Wendy’s is getting a new look.
Wendy herself isn’t changing. She’ll remain a freckled 9-year-old in pigtails on the logo of the Dublin-based burger chain.
But during the company’s first-quarter earnings report May 8, interim CEO Ken Cook revealed a new look, complete with a new color scheme, for Wendy’s restaurants overseas. A spokesperson for the company said the makeover will be available to franchisees in the United States, too.
The red you’ve seen in and outside thousands of Wendy’s locations since the company moved away from the copper-colored roofs of its earliest days will be replaced with a shade of bright blue taken from the ribbons in Wendy’s hair.
Wendy’s, in the middle of a plan to boost sales that’s called “Project Fresh,” is calling the new color scheme and new restaurant features that go with it part of a “Future Fresh” design. It includes a “digital-first” layout for restaurants that prioritizes ordering from digital screens and drive-throughs over countertops and cash registers.
The new Wendy’s restaurants also have less space for customers to sit down and eat their meals, formalizing the trend toward carryout, pickup and delivery of fast food.
One of the chain’s newest restaurants, at 7445 Sawmill Pkwy. in Powell, includes some of the digital-first features, including bright-blue metal chairs, but its exterior is wood, brick and bright red.
Follow Dispatch dining reporter Bob Vitale on Instagram at @dispatchdining. You can reach him directly at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Wendy’s restaurants unveil a new blue look and more digital focus
Reporting by Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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