Wendy's has very quietly become the number two fast-food burger chain in the United States by using a fairly simple formula.
Since its launch, Dave Thomas's brand has pushed the idea of "fresh. never frozen" burgers. That has actually become somewhat of a standard that McDonald's (MCD) -) and Restaurant Brands International (QSR) -) Burger King have mostly adopted, but Wendy's retains its status as the fast-food burger chain that uses better quality ingredients.
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In recent years, Wendy's (WEN) -) has also become a clever innovator when it comes to new menu items. Its most famous innovation might be its Baconator, a sort of give the people what they want take on a cheeseburger that simply piles on the bacon.
The chain's most popular menu innovation, however, may be one of its most simple, For decades, Wendy's only offered its signature Frosty dessert treat in chocolate. In fact, chocolate was the only Frosty flavor from 1969 through 2006 when the chain added vanilla as a choice.
And then, until 2022, those were the only two options, partly because Wendy's Frosty machines did not allow for a third flavor. That meant, when the chain introduced the Strawberry Frosty in the summer of 2022, the Vanilla Frosty had to go away.
Now, Wendy's has a new Frosty flavor set for its fall menu that owes a debt to Starbucks (SBUX) -) which created the craze which led to the burger chain feeling it needed to get in on the action.
Image source: Wendy's
Wendy's Adds a Pumpkin Spice Frosty
Starbucks made pumpkin spice a ubiquitous fall flavor with its Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) which seems to come back earlier and earlier each year. Now Wendy's is getting in on the pumpkin spice action, according to the popular Snackolator Instagram page, which originally thought Wendy's was making an entirely different fall Frosty move.
"Weeks ago I was told by employees of two different Wendy's that they were bringing the Caramel Apple Frosty this fall, but I *think* they assumed the caramel syrup for the new Frosty Cold Brews was for that Frosty and made the wrong assumption. So that is *not* coming to the U.S. much to my dismay," the influencer shared.
That mistake, however, led to what some will probably consider even better news.
"On the plus side, the Pumpkin Spice Frosty was confirmed this past week and it sounds like the Frosty Cold Brew will also have a pumpkin spice option as well! I really am curious to see how this tastes -- it could be a great fall option if they get it right," according to the post.
The Pumpkin Spice Frosty's launch date has not been confirmed, but Snackolator expects that it will hit menus in September. That's later than Starbucks which generally has been bringing its fall menu out in August.
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Wendy's Looks to Expand Its Day
While menu innovation has helped Wendy's grow its market share, the chain has also leaned into growing its breakfast and late-night market shares. That's something CEO Todd Penegor talked about during the company's first-quarter earnings call.
"We also have plans in place to accelerate our momentum at the bookends of the day breakfast and late night, we have plans for increased activity to drive the breakfast business in the U.S. and Canada. For the remainder of the year. It will lean into our playbook of building awareness around our craveable products, launching exciting menu innovation, and promoting targeted trial-driving offers," he said.
Late night, when many McDonald's and Burger King locations are not open is a particular focus for the chain.
"After diligent preparations to ensure our customers will have a great experience, we plan to promote Wendy's late-night business this summer," he said. "...We are excited to offer our customers the high-quality late-night experience they deserve and believe there's a ton of opportunity ahead of us during this daypart."
