Monday, September 05, 2005

Old-Fashioned Fast Food Rankings

This review may not be something anyone particularly needs, since Wendy's is not a regional fast food place, but this blog will publish it for comparison.

Apparently this blog doesn't need to tell you about where Wendy's is based, and where it's locations are, because wendys.com doesn't even say that. Based on founder Dave Thomas being a Colonel Sanders protege, this blog is going to guess that Wendy's started in the Southeast and is now just about everywhere. On second thought, the fact that they're just about everywhere isn't a guess.

Pros: Wendy's has got a great burger, pretty good fries, and a value menu that features a lot of items for 99 cents. This blog would argue that their burger is the most "high-class" of the big 3 American spots (BK, McDonald's, and Wendy's) as far as meat quality. Having square burgers is somewhat unique, but this blog is very doubtful that they have more meat as a result of the shape. The fries are always well-salted, which is key. This is not common anymore, ever since the "salt is the enemy" campaign that started in the mid-nineties. When warm, the fries are great. Their Frosty is okay, but too thick. Having Pibb Xtra available on tap is a good option. Service is inconsistent across locations, but for the most part, pretty quick. This blog would say that Wendy's has the best ketchup dispensers in fast food, an often-overlooked feature. If you give those things 1 squeeze, it fills their ketchup cup perfectly. Probably best to try this on your second ketchup cup, as this blog has gotten burned when the ketchup was almost out and sprayed erratically. A frequent visitor to this site has Wendy's as his 2nd-best chain that offers chicken tender options. This is the highest praise received for a burger-specializing place.

Cons: Burgers come with too many condiments. This blog now has it memorized, but every time it orders, it has to mention "no mustard, no mayo;" then remove the onions and lettuce on its own. A tedious endeavor. When service is bad, it's really bad. This blog has occasionally waited 10 minutes for it's 2 burgers and fries. The frosty needs to decide whether or not it's ice cream or a milkshake. This site would prefer it came down on the side of a runny milkshake, which no one has anymore, despite this being the best way to do it. When the fries are served cold, they are no good. This is a problem with all fries, but Wendy's seems to end up with cold fries more often than most spots. On a blog-specific note, this place doesn't have the saturation of locations that Burger King and McDonald's does. This blog would need to drive 20 miles to get to the closest Wendy's, a problem somewhat alleviated by the fact that this blog works across the street from one.

Overall ranking: 6.5 fryers. Not a bad spot to go, if you can get there. Not sure how they can attract better workers to get better service, but that's their responsibility. Great soda options and the ketchup dispenser make the self-service part top-notch. While some conossieurs are Frosty fanatics, this site is not overly impressed. Since all burgers are made to order, they should start with nothing or works options, and be able to work one way or the other. If this blog currently asked for a cheeseburger with just ketchup, pickles, and tomatoes, they'd look like this blog was a foreigner.

Burger-only ranking: 6.0 fryers. Could improve with larger burgers or less automatic condiments. With a chain as big as this one, their ceiling might be at about 7.0 though.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fantastic review! Wendy's is based in Dublin, OH (Columbus). The first restaurant is in downtown Columbus, as far as I know it still exists. We can go to either or both when you're here if you want. - Dank

3:27 PM  
Blogger A.J. Romens said...

I agree with the review for the most part, but one cannot overlook the incredible 99 cent menu. I like condiments, and the junior bacon cheesburger features them, which is extremely rare for a burger on a value menu. For more information about the Wendy's value menu, visit your local public library, or check out:

http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0829/

9:39 PM  
Blogger Cooler Brian said...

As you will note, the 99 Cent menu was mentioned in the "Pros" section. If this was not adequate coverage, this blog notes your objection. A precursory search of my local library produced poor results in Wendy's regard.

5:31 PM  

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