LOL, the asshole CEO called it an “enhanced feature”.

I’d say go for it, but if Wendy’s does it, everyone else will, so the likelihood that it will hurt their business is unlikely.

They’re outright accepting less customers in favor of those willing to pay higher prices.

That’s great for a quarter, maybe a year, maybe 5. At what point does it catch up and you’ve trained everyone to stop eating fast food because you wanted to charge more than people can dedicate to food?

I cannot fathom how no one else sees this. They’re trading low-value customers for high-value customers. Sometimes this makes sense. I did it when I had a little PC repair business. Low-value customers were a PITA and didn’t make me any money, not worth my time.

But maybe they’re smarter than you and I? Lemmy tells me cheap fast food is a right, as if there’s no other choice. If that’s how people are thinking and acting, instead of shying away from fast food prices? Fuck 'em. Let them pay.

PC repair is a low volume, high touch, high skill business. If you set aside a single $100 customer for a $500 one, it can work since both exist.

Hamburgers of the Wendy’s grade are a volume and convenience game. For every thousand $4 customers, can they replace them with 667 $6 customers?

I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon in the last couple years. The cheapest options and biggest chains ramped their prices much faster than the places a notch or two better. The gap has closed enough that suddenly those “notch or two better” places are more competitive than before-- if it will be $50 instead of $30 to take the family to Wendy’s, why not stretch to $65 for get Five Guys or a local place instead.