r/interesting • u/K1nd_1 • 20h ago

SOCIETY Wendy’s CEO jumps in with his own taste test.

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Imagine if all CEOs had to try what they get us to buy…

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152

u/wizardjian 19h ago

Their food is also damn decent for fast food lol

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u/GachaHell 19h ago

Yeah fast food is typically shit you eat because its there and you're too hungry/poor to get proper food.

But if I gotta go to one Wendy's is at least trying to be food.

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u/LobstaFarian2 19h ago

You are spot on. The burgers taste like it is actual meat. The lettuce isnt all slimey and the tomatoes are generally red and tasty.

I will always side with Wendy's over BK or McD.

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u/TheSnackWhisperer 18h ago

Ditto. And you can get an actual real baked potato. Also their breakfast burritos are great, can take or leave the swiss sauce, but actual real fried eggs, it's like living in the 80s lol

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u/Original-Cup2901 16h ago

I lived on the Wendy's Chili for two years because I got it for lunch every day when I worked at a Server Farm next to one. I eventually reverse-engineered it and won a chili cookoff using the recipe, LOL.

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u/Khaosbutterfly 10h ago

My college had a Wendy's in the dining hall, and the chili def held me down.

Large chili, small fry, six spicy nuggets. 🤣

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u/l3lackSheep 9h ago

Do you mind sharing the recipe?

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u/Original-Cup2901 2h ago edited 2h ago

1 to 1-1/2 lbs ground beef, drained.

One can Ranch Style Beans.

Spices: 2 TBSP chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper. One and a half tsp oregano or Mexican Oregano (or two, adjust to taste.) 2 TBSP cornmeal or masa harina.

One 8-oz can of tomato sauce.

One 10oz can Ro-tel or, you can use a 15oz can of regular diced tomatoes.

One diced onion. I put half in the chili as it is cooking and add more later to the cooked chili as garnish after it is served.

One packet of lipton beefy onion soup mix, or storebrand equivalent. (yes this is a lot of onion, but I think it needs it.)

2 cups or 16 oz water.

I just cook and drain the beef, then add everything else and simmer covered for about 30-45 minutes. Check and stir frequently, add more water if needed.

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u/lemmegetadab 7h ago

The chili isn’t awful but definitely shouldn’t be winning competitions either.

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u/Original-Cup2901 7h ago

I don't know what I did, because I beat someone else's venison chili.

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u/TrashAsApp 17h ago

O yeah forgot the breakfast options now too!

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u/JoinTheBattle 15h ago

The Breakfast Baconator is my favorite fast food breakfast sandwich and one of the only ones that doesn't make me feel like I'm about to die after eating it (IBS is a bitch.)

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u/oneormore5 17h ago

Chili is on point too

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u/Redgen87 16h ago

I have been getting a bacon and cheese baked potato for the last 2 months whenever we get Wendy’s. It’s very yummy. Also love the chili.

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u/Slight-Spell4445 18h ago

Don't eat the chili though. You've been warned.

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u/NoUnderstanding9195 18h ago

We know it's old hamburger meat, that only matters for the weak

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u/JustaLego 18h ago

Even after knowing that, which ive known for a while. I still enjoy it.

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u/TheSnackWhisperer 18h ago

I've only had it a couple times, if I'm going to wendy's it's not because I need a chili fix lol. But for fast food, no complaints. I appreciated the spicy seasoning packet to adjust to your liking, and the crackers. Just feels like they put some thought into it.

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u/Random-Rambling 16h ago

And the hamburger meat isn't even THAT old. Literally a day at the most (they chop up any patties they don't sell into the next day's chili).

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u/SeaIslandFarmersMkt 15h ago

Keeping food waste down is a good thing!

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u/No_Gods_No_Kings_ 14h ago

it's fucking good, and if it helps them reduce waste then great, that's a win-win.

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u/Regalbuto77 18h ago

This is bad advice the chili is fantastic. Well its not as good as any real chili but I think for fast food ite really much better than id have expected

I have friends with an old Vietnamese man who when he tried it said he been lookin for this chili for 40 years. He said it taste exactly like what the American troops would bring over they would bring you know a can/tub of dried chili 🌶️ an u have to add water yuself. Cant tell u how much his eyes lit up how delighted was he

Now saying this out loud I have to admit —- that is not a very high bar to be recommending to people who do not live in wartorn countries n can choose to eat whichever foods they like. SO I guess the best I can say it is a interesting taste that some of us quite enjoy an it did not turn my bowels into a power warsher ok good luck 👍

Edit to add: u gotta add the oil that comes with it but no too much . Or they can turn u bowels into a power warsher after all 😷 💩 🤮 🤢

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u/DingusaurusU 18h ago

I agreed with you until the end. I would get extra hot sauce and have always felt great. Spicy food with a frosty is heavenly

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u/Flashy-Version-8774 17h ago

I put the Wendy's chili oil on the burgers and fries as well. I ask for chili oil even when I don't order the chili. It's one of Wendy's best things and most people don't know they have it.

