Hello, Snobs. Denny here. I will be flying solo on this article. Herman is missing. He disappeared. I think he may be passed out in an alley drunk! In any case, you get me for this one. Yay.
I have wanted to write about Wendy’s for a while now. Some events in the land of Twitter today finally prompted me to write this article.
So let’s start there, shall we…
I was looking through what was trending on Twitter today, and found this:
Wendy’s has a promoted trend/hashtag called #BecauseBaconator. Then, I found this promoted tweet in my feed:
A tweet like this can go terribly wrong. I had already thought of my reply, but I went looking to see what the replies were like. Many were positive, but like I figured, many were not.
There were replies about animal cruelty, replies about diabetes, how bacon is unhealthy, and blah blah blah. Whatever. What I care most about is the fact that Wendy’s bacon isn’t very good. So I answered with this:
My reply wasn’t mean-spirited. What I am saying is true. At least to me (and I’m pretty sure Herman would agree).
Wendy’s answered my tweet, but from the @Wendys account. And they said this:
Read from this what you will. I took it as derogatory. I asked a few other people, and they read it that way as well.
I then noticed that there are a lot of pissy replies from Wendy’s from various accounts when a person says something negative about the wonderful Wendy’s.
OK. Wendy’s certainly has a right to say what it wants to. Just like I have the right to say what I said. I am cool with that, of course. Without that ability, where would we be?? Up the creek.
But the pissy reply means I finally write this article (and I replied back to them saying to go to our website and find out what a fewd is!).
Wendys’ sucks now. It is that simple.
Once upon a time, I LOVED Wendy’s. It was my favorite fast food place. Period. My favorite thing to get was the Spicy Chicken combo. Then I would get a Double Stack. It was the greatest fast food ever. Obviously, Fewd Snobs don’t give much of a shit about healthy. That was the last thing that crossed my mind when eating a bag full of Wendy’s. It was good. That’s all I cared about.
This was in the Dave Thomas era.
Most people over 30 remember Dave Thomas. He was the founder of Wendy’s, and he was a genius business man. He did a LOT for Kentucky Fried Chicken before he started his own restaurants. He was also in TONS of Wendy’s commercials. He cared about his restaurants, and it showed in the food. Read more about Mr. Thomas here.
Dave Thomas left us in 2002. And I am sorry to say, Wendy’s has been taking a dump ever since.
Wendy’s was having trouble after Dave passed, and decided a reinvention was needed. The first thing that was changed was the fries. Now, I realize that I am a rare breed; I actually LIKED Wendy’s fries. Yes, they were soggy sometimes. Yet, for some reason, I really liked them.
Then, Wendy’s decides to jump on the trendy bullshit and bring out these “Natural-Cut” fries. What this basically means is that the fries have little edges of potato skin on them. This makes them “natural.” But the biggest atrocity of them all is that Wendy’s now uses sea salt on the fries. I can’t stand this crap. And more than anything, this was a big trend for a while. And you all know I HATE trendy crap! Just because it is trendy doesn’t automatically make it good! Sea salt, to me, is overly salty (if that could possibly make sense). Worse yet, Wendy’s seems to just COVER the fries in this vile salt. It is too much.
So, the fries went to hell. OK. At least I can have my friggin’ Spicy Chicken and Double Stack.
But then, Wendy’s prices started going up. Constantly. More on that later.
Then, around 2011, Wendy’s “reinvented” itself. The burgers were completely revamped. The toppings were changed. Basically, Wendy’s was trying to make the burgers more “high-end.” So instead of fixing what was wrong with the food, they just changed it.
Wendy’s lost its identity in the process.
What was the real problem with Wendy’s? The same problem that ALL fast food places seem to have. Consistency! The whole point of fast food is that it is the SAME no matter WHAT location you are at. But this started to slip. The food just wasn’t as good. Why are the fries soggy sometimes, and not others? Why do the burgers sometimes taste re-warmed? You get the point.
To add insult to injury, Wendy’s renamed the burgers to “Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy.” WTF?? Dave is gone, you idiots! These aren’t Dave’s burgers!! These aren’t what he served for so long! What the HELL are you people thinking??
Yeah yeah, they did research. They used “pickle chemists.” Read all about it here, because I don’t feel like going through it all. The end result is that it isn’t the same!
My favorite chicken sandwich stayed the same for a while, but somewhere down the road they changed the bun to the fancy shit they have on the burgers. It simply isn’t the same now. If I wanted a different burger or sandwich, I would go somewhere else. I wanted Wendy’s!
Now, back to the price.
Wendy’s seems to have had endless price increases. The Double Stack was a great deal. It was on the “value menu.” I really don’t remember what Wendy’s called its “dollar menu,” as most people call them. The Double Stack was a buck.
Then it was $1.29. OK. I don’t expect them to give it away.
Then it was $1.59. Then it was $1.99. I can’t remember the time frame, but as I recall this happened within a couple or three years. Too much too fast, you people.
Now, the Double Stack in my area is $2.50. For a “value” item. What??
Wendy’s now calls this menu the “Right Price Right Size” menu. HA HA! OK, shitheads! It is the right price for YOU, because the size is the same SMALL TINY STUFF you used to sell for a buck, but now it costs over double that in some cases! These items are SMALL. Yet the price keeps going up!
For me to get my Spicy Chicken combo in a large size, and a Double Stack, the cost is over TEN BUCKS. That is ridiculous. It is Wendy’s! This isn’t a premium burger, people! The size of the chicken sandwich has reduced over the years. The “value” burger is small. What the hell?? TEN BUCKS??
Finally, Wendy’s has just lost its way. For example, Wendy’s is currently promoting the hell out of the Baconator (remember the tweets above that started this whole thing??) The Baconator isn’t new.
The Baconator is a typical fast food burger, loaded with bacon. Nothing healthy here.
And yet, Wendy’s has been promoting the “Strawberry Fields Chicken Salad.” What the hell is this? Go here, because I am not repeating it.
On one hand we push the Baconator. On the other, we have a strawberry salad. I don’t know what the hell is going on here. You can’t be everything to everybody. Why don’t you try making your EXISTING food NOT suck?? Make it the same at every location! Get some quality control! And lower the goddamn price!
“Denny, Wendy’s is just trying to offer healthy options.”
“Denny, being mindful of health is important to idiot Americans in 2015.”
“Denny, I am completely full of shit!”
I don’t want to hear it. Stick it.
If you want healthy, DON’T EAT AT WENDY’S. Come to think of it, don’t eat at ANY fast food place!
Go to Panera Bread, you idiots. What you are getting there isn’t healthy either. Pre-made, bagged soups that are reheated and LOADED with preservatives. Fake food that is pretentious so it gets the “cool” crowd, but it is JUST AS SHITTY as anything Wendy’s or McDonald’s is pushing. You people are idiots.
Some of us still want a nice, greasy, BAD FOR YOU burger and fries. Wendy’s used to be that. Now, it sucks.
I read somewhere a while back that Wendy’s replaced Burger King as the #2 fast food place. This isn’t exactly tough. Have you been to Burger King lately? That’s another story. My point is, I suspect that Wendy’s taking over #2 has less to do with Wendy’s new menu, and more to do with Burger King sucking.
Everything is going to hell. We are in an age where people think Panera is healthy, people line up for burrito bowls at Chipotle when there is an authentic Mexican independent restaurant right around the corner that blows Chipotle away, and people go to Wendy’s to buy strawberry salads. I give up.
But I used to be able to at least get a nice Double Stack for a reasonable price. Now I can’t even have that.
So screw you, Wendy’s. And your pissy tweet. You suck.
You hit the nail on the head about Wendy’s going to hell after the Dave Thomas era. The food (outside of the occasionally soggy fries) was incredible, and the prices were (God forbid) reasonable. Originally I thought the sea salt fries were terrible, and now I like them to some extent. But when the quality of your food goes down, and the prices simultaneously go up, then that’s when you can expect a slow, downward spiral from loyal customers.
Couldn’t agree more, Brian. Perhaps some guest posts are in order??? Hit us up on the ‘Contact Us’ page, and perhaps we will talk!
