The First Wendy's Menu Only Featured Five Savory Items

Wendy's has been a staple of the fast food sphere since its first location opened over 50 years ago. There's a lot to love about the chain's standard burger and fries combo, but it would be foolish to limit oneself when pulling up to a Wendy's drive-through.

If you're a part of the nearly 20% of Americans who list bacon as their absolute favorite food, you probably think that Wendy's really hit its stride in 2007, when they introduced the Baconator, a burger that is piled high with a half dozen slices of applewood smoked bacon. Wendy's is also known for its sides — how many fast food chains serve baked potatoes? People who reside in the oft-overlooked state of Ohio were once able to enjoy jalapeño popper chicken nuggets. In light of all these delectable culinary innovations, it's fascinating to look back at Wendy's history. At the original restaurant, customers could only choose between five items, many of which are still being offered today.

Dave Thomas flipped on the fryers at the first Wendy's in 1969. Serving sky-high Baconator burgers, when you factor in the cost of the item's intrinsic pricy pork product, is a poor financial decision for a burgeoning business. The original Wendy's menu was stripped bare and consisted of just burgers, fries, soda, chili, and the chain's famous Frosty ice cream treat.

Since the company's inception, Wendy's has prided itself on its use of fresh beef, which sets it apart from other fast food franchises that rely on frozen meat. When Thomas first threw his burgers on the flat top, he realized that he could further differentiate from the competition by cutting the patties into a square shape. The corners peek out from within the sandwich, and Thomas thought that this would allow customers to truly appreciate the quality of Wendy's meat. Recently, Wendy's culinary innovation vice president John Li explained that square burgers line up better on a flat griddle, ultimately saving space for the chain's cooks. It may have been a far cry from offerings like the Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger, but the first Wendy's hamburgers were undoubtedly cut in the chain's signature square shape.

Wendy's Frosty could very well be the most famous frozen dessert in the entire fast food sphere. Fred Kappus, whose father founded the service industry supplies titan Kappus Company, gave a detailed account of the Frosty's inception in an interview for the official Wendy's website. When Dave Thomas reached out to Kappus looking for an ice cream treat to sell at his new restaurant, Kappus recalled a horse track that sold chocolate milkshakes infused with vanilla, which added a smooth finish to the flavor. The chain hasn't played around with the Frosty formula much in the ensuing years — it took nearly four decades for Wendy's to finally introduce the Vanilla Frosty and in 2022, consumers got to try both Strawberry and Peppermint Frosty formulations.

Another Wendy's classic is its piping hot bowls of beef chili. Much like the other original items, Wendy's chili recipe has a fascinating backstory. Thomas' focus on fresh meat meant that a lot of his restaurants wound up with a surplus stock of beef at the end of the evening. In order to minimize waste, this leftover beef was combined with beans, veggies, and a slew of spices to make the chain's signature chili.