There are so many choices at Wendy’s that it makes your head swirl. When I went there recently with friends, we decided that the combos were by far the best deal. One of us ordered a burger and sides separately, and another who chose the $2.99 deluxe value meal was money ahead.
Unless you go there regularly or make a thorough study of the offerings, you don’t know. One thing I have found is that for $2.97 I can get a good meal at Wendy’s. That is when I order a baked potato and a small serving of chili. I drink water.
When I want a quick meal, I stop and pick up a chicken mandarin salad ($3.19). It is crisp and so large that you could split it or take some home. I am more likely to eat the whole thing. After all, it’s only 180 calories. That’s before adding the dressing and toppings. With these, you have as many as 370 more calories. Still, I like this salad because it has personality with little packets of sliced almonds and Chinese noodles for topping. A couple of times, however, the salad has been too watery.
My third choice at Wendy’s is a burger. I am not sure why, but I like the distinctive square shape of Wendy’s burgers. And I notice they advertise their beef has never been frozen. All too often on the fast-food circuit, burgers have a heavy composition and taste like they have been heated up rather than freshly cooked on a grill.
I often visit Wendy’s on South Washington Street, where Brent Moen is the manager. He says the fish fillet sandwiches have been bestsellers during Lent. They are made with cod from the north Pacific. Fillets are crisp and dusted with Japanese panko breading before frying. Sandwiches come in combos or alone.
While both Wendy’s have similar menus, there is a difference in their customers. On South Washington, the customers seem to come from the local area. On 32nd Avenue South, patrons are from the business area, and many are travelers off Interstate 29. The Wendy’s dining rooms close at 10 P.M., but the drive-throughs are open until midnight.
Frostys are worthy as an afternoon or evening treat. And they cap off a quick meal in fine fashion. The very small chocolate or vanilla Frosty is 70 calories. But the coffee toffee twisted Frosty will add 540 to your calorie count.
You can rack up a lot of calories at Wendy’s. A bacon deluxe single is 640 calories. And that’s probably OK if you are shoveling snow or running marathons. The good news is that you can get a junior hamburger with standard toppings for 230 calories or order a naked junior hamburger for only 90 calories.
Ken Towers, whose family also operates Italian Moon, has owned Wendy’s on South Washington for 26 years. He has had the second Wendy’s for almost five years. Under Towers’ direction, the Wendy’s have excelled in outdoor landscaping. And the store on South Washington has been a meeting place for a cross section of the community.
Both Wendy’s outlets continue to operate in Grand Forks.