Wendy’s Use to Be my “Favorite” go too Fast Food Restaurant. Quality & Price was Never a issue. But as You said in the Early 2000’s that All Changed & Unfortunately It’s been All Down Hill From There. I didnt Only Eat there but Worked there from the early to late 90’s & because I know the Ends & Outs.. Wendy’s Now SUCKS!! Now my Son just came in from Work & bought Dinner Along. It Was Wendy’s! He noughtMe Chili & Ceaser Salad.. Cant go Wrong there Right??? NOT!!! The Salad was Horrible… Even the Lettuce tastes different.. Besides the fact they’ve changed the whole way the Salad is Made.. (Ceaser salad no Bacon?) the Dressing tastes like the recipe was changed & all Watered Down. & Dont EVEN Let Me Start on that Chili!!! They Gotta be kidding Me… I remember We Prepped EVERYTHING Ourselves.. In Store.. At Closing & at Opening with mostly fresh Produce. I dont know Where this *S#!£* Came From! The Chili base taste like crap.. We use to Only use Kidney Beans.. Now its Kidney mixed with the beans from Pork n Beans.. And if thst aint enough.. We used fresh chopped onion & green peppers & started Cooking a few batches bright n early in the am to let the Chili get hearty & what ever was left at nights end was fridged to add tge starter batch in the AM… Like Mom Would Do. But I Dont Know What that was… Some Beans & Meat mixed with a few spices. No peppers.. No onions.. NOthing. & insult to injury. That Chili Sauce.. It aint Nothing but straight Vinegar. I’ve gone in there a few times with my grandson & it smells like Old Fried Grease. You know the kind that sticks in Your clothes. Poor Dave.. That Man probably turning over. What a Disgrace.
Wendy’s does not use the chicken cooker it used for what I thought was the best chicken sandwich in the business, now they suck and yeah their chilli was exactly like mom made, now it sucks. Well I do not go there anymore. What a shame that the corporate assholes ruined what I used to think was the best fast food restaurant out there. ASSHOLES, ASSHOLES, ASSHOLES!!!
PS. Used to work there as a manager trainee so I know what I speak of.
I hate ambiguity – please be more clear and tell us what you think.
I tell you one thing – Wendy’s DOES suck. This is the second time that the order has been not only wrong, but, this last time I had to make a 7 mile trip there and back to get the order that was left behind.
How in the world can you forget two sandwiches, that was what made up the majority of the order for cripes sake!
Their fries are DISGUSTING. They are soggy, have absolutely NO salt, and, they are cold from the time you get them.
Why is it too that a person never gets what is the in the picture? The spicy chicken sandwich, or whatever it’s called, was smushed, there was one piece of lettuce that was soggy, and, the tomato was basically sauce. Pretty disgusting.
The only thing that I can say is that they were great about refunding the entire order and replacing it for free.
Other than that, yes, Wendy’s DOES SUCK.
Shrinking rhe single and changing the bun was the deal breaker foe me. Don’t eat at Wendy’s anymore. One thing to go up on price, but to shrink the food at the same time is just a rip-off. Where’s the Beef ???
I noticed the fries difference more than anything else tonight.
Havent been to a wendys in few years since there are none locally to me where i live. But i personally loved the old school real potato steak fries of the old days with none of the sea salt (which i honestly dont mind) but old school was just fried potato n9 salta no added crap. Was a real old fashioned style. Now wendys is same as all the other burger joints. I totally agree Wendys sold their soul and lost their original style just to be another feed the hipsters healthnuts sell out. I dont want healthy i want a nice juicy bloody natural burger and nice real potato tasting thick cut steak fries not this fake hipster cukture appeasing health nut bullshit. Stop taking away good tasting unhealthy beef and cheese filled meals if i wanna die of heart disease and a smile on my face thats my choice fuck all u undereducated health propaganda falling hipsters for continuously ruining the resteraunt industry direction in general. Id rather get me some good bloody juicy burger beef and lots of fattening umhealthy real cheese and die young with heart disease and a smile than eat your healthnut crap and live a long miserable life. I like my unhealthy good tasting crap that makes life a bit more pleasureful than eat anything healthy cause nothing healthy tastes good nor gives me pleasure. So take your health fad and shove it where the sun dont shine
Right On!.In 1979 We in Miami had our first Wendys,.Lines went all around the parking lot,the burgers were exactly what they HOT N JUICY.You needed extra napkins as your fingers got greasy but those burgers were the BEST.I recall seeing the cook dip the spatula in a metal clear liquid container next to the grill and dap on the bread,guess that was?Vegetable Oil Whi knows.Anyways,What Juicy Fresh Delicious Burgers..After 87 If I recall no more Juicy Burgers.Bread was dry not soft and moist.Bummer.Wendy needs to bring back retro Original Burgers,Juicy Moist and Delicious single heck I ate 2 at a time..OMG..WENDY’S Get back to your Original Roots of 1979.
I went to a… WENDY’S…..IN …. WINDSOR ONTARIO…. I HAD A …BURGER…. BROKE…. AND CHIPPED…TEETH… THE…. MANAGER… ARGUED WITH ME….. I HAVE NEVER… BEEN TO A …. WENDY’S…. SINCE!!! …I STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY…TEETH…!! AND IT COST ME A … FORTUNE!!! ….(GRIZZLE IN THE…MEAT)….
Damn Wendy’s it’s over, you let yourself go. Shit just ain’t the same anymore. Deuces.
I agree with the Article as well. Wendys was once a great place to get a Fast food burger that trumped the others with decent taste and competitive price but that is long gone. The only reason I have went to Wendy’s in the past couple of years is to confirm that they still suck.
Thanks for the comment, PopaGeorgio. The downfall is sad.
And now the pricks won’t even put mustard on your hamburger! It’s a freaking hamburger! I’m in drive thur… I don’t want to have to pull over, pull my burger apart and dick around with a little packet of mustard. I’m done with this place!
You know you can say add mustard right bro?
Their advertising has become outright deceptive. I can understand fluffing food, but now they serve pulled pork fries without the onions and coleslaw on the menu picture. That’s outright lying.
They just started using a new bread the last couple of months. I dont know if this is just local or nation wide, but it is the most god aweful stuff ever. It tastes like drywall ! I suppose the best description would be dryed out smashed down stale hot dog buns. Was a customer for many years at Wendys, but not anymore.
I have to agree there!! Bread, roll whatever..that makes a sandwich. Period…their rolls SUCK now!! I thought maybe it was the one indian owner store i got it from, but NOOO.. I don’t mean to add insult , but that’s what i thought..Dude, the bun makes up half of the burger, cheese steak ( yeah im from philly) hoagie, grinder , sub whatever you call it…the bread is where the money is!! I grew up in the day of the Wendy’s super bar , and i loved it! But it’s a sad day to think i will go otherplaces before Wendy’s all due to the BUN! And I’m not the only one. I’m just the only one to voice my opinion
I agree completely with Doug. The buns they have been using always taste like they came from a day-old bread store. The burgers seem smaller and when I do make the mistake of stopping by a Wendy’s the food is cold by the time I get back to my place… which is literally a 3-5 minute drive to my door. Denny hit it on the head too, the fries always feel and taste like they’ve dragged them through a salt bucket. I keep finding reasons not to go back with each visit and that’s not something I’m sure they’d like to hear, but it’s true.
Yes, Wendy’s has gone downhill. If you want a delicious hot fresh juicy burger from Wendy’s, you’ll have to build a time machine first & go back to 1979.
Yes!! Back to 1979!! Back to the days when Wendy’s hamburgers were Hot ‘n Juicy, when Frosties were like really great soft-serve chocolate ice cream, not half-melted, non-dairy, off-brand tasting yuck. Back to the days before the chicken sandwich was even on the menu. Everyone is right. The burgers now are neither hot nor juicy, the buns are awful, and the pickles are disgusting. I really miss the Frosty of those times. It is a totally different animal from what they serve now–and that unfortunate change came years before the demise of the hamburgers. And, yes, there is so much salt on the fries I can’t eat them. I hope Dave’s decendents are reading everyone’s posts. They have ruined his food.
