A Brand Built On One Simple Bet
In 1969, a new burger place opened in Columbus, Ohio.
It did not arrive with a long backstory or a fancy pitch. It arrived with a clear point of view about food, speed, and what a fast meal could feel like.
Over time, that first location became a global quick-service system run through a mix of company stores and franchise partners.
Dave Thomas And The Name Behind The Sign
The story starts with Dave Thomas.
He opened the first restaurant on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, at 257 East Broad Street.
Later, he became the public face of the brand, showing up in more than 800 commercials.
His personal life also shaped the company’s public identity.
He was adopted as a child. In July 1992, he founded the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, focused on foster care adoption.
He died in January 2002, but his name stayed close to the brand’s image and mission.
The Problem They Wanted To Solve
Fast food was already a big idea by the late 1960s.
The challenge was how to make quick meals feel more dependable.
The early promise centered on quality and a burger experience built to stand out in a crowded field.
The company later described its focus as quick-service restaurants with a menu led by hamburgers.
That framing shows what mattered most from the start.
It was not just “fast.” It was “fast, but still worth coming back for.”
How It All Started In Columbus
The first location opened in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969.
It was a single restaurant with a single goal: earn repeat visits.
The early identity leaned into a burger-led menu and simple signals of difference.
One of those signals became iconic.
The brand leaned on square patties as part of its look and feel.
It also pushed a fresh beef position as a key point of pride.
Early Momentum And A Big Convenience Move
Speed is not only about cooking.
It is also about the moment a customer decides to stop in.
In November 1970, the team introduced what it called the “Pick-Up Window,” an early modern drive-thru concept.
That was a turning point.
It expanded what “quick-service” could mean for busy people.
It also made the system easier to scale, because the customer did not have to leave the car.
Going Public And Growing Fast
Big growth often needs big capital.
In September 1976, the company went public on NASDAQ.
That move set the stage for faster expansion.
In April 1977, the first commercial aired as part of a national campaign.
By March 1978, the system hit its 1,000th restaurant, which opened in Springfield, Tennessee.
These were clear signs the model could travel.
Crossing Borders And Building A Wider Footprint
In September 1975, the first Canadian location opened in Hamilton, Ontario.
It was an early signal that the brand could work beyond its home market.
International growth would become a long-running theme.
Over time, the company expanded across the U.S. and into many other markets.
As of December 29, 2024, it reported restaurants across the U.S., 31 foreign countries, and U.S. territories.
By the end of the third quarter of 2025, it reported a larger global restaurant count.
A Brand That Learned To Speak In Big Moments
Some campaigns fade fast.
Others become part of pop culture.
In January 1984, the “Where’s the Beef?” commercial aired and became a defining moment.
That kind of fame can change a company’s future.
It can pull in new customers who just want to see what the noise is about.
It can also raise the bar, because the next act has to match the first wave of attention.
Menu Moves That Changed What A “Burger Place” Could Be
Growth usually brings new choices.
A burger-led brand can stay narrow, or it can widen the table.
This company chose to widen it, step by step.
In November 1979, it introduced a salad bar.
In October 1983, baked potatoes were added.
Over time, the menu grew to include items like chili, fries, salads, chicken items, and Frosty desserts.
- Core menu categories later described in company filings included hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, nuggets, chili, fries, baked potatoes, salads, soft drinks, Frosty desserts, and kids’ meals.
- Limited-time promotional items have been part of the strategy as well.
Defining Products And Big Launches
A menu can be large and still have a few anchors.
These anchors are the items people name without looking at a menu board.
They become shorthand for the whole brand.
One major product moment came in August 2007 with the launch of the Baconator.
Another lasting menu pillar is the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which the company’s history places in the mid-1990s.
These items helped broaden appeal beyond a single kind of burger customer.
Big Corporate Turns: Tim Hortons Enters The Picture
Sometimes growth is not only about opening stores.
Sometimes it is about buying a new path.
In December 1995, the company acquired Tim Hortons.
The relationship did not last forever in the same form.
In March 2006, Tim Hortons completed an IPO.
In September 2006, it was spun off as a separate public company.
Big Corporate Turns: The Arby’s Era And The Return To A Single Name
In September 2008, the company consolidated with Arby’s.
That created Wendy’s/Arby’s Group.
It was a major structure change, and it shaped the next phase.
In July 2011, Arby’s was sold.
After that, the company became The Wendy’s Company and moved functions back to Dublin, Ohio.
It was a return to a tighter focus around one core brand.
