Wendy's

Wendy's International, LLC,is an American internationalfast food restaurantchain founded byDave Thomason November 15, 1969, inColumbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved toDublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the world's third-largesthamburgerfast-food chain, followingMcDonald’sandBurger King. On September 29, 2008, the company merged withTriarc, the publicly traded parent company ofArby's.
As of November 2, 2023, there were 7,166 Wendy's outlets, of which 415 are company-owned and 6,751franchised, 83% of which are in the United States.The company specifies stores' standards; owners control opening hours, decor, and staff uniforms and pay.
The chain serves square hamburger patties on circular buns, sea salt fries, and theFrosty, soft ice cream mixed with starches. The food menu consists primarily of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and French fries. The company discontinued itsBig Classicsignature sandwich.
Wendy's hamburgers are based on those ofKewpee Hamburgersin Dave Thomas's home town,Kalamazoo, Michigan; Kewpee sold square hamburgers and thick malt shakes. Thomas founded Wendy's inColumbus, Ohio, in 1969, selling square patties with corners that stuck out of the circular bun, giving the impression of plentiful meat.The Columbus location later added aTim Hortons. It was closed on March 2, 2007, after 38 years of business, due to declining sales.Basketball starJohn Havlicek, an Ohio State University alumnus, was one of Thomas's earliest investors, which allowed him to retire comfortably.
Thomas named the restaurant after his fourth childMelinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas.Photographs of her were on display at the original Wendy's restaurant until it closed.Thomas wrote that he regretted naming the restaurant after his daughter because once it became afast food empireshe "lost some of her privacy" with many people assuming she was the official companyspokesperson.In August 1972, the first Wendy's franchisee, L.S. Hartzog, signed an agreement forIndianapolis, Indiana.Also in 1972 Wendy's broadcast its first TV commercials, locally in Ohio, portraying an animated Wendy and dancing hamburgers.
The first Canadian restaurant opened inHamilton, Ontario, in 1976.In December 1976, Wendy's opened its 500th restaurant, located inToronto. In March 1978, Wendy's opened its 1000th restaurant inSpringfield, Tennessee.
Wendy's founded the fried chicken chain Sisters Chicken & Biscuits in 1978 and sold it to its largest franchisee in 1987.In the 1970s Wendy's opened in Australia, but by 1986 almost all of their Australian stores had been purchased byHungry Jack's, the Australian franchisee ofBurger King. On May 13, 2021, Wendy's opened a pop-up store inThe Rocksin theSydney central business districtfor a day.In 1979, the first European Wendy's opened inMunich, West Germany.Wendy's entered the Asian market by opening its first restaurants in Japan in 1980, in Hong Kong in 1982, and in the Philippines and Singapore in 1983.In 1984, Wendy's opened its first restaurant inSouth Korea.
The chain opened locations inWest Germanyin the 1980s inMannheim,HeidelbergandMunichand other areas where the US maintained Army bases. When the troops were removed afterGerman reunificationin the early 1990s, these Wendy's stores were closed.
In response to a 1986 slowdown in the chain's performance, Wendy's took steps to ensure that stores met the required standards.Wendy's closed all its outlets in Hong Kong in 1986 and in Singapore in the following year.
From 1988 to 1990, Wendy's expanded operations globally to Mexico, New Zealand, Indonesia, Greece, Turkey, Guatemala, as well as the U.S. Naval Base in Naples, Italy.In 1988, Wendy's expanded its bar to a full-blown buffet called the Superbar for $2.99; while popular it was difficult to maintain and was discontinued in 1998.
In 1989, Wendy's opened its first restaurant in Greece atSyntagma Square, Athens, the first foreign fast-food chain in the country. After opening 12 restaurants in 3 cities, the company abandoned the Greek market in 2002 due to differences with the local franchisee, although it was a very successful and profitable business at the time.In 1996, the chain expanded inArgentinaby opening 18 local restaurants. However, all of them closed only four years later due to the economic crisis in the country.In 1998, Wendy's pulled out of South Korea by closing all its 15 restaurants and in 2000 exited from theUK, Argentina, and Hong Kong.
In 2001, Wendy's createdVermont-based Scioto Insurance Company to furnish insurance to Wendy's and other affiliates.Scioto owns a subsidiary, Oldemark LLC, which holds Wendy'sintellectual propertyand licenses it back to Wendy's for royalties.
Garden Sensations salads were added in 2002.Wendy's signed a franchise agreement to re-enter the Singapore market in 2009,though that agreement was short-lived; in April 2015, Wendy's once again ceased operation in the country and closed all the restaurants.
On September 29, 2008, the company merged withTriarc Companies Inc., the publicly traded parent company ofArby's;Wendy's headquarters remained inDublin. Triarc then became known as Wendy's/Arby's Group, and later asthe Wendy's Companyfollowing the sale of Arby's toRoark Capital Group.
In 2011, Wendy's returned to Japan and Argentina announcing a development agreement for 50 restaurants in the country.It also entered the Russian market for the first time with plans to open 180 restaurants over a 10-year period. However, only three years later, in 2014, Wendy's closed all its restaurants in the country.
