EVERY BODY HATES PRICES

BUT THEY HELP US DECIDE BETWEEN BOURBON AND BACONATORS.

- PETER SUDERMAN

THE WENDY'S BACONATOR is a beast of a burger. Introduced in 2007 as part of a back-to-basics rebranding of the perpetual fast-food underdog, the Baconator consists of a half-pound of beef, multiple slices of gooey American cheese, and six pieces of bacon, plus condiments. It contains 57 grams of protein and just shy of a thousand calories-about half the daily recommended intake for an average person, and more than twice the average caloric intake of the estimated 800 million people globally who are perpetually undernourished.

How much would you pay for a miracle food like the Baconator? How much should you pay? Sen. Elizabeth Warren (DMass.) has some ideas.

In February, Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner announced the burger chain would invest $20 million in digital menus. These virtual menu screens would allow the company to experiment with dynamic pricing—which is to say, pricing that changes regularly based on circumstances.

Tanner’s announcement led to news stories saying the company planned to test out “surge pricing,” a strategy most commonly associated with ride-sharing companies whose prices rise with demand. Try hailing an Uber at rush hour, or after a big game in a downtown area, and you’ll pay more than you would for the same ride on a quiet weekday afternoon. Wendy’s, the stories suggested, might be planning to charge more for its meals during lunch and dinner rush hours.

Warren wasn’t having it. On X, she wrote that the move meant “you could pay more for your lunch, even if the cost to Wendy’s stays exactly the same.” That would not be acceptable. “It’s price gouging plain and simple,” she wrote, “and American families have had enough.”