How The Company Makes Money
The system is built to earn in more than one way.
It does earn from food sales at company-run locations.
But a major part of the engine comes from franchising.
Company filings describe two primary revenue sources.
The first is sales at company-operated restaurants.
The second is franchise-related revenue that can include royalties, fees, advertising fund contributions, and rent from franchised restaurants.
- As of December 29, 2024, company-operated restaurants were about 5% of the system.
- The company reports business segments that include Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate & Development.
- The Global Real Estate & Development segment includes leasing and subleasing sites to franchisees and participation in a Canadian real estate joint venture referred to as “TimWen.”
Target Market And The Competitive Arena
This is a quick-service restaurant business.
It competes most directly in the hamburger sandwich segment.
But the real fight is broader than burgers.
Company filings describe intense competition.
The pressure shows up in value offers, convenience, marketing, and menu choices.
It also shows up in how fast a brand can serve customers across dine-in, carryout, drive-thru, and delivery.
Systems, Standards, And The Franchise Engine
A franchise-heavy brand needs more than a logo.
It needs routines that keep food and service consistent in many places at once.
Company filings describe controls like standards, training, audits, and field visits that cover franchised restaurants as well.
Supply also matters.
The system works with an independent purchasing cooperative structure described as QSCC.
It is part of how a large chain keeps products and specs aligned at scale.
Work, People, And A Cause That Became Part Of The Identity
For many customers, a brand’s public work matters as much as its menu.
This company tied its public cause closely to the founder’s life story.
Adoption became a clear theme over time.
In October 1990, the company history notes that it embraced adoption as a national charitable cause.
In July 1992, Dave Thomas founded the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
The focus of that foundation is foster care adoption.
Support for people also shows up in other ways.
In 2017, the company created the WeCare Fund to provide short-term assistance tied to declared natural disasters.
In later years, the “Good Done Right” platform highlighted focus areas across food, people, and footprint.
Modern Operations: Delivery, Loyalty, And New Formats
Customer habits changed fast in the 2010s and 2020s.
Ordering moved from the counter to the phone.
Convenience became a full system, not a single feature.
In December 2017, delivery was announced through a partnership with DoorDash.
In July 2020, the company launched Wendy’s Rewards in the U.S.
It also described non-traditional locations such as transport centers, food courts, retail sites, delivery kitchens, and military bases.
- In October 2015, it introduced the “4 for $4” value bundle.
- In February 2017, it announced plans tied to self-order kiosks.
- In February 2019, it announced its “Squarely Sustainable” approach.
Breakfast: A New Daypart With Big Stakes
Breakfast is a hard arena.
It asks a brand to win the first meal of the day, when habits run deep.
The company made a major move here in 2020.
In March 2020, breakfast launched nationally across the U.S.
In May 2022, breakfast launched nationwide in Canada.
These moves expanded the brand beyond lunch and dinner routines.
Fame In The Social Age
In the modern era, a brand can become famous in a single day.
Sometimes it happens through ads. Sometimes it happens through the crowd.
In April 2017, the #NuggsForCarter moment became a widely covered story tied to the brand’s social presence.
This kind of attention is different from a classic TV campaign.
It is faster. It is messier.
But it can pull new people into the story and make the brand feel current.
Defining Moments Of Scale
Milestones can feel like simple numbers.
But each one marks a real shift in reach and complexity.
The company’s own history highlights several of these scale markers.
In November 1980, it hit 2,000 restaurants.
In February 1985, it reached 3,000.
In December 1992, it reached 4,000.
Later milestones kept stacking up.
In March 1997, the 5,000th restaurant opened as a Wendy’s/Tim Hortons combo unit.
In October 2001, the 6,000th restaurant opened in Tijuana, Mexico.
More recently, international growth returned as a headline.
In November 2021, the 1,000th international restaurant opened in the U.K.
In March 2022, the 7,000th restaurant opened in Georgia, U.S., with a “Smart design” drive-thru concept highlighted by the company.
Times Of Trouble And The Reality Of Store Math
Even big brands have weak spots.
Some stores thrive. Some do not.
Strong systems close what does not work and reinvest in what does.
In 2024, the company reported opening 276 restaurants and closing 276 restaurants.
Those closures were described as generally underperforming restaurants.
It is a reminder that scale does not remove hard choices.
Recent Results: Two Stories Running At Once
In late 2025, the company’s public results showed a split story.
In the U.S., same-restaurant sales and systemwide sales growth were negative in the third quarter of 2025.
