Tumgik
missjo99 · 3 years
Video
youtube
How Wendy's conquered North America
Tipped as the third largest burger chain on the planet (trumped only by McDonald's and Burger King), Wendy's has been doling out delicious square-shaped hamburgers since 1969. But how did Wendy's go from a single Ohio restaurant to a fast-food titan with thousands of locations? Here, we dive back in time and reveal how this burger giant conquered North America.
Back to the very beginning
Wendy's began with Dave Thomas, a man from humble beginnings who had a vision of what the perfect hamburger and fast-food joint should look like. In his early career, Thomas spent time working as a chef at Fort Wayne's Hobby House restaurant, and later in franchises of KFC owned by the same family. These experiences whetted Dave's appetite for a long-term career in the fast-food world, and he soon decided to set out on his own.
What's in a name?
Dave decided to call his fast-food spot after his daughter Melinda, nicknamed "Wendy". In an entry on the chain's blog, Wendy Thomas remembers the moment her father told her he planned on opening a restaurant, and that it would be named "Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers". Things moved quickly after that. Soon Wendy was dressed in the iconic blue and white dress, with her hair cinched into pigtails, and was being photographed at the opening of her dad's new hamburger joint. She's been the face of the chain ever since.
The very first Wendy's
Dave's vision for a quick-serve, family-friendly hamburger joint (partly inspired by his love of the Kewpee Hamburgers chain) was soon a reality. The original Wendy's opened on 15 November 1969 and was located at 257 East Broad Street in Ohio's capital city, Columbus. And the laid-back restaurant was soon a favourite for plenty of burger-loving locals.
Wendy's doesn't "cut corners"
Wendy's signature was (and is) its square-shaped beef patties, which spill temptingly from the confines of a pillowy white bun. The chain also won dessert-loving hearts with the Frosty®: a frozen chocolate ice-cream treat that served as the perfect finish to any Wendy's meal.
1 note · View note