That was even the case in 1990s when i grew up. It wasnt til dave died and coorperate stooges got their hands in the meat things failed
You are so right!! Wendy’s burgers were awesome in 1979 when I was a teenager. I would love to sink my teeth into one right now. I thought it was just me thinking how good Wendy’s USED to be, but now I see it’s not just me. They really do suck now. ?
Same weight..SHRINKAGE….I worked at Wendy’s in 1981. The raw Chicken breasts were handbreaded then put in the pressure cooker. They were huge, much bigger than the bun. The hamburger patties once had less fat and shrinkage, despite the same weight. Their great Meat-to-bun ratio is gone now. There’s a better ratio with a Jr. Double stack now. I also miss the old days.
Give us our old meaty fries back! Just call it “Classic” and everyone will be happy. I like a fat meaty steak fry like those at Red Robins. So now I don’t buy the fries to go with the frosty anymore. In fact it’s been years since I’ve ate Wendy’s. My last item from Wendy’s was an Asian Salad, It had burnt edamame’s in it! Ewwwwwwww!
My Pro Tip for Wendy’s: I don’t go to Fast Food restaurants to be healthy, I want it to taste good first!
We like the idea of calling it “Classic,” JRod! Brilliant idea. Too bad Wendy’s will never do it.
And we couldn’t agree more; we don’t go to fast food joints for healthy. It must just taste good!
Thanks for the comments, JRod!
yes yes yes. remember when wendys had those thick cut fries that were crispy outside and fluffy starchy inside? everybody else had skinny wilty fries. not wendys. man, i miss dave.
When you put this article out was the last time I had Wendy’s in a few years. We were on vacation and it was by the hotel and it was late,so we thought why not. Why not,indeed! It was repulsive! I had the burgers and fries last before then probably 3 years prior. Around where I live,they had an issue at various wendys we went to with undercooking the burgers. I mean it would be raw inside. And the fries were gross after the change. I too used to love the fries. Then last summer-ugh. The bun was sweet,the burger tasted very bad,nothing like it used to taste. The pickles were even different, in a bad way. I got a baked potato because I can’t eat those new fries,and the potato would have been edible except the butter was disgusting. I don’t know what was with the butter! The only edible part of the meal was the frosty. That is the only thing I can eat from there now. It is a shame,too,because they did have really awesome tasting food! Unfortunately that seems part for the course,anymore. I totally agree with you that these fast food places need to stop with the trendy garbage. They made their money by doing food the same way for years,and they stayed in business because it was good. When they start changing food items to be trendy,they lose long time customers. I doubt that the new customers they get from their trendy foods are replacing the number of customers they lose from making bad food. And the worst part is kids today find this garbage tasty! They have no idea.
Remember when you could dip your fries in the frosty? Now the fries are flaccid and pale and you have to ask for ketchup!!!
Yes. I just got something I didn’t order. Everything is so tiny and luke warm AT BEST.YUK! Baked potato…it’s got to be over baked in a microwave (or even worse, left over from yesterday) I used to love the spicy chicken when it was cooked in a pressure cooker. It’s not juicy anymore & I’m pretty sure they drop it with the fries. Unless you get one that is cold, old & dry.
The worst is the Jr. Bacon.
That thing used to be on the 0.99 menu. It’s nothing more than a junior cheeseburger with a crappy thin piece of bacon cut in half to look like 2 pieces. Junior cheeseburger is 0.99, but now the junior bacon is now over $2. Sometimes up to $2.49 depending on location. Up to $1.50 for really bad piece of bacon cut in half. They “only” charge me $1.25 at this sandwich ship in Ann Arbor (Frita Batidos) for a piece of bacon that’s high end and the thickest cut you’ve ever had on a sandwich. It’s probably 5x the physical weight of the Wendy’s crap and tastes 1000x better. Well worth the $1.25. It’s DISGUSTING what they charge for the bacon.
That .. and now the chicken is WAY chewy. I don’t know if they’re microwaving it to decrease frying times or what … but it’s not the texture of any chicken I’ve ever had.
I went to one tonight for the first time in years and I did not get to the food to taste it was the people that work for them. They look right at you and make fun of you with other customers right before your face. I was at the one on Main Street in Kernersville NC. I use to work there a long time ago. The manager we had would have fired us on the spot but this manager Jamie Davenport was laughing with him. Yes it has gone down hill a lot. The funny thing is that Burger King went out of business across the street due to customers quit coming.
I think out of all the places, worst beef available, perhaps they use krustys brand name spork, last time I went to one, I went for breakfast, now from their website, alot of really good looking stuff, I planned to go and drop liek 30 NZD one day, buuut, I had an appointment at a store next door basically so I was in a rush, so was my breakfast muffin thing it would seem, sure it wasnt one of the items I really had in mind, buut again I was in a rush, wanted somethin quick yet deilicious, so I thinking at the very least, round mcdonalds quality, which aint really bad, I ordered a single bacon and egg muffin thing, wow, thats exactly what it was, just a slice o bacon, an egg and 2 slices of muffin, (maybe a slice of cheese, cant remember) so bloody dry, there was not a single ounce of butter or sauce, I havent been back since lmao. I wrote to them, said basically the same thing, but im in new zealand so I ended up saying, wish you would pack up and leave this country, so that other chains may take your decent locations.
Right on everyone. I used to go to Wendy’s once a week probably but now only go once a quarter and only because I forget how atrocious it all is. I hate the new fries. I think they use some new healthy oil and it has a very off-putting flavor to me. Very underwhelming. And the burgers are almost always dried out and those pickles suck! They taste like a mouthful of alewives out of Lake Michigan where I grew up.
I remember in Madison WI on the UW campus, it was a treat to go to Wendy’s (when I had any money). Now sadly, it is utterly depressing.
Good review, I miss the old onion, old pickles, etc….AlsoI read the article that you had mentioned above and I don’t care what anyone says, they changed the meat!!! Change can be good but not like this?
Wendy’s is gross!!!! I believe there’s an inside man sabotaging some of these restaurants with dumb ideas the only thing that makes sense. Too many changes 2 one item all at once & top it off with an outrageous price increase??? Either sabotage or just really bad business!!! The bread is disgusting, buttery sugar sponge best I can describe it. The valasic pickles don’t complement the sandwich. Fries aren’t that bad but they also never were…food never taste fresh or hot…just gross.
I agree with you all, the food sucks. They used to be known for being the best and more nutritious choice for fast food, but their food is just terrible.
Well I never cared for the phoney taste of fast food, but I could at least enjoy a baked potato or cup of chili from Wendys but now those items are horrible.
So now I stay away from all fast food restaurants. I enjoy my own cooking. But it’s a shame that, if you don’t have the time to cook, there’s nowhere to go!
so my boyfriend is “kinda” vegetarian, as ue eats chicken breasts and wings every once in a while.
a few months ago we got Arby’s, he likes the chicken sliders but he decided to get a big chicken sandwich. he said the texture was no good, i figured he just wasn’t used to it. so I took a bite.
I don’t know what the hell this was, but I’ve never… experienced chicken like this before.
the chicken was hard, rubbery.. completely unnchewable. it had the texture of gristle from a piece of steak.
so i say all that to say, today he gets a southwestern chicken sandwich. he didnt eat it and brought it home. it was even worse! usually, even fast food “chicken” will tear and pull apart along the “grain” this was so hard it wouldnt even pull apart.
guess it’s time to steer clear of Wendy’s.
Crystal, part of your comment is about rubbery chicken at Arby’s but then the end says to steer clear of Wendy’s ! So which restaurant is it with the bad chicken for you ??? I just got some awful rubbery chicken at a Kalamazoo Michigan Arby’s!
Great article and you hit the nail on the head. Wendy’s burgers use to be hot and juicy . Now they are dry and not even hot enough to melt the cheese .
