We can all agree that at one point in our lives Wendy’s was tasty AF. We have been
intrigued by its square patty and its loveable creator for years. The food chain has been
around since 1969 and has managed to keep a loyal following. However, like every fast
food chain, Wendy’s has its secrets. Then again, everyone has their secrets and sometimes
it’s the secrets that make us love them more. Wendy’s has done nothing but improve
themselves year after year. This is why the franchise is still so popular. But, after
learning about some of the shady things that this restaurant has been involved in, will
it still be as popular? Probably. So, here are the Top 10 Untold Truths about Wendy’s.
Wendy’s Chili Is Made Of What?
Wendy’s constantly brags about their award-winning chili. However, we have to wonder, should
they be bragging at all? After learning some weird facts about the chili, we got to wonder
if it should even still be on the menu. It has been reported by the Huffington Post that
the company uses silicon dioxide in their chili. So, that grainy look your chili has
is probably just that. The chemical we are talking about is also called silica and can
be found in quartz and sand. Silicon dioxide also acts as an “anti-caking agent”. So,
if you are ever wondering why your chili never clumps and always has that watery, ‘fresh’
look to it, this is why. But, don’t hate on Wendy’s too much for using an anti-caking
agent because chances are several other fast food places use it too. Really, even regular
restaurants probably use it too. We will admit though, that whole sand-looking thing is kind
of crazy. We truly assumed that it was seasoning or maybe super small pieces of ground beef.
But sand and quartz? That is a whole other level.
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Wendy’s Founder In A Commercial
The founder of Wendy’s Dave Thomas was deep into retirement when he decided to come back
and help the brand. They were having a bit of a hard time keeping up with the other fast
food chains. They weren’t as popular as McDonald's or Burger King or even Jack In
The Box. so ride or die Thomas wasn’t about to let his legacy go down in flames. He resigned
in 1982 but when the popular “Where’s The Beef?” campaign ended in 1985, the company
needed a facelift. Always a dedicated employee of his own company, Thomas came out of retirement
to help out. He didn’t jump into commercials right away he started off small by visiting
a few restaurants first. He did the whole taking pictures with fans, kissing babies
kind of thing. In 1989, he became the official spokesperson and from there he spent a majority
of the 90s representing the brand. He actually appeared in more than 800 commercials for
Wendy’s before going back into retirement. Thomas eventually passed away in 2002 from
a tumor that he had been battling for about 10 years. It ultimately spread to his liver
and took his life. However, at the time of his passing, there were 6,000 Wendy’s restaurant
locations around the US and Canada. So at the very least, his legacy is secured.
Wendy’s Is A Bit Dicey When It Comes To The LGBTQ Community
We all know that before Ellen DeGeneres had this insanely popular talk show, she had a
sitcom. It was called Ellen and it had some pretty decent ratings. Then, DeGeneres came
out and let’s just say, all hell broke loose. In addition to her show being pulled, the
actor was blacklisted and treated as a social pariah. And one of the organizations that
bailed on DeGeneres and her show was the restaurant chain Wendy’s. Wendy’s pulled all their
support from the show which to be honest was really only advertising during commercial
breaks. Regardless, without good ads and a lack of support, the show went under rather
quickly. The LGBTQ community quickly boycotted the food chain. We have to be honest, we never
took founder Dave Thomas to be a hater. He has such a loving and accepting face. So,
we have a hard time believing he had a hand in this. We think it was more so whoever took
over. That being said, he was the face of the company and took most of the backlash.
This isn’t the first or the last time a restaurant chain decided to put their controversial
views out there. And, this isn’t the first or last time that a mass of people will boycott
them for doing so.
Wendy’s Had The First Dollar Menu
McDonald's dollar menu is probably one of the most common and most loved of all the
dollar menus. Burger King is probably coming in second. However, most people don’t know
that it was Wendy’s that pioneered the popularity of the dollar menu in the first place. The
franchise first started their dollar menu in 1989. Back then it wasn't known as a dollar
menu. It was just a menu where every item costs the same price; 99 cents. Wendy’s
also didn’t call their menu the dollar menu and they still don’t. They actually called
it their Value Menu. So, in 1998, Burger King decided to follow suit and then in 2002, McDonald's
jumped on the bandwagon as well. Better late than never right? Wendy’s still has a Value
Menu but it’s now called the “Everyday Value Menu”. We aren’t really sure the
“every day” was needed but, okay. The menu has even upgraded itself from when it
originally started (well we would hope so anyway). They have nachos, nuggets, wraps,
hearty burgers that are actually dressed as regular burgers (with tomatoes, lettuce, etc).
They even have their signature Frosty on there. There is no question that they are still in
the running for one of the best dollar menus out there. You can actually get a whole meal
for $5 and some change.
Wendy’s Original Location Is No More
In 2007, the original Wendy’s location was closed. It was located in Columbus, Ohio which
is where Dave Thomas was born and raised. The location was open for 38 years. However,
once they merged with Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons there’s a significant drop in
sales. The decision was eventually made to just close the doors and let it go. Dare we
accuse the popular Canadian coffee chain of ruining the founding Wendy’s location? It
seems somewhat rash to just get rid of the first ever Wendy’s spot. One would assume
that there should have been a bigger fight to keep it open. Maybe even make it a historical
site. It’s clearly too late for all that now but we have to wonder if any of that came
into discussion when the decision was being made to shut it down. The building was also
eventually knocked down and rebuilt. It cost $1.7 million to renovate and it’s now the
headquarters of the city’s Catholic Foundation. We really thought that Ohio would rally around
a place that kind of put them on the map. However, we can’t blame them, there are
so many other, tasty food chains. We can understand why and how Wendy’s fell by the wayside
in this case.
