Wendy's plans to introduce a “Stage Pricing” menu
Fast food chain Wendy's wants to introduce a “crash pricing” menu that would change the price of certain menu items depending on the time of day.
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In addition to Ubers and Lyfts, you may soon see the term “price hikes” associated with burgers and fries.
Wendy's plans to introduce a dynamic pricing model similar to ride-sharing companies as early as next year, CEO Kirk Tanner said on a conference call earlier this month. This means that Wendy's prices would fluctuate depending on time, location and demand.
Tanner also said on the call that the company will introduce new plans to improve company profits, such as digital menu boards that can update prices in real time and different menu offerings at certain times of the day.
“At Wendy's, we are focused on providing delicious, fresh, high-quality food and doing so in a way that delivers value to our customers. As we have previously communicated, we are making a significant investment to accelerate our digital business,” Wendy's said in statements to TODAY.com and Fox Business.
In addition to evolving our loyalty program, we are leveraging technology even further by introducing digital menu boards in some U.S. restaurants,” the statement said, according to TODAY.com. “As early as 2025, we will begin testing a variety of advanced features on these digital menu boards, such as: Such as dynamic pricing, different offers at certain times of the day, AI-powered menu changes and suggestive sales based on factors such as the weather.”
Wendy's did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for comment.
Free food: On Leap Day, you can get a dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme for $2.29. Here's how.
In addition to the price increases, Wendy's is introducing the new Cinnabon Pull-Apart menu item
The fast food burger chain has also announced a sweet addition to its breakfast menu.
Wendy's has teamed up with Cinnabon to launch the Cinnabon Pull-Apart, a product featuring warm, buttery dough bites baked with cinnamon and topped with Cinnabon's signature cream cheese frosting.
The item is now available at Wendy's restaurants nationwide during breakfast hours.
While breakfast times vary at Wendy's locations, most restaurants begin breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and end at 10:30 a.m. The company recommends checking with your local restaurant for breakfast hours.
On Leap Day, Thursday, February 29, customers can score a free Cinnabon Pull-Apart at their local Wendy's restaurant during breakfast hours, while supplies last.
Gabe Hauari is a nationally featured news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari.