Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

gizmodo.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 98 posts

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#61

Post by gremlinsinc »

mlinhares wrote: post #56
basil-rash wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not exactly special, and it’s not exactly cheap, but it’s almost always fast and food, which oftentimes is all I’m looking for.

It is insanely cheap, getting that much calories in less than 10 USD would be a dream in any developed or poor nation. Might not be the best calories but will keep you (under) fed for a long time.

It used to be cheap.. but feeding myself, my wife, and 2 boys under 7 cost $34 last time, that was for 1 meal for my wife, a double - sandwich only for me, and 2 happy meals, and jr frosties...

Lately I've been simply eating jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches pretty much every meal, they're tasty, and 1 sandwich per meal fills me up, so I get like 4 days worth of meals for $10. (I had gastric sleeve surgery, so I fill up kinda easier than I used to). Not sure how healthy, but convenience -- it's 60 seconds in the microwave.

I'm currently going through a separation so I'm definitely not having the energy to cook anything, plus I'm moving into a motel temporarily until I can get a lease, which only has fridge/microwave.

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#62

Post by jimbob45 »

bluedevil2k wrote: post #3

Fast food prices have already gotten exhorbitent and they think people would be willing to pay more? McDonald’s just released a statement that they’ve pushed prices up too far and as a result are seeing declining revenues. And another wild card…as more people start using Ozempic, fewer people will eat these health destructive meals.

You’re supposed to market this as incentivizing the consumer to come during off-hours for a discount. You can even draw a parallel to the matinee, the same concept in another industry.

Marketing anything ever as a price hike is usually a sign that marketing wasn’t properly involved in the process.

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#64

Post by glp1guide »

bluedevil2k wrote: post #3

Fast food prices have already gotten exhorbitent and they think people would be willing to pay more? McDonald’s just released a statement that they’ve pushed prices up too far and as a result are seeing declining revenues. And another wild card…as more people start using Ozempic, fewer people will eat these health destructive meals.

> And another wild card…as more people start using Ozempic, fewer people will eat these health destructive meals.

So it's one of the things I think could go either way (do people do more of the thing when it becomes cheaper? or less because of appetite suppression), and it's looking more like people are about to have a whole let less junk food as price of GLP1 RAs goes down and availability goes up.

Fast food and other unhealthy food producers may about to be entering a somewhat hard time.

See also this article which is kind of an ad for Sweetgreen by Bloomberg (just tin foil hat talking there), but points a bit in the direction I mean:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39459842

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#65

Post by derwiki »

ks2048 wrote: post #40

How long before technology that detects very drunk people and charges them 10x knowing they won’t notice? (Of course if they do notice they are more likely to cause a disturbance and break things - more things to consider for The Algorithm!)

Hopefully a different course if action if they’re going through the drive thru

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#66

Post by Server6 »

WalterBright wrote: post #30
chrismcb wrote: post #5

"Dynamic pricing is a relatively new concept in the fast-food world, with little precedent" Yes, because they're are lots of options. You charge too much and I'll just go next door.

> You charge too much and I'll just go next door. It's almost like Supply & Demand is the Law.

Isn't that what they're trying to do though? Perfectly price their product for demand at any given time? Not saying I like the idea, but it seems like pure supply and demand in action.

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#67

Post by 1letterunixname »

cameldrv wrote: post #36

I predict this won't end well. People will pull up to the drive-thru, find that the prices are much higher than usual, and get mad, because they may not be able to back up out of the drive-thru or pull forward to exit. They'll either have to pay the high prices or wait to leave. Once someone gets burned by this a couple of times they'll just stop going to Wendy's.

This was tried with vending machines.

It's just another way to shake down the masses with gotcha capitalism.

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#68

Post by readthenotes1 »

chrismcb wrote: post #5

"Dynamic pricing is a relatively new concept in the fast-food world, with little precedent" Yes, because they're are lots of options. You charge too much and I'll just go next door.

The question is will you notice, and will you stay because you spent 10 minutes in the line already anyway?

Re: Wendy's Wants to Start Uber-Like Surge Pricing in 2025

#70

Post by 1letterunixname »

add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #9

The basic contract of fast food has already been broken, before whatever price hike this turns out to be. You're getting bottom tier food but no longer the discount that makes it a defensible tradeoff.

This is true.

For food deserts, sometimes lacking grocery stores, fast food is sometimes the only practical option. Convenience stores, bodegas, dollar stores, and fast food chains charge high unit prices and the majority of residents have little choice except to commute long distances to big box stores if they had the time, money, and transportation to do so which they probably don't. In these cases, demand for fast food becomes more inelastic where there are fewer or no other options.

This is in contrast to areas with very high residential property values and lower BMIs where fast food shops are distant and uncommon.

Post reply on HN