Wendy’s has spoken to its manager after suggestions that it plans to introduce “surge pricing” to its menu received a decidedly frosty response this week, with the company scrambling to clarify that it has no intention of making itself the Uber of fast-food chains.
So to clarify, they’re saying that they’ll roll it out in ‘25 or so. And that it will be only used for discounts.
What they’re not sayin, is that they’re going to take the year to jack prices to 3x normal- incrementally so people won’t notice all at once.
Then they will offer discounts- 50%, maybe.
So even the discounted price will still be 1.5x more costly, while the surge pricing is 3x.
Further, they’ll probably tie the discounts to app use; an app which invades your phone and gives them shitloads of data.
Tl:dr: Wendy’s CEO thinks we’re all dumb.
an app which invades your phone and gives them shitloads of data
Their app isn’t too bad (at least for now). It has enough data collection that I wouldn’t want to download it, but it isn’t just strait spyware like some fast food apps cough McDonald’s.
It’s tracking location.
That’s a pretty massive red flag for an app that has exactly zero need for it.
It’s for store finding. While you and I might not use it a lot of people do.
Sure it is. I believe you.
(Or is it that store finding is the excuse?)
edit to clarify: is it a useful feature? I guess. but, I very much doubt that people are using that feature more than the first time they find a location. or needing to.
I have set it as “Ask me everytime” and only used it when I needed to locate a nearby McD. Recently the “Deals” stopped showing up as it required location data with precision setting turned on. So, if I need to use the Deals I need to share my location which shows that they are mining your data for the deals. I kill the app after I order as they don’t need to track me from my home to the restaurant.
I think all CEOs think their clientele are dumb. It’s literally the only real requirement to be a CEO, besides already being rich and knowing the right people.
The CEO should be fired. Thousands of restaurants already have variable, demand based pricing, but no one cares because those restaurants call it “happy hour”.
I mean in the CEOs defense most people are fucking dumb. I mean just look what happened to jcpenney, their CEO decided let’s stop with the bullshit no more fake sales no more fake prices everything is the real price on the sticker and it almost bankrupted them.
People were so stupid that they would go to the store across the mall to buy the exact same pair of pants that JCPenney was selling for $20 normal price at $40 “half off” because brain stupid likes the shiny discount sign
it doesn’t help that they have an entire army of Doctorates specialized in the psychology of marketing just to bypass your reasoning for emotion.
our brains are designed to process emotion before reason on account of evolution so it’s not as simple as to say “people are dumb”… even if… people are dumb.
Tl:dr: Wendy’s CEO thinks we’re all dumb.
To be fair, most people are pretty dumb, or at least dumb enough to eat Wendy’s regardless.
This is exactly what Sonic does with drinks. They used to have a half price afternoon window, but now I believe you have to use the app to get it (not 100% sure, their food is garbage)
I haven’t been to Sonic in ages.
there’s an old not-chain drive-in diner near here that’s a thousand times better. (and I mean, like it’s been around long enough to have been one of the OG’s.) IIRC, the only thing I really liked was their ice.
Fuck them for even suggesting it.
Boycott anyway. Show we can’t be fucked with else next business will call our bluff.
I haven’t eaten at Wendy’s since they discontinued their “Pick 2” salad-and-side deal. I’ve been boycotting since before surge pricing was even announced!
They need to bring back salad bars and their original fries to win me back.
That would also teach them to not bother backing down if there’s backlash in response to an announcement…
So you have a certain level of annual profit. You suggest something incredibly offensive that you believe will increase profits by say 10% with the idea you can roll it back if its a net negative. The response is so negative that you re-assess and believe you will actually LOSE 10%. You roll it back but people are still pissed so you end up losing 2% to decrease in goodwill.
Anyone whose take away is that they should just roll on and lose 10% would be a fucking idiot. The proper take away ought to be staff ideas like this with a disinterested third party before announcing to the world so you don’t lose good will in the first place.
What? Are you insane?
Why can’t you do that to big pharma with their overpriced meds?
Yeah, my dad doesn’t really need his insulin anyway
Guess how much insulin costs in other countries.
As a show of good faith, fire your CEO.
… out of a cannon.
Into the sun.
Dont. Fuck. With. WENDY TESTABERGER!
Bullshit. They will roll it out in two years when everyone has forgotten. Just to be on the safe side I will probably never eat there again
Probably a PR stunt. If heard more about Wendy’s the last 2 days than the last year.
Honestly Taco Bell and McDonald’s are better. I’m sick of Wendy’s. Fries suck, burger okay, always left full. McDonald’s breakfast especially. It’s still shitty food that’s bad for you and overpriced, but it gives me the right feel. Wendy’s kinda just sucks.
Wendys breakfast potatoes hit harder than any hashbrown but otherwise I agree.
The working class economy: 💀
Wendy’s: We’re raising prices!
People: 😡
Wendy’s: Wait, that makes you mad?
“Online fury” is a most excellent expression.
Online furies have been awakened and now you can’t stop them, Wendy’s!
Edit: fixed grammar
Because corporations and politicians always keep their vows.
Exactly, I read in the news paper today that “the increase will be in cents, not dollars”. My immediate reaction was to make the air jerking off motion.
Corporations will do what’s profitable, that’s our economic system, get used to it or get rid of it.
the increase will be in increments of 100 cents or greater
Don’t worry, they’re going to a subscription burger based model. You’ll have to pay them each month to enter the restaurant.
I think this was a publicity stunt. We’d all just about completely forgot Wendy’s exists… So they come out with this wild idea, let it float for a couple of days and then cancel it. Smooth PR move.
Bad pr is better than no pr?
It’s the Magic 8-ball response. Reply hazy, will try again later
On top of the surge pricing the bastards have been spamming me with emails. Damned if I can remember when I used my email with them, but their opt out mechanism has me pissed. Have to type in my email after hitting the link, then clearly remain on the list. Sure, FTC rules say you get 30 days or something before I need to stop receiving emails, but virtually every other marketer seems to take me off immediately.
Just mark it as spam, since that’s what it is.
Get drunk and call them cussing about the email thing?
posting works!!!
imagine coming up with this shit – you must know the evil you’re releasing upon the world. like even if you’re a shithead billionaire, if this god-awful mechanism were to take hold, it’d be annoying and awful for you too right?
Yes, useful idiots have been trying for decades to get people to shut up about abuse.
Glad some of us are smart enough to rise above that behavior.
When you’re crazy busy in the kitchen (of a crappy restaurant), you sandbag. Meaning you prepare extra food than is needed because you know the order is coming so you’re cooking in anticipation of the next order. If by “surge pricing” they would discount during the chaos, they’d probably make more money. I haven’t been to Wendy’s in quite a while but when I saw the story break a few days ago I said to myself “I’m completely done, fuck those greedy assholes”
You sandbagging soon of a bitch!
Too late shithead, shove your square burgers right up your ass which is convenient because now you can eat them yourself