I just did a google search after visiting a Wendy’s tonight and sat there wondering – what the hell happened to this place? I got the grilled chicken, I don’t know that you could consider it a chicken breast it was so flat and dry. What happened to the thick plump juicy grilled chicken I use to get 15 years ago? I also got a plain baked potato – pretty sad. My 11 year old didn’t even want to eat there – he told me he wasn’t hungry and then 30 minutes later asked to go to McDonalds because, as he said, “Wendy’s is gross”. So there you go, from an 11 year old – confirmed.
Couldn’t agree with you more. I used to LOVE Wendy’s burger and fries…..They were the best fast food with their square burger patties that actually tasted hot and fresh with their thick French fries and a nice cool frosty. I was so disappointed when they made their changes and I bit into the new “Dave’s” burger for the first time. It was disgusting!! The pickles were the absolute worst! I love pickles, I usually ask for extra. To me a burger just isn’t a burger without a good DILL pickle. Then to take a bite of their “Natural” fries….YUCK YUCK! So I thought OK, No more burgers and fries from Wendy’s, I can still eat a nice salad when my kids want to go there. I used to actually like their AvoCobb salad. That is long gone and now there are BBQ Ranch, Pecan Apple Salads, Asian Salads, and Taco Salads. What the heck is wrong with a basic grilled chicken or a Chef Salad? Who in their right mind would want BBQ sauce on a salad? I used to eat at Wendy’s a couple of times a month (I don’t eat out that often). Now I eat at Wendy’s only when my kids ask and that is maybe once or twice a year. They would rather eat at McDonalds.
Did they change their recipe for the spicy chicken sandwich? It tastes completely different from what I remember years ago
Spot on. You can’t stay the same as you were 30 years ago (unless you’re In-N-Out Burger, but perfection is rare) so make some changes but Wendy’s everywhere has gotten crappier and crappier across the entire menu line with asinine special burgers and salads coming and going to try to capitalize on trends. This is a corporation ran by morons. I miss Dave’s influence and a focus on quality.
They can never, for the life of them, get an order right. It’s like part of their training (?) on how to fuzz up a simple order. And to make sure they get you in a funk, they will mess with your head by randomly not including a straw. Also, the soda is randomly completely flat!
How they are still in business is testament to how nice most folks are, to tolerate this quietly!
I often think back to how Wendy’s used to be and it makes me sad to think how I’ll never be able to get the same food I once could. I recognize that things inevitably change, but the fact that they changed the food under the guise of making it better, whereas in reality they were just making it cheaper, is the salt in the wound.
I used to get a double cheeseburger with just ketchup, mustard and pickles, and what I wouldn’t give to have another one just like it used to be!
Wendy’s is just terrible now. I was another huge fan of Wendy’s in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Back then, the food was GOOD. The burgers were juicy and flavorful (even the small $1 ones). The cheese was actually melted! The fries, even if soggy sometimes, were still good. The chicken was juicy and flavorful as well. They were good, cheap, easy, fast food. The way it should be. I think the only thing that should matter to these Fast food places is whether or not their food is good. Wendy’s food is not only bad now, it is the most inconsistent of ANY fast food place. The frosty’s are frothy and light at one place, rich and thick at another. Their burgers are dry and stale at one place, yet burned to a crisp at another. Again the cheese is like never melted anymore. Their fries dont even taste good and are never fried properly. All I want is my consistency and good, quality fast food back! A thick, rich frosty, with 2 juicy, and flavorful burgers, with the cheese melted! And the old fries! By they way, your nuggets are dried out and old half the time to. Cook to order! It doesnt take that long to fry some nuggets or rill a thin burger!
I just had the homestyle chicken sandwich, it’s been a good while. I got home and thought it was a mistake. The batter was completely different. It seemed to be a real chicken breast, but the batter was like fish batter from long john silvers. Not anything like it used to be. I let them know through the app, which is removed now, that I’m done with them, nothing from there is good anymore…. Sad.
Just came back about an hour ago with some Wendy’s. Keep in mind that Wendy’s here is open till 2 am and I went around 1. With that said the employees were so unprofessional. Upon returning home the food was Luke warm at best(5 minute drive back). The fries were cold and tasted like tough leather. No exaggeration. They were terrible. I reached for a napkin. They forgot those too. I reached for my straw to put in my coke. They forgot that as well. Lol. They nearly forgot my receipt but I asked repeatedly for it and got it when exiting the drive thru. I like the article and totally agree with you.
I live in Arizona, and I was going to Phoenix so we decided to go to Wendy’s. I’m only 14, I’ve never really liked a lot of fast food besides sonic or subway, so I thought this might be a nice experience. I ordered a strawberry milkshake and baconator fries. The milkshake tasted like cream cheese and the cheese on my fries were nowhere near melted. Its like they popped it in the microwave for twelve seconds. Actually no, because it would’ve been warm if they had. All I see online is posts about how great wendys is, and I’m sitting here like “have you been there lately?”. I hate wendys with a passion now. The bacon was rubber and it took the guy three tries to get our order. On the way out I stole all their napkins and sugars and shit. All of them. Not because I wanted them, just to be a dick. From what I’ve been told it used to be good, so I wish I could’ve witnessed it.
All fast food places have fallen apart. 15 years ago, I would have told you Wendys was the best of the big 3 with McDonald’s a close 2nd and Burger King a decent 3rd. Now, McDonald’s is barely number 1. BK and Wendys are barely even acceptable. Whopper is still good, but everything else sucks at NO. Wendys has nothing redeemable. Sadly McDonald’s is looking to jump on the natural cut band wagon too.
Something I would like to add that I only recently realized is that the crispy chicken they use in the spicy chicken sandwich used to be real chicken. I remember when you bit into it before you could even see a hint of red on the white meat from the spicy sauce they had in the breading. Now the chicken is darker meat or maybe even processed (if you see meat at all as it is mostly breading now) just like the value chicken they use. I no longer see paying more for the crispy chicken than the value chicken at Wendy’s because they are pretty much the same now. What is up with that?
Love the article and agree on all the points made. Last time I ate at Wendys was 2012 when the cheeseburger tasted vaguely like fish. They definitely arent what they used to be.
No business knowledge….no economics knowledge…no advertising knowledge…actually believes that tweets from wendys and trump and whoever else were ACTUALLY sent from THEM and not some associated, compensated mouthpiece with license to provide whatever info they want to…..”Everything is going to hell. ” your quote….yes my friend, and youre holding one corner of the map showing us the way….of all the important, pressing issues that confront our country and the world at large-i need not be specific- your cause is as the Champion of Why Cant I Have a double stack like they made in 1987..wanh wanh wanh….why dont you unplug your deep fat frier,do some pushups and get on board with the rest of us who HAVE A REASON TO LIVE.
Your post sounds like incoherent rambling. You having a stroke?
They must be some shill from Wendy’s. I used to work at Wendy’s as a teen in the late 80s. The food was SO much better then. The chicken sandwich used to rock my world – now I can barely stomach the thing, and it is usually rubbery/overdone and the piece of “chicken” is so small. Their baked potatoes aren’t even edible anymore. There is no butter on them (there used to be) and the sour cream and “chives” have the weirdest chemically taste ever. Everything I have tried from there in recent years is a huge disappointment.
Another favourite back when I worked there was the taco salad. It was awesome. A bed of lettuce with diced tomatoes that we poured chili onto then stacked with shredded cheese and taco chips.
Nice try, Wendy’s.
Oh how I miss the old Wendy’s… I regret every time I eat there, and have done so for years. They need to spend less time on social media and more time in their test kitchen. Give us the old recipes, the old fries, etc.
I quit eating at Wendy’s years ago. Couldn’t get a hot and juicy burger for any amount of money, and, of course, the menu changes and price increases were ridiculous. Far cry from the restaurant I worked at in 1976 when I cooked 600 burgers in one hour (my personal record). Oh, how I miss those burgers! Nothing else came close. Wendy’s succumbed to the same fate that all businesses do when the founding genius is gone. Sad.
Who is Denny B.?? This post was hilarious. Are you a writer? The responders also had me laughing. OK, so here is my question for Wendy’s. Who at Wendy’s came up with the brilliant idea to put cold shredded cheese on top of the cheese wiz for the cheese fries. Dumbest idea ever!!! I too have stopped eating there, because it’s terrible.
