UPDATE 2-Wendy's, blasted over CEO's pricing comment, vows no price hikes at busy times

(Updates to add details in paragraph 1, share movement)

By Waylon Cunningham and Deborah Mary Sophia

DALLAS, Feb 28 (Reuters) -

Wendy's said on Wednesday it has no plans to raise menu prices at times of peak demand, after the burger chain weathered heavy criticism on social media since its CEO said earlier this month it would start testing "dynamic pricing".

CEO Kirk Tanner told investors on a call this month that starting as early as 2025, Wendy's would begin testing features including "dynamic pricing and daypart offerings". Dynamic pricing refers to surge pricing based on demand, especially during peak hours of the day.

This practice often raises prices at busy times, similar to how Uber adjusts ride fares.

Tanner's comment this week sparked an online backlash. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren in a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday called it "price gouging plain and simple."

Wendy's, in a statement to Reuters, said on Wednesday it "would not raise prices when our customers are visiting us most."

Its initiative to add digital menuboards to certain stores would instead allow Wendy's to offer discounts to customers more easily, "particularly in the slower times of day," it added.

"We said these menuboards would give us more flexibility to change the display of featured items. This was misconstrued in some media reports as an intent to raise prices when demand is highest ... We have no plans to do that," the company said.

Warren's post on X, previously Twitter, said Wendy's plan "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."

"I guess I won't be eating at Wendy's anymore," one Reddit user said in a post, while others on X called for boycotts.

Analysts and consultants were skeptical of the idea of surge pricing at restaurants.

Wendy's "dynamic pricing" was a hot topic at a restaurant conference in the Dallas area, with several executives saying customers - already skittish after recent price increases - would likely be scared off by unpredictable prices.

"I don't see it taking off any time soon," said Victor Fernandez, a senior analyst at restaurant analytics firm Black Box Intelligence.

Michael Lukianoff, CEO of SignalFlare.ai, who has consulted with restaurants about pricing for years, said that "dynamic pricing" is a great success in other industries such as airlines, but would not work in restaurants.

"Customers will shop elsewhere," he said.

Wendy's sales have already slowed. Placer.ai data showed visits to Wendy's outlets declined in all three months of the fourth quarter of 2023.

Wendy's shares, which dropped about 14% in 2023, were up 1% on Wednesday. The company also recently issued a profit forecast for this year below Wall Street estimates, hurt by higher commodity and labor costs. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru, Editing by Nick Zieminski and David Gregorio)