Wendy’s

Wendy’s has grilled square patties since 1969, when Dave Thomas opened one restaurant on East Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio. The chain trades today from 5,724 US restaurants. The Wendy’s Company runs them from a head office in Dublin, Ohio.

The Wendy’s history below covers the founding, the square patty, the parent company and the US estate today. Prices, secret builds and allergen declarations sit on separate pages.

Wendy’s History

Dave Thomas opened a single storefront at 257 East Broad Street in downtown Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. Hamburgers, chili, French fries, soft drinks and a Frosty Dairy Dessert made up the whole opening menu. The Frosty alone still sells under its original name. Thomas named the restaurant for his daughter Melinda Lou, whose brothers and sisters called her Wenda, which the sign turned into Wendy.

The Wendy’s Company owns the chain, its predecessor incorporated in Ohio in 1929 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1994. Robert D. Wright serves as president and chief executive officer, and Art Winkleblack chairs the board of directors. One Dave Thomas Boulevard in Dublin, Ohio carries the head office.

Square patties arrived with the first restaurant and have not changed shape since. Their corners hang over the edge of the bun, so a customer sees the beef before taking a bite. Refrigerated trucks carry that beef fresh rather than frozen to restaurants across the contiguous United States and Alaska, never leaving it in a freezer. The system counts 5,724 US restaurants, 420 of them company stores and 5,304 run by 206 franchisees.

Wendy’s Menus & Details

Five pages carry the detail behind the counter. Each one sets an item name beside the figures that matter on the same row.

The full board, section by section, with a price and a calorie figure beside every item.

The Barnyard Burger and the Meat Cube, the build behind each nickname, and the wording to give the crew.

Wendy’s afternoon window, the fountain drinks and lemonades it covers, and what a Small Frosty comes to inside it.

Wendy’s seasonal lineup, the day it landed, and what each item costs.

What each item declares out of the nine major US allergens, listed beside its calorie count.