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Wendy's

"Now that's better"
Type	Wholly owned subsidiary
Industry	Restaurant
Founded	Columbus, Ohio (November 15, 1969 (1969-11-15))
Founder(s)	Dave Thomas
Headquarters	1 Dave Thomas Blvd Dublin, Ohio, United States
Number of locations	6,650 stores (2010)
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Dave Thomas, Founder Wendy Thomas, namesake
Products	Hamburgers Chicken sandwiches Salads Breakfast sandwiches Frozen desserts
Revenue	US$ 02.431 billion (2011)[1]
Operating income	US$ 0137.1 million (2011)[1]
Net income	US$ 009.9 million (2011)[1]
Total assets	US$ 4.301 billion (2011)[1]
Total equity	US$ 01.996 billion (2011)[1]
Employees	42,800 (january 1st, 2012)[1]
Parent	Wendy's Company
Website	wendys.com

Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc (now called Wendy's Company) since 2008. As of March 2010, Wendy's was the world's third largest hamburger fast food chain with approximately 6,650 locations, following McDonald's 31,000+ locations and Burger King's 12,000+ locations.^[2][3][4] In 2011, Wendy's sales exceeded those of Burger King for the first time in the company's history. With sales of $8.5 billion (USD), the company ranked number two in hamburger chains, although Burger King still had far more restaurants.^[5]

Approximately 77% of Wendy's restaurants are franchised, the majority of which are located in North America. Wendy's and its affiliates employ more than 46,000 people in its global operations. In fiscal year 2006, the firm had $2.469 billion (USD) in total sales.^[6] While Wendy's sets standards for exterior store appearance, food quality, and menu, individual owners have control over hours of operations, interior decor, pricing, staff uniforms, and wages.

Wendy's menu consists primarily of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, and beverages, including the Frosty, a form of soft serve ice cream mixed with frozen starches. Until recently, the company did not have a signature sandwich, such as the Big Mac or the Whopper. Instead, the square burger patties (which are fresh ground beef rather than frozen patties) were their signature items. Recently, the company introduced a new sandwich called The "W".^[7]

Contents 1 History 2 Menu 2.1 Breakfast 2.2 Menu items 3 Advertising 3.1 Slogans 3.1.1 North America 3.1.2 International 4 Global locations 4.1 Countries with Wendy's 4.2 Countries formerly with Wendy's 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

  History

The idea for Wendy's "old fashioned" hamburgers was actually inspired by Dave Thomas' trips to Kewpee Hamburgers in his home town of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Kewpee sold square hamburgers and thick malt shakes, much like the well-known restaurant that Thomas eventually founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. Within a year, Thomas opened a second restaurant in Columbus, featuring what Wendy's claims in its corporate history was "the first modern-day, drive-thru window", added in November 1970.^[8] The Columbus location later added a Tim Hortons and was closed on March 2, 2007, after 37 ¹⁄₄ years of business due to declining sales.^[9][10] Thomas named the restaurant after his fourth child Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas.^[11] Photographs and illustrations of her (as well as other memorabilia based upon her) were on display at the original Wendy's restaurant until it closed.

In 1979, Wendy's was the first fast-food chain to introduce the salad bar. Garden Sensations salads were added in 2002.^[12]

In response to a 1986 slowdown in the chain's performance, Wendy's restructured its cleanliness standards, menu, and other operational details to ensure that stores met the goals and standards of the parent company so that its franchises would be more competitive in the market.^[6]

On April 24, 2008, the company announced a merger with Triarc, the parent company of Arby's. Despite the new ownership, Wendy's headquarters remained in Dublin.^[13] Previously, Wendy's had rejected more than two buyout offers from Triarc Companies Inc. Following the merger, Triarc became known as Wendy's/Arby's Group, a publicly traded company.^{[citation needed]} The merger was unsuccessful and Arby's was sold in summer 2011.^[14]

  Menu

Wendy's offers two different hamburger patties, a "Junior" 2.25 ounce (63.8 gram) patty and its "Single" 4 ounce (113.4 gram) patty. 4 ounce patties are sold in single, double, and triple sizes whereas the junior patties sell in single and double patties. The previous size of 2 ounces per junior patty was altered to its current size in 2007 to save on expenses from rising food costs. In August 2011, the junior double stack became discontinued and the new Cheesy Cheddarburger was introduced.

