From their cheap frosties to their borderline distasteful commercials, Wendy's is pulling
out all the stops to make you spend more money.
But how does Wendy's come up with such clever tactics to keep customers coming back?
And why do we keep falling for them?
Keep watching to find out!
"Ron, would you like some salad?"
"Since I am not a rabbit, no, I do not."
Salads are supposed to be healthy.
They're full of raw vegetables that crunch and give you lots of fiber with very few calories.
At least, that's the theory.
Although these salads have lots of lettuce, Wendy's healthier options aren't as healthy
as you might assume.
A full-size seasonal Summertime Strawberry Salad and basic Parmesan Caesar Salad are
the only two under 500 calories.
Some offenders are worse than others, according to Eat This, Not That.
Your diet does not have a friend in Wendy's Taco Salad.
With 620 calories, 28 grams of fat, 66 grams of carbs, and a whopping 1,760 milligrams
of salt, it delivers a lot more than healthy greens.
Despite the bacon, the Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad may be a superior choice.
It still has 610 calories and 41 grams of fat, but it only has 18 grams of carbs, and
it has 500 fewer milligrams of sodium.
It's worth noting all the salads have fewer calories if you barely use the dressing.
You could skip it entirely, but dressing hides many flaws of fast food salads, and that's
not how they are designed to be eaten.
Life is short, especially when you're a specialty item on the Wendy's menu.
Although all fast food restaurants cycle through seasonal treats, Wendy's goes through premium
goodies quickly, and they don't promise a return.
Unlike the inevitable rise of the fish sandwich every spring, Wendy's doesn't always bring
back menu items, even if they're popular.
Why?
They do it so you'll buy what's next.
In a piece on limited-time-only sales and promotions, Time reports a customer "worries
they'll feel left out" if they miss a sale.
Specialty items at Wendy's operate under the same principle, and because Wendy's rarely
announces an item is about to leave, every minute with your favorite could be your last.
Alas, Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger, gone — maybe forever — but fondly remembered.
According to Psychology Today, part of a great limited-time sale strategy is aggressive social
media marketing, something we all know Wendy's has mastered.
You see the new sandwich online, and suddenly it's everywhere.
If you're an experienced Wendy's customer, you know flashy new sandwiches are here for
a good time, not a long time.
It becomes an urgent matter Wendy's is happy to remind you about every time you check your
Twitter.
If you eat it and you like it, then you're really hooked, because your new favorite probably
won't last.
Why not go again and enjoy it while you can?
When the new sandwich drop-kicks this one off the menu, the game begins again.
"The rules are just like horse except instead of 'horse' it's 'half off breakfast orders
in the Wendy's app.'"
"Shoot the ball!"
"There's a lot of letters."
Loyalty programs sound like a great way to save.
They reward your loyalty, after all.
Rewards don't cost you anything.
It's something you get, not something the restaurant gains.
The truth is a little more complicated, and rest assured, Wendy's has a lot to gain from
its loyalty rewards program.
It turns out, loyalty program members spend more on take-out from restaurants like Wendy's.
In fact, they spent twice as much as customers who weren't part of a loyalty program.
How does that happen?
There are two ways a loyalty program convinces you to buy more.
The first step is by collecting data to help the company better target its customer base
— that's you — with deals that will get you into the store, appealing, new items,
etc.
Remember, loyalty programs require apps for your phone.
They get data from you even as you collect points.
Medium reports that loyalty programs also use psychology to encourage spending.
Any kind of goal or points system rewards making purchases, especially larger purchases.
Over time, this conditions you to see spending more on individual purchases as an investment
towards in-app rewards.
If you've ever bought something just because you get extra points or a small discount from
purchasing that particular item, you've seen this concept in action.
They say you eat with your eyes first, and Wendy's wants to feed you premium items.
If you go to Wendy's, you'll find your options conveniently listed on the menu.
But not all options receive equal billing.
The pricier the item, the more attention the menu tries to direct its way.
Classic, affordable options like the Jr.
Bacon Cheeseburger appear in a tiny section, usually at the bottom, far right of the board.
The Dave's Classics, higher-priced chicken sandwiches, seasonal salads, and other premium
choices often get entire chunks of the menu with combo and item prices listed.
The value corner goodies don't even get pictures.
According to the chain's earning call, as reported by Restaurant Business, Wendy's CEO,
Todd Penegor said:
"We need to have that right balance between driving them in and trading them up."
That means even if you're drawn by the siren song of a $2 cheeseburger, the menu's job
is to upsell you on the $5 alternative.
If you're in a rush, especially during busy restaurant hours, and you don't immediately
see what you planned to order, switching things up for that big, juicy burger in the picture
sounds even better.
Heads up, they use similar tricks with their online menu, listing cheaper sandwiches at
the very bottom.
You have to watch a parade of their priciest options, and the least-expensive bites hide
at the bottom.
"How is this a child-size soda?"
"Well, it's roughly the size of a two-year-old child if the child were liquified.
It's a real bargain at $1.59."
It's no secret that restaurants make a lot of their profits from soda sales.
All you have to do is compare the cost of a fountain drink at Wendy's to the price of
an entire 2-liter at a grocery chain.
You may have heard your parents scoff at spending so much on a drink, and they wouldn't be alone.
