Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas in 1969.  He opened the first location in Columbus, Ohio and his inspiration came from a place in Kalamazoo, Michigan called Kewpee Hamburgers.  It only took Dave a year to open the second location with the first modern drive-thru window being added in 1971.  The restaurant was named after Dave’s fourth child and there were many photographs on display in the first location.  There are currently over 12,000 locations all across the word and the headquarters is in Dublin, Ohio.  Nearly three fourths of the locations are franchised and they employ more than 46,000 people globally. 

The Wendy’s menu began with square hamburgers and thick milk shakes called frosty’s.  They still serve both of these options and they also serve many other menu options as well.  They were the first fast food chain to introduce a salad bar and they did so in 1979.  They followed this by introducing the Garden Sensations salads in 2002.  They also serve many chicken items including their chicken nuggets and the spicy chicken sandwich.  Wendy’s also features many combos and they feature sea salt French Fries as a side.  They also have expanded the dessert menu to include more than just the frosty’s.

Wendy’s has restaurant franchise opportunities in the United States and internationally.  They are looking for franchisees with proven leadership skills and management experience as well.  The restaurant franchisee must have a minimum net worth of $1 million and liquid assets of at least half million dollars.  The application fee is $5,000 and the technical assistance fee is $25,000 once an agreement is met.  Wendy’s will help to train any new franchisees and they are specifically looking for those that have the ability to open multi-unit franchises.  They will help you find the right location for you and they have many different territories available in the United States and in many other countries.