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Just tried adding a $2 upcharge for extra sauce on my truck's tacos, and it completely backfired.
I run a taco truck in Tempe, and I thought it was a smart way to boost margins a little. Figured people who really wanted extra would pay. For the first week, I had more people just skip the sauce entirely or get visibly annoyed than actually pay the extra. One guy looked at the menu board, said 'seriously?', and walked away. My regulars started asking for their usual but with 'just the normal amount, I guess'. I learned that for my crowd, a simple price that includes the basics works way better than nickel-and-diming on small stuff. Has anyone else tried a small upcharge that just drove customers off?
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caseyflores7mo ago
Was it just the price or did the sign itself change how people felt about the whole taco? Sometimes seeing that extra charge listed makes the whole meal feel cheap, like you're being squeezed for every little thing. It can break the trust you built with your regulars, making them question the base price instead of just wanting sauce. You might find that baking a small cost into your main price, even if it's just a quarter more per taco, keeps that good feeling and stops people from walking away.
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mary_wells6mo ago
Wait you're telling me people actually walk away over a sauce charge? That's wild. @caseyflores is right, it's the feeling of getting nickel and dimed that kills the vibe, not the money itself. I'd be so annoyed seeing a sign for an extra fifty cents after I already decided to order.
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