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A “playful rivalry” has kicked off in the heart of an Australian city with the opening of a huge American burger chain.
Wendy’s, which opened its first Australian store in Surfer’s Paradise in January, has opened a new venue in Brisbane.
The new flagship, the business’ second restaurant in its 200 store in 10 years in Australia plan, is described as “global first” by the US chain.
And despite only opening its doors on Wednesday, it is already drawing in the crowds.
Is it worth it?
One mother and her two sons, who happened to be on holiday, were waiting outside the Queensland venue at 5 a.m. in order to try the food.
“We wanted to be first in line,” the woman told news.com.au
“We live in Townsville so we don’t get to have this food much. We’re on holiday so we’re just making it part of our trip.”
The family were eager to try the iconic Wendy’s Frostys, a frozen dairy dessert, while the woman’s eldest son was keen to taste-test the chicken tenders. After getting a sample of the Frostys, the trio declared it “amazing”.
One woman said she’d tried Wendy’s in Indonesia and wanted to see how the Australian version compared.
“I don’t know if they have this in Australia but in Indonesia they had loaded baked potatoes,” she said.
However she was keen to try the chilli — which is offered in both Indonesia and Australia.
Another duo said they had seen the store last week and decided it would be “cool” to come and check it out.
Neither had dined at Wendy’s before, but loved Carl’s Jr, another popular American fast-food chain, so were keen to see what it would be like.
“The Baconmator looks awesome,” one said.
The other said: “It’s fun [with US places coming here] because you see it online and it’s fun to see them in person and try them out.”
After trying out the meal, grabbing a classic burger and a Baconmator, one of the men said it was “just what I thought it’d be like”.
For the uninitiated, the cult-cheeseburger featuring two beef patties, six strips of bacon, cheese, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
It also has a different name to the US Wendys, where it is known as the Baconator, a detail internet sleuths have speculated is because Hungry Jacks released a burger with that name several years earlier.
Regardless, Aussies at Wendy’s declared: “It totally lived up to the hype.”
Another gentleman, who’d lined up since 5:30 a.m., said he really enjoyed the Baconmater loaded fries, noting the price point was better than expected.
He wasn’t the only one, with others stating very similar.
“The price is actually solid,” one man told news.com.au.
Another said: “I thought it was going to be over $30.”
The actual store
The moment you see the Wendy’s store in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall, it makes you turn your head. It is massive and is a bright blue.
The flagship store — known as the Haus of Wendy’s — has two stories and seats 130 people. It is dedicated to bringing to life Wendy’s personality while also being a love letter to Brisbane.
The store is divided into two colours.
The red room is a “celebration of Wendy’s sass, spice and signature square burgers” — even the tables have, “We don’t cut corners”, etched into them as a nod to the square patties.
There is bespoke wall panelling dedicated to Wendy’s braids and there is even a social feed where customers can upload photos.
A Wendy’s mural is splayed across one wall that features “Easter eggs” about Brisbane — including the statue of NRL great Wally Lewis, the Olympic torch to get people geared up for the upcoming 2032 event and Story Bridge.
Then, there is the blue side which is dedicated to Wendy’s cool attitude and the iconic Frosty. It includes selfie mirrors and a handmade Bow Wall installation by Brisbane artist Rachel Burke.
It’s made from upcycled materials.
Lauren Leahy, the business’ chief transformation officer said that Wendy’s has built its reputation on doing things different and this store is proof of that.
“We’ve taken Wendy’s much-loved global brand and reimagined it for Australia. The new store brings that to life in a way that’s both unmistakably Wendy’s and uniquely Australian,” she said.
American chains in aus
Over the last 12 months several US chains have entered the Australian market with Wingstop opening in Kings Cross, Aunty Anne’s opening in Parramatta, Wendy’s opening up in Surfer’s Paradise and Shake Shack announcing it will be at the Australian Open in 2026.
Corina Black, Wendy’s Australia and New Zealand’s chief marketing officer, told news.com.au that the business was responding to customer demand.
“Wendy’s has been one of the most talked about brands in Australia for years. Our social channels were flooded with ‘come to Australia’ so, for us, we responded to popular demand,” she said.
“And that demand was undeniable when we opened [in Surfer’s Paradise] to see the queues and the way people lined up. It was a built up pressure, in a sense.”
She said that Australians do love American brands — but that they do not want a copy and pasted version of the chain Down Under.
“We’ve done it in our own unique way that really responds to what Australians are looking for,” she said.
She said, fundamentally, Aussies were craving something new in the burger space — quality ingredients with personality. Black said Wendy’s fits in perfectly thanks to its inherent Wendy sass and its fresh ingredients.
This is why Wendy’s doesn’t have frozen beef and its chicken is made-to-order and handbreaded.
Black said it was an exciting time in the fast food industry in Australia with global players entering the market, encouraging existing chains to step up their game, adding it was a win for the consumer.
“It keeps us all innovating, thinking of how we can do things different and step it up,” she said.
She said Wendy’s doesn’t see other brands as a threat, but instead as motivation. In fact, in Queen Street Mall, where the new store is located, there is a KFC, Hungry Jack’s and a McDonald’s.
Ahead of its opening on Wednesday, Wendy’s held a little “Haus Party” and invited Ronald, Jack and the Colonel to come along and give the food a try.
“There was a cheeky little mention from KFC — but it’s really important to keep it playful,” she said.
“We’ve got playful rivalries. We’re all different, we are in our own unique position and those brands have done incredibly well,” she said.
“I think the point of difference is Wendy’s is the first female in quick service restaurants. We have Ronald, Jack and Colonel — and now we have Wendy the queen. We celebrate that.
“She has permission to be that little bit sassy. It’s gentle and it’s playful and it’s never meant to be threatening or mean. So, Wendy invited the boys to the house party in the good spirit of being neighbourly.”
The journalist was invited to the Brisbane opening by Wendy’s
