The Popular Nationwide Fast Food Chain That Originated In Ohio

Every global fast food giant has to start somewhere — and for Wendy's, (as for many high achievers), those humble beginnings happened in the Midwest. The first Wendy's opened November 15, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. In-N-Out Burger invented the concept of the drive-thru back in the 1940s, revolutionizing quick-service forever. Just one year after opening its doors to the public, Wendy's followed In-N-Out's lead; founder Dave Thomas installed Wendy's first "pick-up window" at his Columbus restaurant in November 1970. Still, the fast food giant's expansion had only just begun. In 1977, Wendy's rocked the industry by becoming the first chain with less than 1,000 restaurants to launch a national ad campaign.

The first commercial depicts a saturated-hued dining room full of folks chowing down on the chain's then-signature square shaped burger patties. "When the meat's real juicy, the more you add, the better it tastes," entices a voiceover. Another commercial from the same year reinforces Wendy's "hot and juicy" motif, and apparently, the ad campaign was effective at drawing foot traffic. Wendy's 1,000th restaurant came shortly thereafter in 1978, and by 1980 the figure doubled to 2,000 locations. Today, the fast food giant boasts a total global presence of more than 7,000 restaurant locations worldwide.

According to data analytics firm ScrapeHero, as of June, there are 5,960 Wendy's restaurants across the U.S. Florida is home to more locations than any other state (513), followed by Texas (466) and the chain's home state of Ohio (401). Thomas is one of the select few members of The Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance's Hall of Fame. Inducted in 2020, the Alliance praises Thomas as "a true titan of Ohio's restaurant community. Where's the beef? Well, Wendy's is the largest restaurant company based in Ohio." Here at Tasting Table, we've tried and ranked every salad, burger, and Frosty flavor on the Wendy's menu, so...you could say we're pretty big Wendy's heads. We recommend the Dave's Single, for the record.

Wendy's enduring dominance in the fast food sphere doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, either. Per a company press release, sales figures hit $14.5 billion in 2024. "I am proud of our fourth quarter performance, delivering a strong quarter while outpacing the category. This resulted in our 14th consecutive year of global same-restaurant sales growth," President and CEO Kirk Tanner shares in the release. Technomic's 2025 report for the 50 biggest restaurant chains in America (as reported by Nation's Restaurant News) lists Wendy's in the number five spot. Similarly impressive, QSR's top 50 fast food chains of 2025, ranked by sales, also places Wendy's at number five, preceded by Taco Bell and followed by Dunkin' and Chipotle.