Originally, Wendy's had only two kinds of chicken sandwiches, fried and grilled. The spicy chicken sandwich started out as a promotional sandwich. It was later put on the menu full time in 1996 due to its popularity and the fact that, compared to most promotional sandwiches, it was much simpler to make (it used the same condiments as the standard breaded chicken 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¢. The menu was restructured in 2007 due to rising costs as the Super Value Menu with prices ranging from 99¢ to $2.00. In 2010, Wendy's introduced the Every Day Value Menu with nine items at $0.99 (eight items at $1.89 in Canada).

  Breakfast

In mid-2007, Wendy's began a national debut of its new breakfast menu in its U.S. and Canadian stores. Wendy's experimented with serving breakfast for a short time in 1985, but the endeavor was unsuccessful due to many issues.^[15][16] While approximately twelve Wendy's restaurants in the U.S. and its territories have been serving breakfast since then, Wendy's has not had a company-wide breakfast offering.^[16][17] The new breakfast menu was expected be fully deployed to all Wendy's in the United States by the end of 2009, but as of July 2010, many Wendy's franchises across the country still do not have a breakfast menu.

The new breakfast menu differs slightly from the one featured in 1985, and it is structured similarly to its lunch and dinner menu, with value meals and various sides like blended fruit.^[17] Menu items include several breakfast sandwiches served on biscuits, frescuit (a square biscuit to match their square burger patties), and Kaiser rolls, breakfast burritos and side orders of hash browns, muffins, and cinnamon sticks.^[18] In order to avoid the same issues the original 1985 breakfast offerings faced, the new menu was designed for ease of operation, lower costs, and reduced preparation time.^[16]

In 2011, Wendy's said the chain plans to change its breakfast menu. Pancakes and omelets have not been successful, because they "aren't conducive to eating on the go."^[14]

  Menu items

• Wendy's features French fries as its primary side item (the recipe was modified in 2010^[19]), but also offers a number of options for side items including salads, chili, wraps and baked potatoes. In several markets the customer may request any of these be substituted for fries in their value meals.
• Frosty dessert – a frozen dairy dessert sold in chocolate and vanilla flavors. The Frosty flavors are also sold as a float. Recently, Frosty Shakes – a Frosty blended with either vanilla bean, strawberry, chocolate fudge, Caramel and Wild Berry Syrups and topped with Syrup and whipped topping – have been served at Wendy's. In 2011 Wendy's discontinued the Twisted Frosty, in place introduced Frosty Parfaits, they come in Caramel Apple, and Chocolate Oreo.
• In Costa Rica, gallo pinto is available. Gallo pinto is a breakfast dish made with fried rice and black beans.
• In Japan, Wendy's offered a red bean paste and cheese sandwich called an "An" Burger (あんバーガー anbāgā). They also served several types of teriyaki burgers.^[20]
• Big Classic – A sandwich that directly competes with the Burger King Whopper. Mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and onions served on a Kaiser-style roll. A second version with bacon is available, called the Big Bacon Classic, which was replaced with the Bacon Deluxe in 2009 when the Applewood Smoked Bacon was introduced. The Big Classic, is no longer known by any name on the menu, but is still available by requesting to add three strips of bacon to a single, double, or triple classic cheeseburger.
• Baconator – Single Baconator is one ¹⁄₄-pound patty topped with mayonnaise, ketchup, three strips of bacon and one slice of cheese; Double Baconator has mayonnaise, ketchup, six strips of bacon, two ¹⁄₄-pound (113.4 gram) patties, and two slices of American cheese; and the Triple Baconator (1360 calories) is three ¹⁄₄-pound patties with nine strips of bacon, three slices of cheese, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
• The Double Stack was Wendy's $0.99 double cheeseburger. It comes with two 1.78-ounce patties, American cheese, ketchup, two pickles, two onions, and mustard on a small bun. It was on the menu in the 1980s and 1990s, replaced with the $1.29 "Stack Attack" for several years, and brought back in late 2008. At one point, the Double Stack was $1.29 in most locations. In August 2011, the Double Stack was discontinued in Canadian restaurants and a new burger called the Cheesy Cheddarburger (sold in America and Canada) was brought in to replace it. The Double Stack is still sold, but is no longer on the $0.99 menu. The Double Stack is now made with two 2.25-ounce patties.
• In December 2006, Wendy's phased out and stopped offering their fried "home-style" chicken strips in most U.S. locations. There is now a chicken club combo in the strips' place, which features a home-style chicken breast with Swiss cheese, three strips of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Wendy's also offers the spicy or grilled chicken fillet sandwich, which comes with either honey mustard or mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato. The home-style chicken strips are still available in Canada.
• Outlets in North Carolina and South Carolina offer a sandwich called the Carolina Classic. The sandwich consists of a single quarter pound patty of beef, topped with chili, coleslaw, onion, and mustard.
• On July 9, 2010, Wendy's began serving four salads, including Apple Pecan Chicken, BLT Cobb, Baja Salad, and Spicy Chicken Caesar throughout the U.S. Also the Berry Almond chicken and Asian Firecracker salads are available in select areas.^[12]
• In February 2011, Wendy's changed the chicken club sandwich to the "Asiago Ranch" removing Swiss cheese from the menu. Mayonnaise was replaced with ranch, and the sandwich is available with the home-style, spicy, or grilled chicken.
• In September 2011, Wendy's replaced their then-current meat with "Dave's Hot 'N Juicy". A 4 oz. Thick Cut patty was introduced for premium sandwiches,^[14] and the chain replaced 1.78 oz. with 2.25 oz. for Value sandwiches. This was part of the chain's attempt to totally revamp its cheeseburgers.
• In November 2011, Wendy's introduced a signature sandwich to directly compete with McDonald's Big Mac and Burger King's Whopper known as The "W". This sandwich featured two all-beef square patties on a butter-toasted bun along with a signature sauce.
• In April 2012, Wendy's introduced poutine to their menu in Canada.
• In July 2012, Wendy's introduced Son of Baconator to their menu as a cheaper, smaller, alternative to the Baconator. It is made with two 2.25-ounce meat patties, four pieces of bacon, two slices of cheese, and topped with ketchup and mayonnaise.