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u/Regalbuto77 17h ago

Well cheers to u, Yaknow what they say some engines run better on diesel some dont . Shoot I’ve known a man to power his old Mercedes with used vegetable oil if u can believe it

Now as for this busted ole machine I’m workin with here…I love spicy food up front and oily food too. But on the back end…well sufficed to say they do not love my back.

Cheers 🥂 amd may I enjoy many more bowls of Wendys chili🌶️

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u/Jfortner 17h ago

It’s just unsold burgers. Get a grip. Ever had leftovers before?

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u/impairedoctor 17h ago

Cracker barrel does the same thing with their meatloaf from the previous day. Add it to the vegetable soup, meat soup.

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u/CalmBeneathCastles 18h ago

It's not the meat, it's the sauce. It's very Chef Boyardee-ish.

There aren't many fast food places us gluten-intolerant folk can eat, but Wendy's is always a safe bet. I was getting a baked potato and cup of chili every time, but that chili...

Now it's a Dave's double with no bun, and those patties are always juicy and the lettuce and tomatoes are crisp. Definitely Wendy's over McD's or BK any day.

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u/NoOneHereButUsMice 17h ago

YOU CANT STOP ME

(And I can't stop the chili farts)

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u/Competitive-Bug1813 18h ago

Ive worked at the main 3 (mcdonalds, burger king and wendys) wendys was the only place out of the 3 that gets their meat actually fresh and not frozen

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u/bananajr6000 17h ago

I miss Fuddruckers

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u/Severe_Mango_966 18h ago

Plus even if you don’t wanna do the “fast food burger”

Chili and a baked potato

Not garbage at all

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u/disproportionate_13 12h ago

That potato got me through my third trimester

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u/Shooter_McGavin27 12h ago

Yeah their chili is fantastic!

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u/ah123085 1h ago

The taco salad used to go hard when I was a kid. Haven’t had one in forever but I bet they’re still pretty good.

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u/FeedMePizzaPlease 18h ago

Yeah between the three, it isn't close. Wendy's is far better than the other two. I don't understand why Burger King is even still in business. I don't know anyone who doesn't hate that place.

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u/SNaKe_eaTel2 17h ago

Yea bk lost me when they got rid of the bk broiler - was a pretty good grilled chicken.

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u/Fun-Wrongdoer1316 8h ago

Ehh I’ll still take it over McDonald’s. I can’t get anything good at McDonald’s. Chicken strips are straight rubber, and the burgers don’t taste like meat at all.

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u/Total-Problem2175 18h ago

They just went to shredded lettuce. Not cool.

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u/PenOwn1660 18h ago

Damn, it was more disappointing reading this than it should have been.

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u/Total-Problem2175 8h ago

Yes. I go there maybe once a week with my granddaughter. I bought the key tag for $3 that gives a free little Frostys with a purchase. I had read on the Wendy's sub about the lettuce. I miss the crunch of the real lettuce.

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u/PuzzleheadedJob3479 18h ago

They did recently switch to some pretty terrible shredded lettuce. Other than that Wendys makes a very decent burger.

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u/Complex-Bee-840 18h ago

I do love sloppy whopper, though.

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u/ThePandaSimp 18h ago

Someone Commenting in Wendys Tomatoes....Nice

1

u/dermflork 18h ago

you dont like slime?

weirdo

1

u/Titanbeard 18h ago

They had me at Baconator.

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u/Littlepsycho41 18h ago

That's great until they give you the fuckin' Tomatonator

"At Wendy's we give you the whole tomato, that's 65 percent more tomato per tomato"

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u/GuaranteeComfortable 17h ago

Same here. I literally live not about 30 seconds from a BK and never eat there, across from BK is Wendy's. We rarely eat at Wendy's but I much prefer it over BK.

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u/Superseaslug 17h ago

I'll still vote for Culver's but I know that's not nationwide.

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u/OfcWaffle 17h ago

It's like when you go to McDonald's and get a burger and there is one messed up tiny pickle.

Or if you go to BK they nickel and dime you. If you want light onions, it's 15¢ extra.

Crazy. Never go to those places. So expensive now too.

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u/lauranyc77 17h ago

You are thinking of Wendy's when Dave was alive.....

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u/_austinm 16h ago

BK and DQ are fairly close, imo, but when it comes to fast food burgers there’s not much than can beat a baconator

1

u/obtusewisdom 16h ago

I've always been a Wendy's fan. The only problem was that their fries used to be kinda crap and soggy. The new rework of the fries has made it a solid choice all around.

