Wendy’s ‘dynamic pricing’ brouhaha is clear: charging more for fast food would be in poor taste

Wendy’s sales increased 31% in just one year after the first “Where’s the Beef?” » from the fast food chain. The ad aired in 1984 and catapulted Clara Peller, a 4-foot-10 Chicagoan, to fame.

To celebrate the ad’s 40th anniversary, Wendy’s offered free cheeseburgers with any purchase made a week earlier this month.

What Wendy’s would have saved for 2025 wasn’t as enticing a perk. Recent headlines about the Ohio-based company’s plans to introduce a price hike made customers see red and it had nothing to do with meat.

“We will begin testing more enhanced features such as dynamic pricing and time slot offering, as well as AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling,” CEO Kirk Tanner said during a investor call on February 15.

Wendy’s said news articles in response to Tanner’s comments were just hamburgers, saying prices would never increase during peak hours. The company then blamed the media for misinterpreting the goal of its upcoming $20 million digital menu initiative. Digital menu boards will actually make it easier to find deals because restaurants could change the menu throughout the day and offer discounts and value deals when things slow down, Wendy’s said in a statement earlier this week.

Wendy’s may have reversed its burger pricing scheme after consumers turned to the internet to air out their beef. Or maybe Tanner didn’t fully understand the meaning of “dynamic pricing.” But while it’s unclear whether Wendy’s backtracked or its top executive unintentionally used poor terminology, price gouging has no place in any restaurant, much less food service establishments. fast.

Americans certainly don’t need more encouragement to eat fast food. About 36% of adults consumed fast food on a given day between 2013 and 2016, according to a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over-reliance on these quick meals that typically lack nutrients is dangerous, as it can lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems. (Remember the 2004 documentary “Super Size Me” and the health problems caused by a 30-day fast food diet?)

But sometimes, fast food is the only convenient – ​​and time-saving – option on a family road trip or an extremely busy work day. And who hasn’t sometimes wanted a cheap, greasy hamburger? With hot, crispy fries, please.

Fast food is designed to be simple. Customers don’t even need to do the math, as tipping is not expected or even prohibited. The only thing they should be wondering about is what they are going to order and what kind of condiments they would like. They shouldn’t wonder if they will have to pay more money.

Wendy’s “dynamic pricing” mess should serve as a reminder that when it comes to fast food, price gouging is in poor taste.

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