Spot on. Wendy’s sucks now. I loved their old fries and prices as well.
Prices keep going up because fat fucks still come in and pay over $9.00 for a baconator, in fact about 80% of our menu has bacon on it, and the shit that doesn’t people still request bacon on. Can’t afford a Baconator double? Just get a double cheese with bacon for half the price. Sure, you only get 2 pieces of bacon instead of 6, but now you can afford your baconator fries, or bacon cheese potato to go with it. Got a fat ass, and can’t afford much? Get our new Giant JBC $5 meal! By Giant JBC we mean 2 JBCs stacked on top of each other (minus the other bun, mayo, tomato, and lettuce, but whatever, we call it new, and people line up like gluttonous pigs ordering 4 at a time. It’s so bad that the reviews for the Wendy’s I work at says it’s the only fast food place in town…Must be a small fucking town since there is a McDonalds 40 seconds up the road, but then again it’s hard to go to a Mickey D’s and get a baconator, with baconator fries, and a bacon cheese potato with extra bacon. I had an order before for $78.89! WOW, eat much! By the way, we do not have “McNuggets, 5 piece nuggets, milkshakes, Whoppers, or Big Macs” get your fucking menus right. Here’s a true story.
Customer:Can I get a number 11 chicken tender combo?
Employee:Would you like the 3 piece?
Customer:How many do you get?
Not shitting you. This just happened two days ago (October 23rd 2017)
Not to mention the ones who come through the drive through 10 minutes before 1 A.M. (Closing) and order 10 JBC,s or 7 junior cheese deluxes, and the constant “Umm, I have 5 separate orders”
or people ordering kids nugget meals, while we can hear the kids screaming in the headset we wear at 11:30 at night because nothing is better than your fat kids shitting the bed from greasy food the night before you wake up and try to come in the next morning with your EBT card wondering why we don’t take food stamps. People like to blame fast food for making your asses fatter, but remember, when you made the trip out for your baconator double, Giant JBC, Bacon cheese potato, Baconator Fries, Dave’s Triple, and full size taco salad, nobody put a gun to your head and MADE you fucking eat it. The money you spend on one meal could buy you a head of lettuce, a couple tomatoes, and some toppings, but laziness dictates that you should spend twice as much to pay someone else to feed it to you, oh yeah, and eat all the salad you want, you can still get fat if you eat over 2000 calories of salad a day, just some food for thought, and pun intended.
I’ve only scratched the surface of the annoying fucks we get as customers, but I’m going to get to why I hate this place, aside from the fact that farmers get paid more to feed pigs.
Day crew opens a clean store, and when their shift ends, they get to go home (at least at my store) Night shift which is 4PM-2AM has to clean their fucking mess, and ours, can’t turn off the frosty machines until 1AM, then wait 15 minutes before we drain the mix into buckets that get stored in the Walk-in refrigerator, then dump gallons of water into them and drain them twice, them fill them up again with sanitizer, then wait a few minutes, then drain that from them, then bring the parts back for the dishwasher (who is catching up on all the dishes because it’s the same person running the drive through window) to clean, while getting bitched at because we weren’t out by 2AM, Never mind all the cleaning, and scrubbing we have to do on a laundry list of shit every night so openers can come in and fuck it all up in 10 minutes whilst simultaneously getting paid the same wages. Upper management complains about everything being perfect, well guess what? Until you pay more than minimum fucking wage, you’ll get minimum fucking effort you greedy rich fucks. Maybe you should focus more on following your policies like not having 60 year old men hitting on young girls. That shit happened at my store, complaints were made, and nothing was done about it. Pro tip: If you order a 4 for 4 meal, you can substitute the drink for a frosty, the fries for baconator fries, and the nuggets for baked potatoes and we have to honor it, but you CANNOT substitute the fries, drink, and nuggets and get 4 hamburgers because our company picks and chooses which rules to follow, well not on my shift. Not anymore!
Burgers taste like fish oil.
LOL! Your main compliant should be that you are only qualified to work in the service industry.
Spoken like someone that has peaked in life and that peak is working Fast Food. Sorry that you are dumb and have zero useful life skills.
Wendy’s fries are now cut terribly small for the price, and they taste like a bad imitation of McDonald’s fries. I remember greasy sloppy potatoe roasted in hamburger juice and fat, double dunked for good measure. Since it’s now trendy to be low fat, nothing has flavor anymore. Also trendy to be low in carbs, so nothing left to their once delicate buns.
Burgers taste like fish oil. Explain that.
I tried 3/burger from 3/different Wendy’s location in 2/different states. All 3 burgers had to be tossed because they tasted like fish oil. Beef does not taste like fish oil so what the hell?? That was 5 or 6 years ago and I have not been back to Wendy’s since. They were just about the only fast food I would eat but no more. If a burger joint can’t turn out a good burger then they should close the doors. When Dave was alive, I would eat 2 or 3 doubles a week. Burger king has also gone to hell. The burgers do not tastes like they are grilled. They taste like someone is mixing liquid smoke into the meat and using way too much. I grill at home a lot and I know what flame broiled taste like. Burger king ain’t flame broiled.
I am eating Wendy’s right now and found this by googling “Why is Wendy’s Gross Now.” In the late 90s as a college student I ate alot of Wendy’s. Weirdly, I quite liked the fries. My fave by far though was the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. As I sit here eating one it tastes nothing like it used to. It once was a charming day glo orange color with a delicious seasoning, fresh tasty bun and big. It was so good! Now it is bland and tastes like a nasty chicken patty sprinkled with pepper. The bun is foul. The fries are so salty and nasty I had to throw them away.
My son got the “new” chicken strips. They were so horrifying he threw them away. They tasted like a chicken process or soy variant.
We won’t be going back. Wendy’s is fast food. It is suppose to embrace itself and be proud that they serve unhealthy food to people looking for am easy and greasy pick me up. They are not posh. They will never garner respect from the Chipotle/Panara/MOD Pizza people. It is like trying to continually convince me that a fat woman looks good in that bikini because she is proud of being a big girl. Squeeze her into that two piece and call her a model but I am still going to think it is gross.
Wendy’s needs to stop wearing that bikini, get back in their sweats and make some descent food.
I grew up in Columbus Oh. Got my first job at Wendy’s when I was 16 in Dublin Ohio across the street from the corporate headquarters. The vice-president and even Dave himself often ate at our resturaunt. The food was awesome too. The dried up burgers I get today are a pale comparison. I tell everyone especially Wendy who has been in commercials since her father passed. Dave would roll over in his grave if he saw the food quality today. One of my fondest memories working there was neing singled out by Mr Thomas as one of the best way to two grill operators at that location. He would never have tolerated what these people are doing to his good name.
Ray
I have been disappointed with Wendy’ ever since the “upgraded” the restaurants around here. The same as most of you, Wendy’s was the only fast food place I would eat at. The burgers had nice pickles onions tomatoes and lettuce on them. They had MEAT on them. The bun was soft and warm. The frosties were thick. The fries were GOOD. I ate there today. The MEAT was so thin it was transparent. And the tiny junior bacon cheeseburger cost $2. It was disgusting, the fries were cold, the nuggets were so bad I threw them away, and the frosty was mostly melted and gross. I used to eat there weekly, now I won’t be going back ever.
Both my sister and I went 2 different wendys locations recently (Christmas time 2017)And both came away with the same opinion, the food was downright gross. We both had the new chicken tenders(the more expensive ones, not the for lack of a better word,mcnuggets) they sucked. Also, a wendys staple…the chili. It was equally as disgusting. Im not sure what has changed, but i’ll never opt for wendys again. Neither will my sister. It’s too bad. Wendy’s used to be pretty good, as far as fast food goes. I didn’t even mind spending the little bit extra, compared to their competitors, for food that was worth it when you didn’t feel like cooking etc. I’ll miss the chili…but, oh well. Guess I’ll just have to make it myself.
