The Complete Story of Wendy’s
How a high school dropout went from one to more than 6,000 Locations – It was at 257 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, on November 15, 1969: Wendy’s restaurant was established. Little did Dave Thomas, know that his startup would grow to be the third-largest hamburger chain in the United States.
It’s widely known Dave Thomas named his restaurant after his daughter Melinda. His dream started as one location in Columbus, Ohio, to a second location in the same state, to 500 locations in the United States in just seven years.
Some Interesting Facts about Wendy’s Include:
In 1970, the “Pickup Window” Was Born
Today’s drive-through — a convenient way to get a fast-food order or beverage that is widely used by millions of people — can be credited to Wendy’s, since it was the first to introduce the modern drive-through.
In 1976, Wendy’s Goes Public
Wendy’s stock is traded on the NASDAQ. The company issued one million shares in September of 1976. You could buy a share at twenty-eight dollars, which is equivalent to $126.75 in 2020. Another way of looking at it — in 1976, the company raised $28 million for its IPO, equivalent to $126 million in 2020
In 1977, the First Wendy’s Commercial Aired
Some of Wendy’s early commercials that are still remembered today. They are the ones with the tagline “Where’s the Beef?” — meaning you get more meat with a Wendy’s hamburger. Over the years, Dave Thomas appeared in over 800 Wendy’s commercials.
In 1979, the First Salad Bar Is Introduced to the Fast Food Industry
Previously, the salad bar was available in many restaurants, but never in the fast-food industry until 1979, when Wendy’s gave it a try. It lasted for 27 years and was phased out in 2006.
1994 – It’s been 25 Years
A multi-billion-dollar birthday gift when wendy’s turned 25, in 1994. The company had sales of $4.2 billion dollars. Do you think Dave ever anticipated this when he started his first restaurant?
2001 Consistent growth
Wendy’s grew to more than 6,000 locations.
For the complete story of Wendy’s, including financials, the story behind Dave Thomas, and the humble beginning of the fast-food chain, have a look at the sections below offering resources from a variety of people that have written about this success story.
Resources
The History of Wendy’s
History of Wendy’s – How It All Began – Fast Food Menu Prices
The History of Wendy’s – Mental Itch
Wendy’s | History, Founder, & Facts | Britannica
Founder
Dave Thomas (businessman) – Wikipedia
Executive Team
The Wendy’s Company – Leadership
WEN | Wendy’s Co. Company Profile & Executives – WSJ
Mission Statement
Wendy’s Vision Statement & Mission Statement (An Analysis) – Panmore Institute
Acquisitions & Subsidiaries
List of assets owned by The Wendy’s Company – Wikipedia
Ownership And Investors
WEN Institutional Ownership – The Wendy’s Company Stock
Wendy’s Company (The) Common Stock (WEN) Institutional Holdings | Nasdaq
Financial Company Information
Wendy’s Company (The) (WEN) Company Profile & Facts – Yahoo Finance
WEN.O – Wendys Co Profile | Reuters
Facts
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Wendy’s
15 Biggie-Size Facts You Might Not Know About Wendy’s | Mental Floss
20 Things You Didn’t Know About Wendy’s
19 Things You Didn’t Know About Wendy’s
Wendy’s: 15 Things You Didn’t Know (Part 1)
4 Fun Things You Didn’t Know About Wendy’s | The Motley Fool
Business and Marketing Strategies
Wendy’s Generic Strategy & Intensive Growth Strategies – Panmore Institute
Wendy’s Strategy To Attract Millennials – Business Insider
Marketing mix of Wendy’s Company – Wendy’s Marketing mix
Wendy’s Evolves its Marketing Message – QSR magazine
Revenue Strategies
How can a fast-food chain ever make money from a $1 burger? – BBC Worklife
Where fast food restaurants really make their money
Wendy’s 4 for $4 – posted in the fast-food community
Competitors
Wendy’s Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding, and Acquisitions
Company Culture
Wendy’s Organizational Culture Characteristics: An Analysis – Panmore Institute
Company Reputation
Wendy’s Reputation | Comparably
Complaints and Lawsuits
Wendy’s faces lawsuit for unlawfully collecting employee fingerprints | ZDNet
Wendy’s Enters into Settlement Agreement Stemming from Cyberattack Lawsuit – QSR magazine
Failures
EARLY FAILURES DIDN’T STOP WENDY’S FOUNDER – Sun Sentinel
The Marketing Failure Of Wendy’s 99¢ Menu – Business Insider
Wendy’s aims to learn from breakfast mistakes to boost sales – Business Insider
Biggest fast food failures of all time
17 Times Wendy’s Failed So Hard It Won
Books
Books from Amazon Related to Wendy’s
Google Book Search Related to Wendy’s
The Latest about Wendy’s
In this section, you’ll be able to stay up to date on the latest information related to Wendy’s, including the latest news, Google searches, videos, what people are tweeting, and more.
Google Searches
Latest Search Results Related to Wendy’s
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News
Latest News Related to Wendy’s