Wendy's Background
Background
Wendy’s is famous for its square made-to-order single-, double- or triple-hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, chilli, baked potatoes, and deserts. While competitors like McDonald’s were unsuccessful with their spicy chicken sandwich, Wendy’s does really well with their sandwich. Millions of fast-food customers love Wendy’s old-fashioned menu choices, but the company has been on a roller-coaster ride of late. Following a wave of layoffs and cost cutting, Wendy’s announcement that it might be acquired sent its stock price to new height in July 2007. Wendy’s net income dropped 58% in 2006 to $96million as the company closed 199 during the year.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas in 1969 and named after his second daughter, Melinda Lou Thomas, who was fondly nicknamed “Wendy” by her older siblings. This Ohio-based restaurant chain experienced fast growth, opening more than 3,500 restaurants by 1985. As of December 31, 2006 it operates in the United States, and 20 foreign countries and territories.
Wendy’s is credited with being “first” on several fronts. It was the first in the industry to introduce the convenience of a “drive-through window” in 1970, the “99cent value menu” in 1988, and the Superbar (an all-you-can-eat salad bar) in the late 1980s. While the super value menu is a resounding success and copied by others in the industry, the Superbar had to be discontinued in most Wendy’s restaurants by 1998. In the 1980s, Wendy’s climbed to fame with its commercials, like “Where’s the Beef?” and “the Soviet Fashion Show”. Wendy’s was also the first to demonstrate its commitment to providing healthy food choices in August 2006, when it announced that it would voluntarily switch to using healthy oils in the preparation of most of its food item’s, whereas industry leader McDonald’s continue to fry in trans fat oils as of mid-2007.
The fast-paced growth the company experienced under the leadership of founder Dave Thomas
Wendy’s is famous for its square made-to-order single-, double- or triple-hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, chilli, baked potatoes, and deserts. While competitors like McDonald’s were unsuccessful with their spicy chicken sandwich, Wendy’s does really well with their sandwich. Millions of fast-food customers love Wendy’s old-fashioned menu choices, but the company has been on a roller-coaster ride of late. Following a wave of layoffs and cost cutting, Wendy’s announcement that it might be acquired sent its stock price to new height in July 2007. Wendy’s net income dropped 58% in 2006 to $96million as the company closed 199 during the year.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas in 1969 and named after his second daughter, Melinda Lou Thomas, who was fondly nicknamed “Wendy” by her older siblings. This Ohio-based restaurant chain experienced fast growth, opening more than 3,500 restaurants by 1985. As of December 31, 2006 it operates in the United States, and 20 foreign countries and territories.
Wendy’s is credited with being “first” on several fronts. It was the first in the industry to introduce the convenience of a “drive-through window” in 1970, the “99cent value menu” in 1988, and the Superbar (an all-you-can-eat salad bar) in the late 1980s. While the super value menu is a resounding success and copied by others in the industry, the Superbar had to be discontinued in most Wendy’s restaurants by 1998. In the 1980s, Wendy’s climbed to fame with its commercials, like “Where’s the Beef?” and “the Soviet Fashion Show”. Wendy’s was also the first to demonstrate its commitment to providing healthy food choices in August 2006, when it announced that it would voluntarily switch to using healthy oils in the preparation of most of its food item’s, whereas industry leader McDonald’s continue to fry in trans fat oils as of mid-2007.
The fast-paced growth the company experienced under the leadership of founder Dave Thomas