Sheer convenience to work and other time constraints FORCES people to eat at these places now. But, you can see it on their faces when they are eating the complete and worthless crap that is disguised as food today. How the people that push this stuff can sleep at night remains a mystery. I wouldn’t be able to and would probably slap the sandwiches out of the patrons hands and say “Don’t eat that, it will kill you!” Maybe they just don’t care any more if their food is good? It’s become a sad world when people can’t even stomach the food on the street and yet they somehow continue to stay in business.
I loved Wendy’s burgers from 1979 to 1987 when they changed the rolls. We had a Wendy’s that closed and one of their old tables was in a thrift store with the old 1920s ads and got the 2 chairs. My late mother would take me as a child there so it gives me memories of her. But yes, the food and quality really sucks. It went way down after the Beloved Dave Thomas passed away 🙁
I remember those tables! It also brought back the memory of the old salad bars they used to have! It was the only way my brother and I would get excited about and eat “salad”! Of course it was mostly the toppings like bacon bits, diced up ham, egg, tons of cheese and then drowned it all in ranch… tons of ranch or blue cheese! Sigh… the good ol’ days… Lucky to have been able to experience it while it lasted.
Wendy’s first came to our town in the 1970’s. The burgers were so good!! They were a perfect combination of grease and melted cheese. The size of the meat sticking out of the bun was one of the big draws. The french fries used to be very good. The new “dirty fries” are horrible. I don’t want skins on my fries and they are always cold. On the rare occasion that I go to Wendy’s, I won’t order fries which also means I won’t order a meal. This is just another example of a company trying to skew the menu towards healthy instead of what the customers want. Dave Thomas would be ashamed at what his beloved company has become. We don’t want healthy; we just want good food!!!
Wendy’s new owner should be ashamed of herself selling the new crap! . Not to offend dogs, as they say: the dogs will eat it,, (NO THEY WONT).
So please bring the real good old Wendy’s back.
I never liked Wendy’s anyway. Meat’s too salty, ranch doesn’t taste like ranch, and the milkshakes are WAY TOO SWEET! Sorry Wendy’s, but there’s a hater in town!
What happen to Wendy’s chicken sandwich it used to be real chicken now it’s a formed thing the bun is bigger then the so called chicken and you get one piece of lettuce no tomatoes I lived the chicken I worked there when I was in high school it was a chicken breast and they breaded it and cooked it now it’s a patty .
NEW BACON – Not crispy enough, who cares if it’s apple wood smoked?
NEW BURGERS – Chewy, dry.
NEW FRIES – I don’t mind the sea salt, but the natural cut fries always rate like they’ve been under a great lamp for 12 hours.
NEW CHICKEN – Breading sucks. What happened to the crisper coating?
NEW NUGGETS – Suck.
NEW BUNS – Suck.
MANDARIN CHICKEN SALAD – Oh, you mean the best salad at any fast food place? Non-existent.
COUNTRY FRENCH CHICKEN – Non-existent.
Basically the only thing that didn’t change is the only thing worth ordering – the baked potatoes.
I miss that Mandarin Chicken Salad and the old fries. A LOT. They used to have the best fries in the industry in my opinion. Now they are amongst the very worst.
I used to love Wendy’s back in the late 90s early 2000‘s. My husband and I used to eat at Wendy’s every weekend out doing our errands. I would always get a number one with extra mustard and extra pickles. Then into 2011, sure enough as it states in this blog, bought a hamburger and notice it tasted different.
And this is when they came out with those weird little sea salt fries.
I noticed even the pickles on the hamburgers were different.
I never eat the hamburgers there anymore. I do however like the chili.
The quality is just so bad. I used to love it too. But I went again recently. First thing I thought after order was “$21 for this?” *shrug* Used to get much more for less. Oh well, whatever. Even though capital efficiency is a big deal when it comes to fast food, I wasn’t annoyed, just surprised. And then I tasted the meat. It was so bad I felt a spark of anger and wondered if it was a prank.
I know this post is old but I just happened on it…
When I was in the military i would eat Wendy’s 3-5 times a week ( always a “Double w/ Cheese with pickle onion, mustard – Large Fries and a Large Dr Pepper) – in the early 2000’s ( After Mr Thomas passed) i returned from an Overseas Deployment and headed straight for Wendy’s – everything was different (bun, pickles, fries) – it was not what i was wanting – it is now 2019 and i have never been back!!!
What about the MAYONNAISE?!?!? Not everyone likes mayonnaise, yet Wendy’s aggressively slathers their burgers with this disgusting egg-mustard concoction. At least ask or tell us that there’s white lasse smeared all over our food!
You’re completely right about everything else. I used to be able to buy a nice, greasy meal with the change I found on the floor of my car. Look at it now!
After reading all of these comments. I just want to add I miss my Big Classic from the 80’s. those were the good days when Wendy’s didnt suck.
I think the sea salt fries sucked also..but I think the main problem with Wendy’s is that their burgers seem to have changed..it tastes like the meat is old at 3 wendys locations it tasted the same..just one day out of thre blue this eemed tonhave happened..i went there today and it was the same..horrible..i will not support Wendy’s any more..sadly it was by far my favorite fast food chain..now its back to McDonalds..it would have been burger king if they didnt make the stupid thicker cut fries..i dont understand why these places change what was workingm.also thr people they hire at Wendy’s seem less enthusiastic about their jobs
What happened to the spicy chicken sandwich that was actually spicy and had FLAVOR??? I used to love the spicy chicken sandwich and the JBC back in the 90s and early 2000s but, boy oh boy,has it changed and not in a good way. I know now, Wendy’s likes to state that “Quality is our recipe” but myself along with all these other posts from years and years ago know that is not the case. No pun intended but Wendy’s has cut corners in every way including using thinner pieces of meat for their burgers and chicken breast for their sandwiches, watering down their chili and using the most driest, stale, unflavored buns on the planet. Their new natural cut fries are naturally nasty and a sad, pale comparison to the glory of their former steak fries from the past. Oh and I realize Wendy’s modernized the insides of their restaurant but they even skimped on the quality of that since the seats in their booth is missing the middle piece and it feels extremely lumpy. Hey Wendy’s if you ever see my post along with the other posts on this site, go back to WHAT WORKED and stop trying to appeal to the healthy foodies and do what got your business started in the first place. No one cares that you have a fireplace and lounge seating inside. What, we, the consumer want, is TASTY, FOOD WITH FLAVOR and actual REAL CHEESE THAT MELTS since we all know only imitation cheese WILL NOT MELT. Your customers are not stupid and if you keep this nonsense up,your pockets will be empty because your business will close.
The Big Classic Burgers were the Best Period end of Story. Dave’s Hot -JUICY ARE TERRIBLE BURGERS. WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE? Let’s buy a cheap bun and some crappy non juicy beef and call it Dave’s Hot-N- Juicy! I am terribly disappointed in what used to be my favorite Hamburger spot. Thank you Wendy’s for lowering the bar in quality. Your burgers Suck. If you bring back the Big Classic Burger the way it was made originally I might return as a customer. Who is your test market group 3rd graders? Have you even tried your burgers today?
I agree with every comment on here. Wendys used to be all about quality. Their burgers were big, juicy and fresh now they’re visibly smaller and taste horrible. The old steak fries were the best and were perfect for dipping in a frosty. Now the fries are almost always cold, never crispy and always waaay to salty! I use to love their classic chicken sandwich with cheese back in the day but the chicken now tastes old and rubbery and definitely not the same quality. Even their chili has gone down hill… It’s loaded with beans and there’s barely any meat in it and the meat is in small pieces not big meaty chunks like the old days not to mention they cut the sizes down so a large is more like a small but they charge you the same. The frosties are never frozen always half melted no matter what time of the year it is. I also have to say that the Wendy’s closest to me is literally a few minutes from my house but every time we get food to go it’s barely Luke warm by the time we get it home and the fries are always cold & suck. They definitely have gone down hill & their prices have gone up and honestly if the food was good quality like it was once upon a time, I wouldn’t even complain about paying more but charging me more for sub par food is a deal breaker IMO.