International results were positive in that same period.
That contrast matters.
It suggests the growth story is not one clean line.
It also suggests that new markets, new units, and new channels are central to the next chapter.
- As of December 29, 2024, the company reported 7,240 restaurants across the U.S., 31 foreign countries, and U.S. territories.
- As of the end of the third quarter of 2025 (September 28, 2025), it reported 7,363 restaurants globally.
Leadership And The Shape Of The Next Act
Leadership shifts can change tone and pace.
In 2025, public company communications described an interim CEO structure.
Ken Cook was identified as Interim CEO.
On July 22, 2025, the company appointed Pete Suerken as President.
He was described as reporting to the Interim CEO.
In a franchise-led system, roles like these matter because execution is the story customers live each day.
What This Journey Teaches
Some company stories are built on one big invention.
This one is built on a chain of practical choices that stacked up over decades.
Each choice made the system more repeatable, more familiar, and easier to expand.
Convenience was a turning point early on.
The pick-up window concept in 1970 helped define a way of serving people who were in motion.
In later years, delivery and rewards did something similar for a phone-driven world.
Fame also mattered.
The “Where’s the Beef?” era proved that a single creative moment can lift a brand into the public mind for years.
But the day-to-day work still came down to food, service, and systems that could hold up at scale.
Where Things Stand Now
Today, The Wendy’s Company operates, develops, and franchises quick-service restaurants.
It trades publicly under the ticker WEN.
Its reported segments include Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate & Development.
The footprint is large and still changing.
In 2024, the company reported 7,240 restaurants across the U.S., 31 foreign countries, and U.S. territories.
By the end of the third quarter of 2025, it reported 7,363 restaurants globally.
Timeline
Below is a year-by-year view of key moments, from the first store to the most recent public updates.
Each entry uses a single year to keep the pace fast and the arc clear.
The details live in the story above, but the beats are here in one line of sight.
1969
The first restaurant opens in Columbus, Ohio, led by Dave Thomas.
1970
The “Pick-Up Window” launches, creating an early modern drive-thru concept.
1975
The first Canadian restaurant opens in Hamilton, Ontario.
1976
The company goes public on NASDAQ.
1977
The first commercial airs as part of a national campaign.
1978
The 1,000th restaurant opens in Springfield, Tennessee.
1979
A salad bar is introduced as the menu begins to widen.
1980
The system reaches 2,000 restaurants.
1981
The stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under “WEN.”
1983
Baked potatoes are added to the menu.
1984
The “Where’s the Beef?” commercial airs and becomes a defining brand moment.
1985
The system reaches 3,000 restaurants.
1989
Dave Thomas appears in his first TV commercial, and a value menu era takes shape.
1990
The company embraces adoption as a national charitable cause.
1992
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is founded, and the system reaches 4,000 restaurants.
1995
The company acquires Tim Hortons.
1997
The 5,000th restaurant opens as a combo unit with Tim Hortons.
2000
Dave Thomas participates in a U.S. adoption awareness postage stamp event highlighted in company history.
2001
The 6,000th restaurant opens in Tijuana, Mexico, and an animal welfare council and auditing program is established.
2002
Dave Thomas dies.
2003
A Culinary Innovation Center opens at the Dublin, Ohio headquarters.
2006
Tim Hortons completes an IPO and is later spun off as a separate public company.
2007
The Baconator launches.
2008
The company consolidates with Arby’s to form Wendy’s/Arby’s Group.
2011
Arby’s is sold, and the company becomes The Wendy’s Company with functions moving back to Dublin, Ohio.
2015
The “4 for $4” value bundle is introduced.
2017
Self-order kiosk plans are announced, a major social media moment unfolds with #NuggsForCarter, and delivery is announced through DoorDash.
2019
The “Squarely Sustainable” approach is announced, and the brand marks its 50th year.
2020
Breakfast launches nationally in the U.S., and Wendy’s Rewards launches in the U.S.
2021
The brand returns to the U.K., and the 1,000th international restaurant opens there.
2022
The 7,000th restaurant opens, and breakfast launches nationwide in Canada.
2024
The company reports 7,240 restaurants and a year with 276 openings and 276 closures.
2025
Public updates describe an interim CEO structure, a new President, U.S. is appointed, and the global restaurant count is reported at 7,363 as of the third quarter.
Sources: Wendy’s, The Wendy’s Company Investor Relations, U.S. SEC (EDGAR), Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Reuters, Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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