We are back in the studio!
After a crap ton of rain this spring, the studio found itself under a bunch of water. So Matt and I have spent the whole summer refinishing things in our basement, including new floors, so we could get the podcast running again. So here we are! (And let’s just keep our fingers crossed when it comes to the 5+ inches of rain we could get this week)
And to kick off this incredible milestone, we have a limited edition food to try out… The Krabby Patty Meal from Wendy’s!
Before we chow down….
We have a new producer to Quest for the Best. Let’s hear it for Bev Roth! Woohoo! We really really appreciate the support! Hurray! We really can only keep this going with support from our listeners. For some of you, that may come in the form of a monetary donation, which we really appreciate. For others, you may decide to share a link to the show on your social media accounts or just share via word of mouth. WE CAN’T SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH to all of you. We have a lot of fun making this show, but get a lot of pleasure out of hearing that you all enjoy it too.
So if you haven’t, you can always donate now, or you can share, share, share!
Which menu items will we be trying?
The Krabby Patty Meal, which comes with the Krabby Patty burger, fries, and a pineapple frosty.
Bonus… Saucy Nugs!
Who is joining this fast food battle?
Kris, putting the K in Krabby, and Kris.
Matt, back in the studio!
Amy, holding it together.
And of course, thanks to our subscribers who are helping us build this small but excellent podcast! We appreciate the support!
The History of Wendy’s
Today we head back to November 15, 1969 where Dave Thomas opened his very first Wendy’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Why open a fast food burger restaurant? Well, the man was obsessed with burgers. In fact, it is said he would visit any and every hamburger stand he could find. So when a friend mentioned that it was hard to get a good lunch in downtown Columbus, Dave saw it as his chance. He opened the restaurant, using his daughter’s nickname Wendy. He felt that the logo of a smiling, wholesome girl with the name “Wendy’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers” would be the first place you went for a hamburger the way you used to get them, with fresh beef.
The original menu included hot ‘n juicy hamburgers, rich ‘n meaty chili, French fries, soft drinks and a Frosty Dairy Dessert. And to top it off, this place did not cut corners on quality, or on their hamburger patties, which is how and why it became known for serving square burgers.
In 1970 Wendy’s was another restaurant to claim that they introduced the Drive-Through window, a term Dave Thomas coined the “Pick-Up Window” so he could attract cruisers and joyriders to the restaurants. And by March 1978, the franchise was booming, with 1,000 restaurants and counting.
Some other notable dates include…
The first Canadian restaurant opened in Ontario in September of 1975.
In November 1979, Wendy’s introduced the Salad Bar, which was very popular in the 70’s and 80’s, but wouldn’t last forever, phasing out in 2006.
In 1980, store number 2,000 opened up.
In 1983 Baked Potatoes were added to the menu
1984, “Where’s the Beef?” (copyright) commercial aired, leading to a 31% boost in annual revenue.
In February 1985, the 3,000th restaurant opened.
In December 1992, the 4,000th restaurant opened.
In December of 1995, Wendy’s Acquired Canadian chain Tim Hortons.
In March of 1997, The 5,000th restaurant opened in Columbus, Ohio as a Wendy’s/Tim Hortons combo.
In October of 2001, the 6,000th restaurant opened in Tijuana, Mexico. It was a two-story restaurant that could hold 224 customers.
In August of 2006, Wendy’s added the Vanilla Frosty.
The following year they would add the Baconator.
In September of 2008, Wendy’s and Arby’s merged but a short three years later, they decided to go their separate ways in 2011.
Today there are over 7,000 Wendy’s world wide.
The States with the most Wendy’s are…
Florida - 536
Texas - 454
Ohio - 405
And in the state of Iowa we have 40.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
There you have it. The Krabby Patty Meal and the Saucy Nugs get the Quest for the Best seal of approval.
Thank you for joining us on this versus episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried these menu items? Which one was your favorite?
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
NOTE: To comment, you do need to sign into substack. Anyone should be able to comment, but you have to have an account and be signed in to contribute.
If you were entertained today, consider donating to our podcast! Keep these episodes coming with your own treasure. We would really appreciate the support!
Thanks again for the support. Until next time, stay sane out there.
Show Notes:
https://www.wendys.com/wendys-story
https://www.wendys.com/who-we-are-daves-legacy-founding-wendys
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