Wendy's to add surge pricing to menu items.

My family never went near fast food places, not that there were many in rural NJ where I grew up. I remember going to McD's with a small group of friends for the first time when I was about 17 - by this time I was living in Florida, surrounded by fast food.

Because I love hamburgers, I expected great things of the famous Big Mac, but when it arrived I couldn't eat it. It was all covered with smelly, gloppy sauce. I tried my best, so my friends wouldn't laugh at me, but the thing was frankly disgusting. Never again.
 
Time2 said:
My 30 year old kids still talk about my frugal(?) wife taking the them to McDonald's as young children, she wouldn't let them get cheese on their burgers. They had to wait until they got home to put cheese on from the fridge.
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If we're getting a takeout burger we often do that too.
 
It bugs me that I can't find a regular burger on restaurant menus any more. They all have to have cheese on them, sometimes several kinds, along with fatty bacon and sauces that I don't want. So I must pay $24.00 or whatever and then pick/scrape off all the glop, or ask that the glop be held and still pay $24.00.


Andre1969 said:
When I was a kid, I remember McDonald's being a special treat, as we rarely ate out. 1979-80 was an especially rough time, as Mom bought a house down in White Plains, MD, and money was tight. Mom got paid every other week, and I can remember every other Wednesday, we'd go to McDonald's. There was one in Waldorf, and one in LaPlata, and we'd alternate between the two.

There's also been times, in my adult years, when I would notice how much more a burger or sandwich cost with cheese, vs without it, and would just skip the cheese.
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Amethyst said:
It bugs me that I can't find a regular burger on restaurant menus any more. They all have to have cheese on them, sometimes several kinds, along with fatty bacon and sauces that I don't want. So I must pay $24.00 or whatever and then pick/scrape off all the glop, or ask that the glop be held and still pay $24.00.
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I typically do not want anything on a burger - especially not sweet goppy sauce or toppings. I also ask that sauces and toppings be held.

My cheese intake has become very limited (I do like some, mostly imported cheese, but not "cheese food").
 
Chuckanut said:
Dine Brands, the parent of Applebee’s and IHOP, looked at the technology but passed because their customers are price sensitive, Chief Executive John Peyton said in an interview. “We don’t think it’s an appropriate tool to use for our guests at this time,” he said.
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Being skeptical, I wonder when he said this. If it was after the Wendy's flap, I'd just chalk it up to good PR.

Time2 said:
My 30 year old kids still talk about my frugal(?) wife taking the them to McDonald's as young children, she wouldn't let them get cheese on their burgers...
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I'm with your wife on this one. I always ordered plain hamburgers. (1) The American "cheese" they put on those cheeseburgers is disgusting, and (2) even it it were palatable, I wouldn't pay the extra price they were asking for a thin slice of cheese.
 
MarieIG said:
My cheese intake has become very limited (I do like some, mostly imported cheese, but not "cheese food").
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I used to love cheese when I was younger, but now that I'm older, realize I can take it or leave it. I'm also wondering if my sense of taste has changed too, because I've noticed that I can often taste the salt in cheese, and I don't remember that when I was younger.
 
Andre1969 said:
I used to love cheese when I was younger, but now that I'm older, realize I can take it or leave it. I'm also wondering if my sense of taste has changed too, because I've noticed that I can often taste the salt in cheese, and I don't remember that when I was younger.
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That may well be, and/ or the manufacturing process of the particular cheese has changed or a combination of both. I'm not sure - but I have become more (I'm not sure if discriminating is the word) about food as I have gotten older.
 
Amethyst said:
It bugs me that I can't find a regular burger on restaurant menus any more. They all have to have cheese on them, sometimes several kinds, along with fatty bacon and sauces that I don't want. So I must pay $24.00 or whatever and then pick/scrape off all the glop, or ask that the glop be held and still pay $24.00.
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In a sit down restaurant I always order my burger with the sauce and messy stuff on the side. I don't like goopy moist buns, but I will dip the burger in whatever sauce occasionally.

I make fun of my wife, because she puts so much sauce and condiments on a burger it is like eating ground beef soup.
 
audreyh1 said:
It’s so funny. We simply don’t eat burgers.
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We too don’t eat burgers prepared by others. When we dine out or get carry out, we prefer food we don’t make at home.

We do occasionally have burgers. Usually lamb or bison, no bun, a bit of mustard and slices of tomato and onion.
 
There are a couple of places in town that hand make burgers from good quality ground beef. Those places have been here for decades and have a great business.

I usually order a burger with no cheese and no bun, or sometimes with pepper jack cheese on it. I have them put lettuce and tomato on the side.

All I have at home is a pellet smoker and smoke brisket and pork on the weekend. I do have an air fryer but it just sits there looking like I am a chef of sorts, but I have never used it. Being single now has made me into a person who likes simple things in my daily life.
 
MichaelB said:
We too don’t eat burgers prepared by others. When we dine out or get carry out, we prefer food we don’t make at home.

We do occasionally have burgers. Usually lamb or bison, no bun, a bit of mustard and slices of tomato and onion.
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We rarely use ground beef, but I do make chili occasionally and bison is a favorite. I also make a ragu occasionally and use ground lamb.
 
audreyh1 said:
We rarely use ground beef, but I do make chili occasionally and bison is a favorite. I also make a ragu occasionally and use ground lamb.
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We have similar tastes. I’d say in order of use we cook with ground bison, lamb, turkey, and then beef. DW makes a great meatloaf (turkey and veal) and lamb ragu with zucchini and onions, topped with pecorino.

Lately we’ve been having a hard time finding ground veal, and when we do it’s very fatty.
 
