Wendy's Best Selling Item Is Surprisingly Not Its Burgers

Wendy's might be famous for its burgers, but as it turns out, it's not the store's best-selling item. As you're wracking your head to figure out which item is, you're probably considering your favorite contenders. Do you have a sweet spot for those Wendy's Frostys? Can't get enough Chili Cheese Fries? Surprisingly, these aren't the company's most-ordered items either. So what is? The chain's Hot & Crispy French Fries!

This news might come as a shock seeing how Americans love Wendy's burgers. But according to Wendy's Unwrapped, french fries top the charts as the company's most popular year-round item of 2023. Wendy's Hot & Crispy French Fries are natural-cut, meaning not too thick or too thin. They're left with the skin-on for that well-rounded potato flavor and sprinkled with just the right amount of sea salt. Plus, when it comes to Wendy's fries, the Hot & Crispy name isn't just for show. In 2021, the company reinvented its fries to ensure a crunchier potato that stayed hot even longer — which we'd imagine helped sales.

French fries are an obvious order at a burger joint. After all, burgers and fries are a match made in fast food heaven. But what makes Wendy's fries worth ordering? 

Wendy's delivers on its "hot and crispy" promise. These fries are known to keep their consistency longer, so you can enjoy every last one. They're slightly thicker than many competitors' fries, so they pick up more dipping sauce. And if you're a fan of Wendy's Signature Sauces, this is a very, very good thing.

Wendy's definitely made the cut as one of the best fast food french fries, coming in behind McDonald's and Burger King. However, rumor has it that more and more people prefer Wendy's fries over its competitors. On Wendy's YouTube channel, Vice President of Culinary Innovation John Li claims Wendy's Hot & Crispy Fries "win two-to-one over the competition." Quality is always an important factor in this decision — but when it comes to french fries — quantity matters too. Luckily, Wendy's fries offer good bang for your buck, placing third on our list of fast food chains that give you the most fries.

Want to perform your own taste test? You'll have plenty of opportunities because Wendy's fries pair well with almost everything on the menu. They're the perfect accompaniment to burgers, chicken nuggets, and salads. They hit the spot as a stand-alone snack and dipped into a Frosty, they make a delicious dessert. Suddenly, it doesn't seem so surprising that these fries are top sellers.

Over the years, Wendy's has seen menu items appear and disappear depending on popularity. Fries and burgers were actually some of Wendy's original menu items, and it's safe to say they've stood the test of time. But today, there are other best-selling items that might not be so obvious.

According to Wendy's, the top breakfast sandwich of 2023 was the Breakfast Baconator. This beast of a burger has all the breakfast fixings squeezed between two buns. Think cheese, bacon, sausage, eggs, and more cheese. When it comes to limited-time offers, the Strawberry Frosty took the cake and we hope this seasonal sweet will make a reappearance one day.

As for beverages, most Wendy's customers start their morning with a cup of coffee. As the day wears on, guests reach for Dave's Craft Lemonades with the most popular flavor being Strawberry Lemonade. And as far as those Frosty's go, the Classic Chocolate Frosty reigns supreme.