Americans buy less soda with their fast food than they used to.
Maybe you pride yourself on saving money by only getting drinks when they come as part
of a combo.
There's bad news ahead.
The truth is that the combo is playing the same trick as the solo fountain drink order.
It costs more than you realize.
Remember, if you get a large combo, you're ultimately paying $1.51 for a drink, and soda
remains one of the biggest items where fast-food restaurants really make their money.
Even if you never turn on the television, browse the internet, or use social media,
Wendy's will get its ads in front of your eyes.
All you have to do is buy their food.
While you're trying to enjoy lunch, Wendy's is already helping you plan your next visit.
The bag holding your burger and fries declares, "Your breakfast coulda been free."
Granted, this was a very limited promotion according to Newsweek, but still, this promotion
is just one example of Wendy's packaging advertisements.
They know you're already eating there, so why not tempt you back?
Paper bags may not be the most reliable advisors in most situations, but who could say no to
free food?
Here's the trick: you get that free breakfast, and you get some coffee to go with it.
You've already spent more than the ad for free breakfast suggested you would.
If you like the free part of your breakfast, you'll probably come back for more.
Suddenly, you're visiting Wendy's not just for lunch, but breakfast as well.
You don't have to visit every day, but if you swing by once or twice in the next few
weeks to start your day, you've done just what the Wendy's packaging hoped you would.
Just as Wendy's specialty menu items are not long for this world, neither are their discounts.
They have a longer-lasting impact than you may realize, too.
A great discount does more than move customers through the door, though.
Food & Drink Resources argues that it changes how and what they buy.
Wendy's $1 any size fry offer encouraged diners to upgrade.
Why not get a large when it costs the same as a small, right?
That sorta marketing inspires habits.
If you've ever tried giving a kid a smaller portion than you gave them the last time they
went out to eat, you will hear about it.
The truth is, adults aren't above the same desires as the little ones in the backseat.
Not all drive-thru decisions are based on logic.
The price difference between a small and large is only about 40 cents, and can you really
put a price on happiness?
Apparently, Wendy's can.
A similar buy-one-get-one breakfast sandwich deal set the stage for doubling your breakfast
order, or sharing breakfast with a friend or coworker.
You try it, you like it, you come back for it.
"Choose wisely, what does that mean?"
"I don't know, Morty, there's loads of breakfast to choose from but maybe Wendy's is the best
or something?
I'm flying blind as you are here."
"Oh, uh breakfast baconator."
Wendy's isn't just known for burgers.
They're known for roasting the competition on Twitter to the grill and back.
It's entertaining, and most of the time, the Twitter profile's content doesn't feel like
an ad.
This is a trick, because Wendy's Twitter profile is dedicated to bringing in new customers
and driving repeat business.
The clever banter comes with a mission, and their Twitter war over breakfast demonstrates
this very well.
If you didn't know Wendy's planned to bring breakfast back to its menu before the biscuits
and sausages appeared, you probably weren't online.
Wendy's put McDonald's in its crosshairs and opened fire in advance of their launch.
It made Wendy's look cheeky in a fun way and gave the chain a platform to continue highlighting
its rival's weaknesses.
Wendy's calls out hilarious truths while filling your feed with advertisements for their products.
Wendy's Twitter is here to remind you about the latest specialty items and the failings
of the competition, and it's going to make you laugh while you eat up the ads.
Fast food will never be gourmet.
That isn't what burger chains like Wendy's aim to make, but everyone still cares about
quality.
No one wants cold fries when a fry craving hits.
Rather than simply telling you how great its own products are, Wendy's pulls a clever trick
by comparing itself to its biggest competitors.
"We don't cut corners," its adverts explain, implying round patties are some kind of substandard
cheat.
It sounds good, and you know exactly which burger chains with round patties they're referencing.
As part of the advertising for their new Hot and Crispy Fries, Wendy's directly attacked
McDonald's and implicated a few other chains.
The ad had some bold claims about Wendy's new fries.
"They're even preferred almost 2 to 1 over McDonald's"
"Ahhhh!"
Squeaky hinges and a dingy, weedy parking lot represent a generic burger joint offering
cold, soggy fries.
It makes the shots of Wendy's branded packaging and glowing, fried potatoes look even better
by comparison.
Although this probably won't be the sole element in your next dining decision, when you hear
someone ask "Do you want fries with that?"
the ad may pop to mind.
You may judge the fries you receive with that bias.
So, Wendy's makes their offerings more appealing while sparking grief between you and every
other carton of drive-thru fries.
Wendy's Halloween Frosty Boo!
Books give customers five coupons for a free Jr.
Frosty.
They cost a buck, and they make you stand out at Halloween.
However, although they don't require an additional purchase to redeem, they are for kids.
What are the chances an adult will take a kid to Wendy's and get nothing else at all?
It's a discount purchase for a collection of cheap items that will inspire additional
purchases, even if they aren't strictly required.
To combat the few hold-outs who do manage to use a Boo!
Book coupon without buying so much as a coffee, Wendy's introduced the Frosty Key Tag.
It also gives you the smallest available Frosty for free, but only with a purchase.
Once you spend $2 on your Frosty tag, you can come in every day for a free Frosty.
That means you're coming in every day to buy something else.
This may be the most expensive free Frosty habit of your life.
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