In honor of March Madness, Wendy’s is offering customers cheeseburgers for $1 all month long.
“As the Official Hamburger of March Madness, Wendy’s is giving college basketball fans and athletes the quality fresh, never frozen beef that they deserve to fuel every buzzer beater, layup, and alley-oop all tournament long,” the fast-food chain announced in a press release.
Now through April 10, Wendy’s customers can order a Dave’s Single for $1 or a Dave’s Double for $2 anytime through the restaurant’s app. No purchase is necessary to grab the deal, according to the press release.
A Dave’s Single includes a quarter-pound patty, American cheese, tomato, pickle, lettuce, onion, ketchup and mayo between a toasted bun. The Dave’s Double cheeseburger includes the same toppings but on two quarter-pound patties.
Wendy’s is not adopting surge pricing
Last month, several media outlets spun comments from Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner during an earning call about “dynamic pricing” to mean the fast-food chain would incorporate “surge pricing” — a practice of increasing prices when menu items are most popular.
Backlash immediately followed.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called out the fast-food chain via social media on Wednesday, writing, “Wendy’s is planning to try out ‘surge pricing’ — that means you could pay more for your lunch, even if the cost to Wendy’s stays exactly the same. It’s price gouging plain and simple, and American families have had enough.”
Wendy’s wrote about the “misconstrued” information in a blog post, noting that any changes in prices would be to “benefit” customers.
“Digital menuboards could allow us to change the menu offerings at different times of day and offer discounts and value offers to our customers more easily, particularly in the slower times of day,” the restaurant wrote. “Wendy’s has always been about providing high-quality food at a great value, and customers can continue to expect that from our brand.”
In a statement shared with CNN, Wendy’s clarified its statements regarding prices once again: “Wendy’s will not implement surge pricing, which is the practice of raising prices when demand is highest. This was not a change in plans. It was never our plan to raise prices when customers are visiting us the most.”