Why This Fast Food Chain Keeps Baked Potatoes On Its Menu

There has long been a debate in the fast food world about who makes the best french fries. McDonald's often comes out on top, but other restaurants try their best. In recent years, there was a big chicken sandwich war in the fast food world to determine who served the best one. The best fast food burger has also been a spot of contention. But if someone asks you who made the best fast food baked potato, your answer is probably going to be Wendy's. Almost no one else sells them. So have you ever wondered why Wendy's has a baked potato on the menu?

According to Thrillist, Wendy's sells a staggering one million baked potatoes every single week. They were added to the menu, along with the legendary salad bar, as part of the health food craze that was sweeping the nation in the early '80s. This was a big deal at the time. In the early 1980s, the USDA released its first dietary guidelines, suggesting Americans cut back on saturated fats, sodium, sugar, and cholesterol. In 1982, Coca-Cola introduced Diet Coke. The diet craze was in full swing, so Wendy's took its own big swing by offering a baked potato in 1983.

A single, plain baked potato is only 270 calories compared to fries, which can be as much as 470 calories. Sour cream and chives only add another 30 calories, so the potato is a great, lower calorie option.

Wendy's offers five versions of its baked potato on the menu. Aside from plain and sour cream and chives, there's also cheese, bacon cheese, and chili cheese. Puerto Rican Wendy's offers a unique version with ham and ranch dressing. In the past, Wendy's has offered Italian versions with tomato sauce and Mexican versions with salsa. However, it doesn't stop there. Some locations still offer the broccoli cheddar version, and they are also fully customizable. That means any sauce or topping in the store can go on a potato. You can also opt for a simple Wendy's hack by turning your baked potato into a bowl and adding nuggets, chili, or a salad.

Obviously the baked potatoes are popular, but there's a good reason why only Wendy's serves them. This is not a fast food item. It takes infrastructure and organization to make them work. Every Wendy's had to be equipped with a convection oven to cook them. It takes an hour to bake these potatoes, so they can't be made to order. This is a process that needs to be carefully monitored and maintained throughout the day. That's also why it could be a bad idea to order one at a slow time of day, since it may have finished cooking a while ago.

It would be a significant effort for other chains to try to adopt the baked potato as a menu item, and for most, it's just not worth it. At this point, you have to imagine anyone who did introduce a baked potato would simply be compared to Wendy's anyway. Would it be worth the massive investment in training, logistics, and equipment to just be considered a copycat?