Wendy´s

I love Wendy's. Have done for years, even before getting into the fat-conscious mode that has seen burgers basically banished from my diet. Their restaurants were always cleaner than the rival burger joints, and their assistants usually younger and more stressed. Fast food has a high turnover of staff, and you can see why. It's always hectic. Even so, most of those who have served me have been polite and reasonably well-mannered.

In ...
...bring out a 99c menu, an option that enabled you to create a meal using different items for 99c each. In those far off days, coming out of the club late night, Wendy's drive - thru always beckoned and the 99c Junior Bacon Cheeseburger filled the empty spot. That was about 9 years ago, they still have the 99c menu, it still contains the same assortment of items - how have they managed that in times of inflation? Well done Wendy's!

Nowadays, ... more

I love Wendy's. Have done for years, even before getting into the fat-conscious mode that has seen burgers basically banished from my diet. Their restaurants were always cleaner than the rival burger joints, and their assistants usually younger and more stressed. Fast food has a high turnover of staff, and you can see why. It's always hectic. Even so, most of those who have served me have been polite and reasonably well-mannered.

In the US, Wendy's were the first fast food place to bring out a 99c menu, an option that enabled you to create a meal using different items for 99c each. In those far off days, coming out of the club late night, Wendy's drive - thru always beckoned and the 99c Junior Bacon Cheeseburger filled the empty spot. That was about 9 years ago, they still have the 99c menu, it still contains the same assortment of items - how have they managed that in times of inflation? Well done Wendy's!

Nowadays, trying to lose weight and being calorie and fat conscious, I've stopped eating burgers as much as I used to, very rarely in fact now. However, Wendy's has also realised that times are changing too. They know that obesity is on the rise and that food like theirs is partly to blame. But they have a business to run so they can't just quit making burgers and fries, folks, can they?

So they have brought out some healthier choices for those of us who are watching what we eat, and these choices are DELICIOUS! Four salads, and let me tell you, these salads come in their own bowls and there is a lot of food in there.

My favourite is the Chicken BLT, Romaine lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, spring salad mix, cherry tomatoes, bacon bits - real bacon not fake rock hard stuff - grated cheddar cheese, cucumbers and diced grilled chicken. Let me tell you, I don't know what they do to the chicken but it tastes incredible. This salad comes with (separately packaged) Honey Mustard dressing and Garlic Croutons. I ask them to substitute low fat ranch dressing and they have no probs with that. I also take the croutons home for hubby. My salad costs me $3.99 and 310 calories, however (and I have to deal with this but to me this is the tastiest of the salads) the bacon and cheese give it a whopping 16g of fat and 60 mg of cholesterol. The half packet of low fat ranch is 50 calories.

Two of their other salad options have far less fat and cholesterol, as I said, it's the cheese and bacon in that one that push it so high, but it tastes brilliant. The other high fat one is the Taco Supremo.

Their Taco Supremo comes with the Iceberg and Romaine lettuces, tomatoes, red onions, cheddar cheese and Wendy's chili, and is 360 calories, 17g of fat, 65mg of cholesterol. Blame it this time on the cheese and chili! What's in chili as well as the beans? Beef! There you go! Salsa, sour cream and Taco chips come on the side - and could add another 310 calories, if you don't watch out!

If you fancy something a little different, they have a Mandarin Chicken Salad, with the two lettuces, spring salad mix, diced chicken and mandarin oranges. This one has side items of roasted almonds, crispy rice noodles and oriental sesame dressing. 150 calories and 1.5g of fat by itself, 10mg cholesterol, but the sides again can add a whopping 470 calories and an additional 35 g of fat! That's like having a burger!

Finally, they have a Spring Salad mix, with the two lettuces, spring salad mix, cherry tomatoes, red onions, carrots, cheddar cheese, and cucumbers. 180 calories, 11g of fat, and 30 mg cholesterol. Sides with this one are honey roasted pecans (don't like the sound of that!) and vinaigrette dressing. An extra 350 calories, and 33g of fat.

By switching to their lower fat dressings, the ranch, lite honey mustard and French style, you can cut calories and fat gms, and by foregoing the sides that come with these salad bowls. That makes these a healthier choice than some of the other menu options.

As I said before, these are a meal in themselves, and usually take me about 30-40 minutes to munch through. try one and you won't be disappointed.

Wendy's also has the baked potato offering, a jacket potato that you can have plain or with a choice of toppings. What I like is that these mean I can now go to Wendy's and eat while everyone else tucks into burgers, instead of being a party pooper and whingeing, "well, I can't have that, I'm trying to lose weight" or " oh, it's got too much fat in for me". These mean that while everybody else orders what they want, I order AND ENJOY, my chicken BLT salad.

And in the US Wendy's does a lot to help find homes for children who are up for adoption, and most restaurants have some kind of poster up about this. It was something started by Dave Thomas, the original owner and founder of Wendy's, and an adoptee himself. It makes me feel happier knowing that, when I eat there, some of what I've paid goes towards helping a worthy cause. 

...less