Not Dave's Single: This Classic Wendy's Burger Was Meant To Take Down Burger King's Whopper In 1986
The 1980s were a wild time in the world of fast food. The top three chains (McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's) were deep in competition for having the best-selling burger (aptly dubbed The Burger Wars). After a marketing campaign called "Where's the Beef?" in which Wendy's took aim at the size of competitors' burger patties, Burger King saw a decline in Whopper sales. In 1985, the chain increased the size of the Whopper to a third of a pound (up from a quarter) and changed up the bun to a kaiser roll. After thorough market research, Wendy's launched a new burger in 1986 that was meant to be its signature sandwich and take down the Whopper: the Big Classic.
Market research had determined that Wendy's Dave's Single burger just wasn't bringing it — customers wanted a burger they considered heftier. In order to compete with not only the Whopper, but McDonald's McD.L.T. (also a burger with lettuce, tomato, and mayo designed to bring down the Whopper), the Big Classic was topped with tomato, mayo, ketchup, pickles, onion, and lettuce on a corn-dusted spiral-topped kaiser bun. The chain also designed packaging to set apart the Big Classic: a styrofoam dome with a top that mimicked the spiral-top bun.
Was the Big Classic really so different from the Dave's Single?
The most interesting part of the Burger Wars may be that customers were just looking for a bit of drama. With a flashy name, bigger bun, and fancy styrofoam box, Wendy's Big Classic stood out from the Dave's Single – but the ingredients were nearly identical. The Dave's Single (our favorite Wendy's burger) is a quarter-pound all-beef patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and ketchup, mustard, and mayo. The only difference from the Big Classic seems to be the bun and the brouhaha.
The Big Classic evolved into the Big Bacon Classic in 1992 with the addition of three strips of Applewood smoked bacon. It was eventually discontinued, but then was brought back in 2020, and is still on the menu today.
It's fair to say that Wendy's lost the Burger Wars of the '80s, as today the Whopper and the Big Mac are the two best-selling fast food burgers in history. It took Wendy's 25 more years, but in 2011, the chain's sales volume beat out Burger King for the first time ever. Wendy's took the number-two spot from Burger King again in 2020, but neither has ever surpassed McDonald's for the top spot. The Burger Wars have never really ended, though; in 2001, McDonald's tried to knock off the Whopper with its Big N'Tasty.