Wendy's
Encyclopedia
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.
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. 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 hamburger
s, chicken sandwich
es, French fries
and beverages, including the Frosty, a form of soft serve ice cream mixed with frozen starches. The company does 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) it uses in its sandwiches are the signature item.
The idea for Wendy's "old fashioned" hamburgers was actually inspired by Dave Thomas's 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 1971. The Columbus location later added a Tim Hortons
and was closed on March 2, 2007 after 38 years of business due to declining sales. Thomas named the restaurant after his fourth child Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas
. Photographs of 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.
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.
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.
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. The merger was not a success and Arby's was sold in summer 2011.
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 patties were once again re-sized to 2.25 ounces along with the Doublestack burger being discontinued and the new Cheesy Cheddarburger being introduced. Originally, Wendy's had only two kinds of chicken sandwich
es, 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 $2.00 US$. In 2011 Wendy's introduced the Every Day Value Menu with 9 items at $0.99. ( 8 items at $ 1.89 in Canada)
The new breakfast menu differs slightly from the one featured in 1985, and it is structured similarly to its lunch/dinner menu, with value meals and various sides like blended fruit. Menu items include several breakfast sandwich
es served on biscuits, frescuit and Kaiser roll
s, breakfast burritos and side order
s of hash browns, muffins, and cinnamon sticks. 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.
In 2011, Wendy's said the chain plans to change its breakfast menu. Pancake
s and omelets have not been successful because they "aren't conducive to eating on the go."
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 hamburger
s. 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.
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. 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 the gay and lesbian community. 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 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." The company's most recent slogan, "you know when it's real," was introduced in 2009.
The chain's newest TV ad campaign, launched in 2011 alongside the introduction of the new "Dave's Hot 'N Juicy" hamburgers, features the chain's namesake Wendy Thomas.
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.
) http://www.aboutwendys.com/International/Websites/
(1984 to 1998) (c.1980 – 1986; 1992 – 2000; one store operated until 2007)
Dave Thomas (American businessman)
David "Dave" Thomas was an American fast-food entrepreneur and philanthropist. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers...
on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio
Dublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 41,751 at the 2010 census. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Approximately 57,000 people live within the Dublin school district....
, 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
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
31,000+ locations and Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
's 12,000+ locations.
Approximately 77% of Wendy's restaurants are franchised
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
, 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. 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 hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s, chicken sandwich
Chicken sandwich
A chicken sandwich or chicken burger is a boneless, skinless, breast of chicken on a hamburger bun topped with condiments and trimmings. Invented by Chick-fil-A in 1964, the chicken sandwich has become a popular American food choice....
es, French fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
and beverages, including the Frosty, a form of soft serve ice cream mixed with frozen starches. The company does not have a signature sandwich, such as the Big Mac
Big Mac
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
or the Whopper
Whopper
The Whopper sandwich is the signature hamburger product sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jacks. Introduced in 1957, it has undergone several reformulations including resizing and bread changes...
. Instead, the square burger patties (which are fresh ground beef rather than frozen patties) it uses in its sandwiches are the signature item.
History
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. The Kewpee sold square hamburgers and thick malt shakes, much like the well-known restaurant that Thomas eventually founded in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, 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 1971. The Columbus location later added a Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
and was closed on March 2, 2007 after 38 years of business due to declining sales. Thomas named the restaurant after his fourth child Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas
Wendy Thomas
Melinda Lou "Wendy" Morse is the daughter and fourth child of American businessman Dave Thomas, the founder of the restaurant Wendy's...
. Photographs of 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
Salad bar
A salad bar is a buffet-style table or counter at a restaurant or food market on which salad components are provided for customers to assemble their own salad plates...
. Garden Sensations salads were added in 2002.
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.
On April 24, 2008, the company announced a merger with Triarc, the parent company of Arby's
Arby's
Arby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
. Despite the new ownership, Wendy's headquarters remained in Dublin.
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
Wendy's/Arby's Group
Wendy's Company is a holding company for the major fast food chain, Wendy's. Its headquarters are in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The company formerly was known as Deisel-Wemmer Co. , Deisel-Wemmer-Gilbert Corporation , DWG Cigar Corporation , DWG Corporation , Triarc Companies, Inc. and...
, a publicly traded company. The merger was not a success and Arby's was sold in summer 2011.
