have a Little Seizure, but the local places are way better than the chains.


Swore off Taco Hell a few years ago, ack.

 

[Fermion]

There are a few that are hard to make if you get a craving for that particular

Arbys roast beef - I have bought very thin roast beef shaved at the deli but it doesn't tase the same

Chic-Fil-A chicken sandwich - They fry the chicken in a pressure cooker or something....to me that is pretty hard and maybe dangerous to replicate

Wendy's Frosty - I actually haven't tried making this but if I wanted that particular thing, it seems way easier to buy it at Wendy's

There are others of course, those are just on the top of my mind

I agree that if all you want is a bun, a piece of cheese and some thin ground beef, you can make better at home fairly quickly and cheaply.

 

[MC Rider]

I guess I have lost that fast food craving.

I would add my own fixings to that thin burger.
3 oz uncooked burger works better for me then 4 oz these days anyway.


It's still a free country. Eat what you want.

 

[GenXguy]

Wendy's Frosty - I actually haven't tried making this but if I.

No flavor. The Arby's shakes I've had are a lot better, although I stopped buying them when the prices soured.

 

[MC Rider]

All those are fine dining.

 

[sengsational]

No flavor. The Arby's shakes I've had are a lot better, although I stopped buying them when the prices soured.

I only eat frozen dairy very occasionally, and so the last time I tried a frosty was years ago. It seemed way too sweet. Almost like sugared ice with a chocolate overtone. I grew up in Minnesota with a grandma from Wisconsin, and a local dairy delivery man. We had ice CREAM, home made. Nothing like so many commercial dairy products nowadays; they've taken all of the butterfat out, and it's just no good anymore.

 

[Koolau]

Though I could afford to eat out every meal, I've basically quit just about everything but the occasional Panda Express. I've done this because the value is simply no longer there. DW and I can pretty much stuff ourselves with Panda Express for $15. Wendy's for two is more like $20 and there's less choice. We could easily pay $30 at Wendy's though we long ago curtailed our eating habits there - again because of perceived "value."

 

[a60dan]

Wendys issued a clarification:

https://www.wendys.com/blog/wendys-digital-news-update

My recent experience with Wendys (an ordeal with a mobile order for which nothing was available when I arrived, and getting my refund) has resulted in the loss of my future business.

They didn’t seem to care.

 

[GenXguy]

Wendys issued a clarification:

https://www.wendys.com/blog/wendys-digital-news-update

That was mentioned pages back in this thread:

https://www.early-retirement.org/fo...icing-to-menu-items-121120-3.html#post3057654

 

[Route246]

They are attempting to harvest what economists call the "consumer surplus" which generally works when demand outstrips supply and the seller has a certain amount of pricing power due to scarcity. Mediocre fast food like Wendy's has very little pricing power because people don't go there as much as McD and In-and-Out and places like that. I wish them luck considering that they are further alienating their potential customer base.

 

[TickTock]

I also think this is a horrible idea that will come back to bite them. But in their defense, they did actually say that the surge pricing would mostly involve discounting at slower times. Not sure if I believe that though.

It's simple. Just realize that corporate will do whatever they *think* will net more profit, and then ask yourself how they might accomplish this without outright lying...

Increase all prices by 30% (or whatever). Then start applying discounts to the inflated prices, maxing the discounts at 30% (or 25%, or maybe 35% - see, we *lowered* prices!). It's dynamic pricing, not surge pricing! We care about *you*, our valued customer!!

 

[Koolau]

They are attempting to harvest what economists call the "consumer surplus" which generally works when demand outstrips supply and the seller has a certain amount of pricing power due to scarcity. Mediocre fast food like Wendy's has very little pricing power because people don't go there as much as McD and In-and-Out and places like that. I wish them luck considering that they are further alienating their potential customer base.

I don't mean to turn this thread into a "which is better" thread, but I find most of Wendy's menu much preferable to McDs. I've heard very good things about In-and-Out though I've never been. My gut tells me that McDs and I-A-O (and maybe BK) do bigger business because Wendy's IS better and has to charge more because of that. Fast food is very price sensitive. Probably no sense in arguing personal preference. I'm sure lots of people prefer McD.

But all that aside, pricing power can be fleeting. A small downturn in the economy and bargains will again reign at fast food places. Such places would rather lose a little (because their prices are lowered) than lose a lot (because they have to shut down for lack of business.) Very much a YMMV situation.

 

[imnontrad]

This was rolled back by Wendy's - not going to happen.

https://www.today.com/food/restaurants/wendys-surge-pricing-rcna140601

And you can get a deal -

https://www.foodandwine.com/wendys-march-madness-burger-deals-8604311