The Square Deal

Ever wonder why a Wendy’s® hamburger is square? Our founder Dave Thomas started Wendy’s in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio with a simple idea. Great food, served hot and fresh, by nice people. And the square thing? That came from his childhood role model, Grandma Minnie, who told him to Never Cut Corners. Dave didn’t have the easiest childhood. He was adopted as a baby and then his adoptive mother died when he was very young. His father remarried three times and often struggled to find a job so the family moved around frequently. Dave found solace and community in restaurants – he recalled being eight years old when he first dreamed of starting a restaurant where “everyone would love my food.” Today, we remain committed to his ideals like Quality is our Recipe® (and we still don’t cut corners), and Do the Right Thing. With his childhood as our example, our signature cause is foster care adoption and finding homes for the hundreds of thousands of children who are waiting in foster care to find their forever families. Interested in hearing more? We’ll use this space to give you The Square Deal™ – our views on food, quality, culture, children’s issues and doing our best to make Dave proud.

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Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

It’s Time for a Round of Applause
Anyone who decides to drive a commercial truck for a living is performing one of the most critical aspects of our economy. Think about the products we enjoy every day, yet probably take for granted. Groceries. Gas. Clothing. Electronics. School supplies. Food at our favorite restaurants, like Wendy’s. Do we ever stop to consider how these staples of our lives magically get to where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there?

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Celebrating Wendy’s Family Members Who Go the Extra Mile
It’s an old adage and while we may not realize it in the moment, actions speak louder than words.

What we do and how we choose to treat people can make a lasting impression on strangers and friends. It’s great when we learn about examples of this type of behavior by Wendy’s employees, and it’s important that we take a minute to appreciate those moments and the people who make them.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Sometimes You Need a Helping Hand
In December of last year, Wendy’s launched WeCare: an employee assistance fund designed to provide short-term financial assistance to members of the Wendy’s family experiencing financial need due to federally or state-declared natural disasters. We’re proud to offer this new benefit to our system and hope that WeCare will be a straightforward way for Wendy’s people to help Wendy’s people during difficult times.

Education

Does Wendy’s Offer a Scholarship?
We’re often asked if there’s a Wendy’s scholarship available to support students approaching college. With rising tuition rates, any amount of financial relief is helpful, and Wendy’s is proud to offer more than $60,000 of scholarship money to high school students graduating with the class of 2019.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Meet the Maces: One Family’s Extraordinary Adoption Journey
It’s easy to look at the Mace family and see something extraordinary. A same-sex couple who has adopted five children from the foster care system, all while devoutly serving the United States military and bearing the strain of multiple re-assignments. From background checks, court sessions, disclosure meetings and more, Christopher and Brian Mace have gone to extraordinary lengths to create a forever family for their five children: Eira, Kota, Steven, Dallyn and Kinley.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wendy's and Sugardale Come Together for the Greater Good of Taste and the DTFA
Sugardale is also a proud supporter of our brand charity of choice, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Sugardale has supported the Foundation since its inception in 1992 and continues to us help find permanent, loving homes for children in foster care by sponsoring Wendy’s annual Frosty 5K Run for Adoption, various golf tournaments, and our annual Wendy’s Convention.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Looks Great, Tastes Fresh: Meet Our New Tomatoes
By the end of 2018, all of Wendy's tomatoes will be vine-ripened from greenhouse farms. The goal: tomatoes that taste like you grew them yourself. And did we mention that greenhouse farms bring benefits to the environment as well?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Wendy's Way: Supporting National Foster Care Month
When some people think of May, their minds are immediately drawn to Cinco de Mayo, or a timely Star Wars joke on May Fourth. However, while we love a good fiesta and we’re no “wookies” when it comes to making a pun – see what we did there? – we think the most important thing about May is that it’s National Foster Care Month: a month where we focus even more than usual on driving positive change within the foster care system through activities that support the adoption journey.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How Wendy’s Created Joy and Opportunity for 200 Top GMs
Last month, Wendy’s recognized and celebrated 200 outstanding restaurant General Managers (GMs) for their leadership, performance, dedication, and continued service to the Wendy’s brand.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

We Lost Our Pigtails for National Foster Care Month
Why did Wendy’s® remove the well-known pigtailed girl (or as we call it, the cameo) from our cup?

More from The Wendy's Company

  1. The Square Deal
    Ever wonder why a Wendy’s® hamburger is square? Our founder Dave Thomas started Wendy’s in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio with a simple idea. Great food...