NEW YORK — When Wendy’s decided to remake its 42-year-old hamburger, the chain agonized over every detail. A pickle chemist was consulted. Customers were quizzed on their lettuce knowledge. And executives went on a cross-country burger-eating tour.
The result? Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy, named after Dave Thomas, who founded Wendy’s.
The burger — with extra cheese, a thicker beef patty, a buttered bun and no mustard, among other changes — was served in restaurants starting Monday.
“Our food was already good,” said Denny Lynch, a Wendy’s spokesman. “We wanted it to be better. Isn’t that what long-term brands do? They reinvent themselves.”
For Wendy’s, reinvention is critical. That’s why executives at the 6,600-restaurant chain spent the past 2 1/2 years going over burger minutiae during an undertaking they call Project Gold Hamburger.
“We have a lot of catching up to do in some areas,” said Gerard Lewis, the head of new- product development for Wendy’s. “But after we launch this hamburger, there will be folks who need to catch up to us.” The Associated Press; AP photo