I agree with what everybody said. I used to LOVE Wendy’s. But not anymore. Last week, I ordered three items. They got two out of the three wrong. I ordered a small chili, potato with sour cream and chives, and I have the camp sunshine card for a free Frosty. Instead of the sour cream and chives potato, I got a baked potato with onions. Not even cooked onions but the kind of come on your hamburger! Crunchy and stinky!!! And they charge me for my free Frosty!!! I completed the survey online, and then called them. They said they would have a manager call me back. That’s been over a week ago, and I never heard from them! I just went to lunch there today to redeem a free sandwich for doing the survey. I told them that they charged me $.50 for what I should’ve gotten free. They argued with me instead of giving me the $.50. Really? Customer service is not worth $.50? I got the chicken sandwich and a free chicken sandwich for doing the survey. The chicken taste like rubber!!! Are used to go out of loyalty even at the booth was not as good. I think I have just made my last trip to Wendy’s, sadly!!!
Wendy’s continues to ruin their burgers.
No taste and they have almost gone invisible they are so small.
Bring back the Big Classic Burgers please. Your bun sucks. Going to Wendy’s used to be an experience. Now it not even close.
I just came across this article when I searched for “are baconators smaller?” I write this as I sit in a Wendy’s. I ordered a medium baconator combo. The size of the baconator looked like something off the kids menu. The taste was okay, but the quantity of food for the price is ridiculous. I paid $10 for a baconator, medium fries, and drink.
I’ve only eaten at Wendy’s 3 times. The only thing I enjoyed was the ice cream. They tasted decent. The fries didn’t like the ones from other fast food restaurants. Now I know why. The chicken nuggets didn’t taste as good either. I noticed that foods from Wendy’s were lacking in flavor and chewing the bacon felt like breaking the hard exterior of a Dubble Bubble gum ball. My brother complained that the bread (hamburger roll/bun) tastes weird. The chicken was really bad too. No flavor at all. I’d prefer the more expensive McChicken from Mcdonald’s instead.
Glad to see someone post the same truth i have been stating for years. Back in the early 90s, I was touring with a band. Wendy’s was my go to spot for food. The $2.99 “number 1” Single Combo w/ cheese. Also a side salad with chicken that came with a bread stick. I ate this twice a day for a week straight. It was the best thing in the world.
After Dave died my wife and I immediately noticed the lack of consistency in quality and service. And when the fries changed, I was horrified. GARBAGE. I walked away. I came back occasionally to see if Wendy’s corporate found their sanity. NO DICE. What a bunch of idiots. Now, nearly all of their establishments are badly run dumps. Puke would taste better.
Wendy’s is DEAD. The same holds true for the Dairy Queen. “DQ”. LMAO. Food was once really good. Now restaurants are shells of their former great selves. Meanwhile, we still have McDonalds. Which has always sucked simce it started. Salt and grease on tasteless food anyone?
Dude! Yes! The fries suck, the burgers are weird and they went fancy on the grilled chicken sandwich to the point that I can’t even smell it without gagging. I’m so disappointed. I RARELY eat there now.
Everything that has been said in these comments – All true and I completely agree, even though I would not know what Wendy’s burgers were like in 1979.. However I do recall the Big Classic back in the mid to late 80s – That was the FIRST time I ever ate anything from Wendy’s. At the time, I would choose a Whopper over McD’s any time of the day when it came down to eating fast food..so when one of their commercials for the Big Classic came on TV (the actor who played Nick on the sitcom Family Ties was in the advertisement – it’s strange how I remember some of these things, but it all has to do with that landmark moment of tasting a BIG CLASSIC! LOL) my Dad said “That looks pretty good, let’s go try one!” I didn’t know what to expect – I walk in the establishment and it was set up all “Old Timey” looking and there was the salad bar – all these years later I can appreciate that they had a salad bar but I was there for one thing only – THAT BIG CLASSIC!! I wish I could write poetically about that experience (and I probably could) but I’ll sum it up in one sentence: My preconceived notions of what a”Fast Food Joint” could taste like were challenged or I should say DESTROYED that day. This was not some run of the mill shack, there was a sophistication to the place (I was a kid, give me a break – I didn’t have much to compare it to beyond BK and McDs)..IDK – It felt like some place special; just to know you were eating quality TASTING (not healthy but DELICIOUS) FOOD! – … Sadly,those days are just one more memory that has faded away now to be replaced with GOD KNOWS WHAT!! I just stopped in there earlier before I found this older but still very relevant article…So, I will now add just a couple more things as to why WENDY’S SUCKS. I used to like getting their side salad along with whatever else (usually a burger – IDK why I was continuing to fool myself that maybe it was just not that good at ONE location and this time would be better somewhere else THEY ALL SUCK!!)..it WAS a GOOD SALAD:LETTUCE,GRAPE/CHERRY TOMATOES, CUCUMBER SLICES,RED ONION,BLACK OLIVES, SHREDDED CARROTS, SHREDDED CHEESE,CROUTONS and DRESSING – all for about around a $1.50! So, what did they change it to? Some lettuce, shredded? tomatoes and some shredded cheese? with croutons n dressing! WTF!! AND they JACKED UP THE PRICE TO $2 (also, it’s not in their “value” menu but under their “Signature Salads”). I also didn’t see Baked Potatoes on the menu – Oh well, it doesn’t matter because after reading all these comments and with the CONSISTENT POOR QUALITY OF “FOOD” and “SERVICE” of my experiences for some time now, I GIVE UP because WENDY’S GAVE UP A LONG TIME AGO. I’m just happy to have been one to experience a once good chain – Where’s the Beef Indeed.
Wendy’s has become the worst fast-food on this planet I gave it a few tries lately and it never got better!then after analyzing it there’s no beef and the chicken sandwiches are like cheap freezer Patty’s, a lot of better choices out there then Wendy’s these days
I’ve always loved the spicy chicken sandwich, but it has changed so much over the years, yet I still liked the flavor until they recently changed the iceberg lettuce to a piece of weed with a hard stalk, wtf, now I have to eat it without lettuce … when they change the chicken to week old opossum road kill I’ll more than likely stop eating it, but I’ll give it a try
on 02/16/2020 I had stooped to meet a friend for lunch at Wendy’s 5210 Sheridan Rd. in Kenosha. I saw my friend already seated as I walked to the counter with my wife and stood there as the staff looked at me but would not come to the counter and take our order. I finally said loudly, “Can I place an order?” A very young man came to the counter, faced me, said not a word and I ordered a Double chesse, 3 LG Chili’s and I had asked for a large coffee. He said he can’t get me coffee as the the coffee machine was down.I waited 10 minutes standing their as no one attempted to dish up our Chili and was given the burger as the kid was ringing it up. I told him I ordered Chili too. “Oh Yeah,” as he turned around and grabbed 3 containers and started scooping in the Chili as his back faced me. I paid, went to a table where our friend was sitting drinking a coffee in a Wendy’s cup. I had asked how were you able to get coffee? His response was he asked for it. He said they are most likely to lazy to make more. We each opened out lg Chili’s, all 3 were at different levels. One was half full. one 3’4 full one near the top. I said that I was bringing these back to show them. My wife took one, I carried two to the counter and a girl topped them off explaing that there is a little slot cut out inside the cup showing how far the fill them as if it were my fault for complaining. I asked what happened to the one that was below the mark and only half filled indicating that I paid for lg Chili’s? Her response, “I dunno.” I had asked for a tray to carry these back to our table. The original kid that took our order reaches for a beverage holder you’d give someone at a drive through and proceeded to push as hard as he could to get the Chili containers into to beverage tray. This went on for 5 minutes with the help of the older girl who topped off our Chili. They couldn’t get them to fit so they handed me the beverage container with the Chili at at 45 degree angle near tipping over. We went to sit down only to be approached by a 300 plus homeless man asking all of us for a ride. We all said,” sorry, we can’t help you out.” He then asked for a dollor each. We said, “no.” Then watched he for around to every customer eating inside to do the same. This is when we noticed that there were homeless people sleeping at tables, some face down on the tables. I excussed myself to use the facilitie. Upon opening the mens room door, I noticed paper towling and tissues on ever inch of the floor. Then then overflowed backed up toilet, filthy sink. I just left feeling as though I was going to catch a desease. Upon returning home I called the Customer Care phone number on the back of my receipt. After being reassured how important my call was, telling me a live person would speak to me shortly on this recorded message, no one ever answered to call. I hung up after 25 minutes. Called the next day, recorded message said they were closed for Presidents day. Call the next day on Tuesday, again a 25 minute wait anf hung up no answer. I looked up the Corporate office phone number, called to get and operator who cut me off mid-sentence and rudely told me to hold on while she transfers me to a Supervisor. The phone rang and rang, then an answering service came on for Jeff somebody. I left my complaint, never heard anything. I noticed the website for the Corporate office was rated 1 star, go figure. Wendy’s is going to go under you watch. These people ran a good thing into the ground.