In 2013, Wendy's opened the first restaurant inGeorgiaand made a deal to open 25 restaurants in Georgia and theRepublic of Azerbaijan.In September 2014, several pork-based products were introduced to be on sale until early November. These included a standard pulled pork sandwich with slaw and three sauce options, a BBQ Pulled Pork Cheeseburger and cheese fries with pulled pork, cheddar cheese sauce, onions, and barbecue sauce.In May 2015, Wendy's announced they would be expanding intoIndia, with its first outlet located inGurgaon.
In September 2016, JAE Restaurant Group acquired 97 Wendy's restaurants throughout theSouth Floridaregion.JAE Restaurant Group is one of the country's largest franchisee owners. The Group owns 177 Wendy's Restaurants.
Wendy's Co. has been looking to remodel existing stores and upgrade the curb appeal of its locations. They have been doing this by adding fireplaces, more seating options, adding WiFi and flat-screen TVs, and digital menus.
In 2017, the company sold 540 of its restaurants. The divestiture was the second step in a three-step action plan to improve the brand. Other steps include new openings and remodeling of existing stores. In 2015, the brand opened 80 new restaurants and remodeled 450 of its existing locations. The brand's goal is to remodel at least 60% of its North American locations by year-end 2020.
In December 2017, Wendy's announced a partnership withDoorDashfor food delivery in the U.S.
In October 2019, Wendy's announced that it was returning to the UK market, which it had served from 1980 to 1986, then again from 1992 to 2000. The first of 20 planned restaurants was due to open in 2020 inStoke-on-Trent,but it was later announced that the first location would beReading,Berkshire.The Reading restaurant opened on June 2, 2021.Wendy's would open its firstdrive-thrulocation in the UK inColchesterin July 2023.
In January 2021, Wendy's announced that after the bankruptcy of franchisee NPC Quality Burgers Inc., half of NPC's outlets would be bought by Flynn Restaurant.
In 2023, Wendy's announced it would be returning to Australia, with hundreds of locations set to open across the country. The chain previously operated in Australia from the 1970s until it was closed in 1986. However, the US Burger giant has already run into a potential issue with the trademark to Wendy's name already owned by a different fast food outlet namedWendy's Milk Bar, which opened in 1979 and has been operating in the country for over 40 years.In January 2025, Wendy’s opened its first store inSurfers Paradise.
In July 2024, Wendy's announced that they had signed an agreement with franchisees in theRepublic of Irelandand would begin opening restaurants there beginning in early 2025, with the agreement stipulating that 30 new restaurants would open across the country over the following 10 years.A few days later, they announced that they will enter the Romanian market, opening 5 restaurants in 2025.
Wendy's offers two different hamburger patties, a "Junior" 1.78-ounce (50 g) patty and a "Single" 4-ounce (110 g) patty. The 4-ounce patties are sold in single, double, and triple configurations, and the 1.78-ounce ones in single and double. The previous size of 2 ounces (57 g) per junior patty was reduced in 2007 to save money. The chain's patties are known for being square instead of round; as more square patties can fit onto a single grill over round.Originally, Wendy's had only two kinds ofchicken sandwiches, fried and grilled. The spicy chicken sandwich started out as a promotion. It was later put on the menu full-time in 1996 because of its popularity and its ease of preparation; it used the same condiments as the standard fried chicken sandwich.
TheFrescataline of sandwiches also went from being promotional items to main menu items; after going through several revisions, the Turkey and Swiss and the Ham and Swiss were put on the menu full-time. They were discontinued in mid-December 2007. Occasionally, some Wendy's restaurants offer a fried fish sandwich.
In 1988, Wendy's was the first fast-food chain to create a single-price-point "value menu" where all items listed on that menu were priced exclusively at 99¢. That menu was modified in 2007, with prices ranging from 99¢ to $2.00.
Wendy's served breakfast beginning in 1985, but that endeavor proved unsuccessful.In mid-2007, Wendy's started serving breakfast again in its U.S. and some Canadian locations.While approximately 12 Wendy's restaurants in the U.S. and its territories had been serving breakfast since 2006, Wendy's did not have a company-wide breakfast offering until 2020.
The 2007 breakfast menu is different from the ones featured in 1985 and is structured similarly to the lunch/dinner menu, with "value meals" and various sides like blended fruit.Menu items include severalbreakfast sandwichesserved onbiscuits, "frescuits", andKaiser rolls, breakfastburritos, andside ordersofhash browns,muffins, andcinnamon sticks.To avoid problems encountered with the 1985 breakfast, the 2007 menu was designed for ease of operation, lower cost, and reduced preparation time.
In January 2016, Wendy's announced a transition plan to serve only cage-free eggs by 2020 in all U.S. and Canadian locations that serve breakfast.
In September 2019, Wendy's announced it would launch a nationwide breakfast menu in March 2020, including a breakfast version of its Baconator, a Frosty-inspired coffee drink, and a honey butter chicken biscuit.That menu includes 19 items.It began offering new a cinnamon roll-like baked good via a partnership withCinnabonin February 2024, and this came on top of other recent additions like a breakfast burrito that resembled something fromTaco Belland or a sandwich similar to theMcMuffinfromMcDonalds, asCNNreported.
