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Burgers & Fries for Lunch
T.G.I.F. is the time for Big Bill's Burgers & Fries.
June 9, 2003
From the introduction, each Gert's Gas & Go employee had a different kind of burger and fries for lunch. From the menu, the least any of the five could have spent was $3.20, $1.95 for the Whaler FishBurger and $1.25 for the Cajun Fries, while the most anyone could have paid would be $4.80, $2.85 for The Works Burger and $1.95 for the Big Fries. By clue 1, Tom spent $1.20 more than the car wash operator; while by clue 2, Wayne's bill was $1.20 more than the cashier's. If either Wayne were the car wash operator or Tom were the cashier, so that clues 1 and 2 overlapped, the range between the high and low would be $2.40--impossible given the $1.60 range already established. So, four of the five employees are named in clues 1 and 2. Since the least anyone could have spent for lunch is $3.20, the least Tom and Wayne could have paid would be $4.40 (clues 1, 2). Neither could then have bought the Whaler Fishburger at $1.95, since coupling with the most expensive fries at $1.95 would only give $3.90; nor could either have ordered the Double Cheeseburger at $2.25, since pairing it with the Big Fries would give $4.20. If either Tom or Wayne had gotten the Tucson TacoBurger for $2.45, he would have had to have spent the $1.95 for the Big Fries for a total of $4.40; then either the car wash operator or the cashier would have spent the #3.20 minimum (1, 2), $1.95 on the Whaler FishBurger and $1.25 on the Cajun Fries. The least any of the other three employees could then have spent would be $3.60 (the Double Cheeseburger at $2,25 and the Cheese Fries at $1.35), so that the other of Tom and Wayne who didn't spend the $4.40 would have to have paid $4.80 in clue 1 or 2. However, that would necessitate the person purchasing The Works Burger at $2.85 and the Big Fries at $1.95--but the Big Fries would already have been paired with the Tucson Tacoburger. Therefore, neither Tom nor Wayne had the $2.45 Tucson TacoBurger for lunch; Tom and Wayne had the $2.85 The Works Burger and $2.75 Carolina PitBurger respectively or vice versa. Since the least anyone could have spent is $3.20, the $2.85 The Works Burger would have to be paired with fries that would add up to at least $4.40 (1, 2)--so the Cajun Fries at $1.25 (total of $4.10) and Cheese Fries at $1.35 (total of $4.20) can't have been paired with it. If The Works Burger had been combined for lunch with the $1.75 Gravy Fries for a total bill of $4.60, by clues 1 and 2, either the car wash operator or the cashier would have spent $3.40. But there is no combination of hamburger and fries among the four of each that would remain that adds up to $3.40--so The Works Burger wasn't paired with the Gravy Fries. If The Works Burger had been bought with a side of Curly Fries at $1.65 for a total of $4.50, the car wash operator or the cashier would have spent $3.30 for lunch (1, 2) and would have had to have bought the $1.95 Whaler FishBurger and $1.35 Cheese Fries. The other of Tom and Wayne in clues 1 and 2 would have bought the Carolina PitBurger for $2.75; it couldn't have come with the $1.25 Cajun Fries since Tom and Wayne spent at least $4.40 (1, 2). It also couldn't have come with the $1.75 Gravy Fries, since then the combo would have cost a total of $4.50, the same as The Works Burger-Curly Fries combo and a contradiction of the introduction where no two Gert's Gas & Go employees spent the same sum on lunch. So, the Carolina PitBurger would have been with the $1.95 Big Fries for a total of $4.70. From clues 1 and 2, a fourth meal would have cost $3.50--the Double Cheeseburger at $2.25 and the Cajun Fries at $1.25. The fifth lunch would have had a $4.20 tab--$2.45 for the Tucson TacoBurger and $1.75 for the Gravy Fries. Since the car wash operator's meal cost more than Sharon's (1), the car wash operator couldn't have had the $3.30 lunch in clues 1 and 2 and would have had the $3.50 one, with Tom's then costing the $4.70. In clues 1 and 2, then, Wayne would have spent $4.50 and the cashier, Sharon, $3.30. By clue 3, the mechanic's hamburger cost 50¢ more than Russ's; Russ would have to have had the $2.25 Double Cheeseburger and Tom would be the Gert's Gas & Go mechanic. Then, by elimination, Vicky would have ordered the Tucson TacoBurger. However, the stock clerk isn't Vicky and didn't order the Curly Fries (4), so this arrangement fails. The Works Burger wasn't in combination with the $1.65 Curly Fries. It came with the Big Fries at $1.95, a total of $4.80, so that the car wash operator or cashier spent $3.60 (1, 2). The $3.60 order has to have been either the $2.25 Double Cheeseburger with the $1.35 Cheese Fries or the $1.95 Whaler FishBurger with the $1.65 Curly Fries. Trying the latter case, the $2.75 Carolina PitBurger in clue 1 or 2 would have to have been accompanied by the $1.75 Gravy Fries to reach the minimum of $4.40 decided earlier--a total of $4.50, so that the other of the lower-priced meals in clues 1 and 2 would have cost $3.30. There is now no way to make a $3.30 piriced meal with the remaining items. So, the $3.60 order must have been the $2.25 Double Cheeseburger with the $1.35 Cheese Fries. The order with the $2.75 Carolina PitBurger in it had to be for at least $4.40, so it didn't contain the $1.25 Cajun Fries. If the $1.75 Gravy Fries were in it, for a total of $4.50, the fourth order would have cost $3.30. However, there is no way to make a $3.30 pairing from the remaining items. So, the $2.75 Carolina PitBurger and $1.65 Curly Fries came together, a total of $4.40, so that the fourth meal in clues 1 and 2 cost $3.20. That meal must consist of the $1.95 Whaler FishBurger and the $1.25 Cajun Fries; the fifth meal is then the $2.45 Tucson TacoBurger and $1.75 Gravy Fries for a totla bill of $4.20. Since the car wash operator spent more than Sharon (1), in clues 1 and 2, Tom spent the $4.80 and the car wash operator the $3.60, while Wayne paid $4.40 and cashier Sharon's lunch cost $3.20. By clue 3, Wayne is the mechanic and Russ ate the Double Cheeseburger. Vicky's meal cost $4.20. By clue 4, she is Gert's Gas & Go's manager, and Tom is the stock clerk. In sum, the five employees enjoyed their Big Bill's Burgers and Fries as follows:

  • $4.80 - Tom, stock clerk, The Works Burger & Big Fries
  • $4.40 - Wayne, mechanic, Carolina PitBurger & Curly Fries
  • $4.20 - Vicky, manager, Tucson TacoBurger & Gravy Fries
  • $3.60 - Russ, car wash operator, Double CheeseBurger & Cheese Fries
  • $3.20 - Sharon, cashier, Whaler FishBurger & Cajun Fries

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