!!!WARNING!!! THIS NOTE IS A BIT LONG WINDED AND AS USUAL IS ABOUT A TRIVIAL SUBJECT!!!! I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY SEIZURES YOU MAY EXPERIENCE CAUSED BY READING THIS, EXCEPT I DON'T.

The best $0.99 (+ tax) you can spend is not found at The Dollar Tree, nor can if be uncovered at All A Dollar. It is found at no other place except Wendy's.

As far as fast food hamburgers go I've always liked Wendy's, notwithstanding that my mother never wanted to go there while growing up. I gained a fond appreciation of their square hamburgers on my own (they taste better that way, true story). One summer while in Oregon my cousin introduced me to the idea of maximum quantity + maximum quality. Our conversation went a little like this,

Me: I'd like a classic double with cheese meal.

Cashier: Okay, that'll be $4.69 (no tax cuz it was Oregon and they are more than a little crazy over there, but at least they don't have food tax).

Cousin: I'd like two Jr Bacon Cheese burgers a small fry and a $0.99 frosty.

Cashier: Okay, that'll be $3.96 (See, all of the items cost $0.99).

I then promptly gawked at my cousins choices wondering why he didn't do what normal people did, you know, get a value meal?

He then illuminated me. He told me it was cheaper to get the Jr Bacon Cheeseburgers and other things versus me spending more money on a value meal, because in the end we both had our fill to eat, mine just cost more. He was right! And I realized then and there that the Jr bacon cheese burgers tasted just as good as my classic double if not more so because of the bacon (quality) and they were cheaper (quantity).

I came home from Oregon a changed man. To reinforce my new found wisdom I frequented my local Wendy's and practiced buying and eating Jr Bacon Cheese Burgers. And boy oh boy, what a practice it was! I soon found out that I liked eating 3 Jr Bacon Cheeseburgers and $0.99 fries and a water. I started calling this the "College Special." I still call it that to this day, although the cashiers don't generally understand what I'm talking about and I have to break..break......break it dooown for them.

A few years later when I was nearing graduation some corporate genius decided to raise the price of the venerated Jr Bacon Cheeseburger to $1.29. I was shocked, saddened, and angered by this ill news. I got the college special a few more times during this dark period. But after a while, I just stopped getting it. I had to stick it to the man! Not long there after, to my wonderful surprise, some other corporate genius decided to lower the price back to $0.99 (I suspect it was the same person trying to save face).

Life was good in Jr Bacon Cheeseburger land until this week. Ben and I went to Wendy's for dinner one night while I was visiting for the Thanksgiving break. We both got a variation of the college special. Then we both noticed something was wrong with our Jr Bacon Cheeseburgers. They weren't under cooked and there wasn't a hair or a thumb in them, but they were noticeably smaller than they used to be. I believe it was the same person who tried to raise the price of the blessed Jr Bacon Cheeseburger, unsuccessfully, that decided to shrink them. I thought it may have been just some fluke in Springville, but it was not so. I had Wendy's down in St. George on my drive home to Cali and to my utter dismay, not only were my burgers small just like in Springville, but St. George is still charging a $1.29 for them. I didn't notice that until the cashier told me it was going to be like almost 6 bucks. I was like, whoa!

I am outraged! As such, I will vent by writing this note and and open letter to Wendy's.

Dear Wendy's,

I have been an avid partaker of your blessed and most sumptuous Jr Bacon Cheeseburger for a long time now. I was heartbroken when you tried to pull a fast one on me and my friends by raising the price to $1.29. I found forgiveness in my heart for you when you lowered the price back to $0.99. But my heart is broken a new with fresh hurt at learning of your recent betrayal to the little man by shrinking the size of the Jr Bacon Cheeseburger. I plead with you, nay I beg of you to either return it to it's former size and glory or lower the price to match the size, say $0.89 or even $0.79. What say ye?

Yours Truly,

Heartbroken and Hungry in Lancaster