  Advertising

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 actress Clara Peller was featured in the successful "Where's the Beef?" North American commercial campaign written by Cliff Freeman. Her famous line quickly entered the American pop culture (it was even used by Walter Mondale in a debate with Gary Hart in the Democratic primary election) and served to promote Wendy's hamburgers. Peller, age 84, was dropped from the campaign in 1985 because she performed in a commercial for Prego spaghetti sauce, saying she "finally found" the beef.^[21]

Peller was soon after replaced by a much less successful "give a little nibble" campaign, which was in turn 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. In 1997, the company pulled its advertising from the sitcom Ellen after the show's main character came out as a lesbian. The result was a boycott initiated by members of the gay community.^[22]

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 a campaign focusing on the difference between Wendy's square hamburgers and the round hamburgers of competitors.

Wendy's marketing arm engages in product placement in films and television and is sometimes seen on ABC's reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, serving food to the more than 100 construction workers. A recent Wendy's commercial features the tune from the Violent Femmes song "Blister in the Sun."

With their recent "that's right" ad campaign not a success, Wendy's unveiled a new ad campaign, featuring an animated Wendy that's voiced by Luci Christian highlighting certain menu items. The new ad campaign made its debut in late January 2008, with a new slogan: "It's waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's."^[23] The company's most recent slogan, "you know when it's real", was introduced in 2009.

One of the chain's newest TV ad campaigns, launched in 2011 alongside the introduction of the new "Dave's Hot 'N Juicy" hamburgers, features the chain's namesake Wendy Thomas in some commercials. Since April 2012, Wendy's main ad campaign features Morgan Smith Goodwin as Red, as introduced with Wendy's new slogan, "Now that's better".

Wendy's is the official sponsor of ESPN Football Friday every Friday during football season, getting fans ready with shows throughout the day previewing the upcoming college and NFL games. Also, Wendy's is the sponsor of the NBC Sunday Night Football Postgame show.

