Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Why does Wendy's find vanilla so exciting

Wendy's, (the No. 3) fast food restaurant in the world has finally dicided to change the frosty flavor to vanilla. At first, Dave Thomas never wanted to change the original flavor because he thought it would slow down operartions behind the counter. However, since Wendy's needed something to boost it's image & sales they began trying a variety of new things like: a frosty float, a breakfast menu, and call in ordering. By doing this they are trying to target a much younger target market, but also trying to keep their older customers. If they can keep the Dave Thomas drvie & spirit combined with new & fresh marketing Wendy's will surely succeed.

9 comments:

Brittany D said...

I do think that what Wendy's is doing will help boost there image. But to me it doesnt seem to really need to boost their image. They are the number three fast food restaurant in the nation and they already have plenty appealing food options to the younger crowd.

JoshOffy said...

When competing in an industry one of the best things you can do is either match what your competition has or offer something better. For example, if someone loves Wendy's, but knows they don't have a breakfast menu they will go else where for their breakfast food. If Wendy's matches the competition and adds breakfast then they will receive costumers in the morning hours as well as the evening hours. You have to be able to compete.

Racy said...

I believe what Wendy's is doing will help there image btu by how much, will it help them be #2 or #1 fast food restaurant? What will they try to do next, it says that they already do call ins, will they have delivery? is that the next step for them to boost their self image?

BHowell said...

I do not think that it is so important to appeal to a younger crowd as it is to offer something new. Wendy's is also mixing it up and offering frescata sandwiches, something that is a little healthier yet tasty. We have already seen McDonald’s reaction to super size me by offering a variety of salads. As soon as McDonald’s offered the salads then they have something no other competitors had, Wendy's now has the frescata sandwiches and call ahead ordering. If Wendy’s keeps it up then they have a chance to take the lead in the fast food market. It's all about specialization, creativity and being one step ahead of your competitors.

Danny Cawley said...

I think that Wendy's is on the right track with there combination of appealing to the younger crowd and also trying to provide something new on the market that no one else has. I think that they should probably focus more on coming out with something new that no other store has because then it may appeal to all of the ages and not just the younger generation. Plus, when you have a good product that no one else has, then people will come to you in a higher quantity and demand.

Morgan K said...

There is no one single product or idea out there that can last forever in it's original form and continue to be successful. Yes, we all love Wendy's and the taste they provide us with at all hours of the day, but years down the road, or even today, if we only had the original menu to go on, the success of Wendy's would be quite different. The changes, no matter how subtle or drastic are keeping Wendy's the money making drive-thru that it is.

Rob Phillips said...

Why not offer more choices while keeping the old ones? Most other fast food restraunts that wendy's competes with do.. You can maintain your current customers by keeping the old stuff on the menu and expand by adding new menu options.

brianhahn said...

Wendys has tradition to only offer chocolate, but with thier income declining they need to bring new and itresting products to the market. They believe thate with adding vanilla and other treats to thier array of products it will catch the eye of customers and bring new customers to the restraunt.

Eric Dowler said...

This is all about being competitive in a competitive industry. Even though #3, everybody wants to be #1, thus Wendy's needs to do something that will give them a competitive edge on their competitors. What is the true marginal cost to employees on making a new flavor with a frosty?