Wendy's

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A Wendy's restaurant in Japan
Wendy's Company
Company typePublic company
NYSE: [Script error: No such module "Stock tickers/NYSE". WEN]
IndustryFast food
FoundedNovember 15, 1969
FounderDave Thomas
Headquarters,
United States
Number of locations
6,711 (2020)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Todd Penegor (President and CEO)
ProductsBurgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, breakfast items, frosty desserts
RevenueUS$1.74 billion (2020)
US$277.5 million (2020)
US$127.3 million (2020)
Total assetsUS$3.15 billion (2020)
Total equityUS$−2.12 billion (2020)
Number of employees
20,000 (2020)
Websitewww.wendys.com
Jamaica_Av_Queens_Bl_td_(2022-04-09)_07_-_Wendy's

Wendy's is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in burgers, chicken sandwiches, and other fast food items. Founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy's has grown to become one of the largest fast food chains in the world, with over 6,700 locations worldwide as of 2020.

History[edit | edit source]

Wendy's was founded by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, on November 15, 1969. Thomas named the restaurant after his daughter, Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas. The first Wendy's restaurant featured a distinctive design with a ruffled roof and a square hamburger patty, which set it apart from its competitors.

In the decades since its founding, Wendy's has become one of the largest fast food chains in the world, with over 6,700 locations in 30 countries as of 2020. The company has also expanded its menu to include chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, and breakfast items.

Menu[edit | edit source]

Wendy's menu features a variety of fast food items, including burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, and frosty desserts. One of the chain's most popular menu items is the Baconator, a burger with two quarter-pound beef patties, six strips of bacon, and cheese.

In recent years, Wendy's has also expanded its menu to include breakfast items, such as the Breakfast Baconator, a breakfast sandwich with a sausage patty, bacon, egg, and cheese.

Sustainability[edit | edit source]

Wendy's has made several commitments to sustainability, including a goal to source all of its beef from sustainable sources by 2025. The company has also committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and improving animal welfare in its supply chain.

In 2021, Wendy's announced a partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworker advocacy group, to improve working conditions and wages for tomato pickers in Florida.

Advertising[edit | edit source]

Wendy's is known for its advertising campaigns, which have included the iconic "Where's the Beef?" campaign in the 1980s and the more recent "Fresh, Never Frozen" campaign. The company has also gained attention for its social media presence, with its Twitter account known for its witty and irreverent responses to customers and competitors.

Menu offerings[edit | edit source]

Wendy's menu offers a variety of options, including burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, sides, and desserts. Some of the most popular menu items include:

Burgers[edit | edit source]

Dave's Single: a quarter-pound beef patty topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, and mayo on a toasted bun. Baconator: two quarter-pound beef patties topped with six strips of bacon, two slices of cheese, ketchup, and mayo on a toasted bun. Son of Baconator: a smaller version of the Baconator, with one quarter-pound beef patty and four strips of bacon.

Chicken sandwiches[edit | edit source]

Spicy Chicken Sandwich: a breaded and fried chicken breast topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a toasted bun. Homestyle Chicken Sandwich: a breaded and fried chicken breast topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a toasted bun. Asiago Ranch Chicken Club: a breaded and fried chicken breast topped with Asiago cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing on a toasted bun.

Salads[edit | edit source]

Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad: a mix of lettuce, grilled chicken, bacon, diced tomatoes, shredded pepper jack cheese, and avocado ranch dressing. Apple Pecan Chicken Salad: a mix of lettuce, grilled chicken, apples, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, roasted pecans, and pomegranate vinaigrette.

Sides[edit | edit source]

French Fries: classic french fries. Baconator Fries: french fries topped with cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and six strips of bacon. Chili: beef chili with beans, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and diced onions.

Desserts[edit | edit source]

Frosty: a soft-serve ice cream in chocolate or vanilla flavors. Chocolate Chunk Cookie: a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.

Marketing and promotions[edit | edit source]

Wendy's has used various marketing campaigns to promote its brand and products. One of the most successful campaigns was the "Where's the Beef?" campaign, which aired in 1984 and featured an elderly woman examining a hamburger bun with a comically small beef patty, while asking, "Where's the beef?" The campaign became a pop culture phenomenon and helped increase Wendy's sales.

In recent years, Wendy's has used social media to engage with customers and promote its products. In 2017, the company gained attention for its Twitter account, which frequently engages with users and has been praised for its witty responses to customers and competitors.

Wendy's also offers various promotions and limited-time menu items to drive sales. In 2019, the company launched a "BaconFest" promotion, featuring menu items such as the Baconator, Baconator Fries, and Bacon Jalapeño Cheeseburger.


Wendy's is an international chain of fast food restaurants founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. The company moved its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006.

Menu[edit | edit source]

Wendy's menu is mostly hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries and beverages. For dessert, they serve Frostys, which are similar to Dairy Queen's "Blizzards".

Key Dates[edit | edit source]

  • 1969: Wendy's founded [1]
  • 1970: Opens first commercial drive-thru
  • 1979: Introduces salad bar
  • 1984: Where's the Beef? slogan debuts
  • 1986: Near failure of 1/5 of Wendy's stores
  • 1989: Super Value Menu debuts
  • 1995: Acquires Tim Hortons
  • 2002: Dave Thomas dies
  • 2006: Wendy's divested itself of Tim Hortons
  • 2007: Original Wendy's Restaurant closes
  • 2008: Announces merger with Triarc

Slogans[edit | edit source]

US - Canada[edit | edit source]

  • 1970 - 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 - 1983: You're Wendy's Kind of People
  • 1983 - 1984: Parts is parts
  • 1984 - 1986: Where's the beef?
  • 1986 - 1987: Choose Fresh, choose Wendy's[2]
  • 1987 - 1993: Give a little nibble
  • 1989 - 1998: The best burgers and a whole lot more (also was printed inside the hamburger wrappers during the 1990s)
  • 1997 - Present: You can eat great, even late
  • 2001 - 2005: It's hamburger bliss.
  • 2002 - 2005: It's better here[3]
  • 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: Hot Juicy Burgers
  • February 2008: It's waaay better than fast food... It's Wendy's. (US)
  • February 2008: It's waaaaaaaaaay delicious. It's Wendy's. (Canada)
  • Present: You know when it's real

International[edit | edit source]

  • 1983: It's the best time for...Wendy's (Philippines)
  • 2000 (approx) - Present: We don't cut corners (New Zealand)
  • 2000 (approx) - Present: Wendy's cuadra contigo (Wendy's fits with you). The word cuadra (fit) is a reference to the word cuadro that means square (Venezuela)
  • 2001 (approx) - Present: El Sabor de lo Recien Hecho (The Flavor of the Freshly Made) (Honduras)
  • 2007 (approx) - Present: Wendy's es Sensacional (Wendy's is Sensational) (El Salvador)
  • 2008 - Present: It's not just fast food; it's fresh food, made fast [1] (Malaysia)
  • 2008 - Present: Old Fashion Hamburgers (Dominican Republic)

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Hoovers.com. "McDonald's". answers.com. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  2. Philip H. Dougherty (1986-06-26). "Wendy's Spot Created By Lockhardt & Pettus". the New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-29. The group has a song Fresh that fits in well with the Wendy's theme, Choose fresh. Choose Wendy's. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. Davide Dukcevich (2002-04-09). "Wendy's Salad Days". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2007-12-29. Earlier this month, Wendy's released a new advertising tagline, "It's Better Here," as part of a campaign that purports to showcase Dublin, Ohio, where it has its headquarters. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Wendy's official website

Wendy's official website

Twitter

Latest tweets on Wendy's

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