Menu
Chicken sandwich
A chicken sandwich or chicken burger is a boneless, skinless, breast of chicken on a hamburger bun topped with condiments and trimmings. Invented by Chick-fil-A in 1964, the chicken sandwich has become a popular American food choice....
es, 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 $2.00 US$. In 2011 Wendy's introduced the Every Day Value Menu with 9 items at $0.99. ( 8 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. While approximately 12 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. 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/dinner menu, with value meals and various sides like blended fruit. Menu items include several breakfast sandwich
Breakfast sandwich
A breakfast sandwich is a sandwich served for breakfast at fast food restaurants and delis or bought as a fast ready to heat and eat sandwich from a store. Breakfast sandwiches can also be made from scratch in the home....
es served on biscuits, frescuit and Kaiser roll
Kaiser roll
The Kaiser roll, also called a Vienna roll or a hard roll , is a kind of bread roll, invented in Vienna, and thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Joseph...
s, breakfast burritos and side order
Side Order
Side Order is a 2009 Christian-Christmas film by Oakwood Media Productions, a ministry of Oakwood Baptist Church in Chickamauga, Georgia. The film is Oakwood Baptist Church's third feature film production...
s of hash browns, muffins, and cinnamon sticks. 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.
In 2011, Wendy's said the chain plans to change its breakfast menu. Pancake
Pancake
A pancake is a thin, flat, round cake prepared from a batter, and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads; some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Most pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side...
s and omelets have not been successful because they "aren't conducive to eating on the go."
Menu items
- Wendy's features French friesFrench friesFrench fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
as its primary side item (the recipe was modified in 2010), but also offers a number of options for side items including saladSaladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.Green salads include leaf...
s, chiliChili con carneChili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
and baked potatoBaked potatoA baked potato, or jacket potato, is the edible result of baking a potato. When well cooked, a baked potato has a fluffy interior and a crisp skin. It may be served with fillings and condiments such as butter, cheese or ham....
es. 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 – 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 pintoGallo pintoGallo pinto is a traditional dish of Costa Rica that was introduced by nicaraguan immigrants. During the 1980's many nicaraguans immigrated to Costa Rica influencing their food and music. Though many variations exist, the dish at its most basic is composed of pre-cooked rice and beans fried together...
is available. Gallo pinto is a breakfast dish made with fried rice and black beans. - In Japan, Wendy's offered a red bean pasteRed bean pasteRed bean paste or Azuki bean paste is a sweet, dark red bean paste originating from China. It is used in Chinese cuisine, Japanese confectionery, and Korean cuisine. It is prepared by boiling and mashing azuki beans and then sweetening the paste with sugar or honey...
and cheese sandwich called an "An" Burger (あんバーガー anbāgā). They also served several types of teriyaki burgers. - Big ClassicBig ClassicThe Big Classic sandwich was a hamburger sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Wendy's. The sandwich was intended to present a larger, meatier burger that appealed to the 18-36 year old male demographic that desired a "heartier" product...
– A sandwich that directly competes with the Burger King Whopper. MayonnaiseMayonnaiseMayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
, lettuce, tomato, picklesPickled cucumberA pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...
, ketchup and onions served on a Kaiser-style rollKaiser rollThe Kaiser roll, also called a Vienna roll or a hard roll , is a kind of bread roll, invented in Vienna, and thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Joseph...
. 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. - BaconatorBaconatorThe Baconator sandwich is a hamburger sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Wendy's. It is one of their late-teen–to–young-adult, male-oriented products.-Product description:...
– 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 cheeseAmerican cheeseAmerican cheese is a processed cheese. It is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor, with a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily. American cheese was originally only white, but is usually now modified to yellow. In the past it was made from a blend of cheeses, most often Colby...
, ketchupKetchupKetchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
, two picklesPickled cucumberA pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...
, two onions and mustardMustard (condiment)Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
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 Doublestack was discontinued and a new burger called the Cheesy Cheddarburger was brought in to replace it. - In December 2006, Wendy's phased out and stopped offering their fried "homestyle" chicken strips in most U.S. locations. There is now a chicken club combo in the strips' place, which features a homestyle 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 homestyle chicken strips are still available in Canada.
- Outlets in North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
offer a sandwich called the Carolina Classic. The sandwich consists of a single quarter pound patty of beef, topped with chili, coleslawColeslawColeslaw, sometimes simply called slaw in some American dialects, is a salad consisting primarily of shredded raw cabbage. It may also include shredded carrots and other ingredients such as fruits and vegetables, apples, onions, green onions, peppers and various spices.-History:The term "coleslaw"...
