Here’s Why Wendy’s Is One of the Few Places That Still Sell Baked Potatoes

A fast food joint that sells baked potatoes, strange right? Not according to Wendy’s!

Wendy’s is one of the few fast food chains to sell their one-of-their kind baked potatoes, it’s also a food item that differentiates their menu from the rest of the competition.

But the question is, why? Why is Wendy’s one of the few fast food chains that offer a baked potato side?

Putting aside its savory good looks and taste, Wendy’s baked potatoes are actually pretty famous.

According to Thrillist, the fast food chain sells an impressive, 1 million baked potatoes every week.

That’s right, one million spuds are flying off the shelves over at Wendy’s.

But the customizable baked potato isn’t exactly a new fad over at Wendy’s.

In fact, since the chain opened their doors in 1969, the baked potato was added to menus in 1983, which was also during a time where low-fat diets were very popular.

So why haven’t other fast food chains added the carby option to their menus since Wendy’s has shown so much success?

It all boils down to time and equipment, pun intended.

“If you’ve ever cooked baked potatoes at home, you know it takes a while,” Lori Estrada, Wendy’s vice president of culinary innovation, explains to Thrillist. “And we cook them from a raw state, in an oven, wrapped in foil, baked for an hour, just like you would at home.”

Thrillist

To put it plain and simple, unlike Wendy’s baked potato, many fast few food chains don’t have the time to cook a mass amount of baked potatoes, nor do they have equipment to do per Thrillist.

So it looks like Wendy’s will continue to rule spud-land for now in the fast food industry.