“The appeal is mostly due to its convenience, Riggs says. “It’s all about grab and go.” When it comes to the lunch and dinner dayparts, Wendy’s is focusing its efforts on getting back to basics and courting the 18- to 34-year-old “core hamburger user” demographic with “indulgent (large, juicy, and multiple-flavor) sandwiches,” particularly in the burger category, Anderson says. Central to that strategy has been the introduction of Wendy’s Double Melt Hamburger line, featuring a selection of savory toppings such as cheeses, bacon, and jalapeño peppers melted together between two beef patties. Available in half-, quarter-, and one-eighth-pound sizes, the first wave of Double Melt selections hit the menu last fall and the second in the spring.
“Wendy’s has a definite reputation for quality hamburgers, and now the company has to emphasize its products’ upscale positioning,” Ries says. The chain’s core product recently earned the ultimate accolade of “Best Burger” in the first Zagat/Today Show Fast Food Survey, garnering 30 percent of consumer votes compared to 22 percent for Burger King and 13 percent for McDonald’s.
Instead of jumping into the breakfast fray with all the other fast-feeders, Ries believes that Wendy’s should use its competitive credibility as a better burger maker to strengthen its hold on other dayparts, particularly lunch and late-night.
Using its “Quality Made Fresh” platform as a springboard, Wendy’s has made some significant inroads beyond its burgers with the Frescata deli sandwich collection on store-baked artisan-style bread.
Shortly after the introduction of the line’s initial offerings in April 2006, the company reported sales of 20 million of the sandwiches, with Anderson hailing it as “one of the strongest initial responses we’ve had for a new menu offering in recent years.” Although the company declined to update sales numbers, Bertini did note that Frescata sales continue to be strong and to expand—most recent were Italiana and chicken salad introductions. A selection of hot Frescata sandwiches is also pretty far along in the product pipeline, Estrada says.
“Premium items with bolder flavors, unusual ingredients, sauces, and add-ons help a menu make the transition from lunch to dinner,” Sandelman says.
Recently, Wendy’s has also begun to make major inroads into the snack category by leveraging the popularity of its signature Frosty. The treat is the chain’s fourth-biggest traffic generator according to Anderson. Originally available only in chocolate flavor, a vanilla version made its much-heralded debut last summer. In spring of this year, that line extension spawned the Frosty Float, a sippable snack created from the marriage of the frozen treat with the customers’ choice of soda flavors such as orange soda, Coca-Cola, or root beer. In the future, Vanilla Frosty might also be paired with coffee for another cool, creamy expansion, Bertini says.