Burger King Is Giving Out Free Whoppers in Response to Wendy's 'Dynamic Pricing'

Burger King is handing out free burgers in response to Wendy's recent controversy. The fast food restaurant announced Wednesday that from Feb. 28 through March 1, customers can get a free Whopper or Impossible Whopper with a purchase of $3 or more on their mobile app.

The deal can be used once a day from the "Offers" tab on the app and bk.com and is a less-than-subtle response to Wendy's controversial announcement that they would be introducing "dynamic pricing" in 2025. "We don't believe in charging guests more when they're hungry," Burger King said in a press release announcing the new special, adding, "Surge pricing? Well, that's new. Good thing the only thing surging at BK is our flame!"

Wendy's faced backlash Tuesday after CEO Kirk Tanner said in an earnings call earlier this month, "We will begin testing more enhanced features like dynamic pricing and day-part offerings along with AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling." 

While many people interpreted Tanner's announcement to mean that the new pricing model would be operating similarly to surge pricing on Uber and Lyft, increasing the price alongside demand, a Wendy's representative has denied that the company is implementing that policy in a statement to PEOPLE Tuesday.

"We have no plans to do that and would not raise prices when our customers are visiting us most," the spokesperson said in a new statement. "Any features we may test in the future would be designed to benefit our customers and restaurant crew members. 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."

Wendy's plans to invest about $20 million to launch their digital menu boards at all U.S. company-run restaurants by the end of 2025. The company also plans to invest about $10 million over the next two years to support digital menu enhancements globally.