In February 2024, the company announced a plan to exploredynamic pricing, or surge pricing, where the cost of menu items would change throughout the day depending on timing of purchases and restaurant activity, in early 2025. Similar moves have been attempted byAMC EntertainmentandUber. Despite not receiving much attention when first discussed on the company's earnings call, the reaction was largely negative. The company decided against the move later that month and emphasized discounts it offers customers.
In 2015, Wendy's had two food safety incidents involving foreign objects in food at their restaurants inGurgaon, India.
In late August 2022, 97 people reported getting sick after eating sandwiches containing romaine lettuce at Wendy's restaurants in the U.S. states of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Kentucky.TheCenters for Disease Control and Preventionnever could officially identify the specific source of theE. colioutbreak, but Wendy's removed romaine lettuce from the affected restaurants.In October 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared theE. colioutbreak was over, stating that at least 109 people had been impacted. Of those cases, 52 people had been admitted to hospitals and 13 had developedhemolytic uremic syndrome.
After successful early growth of the chain, sales flattened as the company struggled to achieve brand differentiation in the highly competitive fast-food market. This situation would turn around in the mid-1980s. Starting on January 9, 1984, elderly actressClara Pellerwas featured in the successful "Where's the beef?" North American commercial campaign written by Cliff Freeman. Her famous line quickly entered the Americanpop culture(it was even used byWalter Mondalein a debate withGary Hartin theDemocraticprimary election) and served to promote Wendy's hamburgers. Peller, age 83, was dropped from the campaign in 1985 because she performed in a commercial forPregospaghettisauce, saying "I found it, I really found it",a phrase alluding to the beef in the listener's mind.
Peller was soon after replaced by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas himself. Soft-spoken and bashful, the "Dave" ads generally focused on Thomas praising his products and offering a commitment to quality service, although there would occasionally be "wackier" ads as well. Thomas ultimately appeared in more than 800 commercials, more than any other company founder in television history.
After Dave Thomas' death in 2002, Wendy's struggled to find a new advertising campaign. After a round of conventional ads describing the food they serve, in 2004 they tried using a character they made called "Mr. Wendy" who claimed to be the unofficial spokesperson for the chain. These proved to be extremely unsuccessful. After seven months, Wendy's returned to an animated campaign focusing on the difference between Wendy's square hamburgers and the round hamburgers of competitors.
Wendy's marketing arm engages inproduct placementin films and television and is sometimes seen on ABC's reality showExtreme Makeover: Home Edition, serving food to the more than 100 construction workers.
A 2007 Wendy's commercial featured the tune from theViolent Femmessong "Blister in the Sun". The inclusion of the song in the commercial provoked an internal conflict between members of the Violent Femmes, which resulted in a lawsuit between bassistBrian Ritchieand lead singerGordon Ganothat ultimately led to the band disbanding in 2009 (however, they would reunite in 2013).
With their "That's right" ad campaign, not a success, Wendy's unveiled a new ad campaign, featuring the animated version of their mascot voiced byLuci Christianhighlighting certain menu items. The new ad campaign made its debut in late January 2008, with slogans: in the US:
"It's waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's." and in Canada, "It's waaaay delicious. It's Wendy's."The company's slogan, "you know when it's real", was introduced in 2010.
In November 2010, a series of commercials aired featuring the company's namesake,Wendy Thomas, which marked the first time she had appeared in a Wendy's advertisement.In April 2012,Morgan Smith Goodwinbegan appearing as theredheadin ads with the slogan "Now that's better."In 2013, social media advertising featuringNick Lacheydirected atmillennialspromoted the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger.
A 2014 campaign to promote the Tuscan Chicken on Ciabatta sandwich entitled L'Estrella de la Toscana (or "Star of Tuscany" in English) was launched on television and social media.
Wendy's has been the target of protests and boycotts by advocates of theFair Food Program(FFP) in the US due to corporate refusal to join the agricultural worker protection partnership,established in 2011.In 2016, theCoalition of Immokalee Workersbegan a US-wide boycott of Wendy's to pressure the company to join the FFP,supported by theStudent/Farmworker Alliance.A key component of the predecessors to the FFP was commitment by buyers of agricultural products like tomatoes to pay growers a small amount more (such as one penny per pound), to be passed on to their field workers.The FFP provides protections against exploitation to agricultural workers.
In response, Wendy's reported that it began to purchase tomatoes in 2019 solely from growers who usehydroponicsand greenhouses to cultivate tomatoes, subject to Wendy's corporate code of conduct for its supply chain.  Wendy's policy requires third-party reviews of farm labor practices.
On March 23, 2018, Wendy's released anEPtitledWe Beefin?, a reference to their 1984 sloganWhere's the beef?
On October 3, 2019, Wendy's released atabletop role-playing gametitledFeast of Legends: Rise From the Deep Freeze,in the style ofDungeons & Dragons. A short multi-part adventure was included, pitting Wendy's kingdom against the Ice Jester, a parody ofRonald McDonald, the clown mascot of Wendy's competitor,McDonald's.Critical Rolewas sponsored for a special event live stream of the game.