Wendy’s Breakfast?
Did you know that Wendy’s serves breakfast? We sure didn’t. Apparently, starting in
1985 Wendy’s debuted their breakfast menu. It was an epic flop and the company decided
to just stick with burgers and fries oh and Frosty’s too. In 2007, they decided to give
it another go. Because…Why not? McDonald's has breakfast, Burger King has breakfast.
Even Taco Bell has breakfast. Yet, they failed again but this time instead of cutting all
restaurants off of their luxurious breakfast, they decided to give a handful of restaurants
the pleasure of continuing to serve it. About a dozen restaurants scattered throughout the
US currently serve the breakfast menu. So, what does it consist of? Biscuit sandwiches,
breakfast burritos, muffins, and hash browns. It does sound kind of lackluster. And to be
honest, the bread for the sandwiches looks kind of dry. They also recently rolled out
a panini though. The good thing about their breakfast is that it tends to be lower calorie
and according to loyal eaters, It always comes out fresh. Due to lack of interest, it is
made on demand during the breakfast hours. We can only assume that this is the best it
will get for this brand and their breakfast. At least they know how to quit while they’re
ahead.
Wendy's Kind Of Invented The Drive-Thru
Back in 1971 Wendys was ahead of their time. They came up with this crazy idea that would
allow people to not have to leave their car to get their food. We now know it as a drive-thru.
Every fast food place has one and some places that aren’t even fast food has figured out
how to utilize this invention. It looks like Dave Thomas was really trying to be the first
for everything. McDonald’s didn’t catch onto the drive-thru window until about 1975.
There is still a debate as to who really invented the first drive-thru window though. Some folks
say it was a place called the Pig Stand way back in 1931. The founder saw the need for
a faster way to serve his customers and of course, he found a way that worked for him.
Then in the 1950s both Jack In The Box and Burger King experimented with the idea. However,
they found it too complicated and it didn’t work. So they jumped ship pretty quick. By
the time Wendy’s rolled around and took control of the idea they had managed to perfect
it. Well, perfect it for them anyways. They’ve been utilizing
it since.
Letters To Wendy’s
Wendy’s has a book. Well, not Wendy’s but it’s written by a man obsessed with
Wendy’s. His name is Joe Wenderoth and the book is called “Letters To Wendy’s”
he took it upon himself to write an entire novel based off of four things. Burgers, Frosties,
erotica, and consumerism. Yes, because all those things naturally go together, obviously.
According to Amazon.com, the book is pretty interesting. The reviews range from love to
confusion. “Letters to Wendy’s is an outrageous, tragic, genre-bending novel written over the
course of a year on comment cards from the fast-food chain restaurant Wendy’s. Through
the letters, the book traces a year in the life and thoughts of an unnamed narrator obsessed
not only by Biggies and Frosties, but also by consumerism, pornography, and mortality”.
We have a few questions about this book. How does the franchise feel about this? Wenderoth
is associating their restaurant with salacious things like adult content. He is also mixing
it into consumerism and he is doing this all on Wendy’s comment cards. The book was released
in 2004. The author, Wenderoth has gone on to write a few other books but we have a feeling
he will forever be known for writing a book about a fast food chain.
Wendy’s Fired An Old Lady
Wendy’s has had one of the most popular advertising campaigns of all time. We all
know it, have seen it or at the very least, heard about it. The “Where’s The Beef”
campaign dominated the 80s. Even to this day, society still references it. And Wendy’s,
of course, saw an increase in sales. The campaign featured this adorable, little, old lady named
Clara Peller. She was 84-years-old and had been chosen to do the campaign after randomly
auditioning. However, after a year of going hard for Wendy’s, she was fired. In 1985,
after Peller decided she was super famous, she appeared in another commercial and Wendy’s
wasn’t having it. It wasn’t just any commercial it was a commercial for Prego spaghetti sauce.
In addition to that betrayal, in the commercial, she actually said she had “finally found”
the beef. That was a straight up dig and of course, it backfired on her. The actress went
on to keep a little bit of her fame and eventually passed away in 1987. For a little old lady,
she certainly had a lot of drama in her later life. At least she went out with a bang that’s
more than other people her age can say.
Wendy’s Has A Secret Menu
Want to try something out of the ordinary? Well, Wendy’s may be able to help you because
they have a secret menu. Like many food establishments, their secret menu has a lot going on. According
to employees, some of the secret menu items include; a one-pound Meat Cube burger and
a Barnyard Burger which has beef, bacon, and chicken in it. The secret menu items are pretty
protein packed. A lot of them have 2 to 3 different meats on one sandwich. Clearly,
this can be highly caloric. But, because you can control a lot of what happens to your
secret menu options, you can get a lighter sandwich and still be satisfied. One of those
sandwiches is called the Valley Crispy Chicken Sandwich. It comes with mayo, tomato, lettuce,
and bacon. We also assume that you can ask for grilled chicken if you are trying to stick
to a diet. And like we mentioned there’s also the sandwich called the “Meat Cube”.
It’s worth noting because quite frankly it sounds like it can’t be healthy for anyone.
It’s one pound of meat and to make matters even worse, there is cheese in between each
slice. Come on, you know you want to try it or at least watch someone else try it, so
you can avoid the heart attack.
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