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.
Factors such as rush hour or the weather could affect how much you pay for your meal.
What does that mean for patrons looking for a quick meal to satisfy their hunger? Well, it means you could potentially have to shell out a little more — or a little less — money depending on what time of day you pull up to the drive-thru to place your order.
“My thought is that it’s unfair because there so many families out there that are living on a budget. Like when they get to Wendy’s and it’s super busy and they want to do that price increase it’s not fair to that family,” Cynder said.
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.
“Beginning as early as 2025, we will begin testing more enhanced features like dynamic pricing and daypart offerings, along with AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling,” he said. “As we continue to show the benefit of this technology in our company-operated restaurants, franchisee interest in digital menu boards should increase, further supporting sales and profit growth across the system.”
News4JAX stopped at three popular fast-food chains to see how much one of their meals would cost.
- A Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich meal was $9.62
- A Big Mac meal from McDonald’s was $9.66
- A Dave Single meal from Wendy’s was the most expensive, coming in at $10.52
“They took away the 4-for-4 which was kind of a bummer but seems like everywhere is getting more expensive,” Marcus Marino said.
Ernie Jinx said he rather pay more to support a local restaurant.
“You actually get more portions and probably healthier food and fresher food to sacrifice paying a dollar or two more,” Jinx said.
How do you feel about this change? Let us know. Your response may be featured on a Channel 4 newscast.