, onion, and mustard. - On July 9, 2010, Wendy's began serving four salads, including Apple PecanPecanThe pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...
Chicken, BLTBLTThe acronym BLT may refer to one of the following:*The bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich*Baselland Transport, a Swiss railway company*BLT theorem, or bounded linear transformationAcronyms...
CobbCobb saladThe Cobb salad is a main-dish garden salad made from chopped salad greens , tomato, crisp bacon, boiled or roasted chicken breast, hard-boiled egg, avocado, chives, red-wine vinaigrette and Roquefort cheese.-Origin:Various stories of how the salad was invented exist...
, Baja Salad, and Spicy Chicken Caesar throughout the U.S. Also the Berry Almond chicken and Asian Firecracker salads are available in select areas. - In February of 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 Homestyle, 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, 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.
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 PellerClara Peller
Clara Peller , was a retired manicurist and American character actress who, at the age of 81, starred in the 1984 "Where's the beef?" advertising campaign for the Wendy's fast food restaurant chain, created by the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample ad agency.-Early life:Born in Illinois, Clara Peller lived...
was featured in the successful "Where's the Beef?
Where's the beef?
"Where's the beef?" is a catchphrase in the United States and Canada. Since it was first used as an advertising slogan, it has become an all-purpose phrase questioning the substance of an idea, event, or product.-History:...
" North American commercial campaign written by Cliff Freeman. Her famous line quickly entered the American pop culture (it was even used by Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
in a debate with Gary Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
in the Democratic primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
) and served to promote Wendy's hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s. Peller, age 84, was dropped from the campaign in 1985 because she performed in a commercial for Prego
Prego
Prego is a trade mark brand name pasta sauce of Campbell Soup Company. It was introduced internationally in 1981-Varieties:...
spaghetti
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy it may be made with other kinds of flour...
sauce, saying she "finally found" the beef.
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. In 1997, the company pulled its advertising from the sitcom Ellen
Ellen (TV series)
Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
after the show's main character came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian. The result was a boycott initiated by the gay and lesbian community. 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 in product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
in films and television and is sometimes seen on ABC's reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
, serving food to the more than 100 construction workers. A recent Wendy's commercial features the tune from the Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
song "Blister in the Sun
Blister in the Sun
"Blister in the Sun" is a song by the American alternative rock band Violent Femmes, originally released on their 1983 self-titled debut album. It has also been covered by Nouvelle Vague, on their 2009 album 3. This version was used in an episode Gossip Girl.In August 2007, Gordon Gano was the...
."
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
Luci Christian
Louisa Michelle Christian is an American voice actress and ADR Script Writer who is affiliated with Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000...
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." The company's most recent slogan, "you know when it's real," was introduced in 2009.
The chain's newest TV ad campaign, launched in 2011 alongside the introduction of the new "Dave's Hot 'N Juicy" hamburgers, features the chain's namesake Wendy Thomas.
Wendy's is the official sponsor of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Football Friday every Friday during football season, getting fans ready with shows throughout the day previewing the upcoming college and NFL games.
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
- 1982–1985: You're Wendy's Kind of People
- 1983–1984: Parts is parts
- 1984–1986, October 2011 - present: Where's the beef?Where's the beef?"Where's the beef?" is a catchphrase in the United States and Canada. Since it was first used as an advertising slogan, it has become an all-purpose phrase questioning the substance of an idea, event, or product.-History:...
- 1985–1988: Choose Fresh, choose Wendy's (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. After a poorly received seven-week run, Wendy's pulled the television commercials created by Dick Rich Inc. 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.
- 2002–2005: It's better here
- 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
- January 2008 – October 2009: It's waaay better than fast food... It's Wendy's. (US)
- January 2008 – October 2009: It's waaaaaaaaaay 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)
- October 2009 : You know when it's real.
- 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)
Global locations
Countries with Wendy's
(Re-Opening December 2011) (some locations co-branded with Tim HortonsTim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
) http://www.aboutwendys.com/International/Websites/
Countries formerly with Wendy's
(Reopening planned for 2011) (1994–2002) (1994–2002) (1991–2000) (closed all 71 locations on December 31, 2009, Planning to reopen)(1984 to 1998) (c.1980 – 1986; 1992 – 2000; one store operated until 2007)