i remember when Wendy’s actually sold hot and fresh burgers that you actually needed extra napkins like they used to advertise they were actually hot fresh and juicy now they are just reheated dried out crap
I used to love Wendy’s also it was very budget-friendly at one time and had great food. Now the prices are absolutely outrageous, I mean Beyond outrageous! Customer service is the absolute worst! The orders are screwed up constantly and the replacement policy for orders that are screwed up is ridiculous. Every other fast food joint apologizes and replaces your order no questions asked and some even give you free stuff to boot. Not Wendy’s! They want you to bring the screwed up order back in its entirety and then they only replace what they screwed up. For instance they made the burger wrong they will replace it and not the fries or the drink or anything else and they give you nothing but a bad attitude for your trouble! I am no longer a customer. I mean when you take chili more than triple the price and then give a smaller portion what do you expect?! Wendy’s sucks! In the extreme!
I LOVED those old style fries that could be slightly on the soggy side!! I crave those barely undercooked fries and wish there was a place I could consistently get them, but alas, they died decades ago, now. The current fries are from hell, agreed.
I am going to disagree with you on a few things, though.
#1 the change to the new burgers was a good one. When they released the single / double / triple, their game was up. At least when you got them from a good Wendy’s that was consistent. They salted that beef and cooked it just right; almost crispy diner burger style. Today their quality has gone downhill though, and those same burgers are around but just not very good anywhere I get them.
#2 in my city during that era (2002 – 2007?) their quality control was on point. Wendy’s was absolutely the fastest and best quality fast food every time, consistently. The Wendy’s I went to regularly would literally hold my bag outside the drive through window as I was driving up to it. Nobody ever compared to that, not even Chic Fil A! The prices were starting to climb, but they were still reasonable. They still had the 99 cent menu; in fact I believe they had expanded it.
#3 their experimentation created some really tasty stuff. I loved the Fresca sandwiches. A lot of people loved the chicken ceasar taco things. That’s also when the spicy chicken sandwich came out and it was actually pretty spicy back in the day. Also the spicy nuggets came out in that era. There was some kind of Monterey Ranch sandwhich that was pretty good.
I’m about to drive back through the drive in window of Wendy’s on York Rd In Baltimore City, and throw my cold “baconator” and shi**y cold tasteless cardboard fries in this “person’s” face. Not a word spoken, not a thank you, not a f**k off, nothing from this ignorant, rude, greasy c**t that has her mask hanging under her nose as she bags up this cold turd of a lunch. Never. Again.
Dirk, your opinion about Wendy’s is welcome. Your incredibly vulgar word for a worker (everyone knows what word you were using, even with the **, is uncalled for, and only makes you look like you deserve that name more than her.
I love the breakfast chicken sandwiches when they first came out. They are Robbery grizzly and Edible. The hamburgers are tangled and their fried are soggie. You have lost my family as Customers.
I love the breakfast chicken sandwiches when they first came out. They are grizzly a not Edible. The hamburgers are tastless and their fried are soggie. You have lost my family as Customers.
I, too, am passionate about Wendy’s. Apparently to the point of writing on a 6 year old post. I’m glad this cleared things up for me.
I was wondering what the fuck happened. I went from eating one of the best Wendy’s burgers I had before I moved out of state, then I had no money and didn’t eat fast food for many years. Imagine the torture that I had living RIGHT NEXT to a Wendy’s in my new place. Naive little me had no clue that the quality had declined but I finally had a little extra money and I decided to spend it on my favorite fast food place (no contest) for me and my mother…
Only to find ourselves with a terrible meal that made me have buyer’s regret for ages. I paid a shit ton for a large chocolate frosty (used to be a Biggie size) which was half way empty by the giant air bubble in it. When I asked if I could get that filled up CAUSE I PAID FOR IT (I was nice) she said “it’s supposed to be that way.” Then I got home next door and found my dreams soggier than the long-dead singular piece of lettuce they layed down on the bleeding heart of Wendy’s. The burger was… sad. Tasted like they hadn’t cleaned the grill for a long time. The fries were pretty soggy and I lived next door, no time to get cold or soggy.
And my beautiful chocolate frosty? A LIE. VANILLA IN CHOCOLATE CLOTHING. They just gave me vanilla and half-assedly mixed chocolate syrup into it. Again “It’s supposed to be like that.”
I gave them too many chances after that in hopes I could hold onto my rose-colored glasses during Hurricane Wendy.
Today our friend was kind enough to order us some. Ended up with the entirely wrong meal of a terrible quality, and, after all of these years and 3000 miles away, they filled 2 large pepsis (that we didn’t even order) maybe a THIRD of the way full with flat soda. I could say so much but I’ve said enough and I’ve wanted to be able to rant about this for YEARS now. I LOVE THIS ARTICLE BE ANGRY
Dave Thomas RIP
I also loved Wendy’s. I regularly ate off the $1.00 menu. It was the place I would go to for a great burger, chicken nuggets (white breast meat) and crispy chicken salad. I liked the fries with potato skin because I love potato skin, but got in the habit of ordering fries with no salt. In my opinion they always oversalted their fries. You can order them like that at any establishment. I got a crispy chicken sandwich and it was smaller, and so thin that the taste was horrible. It was breading with chicken sliced 1/16″ thick (maybe thinner). It was horrible. Tasteless, like their burgers. My go to place now is Hardees. The ones here in TN make them look like their commercials. They have that wonderful flame broiled taste, they use green fresh full leaves, a nice slice of tomato, about 2 times thicker than most places slice it now), with their sauce. It’s delicious and the price is average. I never used to go to Hardees for their burgers. I would go to Burger King and get the Jr.Whopper. While I like it still, it doesn’t taste as good to me as it used to. Maybe it’s my older taste buds. I used to have something from Wendy’s all the time. I would get chili, or a baked potato, or a side salad and $1.00 sandwich, or a large salad. That was my norm for lunch. For $10 a week, I could eat well for lunch (it was close to my job). Wendy’s burgers, in my opinion, are tasteless now. And they have gotten more expensive. But mostly tasteless.
It’s still me. I meant Crispy Chicken Sandwich (not salad).
I used to love Wendy’s as well. I thought they had the healthiest options, like their side salads, baked potatoes, and chili. I purchased their chicken nuggets made with real chicken breast meat (not processed stuff). And I personally liked the natural cut fries because I love potato skins. I would ask for it without salt because they did put a lot of salt on it. Then I would ask for salt and put my own. I also liked their crispy chicken sandwich from the dollar menu. I purchased one just the other night and it was the skinniest thing. Breading made up the bulk of the sandwich, and the chicken itself (minus breading) looked like they sliced it 1/16″ thick. I have long stopped ordering their hamburgers. I find they are flavorless compared to how they used to taste. I haven’t had a Frosty in awhile, but I used to get the junior size ones when my daughters were little, and it would be just enough. I think they were 50 cents each back then in a cup just right for someone 4 to 7 years old. It’s too bad that so many of these places lower their standards. At least if they maintained a good product, but the prices went up, they would retain their customers. Everyone understands prices go up over time, and quality costs money. But higher prices and a lower standard aren’t worth my patronage.
Wendy’s doesn’t make burgers when you order many times I noticed my burger was cold. They need to get back to that because I love them when it’s fresh and hot.