Fast food chain Wendy’s faces a clash with a classic Aussie brand
Whether or not the cult US brand Wendy’s comes to Australia may be out of the giant burger chain’s hands.
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“This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
An Aussie franchisee has delivered a stark warning to a US fast food giant.
On Monday, US burger chain Wendy’s announced plans to roll out “hundreds” of stores in Australia.
But while burger lovers might be rejoicing at the news, a franchisee of a local ice cream chain – Wendy’s Milk Bar – had a simple message for the American business.
“There can’t be two Wendy’s,” Whyalla Wendy’s owner Dean Tully told The Guardian.
“They can come to Australia and strut their stuff by all means, but I wouldn’t want it to be under the Wendy’s banner.”
His comments come after the US fast food giant’s chief development officer Abigail Pringle told the Australian Financial Review she was convinced Australia was a “lucrative market” with an appetite for their signature burgers, fries and “Frosty” desserts.
She hinted at possible plans for Wendy’s – which is not affiliated with the Australian Wendy’s Milk Bar brand – to buy up land and build restaurants before handing over to local franchisees.
But Mr Tully said there wasn’t room Down Under for two chains with the Wendy’s moniker.
“We don’t have two Hungry Jack’s, We don’t have two McDonald’s. We are Wendy’s,” he said.
The potential for confusion has also been noted on social media.
“So Australia is getting Wendy’s? That’s gonna confuse a lot of people here given we already have a chain called Wendy’s though they mostly deal with milkshakes and hot dogs,” one user wrote.
So Australia is getting Wendy’s? That’s gonna confuse alot of people here given we already have a chain called Wendy’s though they mostly deal with milkshakes and hotdogs.
— Yu-Han Solo (@axaul) February 27, 2023
“Yay Frosties for all in Australia! But also wouldn’t there be some legal issues with the name as we have a Wendy’s here that’s different,” another wrote.
“Imagine all the confusion when people in Australia try and fail to order an Agro cone,” journalist Andrew Brown said.
Other users said it was a shame the door was seemingly opening to a giant international competitor, instead of supporting a local brand.
Wendy’s Milk Bar, formerly known as Wendy’s Supa Sundaes, opened in South Australia in 1979. It now has 120 stores across Australia and New Zealand, and is often found in shopping centres.
Meanwhile, the US-based Wendy’s burger chain, with its logo of a red-haired girl with pigtails, is famed for its square beef patties and “Frosty” dessert. It operates more than 7000 restaurants across 29 countries.
And this will not be the first time Wendy’s has tried to make its hamburgers work in the Australian market. In the 1970s and 1980s, the chain had a short stint in Victoria under the Wendy’s Hamburger Restaurant name, but those outlets were taken over by Hungry Jack’s – which is Australian fast food franchise of the US Burger King Corporation.
Then, in 2021, the brand hosted a frenzied pop-up event in Sydney.
University of NSW trademark law expert Professor Michael Handler said any decision between the two Wendy’s brands would favour the Australian Wendy’s chain because it was here first.
But, unlike Mr Tully, Professor Handler thinks there is room for two Wendy’s in Australia.
“I can imagine that Australian consumers won’t be too confused and can differentiate the longstanding ice cream business from the big international burger chain, so it’s plausible to think that the two can coexist,” he told The Guardian.
But he said the two chains will likely negotiate and come to an agreement to operate under their respective names, particularly when they focus on two different fast food products.
Trouble generally only begins if and when the product offerings overlap – which previously caused issues between Taco Bell and Taco Bill, and is the reason why Burger King trades here as Hungry Jack’s.
Originally published as Fast food chain Wendy’s faces a clash with a classic Aussie brand
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