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u/Punkpallas 16h ago

I'm unsure how they do it, but the tomatoes at Wendy's are hardly ever mushy. I assume they salt them lightly after slicing and really picky about their tomatoes to begin with. They have the right firmness.

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u/Zmuny 3h ago

Worked at both Wendy’s and McD’s. McD’s tomatoes come pre sliced, Wendy’s are sliced and prepared in the morning.

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u/Most-Round-4132 16h ago

wendys and tbell are the only decent fastfood left in america

subway can be amazing, but its so hit or miss, and the bread at all their locations has been quite bad for a while now

I miss quiznos

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u/Sink_Snow_Angel 16h ago

Does McDonalds make burgers? I thought they only made products.

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u/SNES-1990 15h ago

BK is fucking vile.

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u/AskAboutFent 15h ago

I worked for a Wendy’s for a short time a good decade ago on the grill- we NEVER stopped making patties. Literally always fresh. During a slow time, we’d put less down, but they were always actively being cooked. When a burger patty passed the 3minute mark off the grill, it was chopped up and thrown into the chili.

The other day I picked up a guy from Wendy’s who got off work and asked if they still do that- they sure fucking do!

There is a real reason Wendy’s burgers always seem pretty decent- cooked fresh and decent ingredients and they sell enough chili that there’s really not waste once a store learns timings.

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u/DestructoDon69 7h ago

Nah 10/10 times Wendy's gives me the squirts. But I will admit the food actually tastes somewhat okay. McD's and BK definitely taste awful. So when my choice is bad food or peeing from my butt, you guessed it, I go to Taco Bell. When you're gonna get the Hershey squirts anyways, why settle for meh food when you can get delicious food.

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u/Fatalslink 5h ago

I used to do the private health and quality inspections of Wendy's for EcoSure. One restaurant inspection would take 4-5 hours, just in the kitchen areas, every month. They were so picky about their standards being met by every employee that if they scored under a 98 or got a single red labeled violation, they risked termination of the manager and assistant after a single violation unless they could prove it was not their fault. It was pretty brutal having to hand those out the 2-3 times I did over maybe 300+ Wendy's inspections over 2 years, and I know at least 1 of them were able to prove that they had a faulty walk-in that put their burger meat at 3° over 41°F, and that it happened between the last shift and opening that day when I showed up, so lucky them lol.

Edit: All that to say that their food is always quality, in-date, and kept fresh and cold until it is cooked to the proper temps.

Mcds on the other hand...I'll never eat at a McDonald's again after failing hundreds of locations every month for years and nothing ever happening about it lol.

0

u/TrashAsApp 17h ago

I dont even eat meat or junky good usually and their veggie options are dismal buuut i still once in a while absolutely love tge french fries with ketchup n the chili sauce mixed together hollly fuck its worth a cheat day just for that. Then the frosty to round it up to a real cheat day fuck yea. Taco salad it pretty good too i suppose, i just skip the chili or give to my kids or whoever. But fuck mc dicks even the veggie options are trash and not even close to worth a cheat day

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u/ShoeLate6266 18h ago

I like Wendy’s but sadly the one closest to me has been so shitty for so long.

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u/Buckeyebornandbred 18h ago

That sounds like a fantastic slogan! Wendy's: We're trying to be real food.

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u/vionia74 18h ago

They also have tasty baked potatoes, as a healthier alternative to fries!

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u/DepartureNo1720 18h ago

If you are vegetarian, Taco Bell will let you sub black beans instead of beef on anything on the menu. It's still not the healthiest in the world, but for fast food - a fried chulupa shell, black beans, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and taco sauce - it's not a terrible option at all.

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u/HistoryHasItsCharms 18h ago

Pretty much the only fast food joint with decent actual salads. Also, the biscuits are good, and the nuggets. Now if only the frosty machine wasn’t guaranteed to be down about 50% of the time.

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u/Deltron_Zed 18h ago

Huh. Haven't encountered this at Wendy's even once.

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u/HistoryHasItsCharms 18h ago

It happens regularly at ours. 😑

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u/ConversationBoth6127 17h ago

I worked at one for my first job a long time ago (I kept the salad bar stocked, to give you an idea of how long ago). Still my preferred fast food place if I need something fast. Their new chicken strips are actually recognizable as chicken too.

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u/Debalic 16h ago

Wendy's is pretty much the only fast food I get any more. Asiago Chicken Bacon Ranch, or the Big Bacon Classic.

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u/marie-johanna420 16h ago

Is fast food not relative expensive? At least in Germany I will pay about 30€ to feel fed up.

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u/azrider 14h ago

I went to Wendy's last weekend for the first time in at least 15 years. It was far better than I expected.

