From our media partners at Fox 6:
March 2 is when Wendy’s enters the ring and debuts its highly anticipated menu for the increasingly competitive timeslot. The launch comes six months after the fast food chain announced it wanted in on this growing category.
And Wendy’s is already needling its peers on Twitter:
Wendy’s is serving a mix of new items and twists on its customer favorites, including the Breakfast Baconater and a Frosty-ccino.
There are uncertainties about this endeavor. Wendy’s previous attempt to sell breakfast flopped in 2012. And breakfast is costly. The chain expects to spend about $20 million to hire about 20,000 employees and serve breakfast in all its stores. Investors soured on the stock when Wendy’s initially announced the news in September but its shares are now up 27% year over year.
Wendy’s will have plenty of competitors in the breakfast space, including McDonald’s, Dunkin’ and Panera.
Dunkin’, which has been experimenting with healthy breakfast items, launched a breakfast sandwich last year that is made with a plant-based Beyond sausage, luring customers with a trendy new option. Panera bolstered its menu with new offerings and IHOP unveiled plans for a new store, Flip’d, that will serve freshly prepared breakfast to go.
McDonald’s, arguably the breakfast behemoth, expanded its morning fare last month with two new chicken sandwiches. The chain’s gamble in launching all-day breakfast in 2015 has proved successful.
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