  Slogans

  North America

• 1969–present: Quality Is Our Recipe (this slogan is still shown on the Wendy's logo today.)
• 1978–1979: Juicy hamburgers
• 1979–1980: Hot "-N-Juicy
• 1980–1981: Wendy's Has the Taste You Crave
• 1981–1982: Ain't No Reason to Go Anyplace Else
• 1982-1982: "Even late, your mates can ate great shakes"
• 1982–1985: You're Wendy's Kind of People
• 1983–1984: Parts is parts^[6]
• 1984–1986, October 2011 – present: Where's the beef?^[6]
• 1985–1988: Choose Fresh, choose Wendy's^[24] (Originally used alongside "Where's the Beef?")
• 1987–1993: Give a little nibble was to be a catchy phrase that would capture the attention of consumers and help make Wendy's major player on the fast-food scene once again. This television commercial was a flop and sent Wendy's hunting for a new advertising agency.^[25] After a poorly received seven-week run, Wendy's pulled the television commercials^[26] created by Dick Rich Inc.^[27][28] The "nibble" spots were meant to emphasize Wendy's better-tasting hamburger. They showed customers ripping off chunks of meat from an absurdly large hamburger.
• 1988–1992: The best burgers in the business.
• 1989–1998: The best burgers and a whole lot more (also was printed inside the hamburger wrappers during the 1990s)
• 1996–1998: The Best Burgers Yet!!
• 1997–present: You can eat great, even late
• 1999–2005: It's hamburger bliss. (+ "We Don't Cut Corners" (at least a slogan in Canada around the same time)
• 2002–2005: It's better here^[29]
• 2003–2007: It's Always Great, Even Late. (Canada)
• 2005–2007: Do what tastes right. (primary slogan)
• 2005–present: It's good to be square.
• January 2007 – October 2007: That's right.
• January 2007 – October 2007: Uh Huh.
• 2007–2008: H " Juicy Burgers
• January 2008 – October 2009: It's way better than fast food... It's Wendy's. (US)
• January 2008 – October 2009: It's way delicious. It's Wendy's. (Canada)
• January 2008 – October 2009: Carrément bon. C'est Wendy's. (EN: "Squarely good. It's Wendy's.") (Quebec, Canada)
• January 2008 - October 2009: Eat way better, way later
• October 2009 – April 2012: You know when it's real.
• October 2009 – April 2012: Eat great, real late.
• April 2012 – present: That's Wendy's Way. (ad series featuring Wendy Thomas reinforcing Dave's values) ^[30]
• April 2012 – present: Now that's better. ^[30]

• April 2012 – present: Better later.
• 2009–present: "Wendy's, Sabor al cuadrado" (Mexico)

  International

• 1983–present: It's the best time for...Wendy's (Philippines)
• 2000 (approx) – present: Quality is our recipe (New Zealand and Indonesia)
• 2000 (approx) – present: Wendy's cuadra contigo (Wendy's fits with you). The word cuadra (fit) is a reference to the Spanish word cuadrado that means square. (Venezuela)
• 2001 (approx) – present: El Sabor de lo Recien Hecho (The Flavor of the Freshly Made) (Honduras)
• 2007 (approx) – 2009: Wendy's es Sensacional (Wendy's is Sensational) (El Salvador)
• 2008–present: It's not just fast food; it's fresh food, made fast (Malaysia)
• 2008–present: Old Fashion Hamburgers (Dominican Republic)
• 2009–present: Es Muuuuucho Más Que Comída Rapida, Es Wendy's (It's waaay better than fast food... It's Wendy's.) (El Salvador)
• 2011–present: T&T, Meet Wendy (Trinidad and Tobago)^[31][32]

2012–present: Aqui esta el sabor" (Here's the taste)(Puerto Rico)

  Global locations

  Countries with Wendy's

Argentina (re-opened December 2011)  Aruba  Bahamas  Canada (some locations co-branded with Tim Hortons)  Cayman Islands  Colombia  Costa Rica  Curaçao"Wendy's Around the World"  Dominican Republic  El Salvador  Georgia (opening 2013)  Guatemala  Honduras  Indonesia  Jamaica

Japan (re-opened December 2011)  Malaysia  Mexico  New Zealand  Panama  Philippines  Russia  Singapore  Trinidad and Tobago  United Arab Emirates  United States  Puerto Rico  Guam  United States Virgin Islands  Venezuela

  Countries formerly with Wendy's

Australia  Belgium  Brazil (re-opening planned for 2011)  Egypt  Germany  Greece (1994–2002)  Hungary (1994–2002)[33]  Hong Kong (1991–2000)[34]  Iceland  Ireland  Israel  Italy  Kuwait

Netherlands  Northern Mariana Islands  Oman  Poland  Saudi Arabia  South Africa  South Korea (1984–1998)[35]  Spain  Switzerland  Taiwan[36]  Thailand  Turkey  United Kingdom (c. 1980–1986; 1992–2000; one store operated until 2007)

  See also

• Wendy's High School Heisman (student-athletes in various sports)
• Heath Slater

  References

  External links

Wikinews has news related to: Chili Finger Incident

Wikinews has news related to: Wendy's

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wendy's

• Wendy's USA official website
• Wendy's Canada official website
• Wendy's official mobile website
• Wendy's official breakfast website

