It has been a minute since we tried out some fast food! And we wanted to continue down the burger chain, but in our area, we are a little more limited on our options than if we lived in a bigger city. I WISH WISH WISH we could just pop over to In-N-Out and just eat all the burgers there. Hopefully they will head east soon. But until then, we gotta stick with what we have, and today that is Wendy’s vs. Arbys!
Before we dive in, I have a few important announcements!
First of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to our two newest producers, Laurie and Lisa! Hurray! These two ladies each have been listening since the beginning and have found value in our podcast and decided to make a donation. 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!
And lastly, our producer Laurie has requested we do a Maid-Rite episode. And I was very pumped to do that episode. So I did my research, picked out which menu items we were trying, and invited the gang over. And then I remembered it was Sunday and Maid-Rite is closed on Sundays. So, Laurie, your episode will be coming, just not yet.
So on to Wendy’s vs. Arbys!
Which menu items will we be trying?
Arby’s: Classic Roast Beef, Classic Chicken Sandwich, Curly Fries
Wendy’s: Dave’s Classic, Classic Chicken Sandwich, Fries
Who is joining this fast food battle?
Nate, crinkle cut kind of guy.
Kris, saved by curly fries.
Matt, hungry boy.
Amy, two for five beef and cheddar!
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 History of Arby’s
What is in a name? Well, for the fast food chain, Arby’s, a lot of myth and little truth. Arby’s was founded in 1964, the Raffel brothers opened the first restaurant in Boardman, Ohio, naming it Arby’s. They were originally going to name it “Big Tex” but that name was already in market use, so instead went with Arby’s based on the initials of “R” and “B” of Raffel Brothers. Now the rumors near and far would tell you that the R and B stood for Roast Beef. But it’s not. So that is what is really in the name.
But let’s back up to the history beyond the name. In the 1950s, the brothers bought their uncle’s restaurant equipment business and created Raffel Brothers, Inc, which would become one of the country’s leading fast food service consulting firms, specializing in restaurant equipment for operators. But while doing this venture, the brothers were also paying close attention to the massive growth of other fast food chains. Seeing all these burger chains succeed, they thought they could do a similar quick service model that was based on roast beef sandwiches.
The brothers, Leroy and Forrest, chose roast beef as the restaurant’s flagship product because it was different from hamburgers and they thought that customers would be more apt to paying premium for it. When they opened, a sandwich cost $0.69 vs. McDonald’s $0.15, but people still paid for them. It was such a hit that by the late 1960s, they had over 300 locations in nearly 40 states. But this growth was not without its challenges. Utilizing bank loans and equity capital to finance the growth, the brothers knew that they couldn’t keep up, so they sought to go public in 1970, but that quickly fell through and the brothers ended up filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. They used this time to restore their profitability and by the end of 1975, they grew to over 500 locations nationwide. They then entered an agreement with RC Cola in 1976, selling Arby’s for $18 million. The company would continue to switch hands throughout the years, but today is operated through The Arby’s Restaurant Group.
Now back to that pesky name. Arby’s aired a commercial in the 1980’s that had a jingle that spelled out the name Arby’s using the phrase, “America’s Roast Beef, Yes Sir!”. So, if you are going to dig your own grave, don’t be mad when the public puts you in it, I guess.
Today there are nearly 3,400 locations.
The states with the most Arby’s
Ohio - 277
Michigan - 177
Indiana - 177
Florida - 167
Iowa has 59 locations.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
The Classics
Wendy’s Dave’s Classic
Nate: “I love all the additional topping and condiments.”
Amy: “I like that the burger isn’t super thin.”
Kris: “When you bite into a burger with all the toppings, its satisfying.”
Matt: “It was lacking in flavor.”
Arby’s Classic Roast Beef
Nate: “I like the sauce but by itself the meat is tasty.”
Amy: “They give you a lot of roast beef.”
Kris: “I wish this was the one with lettuce and onion.”
Matt: “Arby’s for me. It has a lot of flavor.”
WINNER: Wendy’s
Chicken Sandwiches
Wendy’s Classic Chicken Sandwich
Nate: “I give points to Wendy’s for being well put together.”
Amy: “Gotta have that pickle. It is perfect with the pickle.”
Kris: “This is nice and juicy.”
Matt: “Easier to eat and a good chicken sandwich.”
Arby’s Classic Crispy Sandwich
Nate: “The white sauce is pretty flavorful.”
Amy: “The bread is so good.”
Kris: “Whatever the seasoning is on this chicken is good.”
Matt: “There is something about the crust on the chicken.”
WINNER: Tie!
Fries
Wendy’s Fries
Nate: “I like the potato skin, but I wish it had more seasoning.”
Amy: “It is a good fry that needs salt.”
Kris: “I’m a huge fan of skin on fries.”
Matt: “It’s a solid fry.”
Arby’s Curly Fries
Nate: “I wish they were a little bit thicker.”
Amy: I really enjoy the seasoning on the Arby’s fry”
Kris: “Agreed. Good seasoning.”
Matt: “The Arby fry is just much more interesting.”
WINNER: Arby’s Curly Fries
There you have it. After trying 3 different menu items from Wendy’s and Arby’s we give Arby’s the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out their website to find a location near you.
https://www.arbys.com/
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? Which restaurant is 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.
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
https://thetakeout.com/how-did-arbys-get-its-name-arbys-name-origin-roast-beef-1849779865
https://www.zippia.com/arby-s-careers-15212/history/
https://www.nav.com/blog/inspirational-story-brothers-behind-arbys-26195/
Wendy's vs Arby's!