Wendy's Plans Uber-Like Surge Pricing And It's Sure To Get A Frosty Reception

American fast food institution Wendy's has just hinted that dynamic pricing and menu offerings are coming to a local restaurant near you. That's right, depending on the time of the day, you could be paying $5.50 for a Dave's Single or $15.50. That's late-stage capitalism at its best, folks.


Dynamic pricing—or surge pricing—is something most of us are already familiar with. Airline ticket prices and rideshare (Uber or Lyft) rates fluctuate based on demand. Prices can be low during slow periods, then suddenly peak when the need is high. Wendy's believes that the idea will succeed in the fast food business, but there's more at stake here for customers than attracting more foot traffic during traditionally slow hours. Long-time patrons of the franchise will probably call this price gauging.

Wendy's says that while prices will go up at peak periods, like breakfast, lunch, and dinner, customers will be able to enjoy discounts on their favorite food items at quieter times of the day. The company hasn't defined what the cap on the pricing extremes will be, but you probably won't be getting a large pack of fries for 99 cents at 11:23pm. We're also interested to know how long the prices will "hold" for before the algorithm initiates a change.

It's understandable that the primary reason for this initiative is really to maximize earnings for Wendy's branches at ALL times of the day, but we can imagine that this will severely change the choices made by regular customers. Fundamentally, a $13 burger (that folks know usually costs $5) will likely drive them to find other restaurant options. (That is, assuming other fast food chains don't follow suit.)