Fast food and fast casual restaurant chains in the United States Chicken chains Pizza chains Hamburgers A&W Arctic Circle Back Yard Burgers Big Boy Restaurants Blake's Lotaburger Burger King Burger Time Burgerville Carl's Jr. Checkers / Rally's Cook Out Culver's Fatburger Five Guys Freddy's Frozen Custard Fuddruckers George Webb Gino's Hamburgers Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard Hardee's Hot 'n Now In-N-Out Burger Jack in the Box Jack's Johnny Rockets Jollibee Krystal Maid-Rite McDonald's Nation's Giant Hamburgers Original Tommy's Roy Rogers Runza Shake Shack Smashburger Sonic Drive-In Spangles Steak 'n Shake Swensons Wendy's Whataburger What-A-Burger White Castle Winstead's Zippy's Asian Chowking (Filipino) Jollibee (Filipino) L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Lee's Sandwiches (Vietnamese) Manchu Wok (Chinese) Max's of Manila (Filipino) Panda Express (Chinese) Pick Up Stix (Chinese) Sarku Japan (Japanese) Thaï Express (Thai) Yoshinoya (Japanese) Baked goods Au Bon Pain Auntie Anne's Beard Papa's Cinnabon Dunkin' Donuts Einstein Bros. Bagels Honey Dew Donuts Krispy Kreme Mister Donut Mrs. Fields Nestlé Toll House Café Pretzelmaker / Pretzel Time Shipley Do-Nuts Tim Hortons T.J. Cinnamons Wetzel's Pretzels Winchell's Donuts Yum-Yum Donuts Beverages Argo Tea Biggby Coffee Caribou Coffee The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Coffee Beanery Dunn Bros Jamba Juice Max Brenner Orange Julius Peet's Coffee & Tea Planet Smoothie Robeks Seattle's Best Coffee Smoothie King Starbucks Tully's Coffee Frozen desserts Bahama Buck's Baskin-Robbins Ben & Jerry's Braum's Brigham's Ice Cream Bruster's Ice Cream Carvel Cold Stone Creamery Culver's Dairy Queen Dippin' Dots Fosters Freeze Friendly's Golden Spoon Graeter's Häagen-Dazs Handel's Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt MaggieMoo's Ice Cream and Treatery Marble Slab Creamery Menchie's Pinkberry Red Mango Rita's Italian Ice Tastee-Freez Tropical Sno TCBY United Dairy Farmers Yogen Früz Yogurtland Hot dogs Casper's Dog n Suds Hot Dog on a Stick James Coney Island Nathan's Famous Portillo's Sneaky Pete's Ted's Hot Dogs Wienerschnitzel Kebabs (Gyros) Buffalo Wings and Rings Coney Island Restaurant Daphne's Greek Cafe Dino's Great Wraps Niko Niko's Showmars Zankou Chicken Mexican-style / Tex-Mex Baja Fresh Boloco Cafe Rio California Tortilla Chipotle Mexican Grill Chronic Tacos Del Taco El Pollo Loco Freebirds World Burrito Green Burrito / Red Burrito Mighty Taco Moe's Southwest Grill Panchero's Mexican Grill Qdoba Mexican Grill Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill Taco Bell Taco Bueno Taco Cabana Taco del Mar Taco John's Taco Mayo Taco Palenque Taco Tico Taco Time Wahoo's Fish Taco Sandwiches Arby's Blimpie Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits Bruegger's Charley's Grilled Subs Chick-fil-A Così Cousins Subs D'Angelo Sandwich Shops Daphne's California Greek Earl of Sandwich Erbert & Gerbert's Firehouse Subs Hogi Yogi Jason's Deli Jersey Mike's Subs Jimmy John's Kelly's Roast Beef Lenny's Sub Shop Miami Subs Pizza and Grill Milio's Sandwiches Mr. Hero Panera Bread Penn Station Potbelly Sandwich Works Quiznos Rax Roast Beef Sandella's Flatbread Café Schlotzsky's Steak Escape Subway Texadelphia Togo's Tropical Smoothie Cafe Tubby's Tudor's Biscuit World Which Wich? Seafood Arthur Treacher's Captain D's H. Salt Esquire Ivar's Long John Silver's Skippers Seafood & Chowder House Former Bess Eaton Burger Chef Carrols Druther's Naugles Pioneer Chicken Red Barn Sandy's

Wendy's People Dave Thomas Wendy Thomas John T. Schuessler Products Frosty Frescata Bacon Deluxe Baconator Big Classic Advertising Where's the beef? Annual revenue  $3.74 billion USD (2004) Employees 58,000 (2004) Stock symbol NYSE: WEN Website wendys.com

Kewpee Related Restaurants Halo Burger Mr. Fables Wendy's Wilson's Sandwich Shop Other Dortch Enterprises Mascot: Kewpie doll Locations: Kewpee Restaurant in Lima, Ohio