Franchisee fast food pricing in California

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storewanderer
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Franchisee fast food pricing in California

Post by storewanderer »

I am not sure what exactly the deal is with some of these fast food franchisees in CA but their pricing strikes me as way out of line. I don't think food cost and operating cost have gone up so much to justify this type of pricing. I am not sure if these franchisees have really bad loans from taking locations over and need to charge these prices to service the debt or what.

There is a large Wendys franchisee in NorCal including Sacramento, Fresno, and scattered around San Jose. They previously took over a string of corporate Wendys units in Sacramento. They are charging a whopping $7.25 for a Single Cheese. This burger (after a price increase yesterday) runs $5.39 in Reno. $2.95 for a Jr. Cheeseburger (this runs $1.79 in Reno after a price increase yesterday). This franchisee still offers only the Jr. Cheeseburger via a 4 for $4 meal and if you break out the components of it, if you bought them individually, they'd cost around $10. In Reno the components of the 4 for $4 even after yesterday's price increase come out around $6.

The best one I saw is Popeyes. They have a franchisee who seems to have various locations in not the most affluent areas such as Redding, Oroville, and Marysville. This franchisee is trying to charge $12.59 for a 3 chicken strip/1 side/drink combo meal. That combo in Reno costs $7.79. They do not post signs about national offers such as the $6 "Big Box" (3 chicken strip/2 side) that is being advertised, but you can get the $5 Big Box deal via their app in these locations. Ownership on these locations appears to have changed a few years ago, but was previously the group who has Concord and who closed the various Idaho units but still has a couple open in Idaho and those units in Post Falls and Nampa appear to have pricing quite similar to the CA ones noted above.
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Re: Franchisee fast food pricing in California

Post by storewanderer »

Wendys Sacramento/Fresno Franchisee just increased prices again.
Unreal pricing.

Single - 7.39 (burger only)
Jr. Cheeseburger - 2.89 - however the 4 for 4 is still available.
Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe - 3.89 (can get this as part of the 4 for 5)

Can still do okay with the 4 for 4 or 4 for 5...
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Re: Franchisee fast food pricing in California

Post by Alpha8472 »

The price increases at Wendy's is outrageous. A Wendy's that I pass by every day remodeled a few months ago. There used to be a huge line every day at the drive thru. Now you are lucky if you see 1 or 2 cars. The price increases have driven most of their customers away.

Many Wendy's in my area have closed rather than remodel. This location looks like they should have closed. The remodel did not do much of anything. The dining room looks more bland and the outside is the usual cookie cutter new Wendy's look. The difference is that there is no fireplace. The fireplaces at least gave the restaurants some style. I think I prefer the old classic look to this.
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Re: Franchisee fast food pricing in California

Post by Bagels »

It’s not just Wendy’s. A BK I frequent raised the price of a double cheeseburger from $2.49 to $3.29, a value fry from $1 to $2.29 and a value soft drink from 89c to $1.99. The price hike was literally overnight.

A Famous Star at my local Carl’s Jr. is now $7.29 - remember the (larger) $6 burger for $2.50 (2 for $5) at one point?
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Re: Franchisee fast food pricing in California

Post by Brian Lutz »

As a point of comparison, prices of a few common fast food items in Snohomish County (prices found through the respective apps or websites, in-store prices may vary). In general fast food prices tend to run high here due to high cost of living, but probably not as bad as in California.

McDonald's (Lake Stevens/ Highway 9 location):
Cheeseburger: $1.79
Double Cheeseburger: $2.69 (although if you're using the app you can usually find a buy one get one for $0.29 promo on those)
6 piece McNuggets: $3.19 (same buy one get one for $0.29 deal usually applies, can also mix and match the two)
Big Mac: $4.89 (meal $8.79)
Quarter Pounder: $4.69 (+ promo for free medium fries and drink with purchase, regular price for the meal is $8.79)
Medium Fries:: $2.99
In general, McDonald's seems to have a lot of good promos available, and you can do pretty well with those.

Wendy's (Everett / Broadway location):
Jr. Cheeseburger: $1.59
Double Stack: $2.69
Dave's Single: $5.99 (combo $9.19)
Spicy Chicken: $6.59 (Combo $9.79)
6pc Nuggets: $2.49
Medium fries: $2.89
Typically you can find coupons for $2 off any combo with mobile order, $3 off a $15 purchase or a Buy one get one for $1 deal in the app for the premium sandwiches.

Taco Bell (Snohomish location):
Crunchy or Soft Taco: $2.19 (3 taco combo $7.69, 3 Taco Supreme combo $8.69)
Bean Burrito: $2.39
Cravings Box (in-app exclusive with one "Specialty" item, one "classic" item, one side and a drink): $5.49
Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.69 (actually more expensive than buying the whole Cravings Box)
Cravings Menu items: $1.79-$2.49
Taco Bell tends not to have a lot of promos in the app. In general, Taco Bell prices around here tend to be on the high side compared to other places where I've been.

KFC(Everett/Broadway location):
(All combos with 1 side and medium drink)
2 piece chicken combo: $9.99
3 piece chicken combo: $10.99
3 piece tenders fill-up: $9.99
Chicken sandwich combo: $7.99
Chicken sandwich (standalone): $4.99
Individual sides: $3.19
I don't use their app so I don't know what kind of promos they run, but you can occasionally find physical coupons in the mail.

Popeye's(Everett/Evergreen Way location)
(All combos with small drink)
2 piece chicken combo: $10.29
3 piece chicken combo: $11.59
3 piece tenders combo: $11.19 ($6.99 with promo on website, pick up only)
Classic chicken sandwich combo: $9.79
Classic chicken sandwich (standalone): $4.49
Individual sides: $3.89
Given the relatively high menu prices it seems to be worthwhile to check for promos here.

Arby's (Snohomish location):
Classic Roast Beef sandwich: $5.19 (Combo $9.19, or currently available with the 2 for $6 promo)
Classic Beef 'n Cheddar: $5.79 (Combo $9.79)
Crispy Chicken Sandwich: $6.59 (Combo $10.59)
Small fries: $2.99
4 piece Mozzarella sticks: $4.49
Arby's is one of those places where you pretty much don't bother going unless you have a coupon, and they usually mail them once a month. Typical deals include the "2 can dine" (2 classic roast beef combos plus 4 piece mozzarella sticks; used to be 6 piece) for $10.99 or classic roast beef / classic beef 'n cheddar combos for $5.99 apiece.

I don't typically go to Burger King, Jack in the Box or Carl's Jr. so I can't say much about their prices (based on my last visit to Jack in the Box I can say they're likely on the high side though.) Sonic makes it hard to see prices in their app (you don't see prices until just before order confirmation) so I won't include those. I don't know what in-app prices are for Subway around here, but I know in-store prices for some items can be sky-high.
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