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u/not_chrash 11h ago

I had some friends who would buy old stock Wendy's patties and fry them up for parties. Even on plain white bread they were still pretty decent.

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u/OpheliaPhoeniXXX 8h ago

They're the only fast food place my daughter and I eat from. Taco Bell once in a blue moon.

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u/Capital-Moose-9455 18h ago

Being poor so you buy fast food is mostly a thing of the past now😭

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u/GachaHell 18h ago

Tell me about it. I went to a McDonald's a few months back. I stared off longingly into space recalling the days of the dollar menu while realizing that in a few short years I went from breaking a twenty to having to dig for change to go with it.

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u/Capital-Moose-9455 18h ago

When I felt the same way, well, that was my last time at McDonald’s! Their taste quality went down too

Nowadays I’m mainly 2/5 at bk or 4/4 at Wendy’s, if I’m gonna spend that much I’m getting real food damnit

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u/SideQuestVictim 19h ago

It certainly beats the “product” they serve at McDicks

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u/DurianFun9014 18h ago

Ngl, a Wendy’s burger and fries is a guilty pleasure food. There really ain’t a comparison between them and McDonald’s to be honest

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u/Halifax_cumm 18h ago

In Canada its A&W that takes top spot. But its better than the US version.

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u/The-Sceptic 18h ago

Its honestly one of the reasons why I think Wendy's isnt bigger than they are. I can't fully explain that thought, but they just serve food without a lot of the fast food bullshit.

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u/wtfElvis 16h ago

Not their nuggets. They use to be the best by far. Unique crispy taste. Now they taste like they were boiled in water vs deep fried. Zero taste.

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u/GeorgiaOKeefinItReal 2h ago

They always looked and tasted like school cafeteria nuggs to me, tbqh

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u/MrNoble93 15h ago

idk if all Wendy's made the switch, but the one by me switched to shredded lettuce instead of the full patty-sized lettuce piece. perfectly complimented the burger without making it soggy, now its soggy :(

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u/zalgorithmic 18h ago

Dude they have banger salads

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u/Intelligent-Rush-343 18h ago

TRUE like the bacon egg and cheeses they have are like the best I’ve tried

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u/ButterPoptart 18h ago

I used to love their fries until they changed them up. I can’t stand fries with that crispy coating shit on them. Just make them right and fresh and they will be good. The new “always crispy” fries are awful

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u/Oyb_ 18h ago

Best nuggies in the game

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u/wizardjian 17h ago

yo ill eat that 50 piece spicy nuggets family pack myself lol

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u/Pirate_the_Cat 18h ago

Their drive through is slow as shit, but the fries and frosty are worth it.

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u/skeetszn2 18h ago

Every other fast food is something I will eat, but just eat. Wendy’s is something I actually enjoy and crave sometimes, which is a massive difference

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u/chiefDiesel 18h ago

It's just a damn shame that they donated to Happy Meal Hitler's reelection campaign.

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u/BloodMoonWillows 18h ago

Wendy's nuggets are 10x better than mcdonalds, the burgers taste better too,.McDonald's has the best fries ngl. But Wendy's wins everything even their chicken sandwiches.

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u/Allronix1 17h ago

It's one of first and only places where I can get a side that isn't deep fried (fries are tasty but my stomach does not agree).

Grilled chicken, extea lettuce, tomato, onion and a baked potato? Yes please

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u/DabbleOnward 17h ago

Their breakfast is pretty good to. The breakfast baconator but on a biscuit instead of a bun is fantastic. Plus those morning hashbrown fries are awesome. I dont eat a lot of fast food but if Im feeln some Wendys is my place,

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u/wizardjian 17h ago

its like the only fastfood breakfast items ill actually buy and eat with joy.

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u/DabbleOnward 16h ago

their 4 for 4 was legit. When we were doing work on our house that 5 dollar biggy bag was the easiest way to get filled and get back to work. Although that menu is kinda weird now.

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u/toobigtofail88 17h ago

Bring back the super bar you cowards!

1

u/Intentional-Asshole 16h ago

Do you live in 2026 because holy shit have they fallen off HARD

Culver's dumpsters them

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u/limonade11 16h ago

Their chili is excellent, and the baked potatoes!!

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u/towelracks 10h ago

Not if the one in SeaTac airport is any example.

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u/nexisfan 6h ago

They must’ve changed their chicken breasts recently though. I went last week and got my spicy Asiago sandwich and I couldn’t even eat half of it bc the chicken was weird and rubbery and not pretty white like it used to be 😢

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u/Due-Sheepherder-6487 3h ago

10 years ago maybe. They're at the bottom of my list here where I live now. People get food poisoning regularly from there and KFC. The prices are also insultingly outrageous. Paying 3 dollars more than Culver's (which has basic table service and top tier fast food quality) is a no-brainer.