Most of my meat (and poultry) cooking is either on the smoker - usually larger bone in pieces or whole bird. Occasionally get nice rib-eyes to grill. Or I do several bone in cuts in the instant pot, occasionally a chuck roast or stew meat.

So I guess I prefer whole chunks :)
 
Not to be insulting, but if one has to eat at McD's, Burger King, Wendys or any other crap fast food establishment on a regular basis one has a far bigger problem. OK, the Grandkids may appreciate it one a month or so, but you are NOT doing them or yourselves a favour, other than that ....

Occasional patronage because of traveling convenience notwithstanding.
 
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ShokWaveRider said:
Not to be insulting, but if one has to eat at McD's, Burger King, Wendys or any other crap fast food establishment on a regular basis one has a far bigger problem. OK, the Grandkids may appreciate it one a month or so, but you are NOT doing them or yourselves a favour, other than that ....

Occasional patronage because of traveling convenience notwithstanding.
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Not that I like the dining "experience" at fast food places, but I do like SOME of the food. I'm especially fond of Wendy's menu, but no longer find it a value. YMMV
 
Hate to say it, but I eat out rarely enough that Wendy's is almost like a special treat to me! Often I'll walk in, and see them advertising some limited-time thing on special, and it's enough to catch my eye to make me want it.

And for some reason, all of a sudden I'm craving some Roy Roger's fried chicken. Last time I went into a Roy's was like May of last year, and I remember a 3-piece meal with one side (at least, I don't think it was 2) and a drink being around $11-12. I'm sure it's even more now. But I do remember it being pretty filling.
 
Time2 said:
My 30 year old kids still talk about my frugal(?) wife taking the them to McDonald's as young children, she wouldn't let them get cheese on their burgers. They had to wait until they got home to put cheese on from the fridge.
Click to expand...


I remember my father doing that back in the 1960's. As I can recall, a regular hamburger was 29¢ and a cheeseburger 39¢. According to the BLS online calculator 10¢ in June of 1965 would be equivalent to 98¢ now so the cheese was definitely a high profit add-on for McD back then.
 
Once or twice a year, my ladyfriend gets a $25 gift card from work for GrubHub. We'll use it to get a free meal at some fast food place, most of the time.

This time, for last weekend (these gift cards have short life spans), we (me, actually), because she doesn't have a car any more) were going to pick up at Wendy's. But as it came to ordering time the day before (she has to order from her office), I decided I wasn't up for Wendy's. I have several Omaha Steaks burgers I am trying to use us, so she'd cook up a burger while I was out getting the Wendy's food, including fries for my burger.

It was pouring rain last Saturday night, so it's a good thing the drive was very short. Still, I had to wait about 10 minutes inside because there a few other pickups, some with lots of items, ahead of me. After I got the food, and there was a lot of it she got for the rest of the $25 (2 Biggie Bags, another burger, and 3 drinks (none for me, I make my own special chocolate milk due to my Diabetes), I had to load all of this carefully into my car in the rain.

I then had to gather all of this up when I got back to her place, again in the rain. I got up to her apartment and was pretty soaked. She had to nuke the food we were going to eat, except, of course, for my burger because it was freshly cooked and kept warm.

I couldn't believe how small the burger was in one of her orders. I'm glad I didn't get one (or 2) from there. The Omaha Steaks burger was much, much better. The fries were so-so, even reheated. She has a lot of fries and chicken nuggets from her biggie bags along with whatever main courses she still has stowed away.

And my pants dried by the next morning, after changing into sweatpants before I began eating.

I think I'm done with Wendy's, unless I am eating in at a shopping mall food court where the food will be hot and I will be dry.
 
scrabbler1 said:
It was pouring rain last Saturday night, so it's a good thing the drive was very short. Still, I had to wait about 10 minutes inside because there a few other pickups, some with lots of items, ahead of me. After I got the food, and there was a lot of it she got for the rest of the $25 (2 Biggie Bags, another burger, and 3 drinks (none for me, I make my own special chocolate milk due to my Diabetes), I had to load all of this carefully into my car in the rain.

<snip> She had to nuke the food we were going to eat, except, of course, for my burger because it was freshly cooked and kept warm.
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Not exactly "fast food", is it? :D I don't do drive-throughs or order ahead/pick upon in store for anything that's unappetizing at room temperature. That narrows it down to untoasted Subway sandwiches.
 
Time2 said:
My 30 year old kids still talk about my frugal(?) wife taking the them to McDonald's as young children, she wouldn't let them get cheese on their burgers. They had to wait until they got home to put cheese on from the fridge.
Click to expand...


We had our kids get water to drink which they always resented. The time or two we allowed them to order drinks, they'd get the "large" and there would be 2 inches of it gone at the end of the meal. They couldn't seem to get it through their "skulls full of mush" that there are things we splurge on (trip to Hawaii comes to mind as well as private school) and things we save on (overpriced soft drinks that they never finished.) YMMV
 
Koolau said:
I believe this is why my favorite fast foods are from Wendys. (heh, heh, not sure what that would have to do with my love of Wendys Frosty, but...).
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I heard they're going to have a Orange Dreamsicle Frosty to start spring.
 
I think I've been to Wendy's three times in my life, mainly for their loaded baked potato. Given that I've been eating low carb since 2017, it isn't happening again. Fast food is nearly impossible with a low carb diet.

Regarding surge pricing: If we eat out or do takeout, we get it at around 5 PM, because it means we're busy in the evening. One of the benefits of being retired is you are not stuck on the strict meal schedule to which your culture adheres. Breakfast at 10-11, dinner at 5. Tiny meal/snack in between.

Restaurants have been doing surge pricing for years. It's called the dinner menu.
 
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