The Hail Mary Sandwich That Helped Revive The Wendy's Brand

Wendy's (and its genial founder Dave Thomas) was responsible for several firsts in the fast food industry. The first "pick-up window," the first spicy chicken sandwich, and that famous "Where's the Beef" commercial in the 1980s that brutally took down competitors McDonald's and Burger King all come to mind. Wendy's introduced its first bacon cheeseburger in 1982, but for the next couple of decades, fitness and dietary fads put the beloved sizzling pork strips out of favor. But some time in 2000, the National Pork Board urged upscale restaurants and fast-food restaurants to devise the best bacon recipes that marketed bacon as the ultimate flavor enhancer. Suddenly, bacon became a condiment third to only salt and pepper, and it wasn't long before the Baconator was born.

After the failure of a number of fast food menu items, compounded by founder Thomas's death in 2002, Wendy's suffered a series of financial and marketing setbacks in the mid-2000s. Without Thomas, management was lost; the chain was no longer considered as innovative as it had once been. But in 2006, the recently installed chief executive, Kerrii Anderson, launched a back-to-basics turnaround plan that would invigorate Wendy's flailing sales. Motivated by the bacon mania, Wendy's created a monster sandwich, the Baconator — a double cheeseburger with six strips of bacon.

The sandwich launched nationwide in 2007, and it caught the fast-food industry by surprise. By marketing to men between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, Wendy's sold over 68 million Baconators in the first year — and many more since.

With the Baconator's success, Wendy's competitors jumped on the bacon bandwagon. Yet, thanks to the chain's savvy marketing to the late-night snack crowd and insanely craveworthy images, the Baconator reigned supreme. Bolstered by the Baconator's success, the company introduced a spicy version — adding pepper jack cheese, chipotle ranch sauce, and jalapeños — in March 2008. However, this variant didn't catch on and was soon discontinued.

A few years later, diets changed again, and the Baconator's infamous 930-calorie load negatively impacted consumers' appetites for the sandwich. In response, Wendy's introduced the Son of Baconator in 2012 — wittily referencing vintage horror movie sequels — a smaller and cheaper alternative at 610 calories. The "slim" SOB garnered diet-conscious fans, and it remains on Wendy's menu today. Of course, not every Wendy's burger is an unqualified success, and the company has had out-and-out failures  as well as quality-control issues.

It wasn't until 2020 that Wendy's introduced a breakfast sandwich, the Breakfast Baconator. At the same time, the brand tried to capture the Baconator's signature flavor profile with a limited edition of Baconator-flavored Pringles. With store closings and rising costs, Wendy's has had its share of ups and downs, and as consumers continue to cut back on restaurant dining, the company's earnings have markedly decreased. The company plans to continue menu development to retain customers and attract new ones, but until then, Baconator Cheez-Its prove that Wendy's will continue to rely on its Baconator cash cow.